The first session was called Mentoring Girls for Healthy Self-Esteem and we explored the factors which contribute to low self-esteem amongst girls and also amongst leaders. We thought about strategies which we can use when mentoring, to ensure that it is a positive experience for all concerned. We talked about the qualities a mentor should have, relating this to our own experiences of mentoring.
Later I had a fascinating session on Partnering With The Community. I was in a group with Lisa, the Deputy Commissioner for Trinidad and Tobago, and Evita, the Deputy Trainer for Liberia.
We talked about the benefits and challenges of working in partnership with other organisations. The benefits include raising awareness of the organisation and increasing visibility locally; giving credibility to an organisation; shifting the girls out of their 'comfort zone' by challenging them and encouraging them to try new things; in the US, Girl Scouts is a 'brand' and engagement brings credibility to this brand. The idea of Girl Scouting and Guiding as a 'brand' was not something which everyone in the room was familiar with, which made for an interesting discussion.
In terms of the challenges, we talked about diverging expectations; the importance of defining roles, the importance of liasing with the right person in the organisation; as well as remembering at all times the purpose of the activity. Perhaps it is counting towards a community-based piece of service, in which case the aims must be closely monitored.
There is often scope for more partnership work if a partnership is successful, for example, there may be a longer term relationship which can be developed over many years.
It was interesting to hear about community partnership projects in Trinidad and Liberia, and to learn about how the Girl Guides there instigated the projects. Great discussions.
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| International conversation - Liberia, UK, Trinidad and Tobago |
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| Benefits and challenges of community work
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