We caught up with Zahra who recently represented Girlguiding UK at the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts’ Helen Storrow Seminar. This is an annual leadership seminar which takes place in Switzerland at Our Chalet which is one of WAGGGS’ world centres. 

Why did you want to take part in the seminar? 

I’ve been enjoying getting involved in the international side of guiding over the last few years and it all started with attending Roverway. Once you experience how big guiding is at an international event like that, you keep wanting to go back. 

How were you selected to take part in the seminar? 

I initially saw the advert for the Helen Storrow Seminar in the Girlguiding email newsletter and it looked like a good next step for me so I decided to apply. I took part in an interview with the Girlguiding UK international team and a few months before the event I found out I’d been successful. 

What were your first impressions of Our Chalet? 

This was the first world centre I’ve visited so it was very exciting. I spoke to other local leaders who had been to Our Chalet before about what to expect so I felt very prepared. I was sharing a room with guides and girl scouts from Canada, Denmark, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, the Philippines and Madagascar – some of them had never seen snow before! However, it had been a very warm winter and there was more snow when I left Aberdeen than there was in the Swiss mountains! 

What did you learn at the seminar? 

The Helen Storrow Seminar is always themed around the environment and this year the topic was water conservation. The facilitator team were all experts on the topic and it was really interesting to learn from them. We also had sessions about the WAGGGS leadership mindsets and how we can use them. 

Did you get a chance to take part in other activities? 

I loved how balanced the event was with plenty of opportunity for fun! We went sledding in Adelboden and hiked to the magic tree. We also took part in lots of interesting evening programme including an international night where everyone shared traditions and cultural items from their home countries. Winter is quieter than the other seasons at Our Chalet so the volunteer team running activities enjoyed having a busy event going on. 

How are you taking forward your experience? 

All the seminar participants have to complete a change project and we had time before and during the seminar to think about what this could be. I’ve decided to produce a challenge pack about water conservation and I’ve got support from my county and a mentor to make this a reality. I’m a leader in Aberdeen so I have a few units I know already who will take part. 

What’s your advice to anyone looking to take part in similar WAGGGS events? 

If you’re even slightly considering it, just go for it! You don’t know where it’ll take you. I don’t know fully where my experience will take me yet but I’m excited to keep involved in international guiding. 

Find out more about WAGGGS opportunities on their website and get in touch with our international team if you’d like to discuss by emailing international@girlguiding-scot.org.uk