Hi, I’m Izzy!

I am thrilled to have been selected as one of six members of Girlguiding UK to be a part of this year's GOLD (Girlguiding Overseas Linked with Development) Project in partnership with Madagascar Mpanazava. This project is a long-term initiative that will run over several years, and this will be the second year that it has taken place.

As part of my fundraising, I will be completing the National 'Three Peaks Challenge', which includes climbing Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) over three days in June of this year and I would be immensely grateful if you sponsor me in this challenge!

What is GOLD?

GOLD aims to empower young women aged 18-30 to work in partnership with other Guide associations around the world to deliver guiding-based development projects. The aims of each project are tailored to the individual organisation and partner country, ranging from leadership skills training to delivering advocacy programmes for young women. These sustainable projects are designed in partnership with Guiding organisations worldwide to ensure that the positive impacts of GOLD are long-lasting.

My Own Guiding Journey

Girlguiding has been a significant part of my life for as long as I can remember. My journey started at the age of 5 when I joined 1st Arabian Ranches Rainbows in the UAE. Being a part of this fun and caring organisation allowed me to grow in confidence while feeling safe and supported. I progressed to Brownies and Guides, where I participated in sleepovers, desert campfires, and even a 'Guides Got Talent' competition among other activities which allowed me to meet and make friends with girls from all over the world! When I moved to the UK in 2016, I settled into 1st Kimbolton Guides in Cambridgeshire and there, at the age of 13, I started volunteering as a Brownie helper. I've called Kimbolton Brownies home for the last 5 years and developed leadership skills which have helped me to pursue other amazing opportunities within my life, one of which is GOLD. I hadn't heard of GOLD before this summer. After looking for international guiding opportunities, I stumbled across "Go for GOLD," a selection weekend held in Edinburgh, which is the first step to being involved in a GOLD project. My Guiding Journey continues as I work towards my Queen's Guide Award, and I hope to run my own Brownies unit in the future.

Purpose of the Project

The overarching purpose of the project is to support Mpanazava to embed facilitation and non-formal education methods in the delivery of their programme to girls. This would enable Mpanazava to develop confident, self-assured members who are then empowered to tackle wider issues in their communities such as sanitation, environmental action, and access to education.

Our team will be focusing on the following aims this year:

• To deliver training on non-formal education and facilitation skills to 30 regional trainers.

• To deliver training on non-formal education and facilitation skills co-delivered with regional trainers to 100 leaders.

• To create an action plan and provide training to leaders on non-formal education and facilitation skills across Madagascar.

• Identify and utilise current Mpanazava resources that focus on confidence and self-esteem.

• Develop an action plan to increase the accessibility of resources with a focus on building confidence and self-esteem among girls and leaders across Madagascar.

• To identify barriers to becoming a member of Mpanazava.

• To ensure a minimum of 100 young members will have participated in activities on leadership, confidence, and self-esteem.

It is hoped that as a result, membership of Mpanazava will increase, further creating accessible, girl-led, and leader-supported opportunities for new members from a wide variety of different backgrounds. In addition, focusing on facilitation and leadership skills among the adult membership will hopefully equip trainers and leaders to take forward the work of the GOLD team across Madagascar, which will, in turn, help improve the lives and communities of girls and young women across the country. 

So...I need your help!

I will be completing a range of initiatives and fundraising projects throughout 2024, with all donations going towards this wonderful project! In addition to these, I need to raise £3,500 to take part in the project. This will cover all expenses including travel, accommodation and more importantly resources for meetings, workshops, and training whilst in Madagascar.

I am incredibly excited for what is to come and the impact that our team will hopefully be able to make in Madagascar as well as back home in the UK. I hope to be able to share my experiences and inspire younger members to apply for GOLD and other international experiences in the future.

Thank you for all your support!

Izzy

If you would like to learn more about GOLD, please follow the link to the Girlguiding UK website:

https://www.girlguiding.org.uk/what-we-do/international-adventures/gold/

As well as how Girlguiding UK is transforming GOLD for 2026:

https://www.girlguiding.org.uk/what-we-do/blog/transforming-gold/