While away from their school desks and busy with online schooling, young members of the Malta Girl Guides Association (MGG), still found ways to keep active and carried on their girl guiding programme from home facilitated by their leaders.
They recently told all about their #Beattheboredom #MGGQuarantineChallenge experience to President George Vella during an online meeting.
Dr Vella was very interested to learn about the work done by the young Girl Guides and their leaders during the self-quarantine period and was glad to hear that, even though MGG had to adapt to different methods instead of its traditional ones, contact with all its members never actually stopped.
The members, from the youngest to the oldest, were keen to show the president the results of some of the tasks, such as crafts, drawings, knots or videos, they completed during the challenge.
The recently-elected National Board, adult volunteers and young members from different units were honoured to meet President Vella and recounted how girl guiding remained a vital part of their life during the pandemic through weekly meetings with their leaders. Members also recounted their participation in the #mggquarantinechallenge #beattheboredom challenge.
Spanning over 80 days and comprising of 40 different tasks, the challenge attracted over 2,500 participants from more than 21 countries.
The challenge attracted over 2,500 participants from more than 21 countries
This initiative’s main aim was to see kids and people of all ages, who were at the time mostly staying at home, participating in different challenges to help beat the boredom of staying indoors during such difficult times.
Challenges targeted different areas of the MGG programme, among which were mind and spirit, culture and heritage, creativity, outdoor skills, environment and diversity.
Those who completed the challenge will earn a badge designed for the occasion and which can be worn on the Girl Guides’ uniforms.
MGG’s newly-elected chief commissioner, Stephanie Anastasi, explained that MGG adult volunteers were also kept busy with events targeted specifically for them. She also said that, given the extraordinary circumstances, MGG took the plunge and for the very first time held online elections for all adult volunteers to elect a new chief commissioner and members of the National Board.
The MGG annual conference was also held online together with other events for adult volunteers with the main aim of keeping them updated and spending quality time together.
Dr Vella thanked all young members who attended the meeting for sharing their guiding experiences with him. He also thanked all MGG volunteers for their valuable service and encouraged them to keep on working to provide a holistic approach to ensure the development of its members as individuals and as responsible citizens within their communities.
Anastasi reciprocated by thanking him for the unique opportunity given to the young members and for listening to them, while MGG president Karen Buttigieg concluded by stating the importance of the Girl Guides’ role in society and by offering MGG’s support and service whenever needed.