Girl-Guiding in Luxembourg: Part 2

Chronicle.lu recently had the opportunity to talk with ​Adriana Coppola​-Finegan​, District Commissioner Luxembourg at Girlguiding BeNeLux & France, addressing girl-guiding in the Grand Duchy.

Due to the volume of topics addressed, Chronicle.lu has split the interview over two articles: the first one addressed the organisation and numbers, with this second part addressing their activities.

Chronicle.lu: How many leaders are there?

Adriana Coppola​-Finegan​: At the moment, we are five leaders and around six helpers.

Chronicle.lu: Do you find it difficult to attract young people to girl-guiding, or is it, in fact, the opposite?

Adriana Coppola​-Finegan​: We have a waitlist for girls.

Chronicle.lu: What percentage of your Guides graduate and come up from Brownies, and do many come in without any such background?

Adriana Coppola​-Finegan​: With the high expat population in Luxembourg, we get a lot of girls coming in and out of our programme. For example, two of our Brownies moved to Luxembourg from the Cayman Islands and were Rainbows there. We had a pair of sisters active here, who moved to Dubai and are now transferred into their programme. This kind of particularity is considered and the programme ensures that the girls can have continuity in their development within Girlguiding.

Chronicle.lu: Is it difficult to attract leaders too?

Adriana Coppola​-Finegan​: Yes. We have a lot of people who are happy to offer one off services, but committing to a year [or more] of meetings and the training that comes with it is a roadblock to our expansion.
The majority of our Rainbows and Brownies parents are in a dual working household so midweek meetings are hard for them to attend. Considering the circumstances around COVID and other important geopolitical situations, we lost a considerable amount of leaders in the last three years, but we are slowly recovering and quite confident that we will be able to find women with the right skillset to work directly with girls.

Chronicle.lu: How often do you meet, and where?

Adriana Coppola​-Finegan​: Rainbows (4-7 years): ISL - once per week for two hours
Brownies (7-10 years): ISL - once per week for two hours
Guides (10-14 years): From September onwards, they will meet once a week during the weekend
Rangers (14-18 years): From September onwards, they will meet once a week during the weekend

Chronicle.lu: Do you break over the winter/summer months?

Adriana Coppola​-Finegan​: Yes, we take a break from regular meetings over the summer and winter holidays, but occasionally will have a one-off hike or outting.

Chronicle.lu: What indoor and outdoor activities do you normally do, and what is the balance?

Adriana Coppola​-Finegan​: Speaking for the Rainbows/Brownies, we mostly meet inside. Our meeting room also has direct access to a patio where we can have activities outdoors. Activities range from learning new skills (starting fires, first aid, knot tying, cooking skills, etc) to leadership training, reflective/self awareness, crafting and more.

Chronicle.lu: What major events do you have planned for this (academic) year? Will this involve meeting up with other troops, etc.?

Adriana Coppola​-Finegan​: Plans are in the works!

Chronicle.lu: Do the various groups (Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers) all get together at any stage during the year?

Adriana Coppola​-Finegan​: Traditionally, we would get together in December and June, but COVID and recovery have changed this.

Chronicle.lu: With Telstar Scouts planning their own premises, do you anticipate any collaboration there?

Adriana Coppola​-Finegan​: We would love to continue our collaboration with Telstar Scouts and it seems like there is a good environment within both organisations to closely work together in the upcoming months.