Meet the delegation - Helen Beecher Bryant

Greetings! I’m Helen Beecher Bryant and I am delighted to be part of the UK delegation to the WAGGGS World Conference.

I’ve been thinking about how on earth I introduce myself here.  I’m not known for my brevity, so here are 535 words to introduce this member of the delegation to the WAGGGS World Conference to you:

These are the things which I think make me, me: engagement, advocacy, comedy.  Now, what does that mean?

Engagement

I run 1^st Chislehurst Brownies and 1^st Chislehurst Guides in Greater London Kent County, LaSER and am hoping to open a Senior Section unit in the future.  I believe that all girls and young women should have the opportunity to be involved in Girlguiding, so the two units are large, with 40 or so members, with fantastic leadership teams who share the vision for growth.  I am the Growing Guiding Co-ordinator for my Division, which involves looking at how we can make Guiding more accessible. 

I really enjoy delivering training and am a Trainer in Girlguiding.  I have trained in all sorts of different subjects, ranging from the 'Travelling Abroad Training', to 'Dealing with Challenging Behaviour', to 'The Senior Section programme', to 'Introduction to Comedy Improvisation'.

International is a very important aspect of Guiding and I have had many opportunities to experience the incredible worldwide WAGGGS family to which Girlguiding members belong.  I have led trips to Finland, Namibia, Luxembourg, Mexico and am taking my unit to Iceland in October.  I also mentor international trip Leaders. 

In 2013, I was part of the UK delegation to the Fifth World Centre pilot in Rwanda, which was a ‘Stop the Violence’ conference.  I met Leaders from across Africa and the wider world.  The Guides du Rwanda are a complete inspiration and are embedded in their communities, providing services for women and children affected by violence.  Read this blog for the full story. 

Advocacy

In 2012, it was a privilege to be the Chaperone to the UK delegation to the Girls’ World Forum.  The two delegates were fantastic young women who embraced the opportunity of meeting young members from eighty-nine countries.  They wrote ‘Go For It! Be TheChange’ as a result of the event, which was published and is being used by units across the country.  Read the blog here.

I was recently appointed as Lead Volunteer for Advocacy for Girlguiding LaSER, which includes leading advocacy campaigns for our members and organising engagement events.  I’m about to recruit a team to help run Parliament Week in November.

Comedy

I am a stand-up comedian on the London fringe circuit and often use comedy improvisation techniques in my training.  I have run comedy improvisation workshops at two World Centres – Our Cabana and the Fifth World Centre pilot in Rwanda.  Improvisation is great for encouraging self-confidence and quick thinking.  The two rules are key to life generally – ‘listen’; ‘embrace the idea and see what happens’.

And my day job?

I work for Maternity Action, the national charity which champions the rights of pregnant women and new mothers.  I have contributed to Refugee Council literature and run a national training programme for midwives called ‘Improving Care for Refugees and Asylum Seekers’.

I am also a performance poet and run a poetry agency called Sublime Rhyme, where I write commissions to order and take poetic residencies in obscure places.

And finally…

Attending the WAGGGS World Conference is an amazing opportunity and I cannot wait.  To represent the views of half a million members of Girlguiding is a real privilege.  I am really looking forward to meeting members from the 145 member countries of WAGGGS and thinking together about the future.