Meet the delegation - Caroline Davis

Three years ago Girlguiding was preparing to welcome the world to Edinburgh. As the fabulous organising committee finessed plans for the 34th World Conference, seemingly taking every new challenge within their stride, I admit to feeling pretty daunted. I had been International Commissioner for just five months and, although my knowledge of the workings of WAGGGS was increasing, the Conference did feel a little like being thrown in at the deep end...

I was immensely grateful for the support and guidance of members of the UK delegation and others who had attended World Conferences previously. In all honesty, though, no amount of briefing could have fully prepared me for the experience to come. The World Conference is a unique event. There's serious business to discuss, and delegations demonstrate their commitment to achieving the best outcomes for the organisations they represent. That can feel a bit of a whirlwind. There are also tremendous opportunities throughout each day to learn - about Guiding, about the diversity of our World Association and about daily life in different countries. 

Now we are getting ready for the next instalment and it is a huge privilege to be leading the UK delegation to the 35th World Conference - the next destination on an amazing journey through Guiding. From learning about the uniforms worn by Brownies in other countries, Guiding has taken me to international camps in The Netherlands and Poland, on GOLD projects to Poland, Pakistan and Madagascar, to Our Chalet and Sangam, and to WAGGGS events in Belgium, Ireland, Greece and, most recently, Berlin. 

I very much enjoy returning to 1st Wimbledon Park Guides to help out the leadership team when I can. Last month I had a fantastic evening with the girls running activities from the World Guiding Goes to Hong Kong pack - the relay involving chopsticks and marshmallows was a particular highlight.

Outside of Guiding I am Head of Communications for Imperial College London. My team is responsible for communications with the university's 7,500 staff and 14,000 students, we engage with the media about developments at Imperial and we support events in the UK and overseas. The Mayor of London and the President of South Korea are among those who have been at Imperial over the past year - Guiding skills certainly came in useful when making plans for their visits.

Through this blog we hope to share our experiences of the 35th World Conference - please do let us know if you've particular questions about Hong Kong, WAGGGS or the mechanics of the World Conference. We'd also love to hear your comments on what you read.

The last chapter - the delegation to the 34th World Conference

Front (L-R) Kirsty Kakanskas and Nicola Grinstead

Back (L-R) Alexa Laurence, Caroline Davis, Denise King, Gill Slocombe