Have you tasted Hong Kong and a World Conference?

1st Wimbledon Park Guides perfect their chopstick style

Last year the Girlguiding staff team and I had the challenge of coming up with activities that would give UK members a taste of the proceedings of a World Conference and of life in Hong Kong. As plans got underway to develop the 'World Guiding Goes to Hong Kong' pack I asked a Guide leader based out there what girls most enjoyed doing in that part of the world. She replied 'shopping and eating' - not quite the distinctive and varied activities I'd been hoping to hear about.

So...we used our imagination to develop a programme which offers a snapshot of what visitors might see and experience in Hong Kong. We challenged girls to learn to use chopsticks and refine their technique by ferrying marshmallows in relay races. Another activity in the pack invites girls to build islands out of sweets with complex transport networks, reflecting the wide array of modes on offer in Hong Kong - boats, trams, buses, underground trains and even escalators between the different levels of the hillside areas of the city.

We also asked girls to consider the team that they would like to see running the world, weighing up the skills and experience needed to take on such a mammoth task, just as we'll be doing next week through the World Board elections. When I ran this activity with 1st Wimbledon Park Guides earlier in the year their team included David Beckham, Martin Luther King, Ellie Simmonds and Katie Piper.... Certainly a diverse range of skills! 

With just four more sleeps until I make my way East with Helen, Jo and Laura (with Catherine already in China and Angela on her way tomorrow) it's not long now until we'll be sharing with you our own impressions of Hong Kong and a World Conference.

In the meantime we'd love to hear about your unit's experiences of using the 'World Guiding Goes to Hong Kong' pack. Do share your stories with us using the comments functionality below.

To download the pack, visit: 

http://www.girlguiding.org.uk/members_area__go/activities/activity_packs/world_guiding_goes_to_hong_kon.aspx