Passing Down Parade, 19 June 2023

Hello Guides, 
During today's 集合, firstly, we had Batch Activity, then Mass Games, Passing Down Parade (PDP), and lastly Passing Down Parade performances. 

Year 1 Batch Activity: Creative Gadgeting Structure (Ship):
As this was the Year 1s' first activity without the help of the seniors, it truly allowed them to brush up on their basic guides knowledge and know their strengths and weakness better. They were also tasked to assign 2 ICs within themselves. 

Reflection from a Year 1 in P6:

For Batch Activity on Monday, it was the first time the Year 1s did a structure without the help of our seniors. I volunteered to be the In-charge of the activity. When we were told to get the logistics, we mistook some of the 木s and took the wrong amount for some and had to ask for a time extension for the first time. I think that we could have 记 down the line as I think that we did not hear the logistics properly and hence had to go back to 团部 to get the logistics we missed out on. During the activity, as it was the first time we were making a structure we never made before, and it was without our seniors' help, it was quite challenging as we were quite unsure. Throughout the making of the ship (the structure we had to build), we had to refer to the help of the Year 4 seniors and have guidance from them. I think that we could have had a better sense of urgency as we had to ask for a time extension a few times, and we still did not manage to finish the structure because of our doubt. I also think that we could have 报时 more often as the Year 4 seniors had to keep on reminding us to 报时 throughout the activity. During debrief, the seniors told us as ICs, we had to step out and look at the bigger picture instead of just looking at parts of the structure. Overall, I think it was quite challenging for all of us, but we learnt a lot of things and that we learnt to make a structure we never made before and I hope we can improve the next time we have Batch Activities, like improving our sense of urgency and 报时ing.

Year 2 Batch Activity: Kitchen Table and Creative Pioneering Structure:

This was an opportunity for the Year 2s to hone their leadership skills before they were to step up to lead their juniors during normal 集合s. They were also given a chance to interact with their batchamtes from other patrols, improving batch synergy.

Reflection from a Year 2 in P6:

On 19 May, before we had lunch and the Passing Down Parade, we had a Batch Activity. We were tasked to build a Kitchen Table and a Creative Structure planned by the Year 4s. Two of us volunteered to be the Patrol Leaders for this activity, and we had to step up to lead the batch in completing the two structures we had to build. Only the two of us could see the picture of the planned Creative Structure, and it was challenging for us to explain the structure to our batchmates who were not able to see the picture of the structure. We split the batch into two groups and started working on the two structures. We did not have a very good sense of urgency as we took quite a while to start building as we took some time to group ourselves into the two groups. While one side of the Kitchen Table was almost perfect, the other side was completely not taken care of and caused the seat of the Kitchen Table to be slanted, which might have been a safety hazard. The Kitchen Table is a structure we are familiar with and we feel that we should have had more confidence in ourselves when building it so that we could finish building the Kitchen Table within the standard timing. Although we managed to finish the Kitchen Table and most of the Creative Structure, we felt that we could have done a lot better at allocating our manpower and improving our sense of urgency. During the collection and returning of logistics, we did not work fast enough and could have allocated our manpower better and had a greater sense of urgency as we 过时ed, which we should not have since we were able to work faster with a greater sense of urgency.

Year 3 Batch Activity: Creative Gadgeting Structure (Houses):

During the Year 3s' last Batch Activity, they were split into 3 groups and mass manufactured quadpods to create houses. It was a memorable experince for them as they put in their all into this last activity while making the most out of it.

Reflection from a Year 3 in P1:

For our batch activity, we were split into three groups, and each group had to build a house. Initially, we were a little disorganised with guides from different groups mixed around and confusing instructions on the number of quad pods needed. However, we quickly sorted ourselves out and were soon mass-producing quad pods. During this period, I think we all did rather well as we had a lot of tight quad pods, which allowed us to see how far we have come as a batch and individuals - working together in harmony and also mastering the hardest lash. Afterwards, we got to tying the 定脚s for the quad pods, which was another heartwarming experience as we were all cheering loudly and laughing together. At this juncture, some groups were also a bit slower than others, during which more manpower was allocated to help them. When looked back on, it is nice to see our growth and the mentality of ‘we’re all in this together’, us ensuring that everyone progresses forward as one. Though, it is to be mentioned that our 照顾好人，照顾好东西 could be improved, as evidenced by us having to dance to YMCA multiple times to get our kapped logistics and manpower back. For this rather complicated structure, a lot of logistics were needed and thus were piled together. Something we could have done better was to work in front of the pile to keep the logistics in sight and to prevent them from getting kapped. We also could have worked a little faster as we had used up all of our buffer. Nevertheless, we all worked to the best of our ability during 拆掉 and returning of logistics with us accomplishing those two tasks in 18 minutes (though exceeding our target by a few minutes, our sense of urgency was greatly improved). Overall, I think that this batch activity was a great success. We were all working together, brainstorming on how to fix unprecedented issues like 木 and 白绳 shortage and overall just having fun as a batch. There were definitely areas for improvement but I think we would all agree that we have grown a lot as a batch together.

Mass Games: Running Man:

Like the previous years, we had Mass Games, which was Running Man, right before lunch. It was a time for all batches to bond with one another as a whole 团 and have fun.

Reflection from a Year 1 in P4:

During the Passing Down Parade (PDP) this year, we had a really fun time with the company games. This year, the game was Running Man. In this game, the objective was to “steal” the duct tape from the sleeves of people from other patrols. We also had duct tapes on our own sleeves, which we needed to “protect” from other patrols. Simultaneously, we also had to “attack”, which basically meant snatching the tape from other people's sleeves. The patrol that collected the largest number of pieces of duct tape would win the game. Through this game, I have learnt that teamwork is very important. It is impossible to go around by yourself without getting your tape snatched by others in the company. At first, I stayed alone, making myself inconspicuous, but I still got ambushed by a group of people from another patrol as they attacked and took my tape away successfully. I then realized how important teamwork was in this game and that those who stuck together and went in bigger groups had a bigger advantage compared to those who stayed alone, as no one dared to go close to them and try to get the duct tape on their sleeves. When they were together, there were more people to protect their duct tape, and they would have to worry less about the defense part of the game. After getting my tape taken several times, I had to do PT, physical training, but I tried my best and continued the game, training my resilience. In the second round of the game, I went together with my patrol mates. Contrary to before, instead of getting my tape stolen from other patrols, I managed to snatch a piece of tape from someone in another patrol! Even though I found this game a little violent and chaotic, it was definitely enriching and rewarding, as it taught me the values of teamwork and resilience. Overall, I am grateful that I had a chance to participate in this unique game and had a lot of fun! 

Reflection from a Year 2 in P5:

During Passing Down Parade and after batch work, it was finally the time for running man, a game that we played during last year's PDP too. It was a really fun game last year too. We each had a piece of duct tape that we had to fold a corner of it. The rule of the game was to tear the other patrols' duct tape off their sleeves. If your tape was torn off, you would have to go back to the entrance of the Media Resource Library and get a new tape by doing Physical Training issued by the ICs of the game. We were given a time limit, and we were only allowed to play on the third floor. After a while, patrols started forming alliances with each other to further enhance the possibility of getting more points. There was less hierarchy between the seniors and juniors, which was amazing as we did not need to limit the number of people we could get duct tape from. Although it started getting violent after a while, it was an enjoyable round. After round one, round two was shortened as many of us were getting tired, and they did not want to wear us out before the Passing Down Parade of the 54th 届 started. Through this particular activity, we learnt teamwork and integrity. Teamwork as we needed to work together as a team in order to earn more points. Integrity as we needed to go down the minute we had our tape torn off. All of us enjoyed this activity a lot as we got the opportunity to bond more with our company members and get to know how violent our batchmates, juniors and our seniors were too. Our seniors, the Year 4s, were only allowed to protect us but not tear off others' duct tape. It was a refreshing activity indeed, which is one to look forward to yearly during the eventful and notable PDP. 

Reflection from a Year 3 in P6:

On 19 June, we had Mass Games - Running Man. We were given pieces of duct tape to place on our sleeves. Then, we would try to rip other people’s duct tape to earn points. When we lost our duct tape, we would be required to go to the Media Resource Library (MRL) to do PT in order to attain another piece of duct tape. This would allow us to improve our fitness in a fun and exciting way which would benefit us in the long run for the future 集合 as we would have more stamina during 集合 sessions which might be more strenuous and require more physical endurance. During the first round of Running Man, which was 19 minutes, we decided to form alliances between patrols to increase our chances of survival. This enabled us to bond with our batchmates more and also have the opportunity to interact with our juniors before we stepped up as 领导层. For example, we were able to get into heated, friendly fights with our batchmates which promoted a more tight-knit relationship as we were able to understand each other better after engaging in more conversations with each other through this activity. At one point in time, I was tackled to the ground by a fellow batchmate while we were both trying to rip the duct tape. Although this was quite a heated, friendly fight, we were able to make some precious memories together that I would treasure for the years to come. However, as the first round was quite energy intensive, during the second round, many of us were just leaning against the Media Resource Library wall in a bid to regain our energy. Hence, our second round of Running Man was cut short. Even though my patrol did not win this mass game, I would definitely appreciate and treasure the memories that I have forged with my batch mates in this activity and the precious opportunities when I was able to talk to my juniors from other patrols. Overall, Running Man was a really good opportunity to communicate with other people in the 团.

Passing Down Parade (PDP):

During the Passing Down Parade, the Year 1s would be officially enrolled into the CCA, the Year 3s would pass down their patrol roles to the Year 2s, and the Year 4s would pass down their company roles to the Year 3s.

Reflection from a Year 1 in P3:

I felt that the Passing Down Parade was a very inspiring and eye-opening experience. Firstly, with no offense, I got to see how my seniors and batch mates made little mistakes here and there when receiving their roles or enrolment. This made me feel that making small mistakes was not the end of the world, and this allowed me to be less stressed over the occasion. It also allowed me to enjoy my enrolment in Girl Guides. I have learnt much more about the leadership roles in Girl Guides, as all the leadership roles and the people who would receive those roles were announced. This allowed me to have a better understanding of Girl Guides culture and the leadership roles that we would have to take up in the future. Seeing my seniors step up really inspired me and installed confidence in me for the upcoming years of my service in Girl Guides. Furthermore, I felt thoroughly proud of all my seniors for stepping up to take on more leadership positions and my batch mates and me for our enrolment. It was also interesting to see how the parade worked and to learn about showing respect when the coloring party walks past you during any occasion. Sadly, I was heartbroken after hearing that one of my Year 3 seniors had to switch patrols. The Passing Down Parade allowed me to have a much better understanding of Girl Guides and the roles of guides, as well as the thought of knowing that I am in a safe environment around such kind and sweet people. It really warms my heart when I bond with my seniors, patrol mates as well as my beloved batch mates. Even though my first Passing Down Parade in the horseshoe formation was tiring and rather stressful, and even though I wish I had been more prepared, I feel that was an experience I would never forget, and it is one of the highlights of my Girl Guides’ journey.

Reflection from a Year 2 in P3:

During the passing down parade, first came the patrol passing of roles. All the Patrol Leaders had revealed our patrol roles previously during the lunch break, and I found that I had received patrol Quarter Mistress and patrol 降旗手, my first and third choices. Despite my confidence in my ability when I applied for the role of Quarter Mistress, I could not help but feel uncertain about my ability to lead my patrol. To my relief, all my patrol mates had been exceedingly supportive and even helped me take my first steps (words) as the new patrol Quarter Mistress. Thus, standing there in horseshoe formation, we were called out. Even though I had both practised at home the night before and also observed my Year 3s when they stepped out, I blundered on the first step, hesitating between my right and left foot. I cringed so hard and looked to Julia for help. Luckily, she motioned that either way was acceptable, so I got on over and tried my best for the rest of the procedure. The second time, I tried to do everything that I had seen the Year 3s do and took the smile that broke out on Julia’s face as a good sign. Next, it was the passing of company roles. It was quite a memory jog we all had when the colour party walked by and most of us forgot to 敬礼. Both Lotus and Ms Chang reminded us, and we did it all over again. It was a joy to see all the new Year 1s, led by their patrol leaders, receive their enrollment badges, and when my Year 1s came back, we smiled at them in encouragement, internally telling them, “Good job”. For the rest of the duration, I focused mainly on memorising the company roles and which Year 3 had been 大风吹 to which patrol, which year 3 would be working with which new Year 3 from which patrol, etc. Regrettably, about three quarters of the way through the parade, my vision had gone silver and my ears buzzed, and I was forced to squat down, putting a temporary end to my appreciation of the parade. I sat down at the cafe area and I was told to drink water and rest for a while, but soon I walked back into position as I was determined to experience it all with everyone else. The rest of the parade was uneventful, and it was a really great moment when the new Company leader, En Xii, called for 全团集合 and everyone visibly deflated in relief before milling about to get into position. Overall, I felt that the Passing Down Parade was an extremely fulfilling experience for me, as I enjoyed the formality of the parade and everyone's determination to rigidity. I also gained insight into the process next year as the 55届 stepped up and took up company roles.

Reflection from a Year 3 in P5:

On 19 June, we had the long-awaited and dreaded PDP. After the morning batch activity and mass games, we had lunch and the most important part of the day, the parade. The first section of it was the passing down of the patrol roles. This was a mildly sad experience for our batch as we had our patrol roles for the past year, and now we were passing it down to the Year 2s. However, it was also really cool to see the Year 2s take up our roles. I really felt a sense of pride and accomplishment when I watched the Year 2s step up and receive their new roles as it reminded me of when they had first entered guides and did not know much about guides and how much they had grown since then. I was also reminded of the last PDP when we were receiving our patrol roles. After the passing down of patrol roles was the Year 1 enrollment. Even though the Year 1s from my patrol were not around during PDP, I still felt a sense of pride as I watched the Year 1s from other patrols walk up and get enrolled into guides. As we said the guides promise with the newly enrolled Year 1s, I felt a sense of pride as that would signify the start of their guiding journey. Last but not least, we had the passing down of the company roles. This is the part where our batch took part in the most. I felt immense pride as I watched all the Year 4s pass down the ribbons to the newly appointed 领导层. I felt a sense of achievement as we had been working together as a batch since Year 1 and have grown into the newly appointed 领导层. I am excited to start on our 领导层 journey as a batch.

Passing Down Parade Performance:

After the passing down of roles, the last activity of the day was a series of performances by each batch to express their feelings of gratitude, longing and sadness and bid farewell to the Y4s. 

Reflection from a Year 1 in P2:

On the 19th of June, we had our PDP performance. The Year 1s performed a dance to "better when I'm dancing". It was a little hard and rushed as we needed to switch formations. Some people were also absent for that day, so there were last minute changes. Then, a group of year 1s sang "Count on Me". The other group sang " night changes". Since we did not have the time to rehearse, we were quite happy that our performance was not that bad. We then had a video montage of the Year 1s showing our gratitude to the Year 4s. The music was quite loud though, and we could not hear anything so its a little wasted but it was the thought that counts. Then the Year 2s were singing two songs, "Perfect" by ed sheeran and "Golden Hour" by JVKE. The lyrics were changed to be guides themed. We thought it was very cute that it was guides themed. The Year 3s did K-pop dances. They were changing songs, and between groups, one group was doing the cute ones while the other was doing cool ones, but it was very awesome, cool and cute. The Year 4s performed a few songs, one of which was a Chinese song that I heard before, but I could not remember the name. After that, they were sharing speeches about their Guides journey and many of them were getting emotional. I saw Kayleigh crying and I got a little sad that I would not see her again during 集合s. The Year 4s were all really sad, and some even had to pause their speeches as they were crying. This made me wonder if I was going to be like them when I became a Year 4. Some of them shared that they did not really like Girl Guides that much when they first joined as a Year 1, however, they grew to love it. Now that they are Year 4s, they feel very sad that they have to leave guides. That made me wonder if I would be like them.

Reflection from a Year 2 in P1:

During the Passing Down Parade (PDP), there was a performance segment where each level had to perform a part. For the Year 2s, we decided to perform three songs and play a video montage. The three songs we had chosen to perform were popular yet meaningful songs that described our guiding journey with the Year 4s. The first song, ‘As It Was’, represented post PDP’22. The second song, ‘Golden Hour’, represented when the seniors had joined our patrol or taken on leadership roles, and the third song, ‘Memory Lane’, represented the feelings of uncertainty and hope as we navigated those new waters of building relationships. Not only that, but we also slightly changed the lyrics in the song to better convey our message and make it more impactful. During our performance, we split ourselves into two groups, standing at each side of the stage while the lyrics of the song were playing on the screen. We put our arms around each other as we swayed and sang to the song. However, as some of the lyrics were slightly changed, we were not very familiar with them and had some struggles singing along to the songs at times. Thus, I feel that we could have familiarized ourselves with the lyrics better and practiced more in order to have reduced these mistakes made during our performance. Despite that, it was still very enjoyable to see everyone singing along to the songs and the Year 4s reacting to the lyrics we had changed, bringing back memories of their guiding journey. Lastly, we had made a video montage showing photos, notes and video messages from us to the Year 4s. The video montage allowed us to express our gratitude towards our seniors who had guided us patiently and equipped us with the skills that we needed. It was also a nice way to recall our guiding journey thus far and reflect on all that we have done. When playing the video montage, a few seniors had teared up, and it was nice to see how bonded everyone was during that moment. All in all, the PDP performance was a very fun yet touching moment for everyone. We had some areas for improvement, but I feel that it was a memorable way to end off PDP’23 and we will miss the Year 4s very much.

Reflection from a Year 3 in P2:

On 19 June, each batch had to perform for the 团 during Passing Down Parade (PDP). During the preparation, I was in the dance committee, and I was also the In Charge (IC) for our batch. During the making of the proposal, I had to coordinate a lot between the batches to ensure that we all had the correct standardisation. We also had to make sure that everyone knew what they had to do and were on task. Other than that, the dance committee met up 3 times to work on their dance to ensure that we would do well during the PDP performance. We also practiced by ourselves at home and made sure that we were synchronised during the combined practices with the other team. We were very motivated to do our best during the dance because we knew that this would be the last time we would be performing for the Year 4s before they left us. On the actual day of the performance, we watched all the other performances before our own. We were quite nervous before the performance, and we all mentally prepared for our performance while also enjoying the performances that the Year 1s and Year 2s had prepared for us. During the actual performance, we managed to complete the dance well with minimal mistakes. We all felt very proud of ourselves because we have spent very long working on the dance to perfect it. After the dance, the singing committee took over and performed their singing of Photograph and Perfect. The dance committee remained on the stage to hype up the singing committee. After that, we showed our video montage that we made for the Year 4s to the 团. Overall, I had a very fun time preparing and performing the dance. I hope the Year 4s had a great time during PDP and I hope they will come back to see us and remember their time in Guides.

This marks the end of Passing Down Parade 2023. Thank you for all the hard work and everything that you have done for us, and thank you for being there for us for the past 3 years. We will miss you greatly and we hope that you would still stop by occasionally during 集合s! 

Published by:

Chin Yan Tong

55届 Secretary

Values-In-Action @ GSSC, 31 May 2023

 Hi Guides!

On 30th and 31st May, Guides visited Good Shepherd’s Student Care Centre for VIA. Guides were split into different groups and conducted baking, craftwork and carnival games for the children there. We all had lots of fun and here are some reflections by our Guides!

Baking

Guides baked some cookies with the children. Through this activity, Guides were able to communicate with each other and bond with their new friends!

 

Reflection from a Year 3 in P2:

For our patrol, we did baking with the kids from Marymount Convent School as part of our VIA. Personally,I felt that it was a very meaningful and insightful experience. We arrived at the school earlier to prepare the ingredients for the baking of the cookies. During that period of time, I felt that there were a lot of things to improve on. Firstly, we could work with a sense of urgency. Even though the VIA was not a proper 集合 session, we could still have worked faster to measure and prepare the ingredients needed. Secondly, we could take the VIA more seriously. For example, during the actual baking session, there were some people who used their phones, went to another table to chit-chat and some wandering around with nothing to do. We should have taken the initiative to talk to the kids, try to make them feel more comfortable and make a memorable experience for them too, or if we had nothing to do, we could have helped to clean, wash and dry the dishes that were not necessary any more. In addition, something else that we could have done better was to be more familiar with the baking session before the actual day. Many of us were not aware of the two baking sessions that we would have on the actual day and were quite clueless. We should have watched the video thoroughly and carefully so as to be more prepared. However, despite the few things that we could have taken note of and improved on, there were definitely some things that we did well. This includes our enthusiasm and excitement to meet the kids and give them an exciting and fun experience. Overall, I felt that this was an experience that I will always remember and this experience also helped me to realise how blessed I am since some of the kids I worked with had some disabilities. I am touched by their resilience and enthusiasm to learn how to bake and I hope to be able to learn from them and apply these values to my everyday life as well.

Reflection from a Year 3 in P6:

On Day 1 of VIA from 0920-1245, we had a baking session with children aged 7 and 8 years old at Good Shepherd’s Student Care Centre. During this session, we baked with these children and were able to get a chance to interact with them. First, when we arrived at the Student Care Centre, we had to prepare 5 batches of ingredients. Since we were inexperienced and this was a new environment for all of us, we accidentally made a mess on the table while we were preparing the ingredients. This caused trouble to others and the ICs had to clean up the mess when we were making the cookies with the children. In the next round of preparing the ingredients, we were more careful and aware of our surroundings while we poured the ingredients in the bowl. We also improved from the first time as we realized that having one person prepare the same ingredients for everyone was more efficient and effective than each group preparing their own ingredients. Hence, through this, we understood the value of teamwork and effective communication more deeply. In the first round of baking with the 8-year-old children, I was working with my fellow batchmate, to teach the children how to bake. We had to teach 4 children, two of whom are on the quieter side and 2 are on the noisier side. The 2 more active children kept running around, causing ingredients to splatter on the floor. We had to take turns in looking after the 2 children while the other engaged with the 2 quieter children to prevent them from feeling left out. Though it was extremely tiring for both of us, through this, we learnt to be more patient while taking care of children younger than us and how to engage them. In the second round of baking with the 7-year-old children, we were allocated to 4 quieter yet understanding children. They were able to work together as a team and took turns stirring the mixture. My batchmate and I found this extremely heartwarming as they were already able to understand the value of patience and teamwork from such a tender age. At the end of this VIA session, we were heartwarmingly thanked by the young children for baking with them. The 4 children that we were allocated to us went up to us and thanked us personally. Both of us were extremely touched by their actions. This session is truly an eye-opening one and we learnt much from this experience. Knowing that we would be interacting with these children in the years to come, we would take this experience and improve on it, strengthening our connection with these children and ensuring that they would also enjoy the following VIA sessions in the future.

Craftwork

For this activity, Guides made flapping butterflies using paper, straw and tape as well as origami tulips. Guides were able to interact and guide the children on each step.

Reflection from a Year 3 in P3:

Our patrol went with Patrol 4 on Day 1 to do Craftwork together. Before that, we were asked to watch this video on how to make a flapping butterfly. It was quite complicated and I was scared that it would not work well. When we went there, the first thing we did was let the kids colour the butterfly however they wanted. We did not talk to them much at first since they were busy doing their own thing. After they coloured the butterfly, we then proceeded to make origami with them. This required more interaction with the kids as we had to teach them how to make the origami flower. The kids from the table I was at were very fast learners and quickly learnt how to make the flower. Since I brought origami paper with patterns, I shared it with the kids from my table and they were very happy to make a flower which was differently patterned from the other kids. One of the kids at my table was so interested in folding origami that she made 6 flowers! She also told me that she would be giving them to her parents, and I found that really sweet of her. We still had more time after that, and we taught them how to make a flapping bird. They found it hard to do so but eventually did it and were happy to bring them home to show their parents. I also folded a phoenix for them since I knew how to do so, and one of them brought it home. After that, we proceeded to complete the flapping butterfly. Since it was rather complicated, it was hard for us to teach them but we managed to do it in the end. Even though it couldn’t flap very well, the kids were still satisfied with it and went around the room to show their friends. Overall, this Values-In-Action (VIA) session was really fulfilling, and I managed to bond with the kids from my table a lot. They even gave us their own cookies that they baked earlier in the day, and it was really delicious. I am looking forward to our next VIA session with them. 

Reflection from a Year 3 in P4:

For VIA, we went to Good Shepherd Service Center to look after a class of Primary 1 children. We taught them how to make a flapping butterfly craft. Before the activity, I was quite nervous about how we were going to teach the kids to do it properly as some parts seemed like they might be hard for them to understand. However, I was also looking forward to it. When we arrived in the room it was already interesting as the children were all very talkative and bubbly, even when they barely knew us. We had to balance between relating to them as young children and guiding them through the activity. At times, it was quite hard to get them to stay on task as some would keep getting distracted, but we tried our best to help them. As such the activity went by more slowly, but the good part was that the children would learn more than if we just helped them do everything ourselves. The distribution of coloured markers was also a problem at first as there was only a certain amount of each colour that worked and thus not enough to satisfy the children. My group had to ask them to take turns and be patient with them no matter how chaotic it became. In general, my main takeaway was to set a good example as their ‘caretakers’. The VIA was so fun and I think we all enjoyed getting to interact and know the children better. I found it slightly sad that they were in childcare during the school holidays, which is supposedly a time away from school to relax. Thus, I was glad that we got to brighten up their day in a meaningful way. I would definitely do it again if given the chance.

Carnival Games

For Carnival Games, a total of 9 booths were set up, A Cup of Water, Recreate the Photo!, Chapteh, Hula Hoop Human Chain, Stack Stacks Stacking, Twisting Tongue Twisters, 1,2,3,4,5, Once I caught a fish alive!, Tic Tac Toe reinvented and Counting Ping Pong

Reflection from a Year 3 in P5:

For our VIA which was on day 2, our patrol and patrol 1 went to Good Shepherd's Student Care Centre to host a carnival for the students there.  We had a total of 9 booths, with a rewards redemption as well. When we arrived, we had to set up our booths and prepare ourselves to engage the students with our booth's activities. After we set up the booths, the students started streaming in. Soon, the carnival began. I was in Booth 1: A Cup of Water. My job was to refill water guns, tick the student's cards after they have completed the activity, as well as mop up the water surrounding the cups. It was stressful at the start as it was a new experience for me as I had never really interacted with children. The total time for the carnival was around an hour and a half, and it was overwhelming as we constantly had something to do, as the water guns ran out very fast. In addition, there were many children waiting to play and we had to change our plan and let multiple children shoot into the same cup instead of just one. This saved a lot of time and we were able to use all the water guns efficiently. However, another problem was that the floor was very wet. We tried our best to mop it but it was not drying in time, hence it was a dangerous hazard for the children as they might slip and injure themselves. Overall, it was a fun and new experience for me and I thoroughly enjoyed it. However, I felt that we could have interacted and engaged with the students more because I could tell that we were all overwhelmed with the tasks we had to complete and that we couldn't properly interact and engage them properly. However, one thing that we did well was our sense of urgency and perseverance. We were all stressed and overwhelmed with the number of kids and the tasks we needed to constantly fulfil. But we all worked as fast as we could. All of us wanted to let the children have a fun and enjoyable experience in that carnival and we tried our best to make it memorable for them.

Reflection from a Year 3 in P1:

On 31 May, my patrol and Patrol 5 had our VIA session at Good Shepherd Student Care Centre. All the students who participated in our carnival were primary school students from primary one all the way to primary six. There were nine stations in the carnival, and I was in charge of the station which required participants to stack a card tower with Uno cards. Another Guide was also in charge of the activity together with me. While setting up the stations, we had to move many tables to make way for stations, especially the ones that took up more space. For my station, because it did not take up too much space and we were going to use the canteen tables and benches anyway, we did not move the tables at all and went to help the other stations after setting up a card tower ourselves for the students to reference while they build. I think it was good that I went to help out, but I think I should have thought ahead more because later on I realised that we still needed to shift the tables because we needed to make space for the students to queue up. We then hurried to move the tables as the carnival was starting soon. When the students arrived, I was pretty excited because I had never helped with running a carnival before and I thought it would be fun. When the students started arriving at my station, I thought it would be difficult to maintain order and get them to queue up because there were so many people. However, after splitting the work with the other guide at my station, and thanks to the cooperation of the students, we had them lining up in neat rows in no time. While watching the students build the card towers, we also had to motivate them from time to time and sound friendly enough, so that they would be able to enjoy the carnival. From this experience, I have learnt that patience is important, when I was setting up the model of the card tower for the students to reference, I kept failing, and only when I had calmed down and became more patient did I manage to build the tower. Teamwork is also important, since without splitting work with the other guide assigned at my station, I would not have been able to manage the station so efficiently. This VIA session has been a very valuable learning experience for me.

Hope everyone made some new friends and enjoyed the VIA!

Published by:

Yuanxin

54届 Secretary

Skills Training, 12 May 2023

 Hi Guides!

Today is our last official 集合 with our 54th 届 Year 4s :( We had Mass Change to get ready for photo taking and after that, we sang some campfire songs to prepare ourselves for the 55th Anniversary Campfire!

Mass Change

Mass Change aims to get Guides ready for photo taking. They will also be able to train Guides on their sense of urgency and their 制服礼节s. 

Reflection from a Year 1 in P2:

On 12 May, we were given 10 minutes for Mass Change to change into 全制 and 集合 back to GSL level 1. We combined with P1 for the mass change. We rushed to the Performing Arts Centre toilet, not realising it was the wrong toilet and we were supposed to go to the level 3 Year 1 toilet. However, since we were given a short amount of time, we just changed there. Since it was our first time changing into 全制, we were a little lost. While I was trying to put on my skirt, I realised I could not find it. My hanger had nothing on it. There were many skirts on the bench, hence I did not know which one was mine. I think a girl from Patrol 1 took my skirt as her hanger had a skirt on it after she put on a skirt. However, she insisted on it being hers so I just wore her skirt. After changing into her 全制, Yi Ting helped me with my scarf and belt to make it look presentable. After that, we rushed back down after putting our 全制 in 1L classroom. Overall, I think that though we could have been faster, my first mass change was a pleasant experience.

Reflection from a Year 2 in P3:

The Girl Guides Mass Change was an experience that I must admit I did not particularly enjoy. The chaos that ensued as we frantically rushed up and down, trying to change our attire, left me feeling mildly frustrated. While there were some positive aspects to the event, overall, there was definitely room for improvement. In my haste to change, I found myself fumbling over every little thing. From pinning my badges back on because they had fallen out, to struggling to fasten my hidden buttons properly, it seemed like everything that could go wrong did. I even managed to pin my badges wrongly, which was something I should not be doing as a senior. To make matters worse, I completely neglected the fact that there were junior Guides who may have needed assistance.  I somehow was able to overlook them fumbling and being confused about every single thing, or being clueless about where to go, what to do, what to expect, etc.  Looking back, I felt guilty for not providing much help to them and being only concerned about helping myself. My scarf also looked very weird as I did not iron the triangles properly. Due to all that chaos, we ended up 过时ing. We also got scolded for not being seniors that rendered assistance when our juniors needed help, instead only being concerned about ourselves. This was probably an event that I would remember for a long time.

While the Girl Guides Mass Change had its flaws, it also served as a lesson for me. It highlighted the importance of attention to detail, patience, and consideration for others. Moving forward, I will strive to be more organized and composed in similar situations, ensuring that I not only take care of my own needs but also extend a helping hand to those around me.

Reflection from a Year 3 in P6:

On our last 集合 on 12 May, we had our first Mass Change with the Year 1s. As Year 3s, we should have taken better care of Year 1s. We should have waited for them instead of rushing to grab our 全制s and running to the toilet which they might not even know where. This mistake of ours lead to several Year 1s being lost and not knowing which toilet they were supposed to change in, causing us to 过时 by a lot. Since it was the Year 1s' first time Mass Changing, they would need more guidance from the Year 2s and Year 3s. During Mass Change, I feel that our sense of urgency has improved but there is still room for improvement because we still had to ask for time extension. We need to make sure that at least one person from each patrol can ask for a time extension. When we Mass Changed back into PE attire, we remembered to wait for the Year 1s and asked for time extension on time. Overall, our sense of urgency can be improved and we should also 报时 more while we are changing to take note of the time so that we are able to ask for time extension on time. 

Campfire Songs

This activity aims to teach Guides campfire songs to prepare them for the 55th Anniversary Campfire. Year 1s will also be exposed to new Guides songs that they did not hear before.

Reflection from a Year 1 in P4:

During the Campfire Songs activity, we got to sing and dance with our patrol mates and it was an enjoyable experience. While learning the songs, we fostered stronger bonds with each other. After learning a few songs, each patrol had to perform the songs in front of everyone. The songs that our patrol learnt were Father Abraham, Thousand-legged Worm, My Side and Edelweiss.

Learning the songs was a bit challenging for us Year 1s at first, as we kept forgetting the lyrics of the song and the dance moves. But after a while of practising, we got better at it. When we were done learning the songs we had to perform, our seniors taught us other campfire songs and we had a lot of fun. During the performance, it was very exciting as everyone else watching would sing the songs along with the patrol performing. We would also cheer very loudly for the patrol performing so that they would not feel nervous. It was tiring but it was also very worth it. We learnt that we must always cheer the 团 on to help each other persevere and support each other. Although the campfire songs are a still bit new to us, we will continue to practice them and we hope to sing more campfire songs in the future.

Reflection from a Year 2 in P5:

Our Patrol was given two songs to learn, which are Red River Valley and Edelweiss. The first song we learned was Edelweiss. After we learned the lyrics and understood the meaning behind the song’s soft and humble tone, I started to like the song. The song was also accompanied by simple hand actions that I found fun to do. The singer praises the flower for its beauty and reveals the emotional attachment and love the character has for his homeland, which touched me and made me imagine how it would feel to wake up to such a beautiful scene that would make me fall in love with it at first sight. The next song, Red River Valley, is also another song that was soft and touching. The lyrics of the song depict a heartfelt farewell and longing for a loved one who is leaving the valley. It captures the bittersweet emotions of farewell and the heartwarming scene of two lovers bidding farewell to each other. It made me emotional as I loved that it represented our love as a patrol, but it reminded me of the sadness that we will be going through during PDP when the Year 4s would leave us. Overall, it was a fun experience as we not only got to learn new songs but also sing and perform them as a patrol.

Reflection from a Year 3 in P1:

For the 集合on 12 May, it was our last official 集合, and the section after photo-taking was the practising of campfire songs for the 55th Anniversary Campfire. For my patrol, some songs we sang were My Bonnie, BP Spirit, Guiding Light, and Chik Chik Gole. I had a lot of fun singing the songs with my patrol, and all of us definitely tried to make the most of it because it was our last official 集合with the current 领导层. When singing the songs, I realised that some of us were quite unfamiliar with some of the songs, especially our juniors. To solve this problem, we should use the lash training sessions on Wednesday mornings to help our juniors familiarise themselves with the Guides' songs and their lyrics. Another thing I think we had to work on more was the hand actions for some songs since we were unfamiliar with the small details. In the end, we managed to work those out. I think we worked together well during this activity and everyone was quite participative, which was great. When it came to the performance, I was quite proud because most of us remembered the small details of the actions and lyrics of the songs. One thing I thought we could improve on, however, was our focus when we were practising the songs, since sometimes some people would get a little carried away, and our seniors had to remind us to focus on practising the songs. Overall, it was a fun, enjoyable and very memorable experience. 

Hope everyone had fun bonding and learning new songs!

Published by:

Yuanxin

54 届 Secretary

Patrol Activity, 5 May 2023

 Hi Guides!

Today we had Patrol Activity and here are some reflections from our Year 3s!

Reflection from a Year 3 in P1:

On 5 May, we had our Patrol Activity. For my patrol, we had a joint Patrol Activity with Patrol 4. We had to build a stable structure that would secure our flag and make the flag as difficult for the other patrol to capture as possible. Then, we were given water guns to “wage war” on the other patrol, and whoever was shot would have to go to “jail”, which was the elevated platform for a minute. Before building our structure, we were given time to discuss what kind of structure we’d make. When discussing, I think we should have involved our Year 1s more, and been more creative with our ideas. We also should have thought that we could have made our structure more complicated, given the amount of time we were given to build the structure. Something I think we did well would be that during logistics collection, my patrol worked fast and managed to finish collecting our logistics faster than the given time. When building the structure, we could have had a better sense of urgency, because our structure was quite simple, but we took quite long to finish. We also could have 报时 more, because our seniors had to keep prompting us to 报时. During the game, I had so much fun and I believe everyone in both patrols did too. My patrol worked together very well, and I can confidently say that this was definitely one of the sessions I would remember for a long time. 

Reflection from a Year 3 in P2:

During Patrol Activity (PA), my patrol did Creative Gadgeting of a drawbridge. We did a modified version of a drawbridge that the Year 4s did during their Patrol Leaders Training Camp (PLTC). I was the Patrol Leader (PL) of that activity and I was in charge of looking at the picture and making sure that the drawbridge was built correctly. Although it was quite successful and well functioning, I do think that we could have had a better sense of urgency instead of being distracted a lot. I also think that we should have 报时-ed and cheered more often to boost morale. The second activity we did was to make an interactive gadgeting structure with something significant to our patrol. We built a modified baggage rack with a horizontal at the top of the two A-架s. We attached a PVC pipe to the horizontal on top and tied a flower with bamboo on the PVC pipe to make it interactive. I think we could have worked a lot faster and made the gadget slightly more innovative. However, overall, I had a very enjoyable experience during this PA session especially since this is the last PA we will be having with the Year 4s. 

Reflection from a Year 3 in P3:

On 5 May, we had combined Patrol Activity with Patrol 5, and we did Station Games. At the First Station, we did Creative Gadgeting of a treasure chest, in line with the pirate-themed storyline for the Station Games that day. I feel that during the Creative Gadgeting, I could have stepped up more and allocated manpower better, as there were many zuo bos due to the increased manpower. In the end, the structure was also slanted as we did not build the frames correctly from the start. Overall, there was much to improve on for this Creative Gadgeting. Mainly, we definitely could have paid better attention to detail. At the next station, we recapped how to start a fire. Some important points to note was that the newspaper had to be fully wet, in order to prevent fire hazards due to the embers from the signal fire. Afterwards, there was a station which incorporated Guides Knowledge and Physical Training. Through this entire Patrol Activity, I got a chance to bond with the other patrols besides my own, and also a reminder to brush up on my Guides Knowledge, especially on trekking signs. In the end, we even received drinks from the seniors, which was really relaxing after the fun-filled Station Games. 

Reflection from a Year 3 in P4:

This Friday’s Patrol Activity (PA) was one of the most fun I have experienced before. We combined with P1, and each was told to build a Creative Gadgeting Flagpole. One of my juniors had been in Gadgeting committee for Orientation Preparation (OP), so she knew one way to tie a Creative Flagpole. I found that quite fortunate and was glad our patrol could make use of each others’ strengths to work together. We also learnt a new structure which we would not have learnt otherwise. While building the 

Flagpole, I think we did a good job of allocating manpower, but definitely could have 报时d and cheered more to raise morale.

Then came the most exciting part; we hid our Flagpoles at two ends of the block, and had to capture the other patrol’s flag while armed with water guns. This activity was very creative and certainly raised our patrol’s sense of unity and teamwork as we were actively working against another patrol. It also allowed us to strategise and communicate in ways we would not have in regular CCA sessions. Although P1 came close and took our Flagpole, neither patrol manage to get the others’ flag. Either way, this PA was both fun and fruitful, and I hope we can do similar activities in the future.

Reflection from a Year 3 in P5:

During our last Patrol Activity Session, we played Station Games as a Patrol and we started off with the Gadgeting station. We had combined patrols with Patrol 3 and had to tie the Creative Gadgeting structure together, the treasure chest. Originally, there was some miscommunication and some measurements were not taken properly which resulted in a few 飞脚s. However, we eventually managed to overcome our difficulties by thinking out of the box and using the frame with the 飞脚s as our base frame. Afterwards, we followed the treasure map up to GSL level 2 to start our own fire. We learnt how to extinguish the fire properly as well as the proper disposal method of our wet newspapers and 木麻黄. Following that, we went to the hostel to find different post-it notes that gave us different tasks to finish up. There was a few post-it notes testing our knowledge on Guides Notes as well as post-it notes that required us to do Physical Training and the singing of our Guides Songs. Through all of these activities, not only did we bond more with our patrol mates, we also managed to bond more with our batchmates from P3. This last Patrol activity has allowed us to get to know each other better and develop better synergy with one another.

Reflection from a Year 3 in P6:

On 5th of May, we had our last Patrol Activity. Our Patrol Activity was something akin to Station Games. Throughout the whole CCA session, we were tested on our Guides' knowledge and given the opportunity to teach our Y1s more about the hard skills that we learn in Guides. Throughout the session, we had to use our orienteering skills to get from one location to another, giving us the opportunity to teach our Y1s about orienteering. In the first station, we had to build a Flagpole. During the construction, I feel that we could have definitely improved on our sense of urgency and also prioritize getting the Flagpole up instead of 升ing the 旗. That way we could have finished the Flagpole faster. We also could have 照顾好人照顾好东西 better as some of our logistics were kapped. In the second station, we tried to make a real-life filter funnel for the first time. We should have revised more on the Guides notes as we were unable to name the logistics for the filter funnel without any hints. Moreover, this real-life application of the filter funnel taught me the importance of having clean water and that the filter funnel works. In the third station, we were tasked to sing 南屏晚钟 and recite our P6 cheer. We, as Year 3s should have been more familiar with the Chinese Guides songs and revised more on these songs. However, through this, we familiarized ourselves with this song and became fond of it. Moreover, the P6 cheer relighted our passion in the P6 traditions even stronger and also gave us the opportunity to pass this tradition down to our Y1s which we hope would keep the P6 tradition alive. In the fourth station, we were tested on our tracking signs and Guides' code. The tracking signs were carefully chosen by our seniors while the Guide's code contained messages that our seniors wanted to pass down to us. This station was an extremely sad one as the messages contain the love our seniors harbour towards us and our CCA. These messages would always serve as a reminder for us to take care of ourselves and keep the P6 spirit alive. Overall, this PA really reminded us of the importance of our Guides' knowledge and hard skills. Moreover, it portrayed our seniors' care and kindness as they were our guiding light throughout these tough three years. Overall, this Patrol Activity was a meaningful experience.

Hope everyone had fun bonding with their patrol!

Published by:

Yuanxin

54 届 Secretary