It’s a bit hard to imagine 15 year-olds these days being able to find the time for extra curricular activities what with their O/Ls looming; let alone building a library on their own initiative. But that’s something that did come about.
Girl Guide Nimasha Fernando, built a library for a primary school in Egodawela, Badulla. Likewise Manisha Fernando organised a health camp at an elders’ home and Bhagya Madushi organised food for a hospital.
What these three girls have in common is that they are all awardees of the President’s Guide Award that is given by the Sri Lanka Girl Guides Association (SLGGA).
In fact, these initiatives are their community service projects, which is one of the many projects on which they are evaluated before they are given the award.
The Director of the President’s Guide Award, Shiromi Rodrigo, shared that this year 87 Girl Guides have successfully met the requirements and will be receiving the award.
This is out of the roughly 35,000 members of the SLGGA. The Presidents’ Guide Award is a series of activities, done over a span of time, for which Girl Guides who apply for it may achieve the highest level of Guiding. Here’s the catch though, the Guides who apply for it have to successfully complete each task before their 16th birthday.
The girls are expected to complete task that are designed to take them out of their comfort zone, making them capable and independent individuals.
These tasks can range broadly from camping, conducting community service, cooking a well balanced meal for a family and sewing.
“Most parents aren’t keen on their children being involved in extracurricular activities while they’ve got exams and tuition” says Shiromi, “but the girls who qualify for the President’s Guide Award, learn how to manage time.
And become excellent time managers.”
One of the President’s Guide Awardees, who obtained the second highest test scores in the island for her O/Ls, wrote to the SLGGA saying she would encourage Guides to taken on the President’s Guide Challenges as it did not affect her studies in the least and actually helped her perform better at the exam. |
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