Getting in the Rhythm of Camp

Once at camp, we soon got into the rhythm and swing of what went on each day. Here's a typical day at camp for our team:

8am - Wake Up

Wake up was quite late, and breakfast not served until 9am. Each morning we were given a different type of porridge for breakfast (oats or rice we think), along with sandwiches (bread, cucumber, tomato, cheese, butter). It was always filling, and a very good start to the day. We even did our turn on the kitchen roster, helping to cook breakfast one morning (and other meals too).

In the kitchen

Serving Breakfast

Cooking Dinner

10am - First Session

By 10am (or a bit later on camp time), we would begin the first session of the day. On most days we would run a morning training session/workshop, and an afternoon training session/workshop. In typical GOLD fashion, our training sessions were always subject to change, and we evolved our trainings to meet the needs of the groups we were working with.

ROVERS: We had been asked to run some sessions on empowering and motivating Rovers attending camp; however, due to university entrance activities, we only had 1 Rover participant on camp! Instead, these sessions were attended by the older Guides and we turned our focus to motivating them to remain in Guiding, and teaching them international games/songs to share with their units. Overall, the standard of English among participants was very high, and we worked with participants to help them write down what they were saying. On our session with younger participants, we also had the help of an older Guide as a translator. Each of these sessions was filled with laughter and smiles, and we hope they will share their experiences with other Guides (they said they would!).

Our sessions did not require much equipment - but the beach ball great once it was blown up	Our first training space was an over-grown area full of ants and bees	So we found a better space to work with the Guides and Rovers nearby
Thinking about what we do at Guides	Everyone having their say	Looking at the responses
Guide / Rover Scavenger Hunt - Group 1. Best Item: The Baby	Guide / Rover Scavenger Hunt - Group 2. Best Item: The Wheelbarrow	The Estonian Guides teaching us Mousetrap
Hand Slapping Game	Learning about World Guiding	Working together
	With every new group we did a human knot. Great fun and almost all were solvable

1pm-ish - Lunch

At around 1pm we would head back to the kitchen for lunch. Although we occasionally had pasta, the stews and soups continued to dominate. Lunch was also a time to sit and relax, and have a look at what the other groups had spent the morning doing.

Estonian Guiding is a very family affair, and children born into Guiding families are considered Guides from the moment they are born. There were lots of families on camp, with children of all ages; but children who do not come from Guide families are also very much invited, included and similarly part of camp.

2.30pm - Second Session

Afternoon sessions were more trainings with either the Leaders or Rovers.

LEADERS: Our project aim was two-fold when it came to training with Leaders. We needed to collect information about what they thought of their training scheme and collate suggestions for how to improve it. We also wanted to enthuse, motivate and empower the leaders to continue in Guiding, and spread our messages to other leaders across the country. We were training with a small but dedicated group of leaders, ranging from new leaders, to one with 27 years experience! We collected a lot of very valuable information about their existing training programme, and their experiences with it. The feedback from the leaders was that we had made an impact on them - and that they were taking lots of ideas away to help with their troops, and plans to continue more learning and development as a result of the sessions.

Leader sessions were held beside our tent where it was flat, ant-free, and shady	Working together to identify what motivates Estonian leaders	Playing changing sides - we all have a lot in common as leaders, no matter where we are from!
Using the beach ball for evaluation & feedback	Reviewing session plans between sessions	Session in the tent - it was raining outside
Introducing a session	Working together to plan activities	Our training group of fantastic leaders - we hope they are motivated to spread what they have learned!

7pm-ish - Dinner

Dinner was always a type of stew. Stew with potatoes, stew with mince, stew with chicken, stew with tomato, stew, stew, stew (served with a type of salad). It was always delicious, but by the end of camp we did not want to eat any more stew for a while!

8.30pm-ish - Campfire

The evening entertainment centred around the fire, with a campfire programme full of songs, skits, games and yells. Each night was run by a different group (Camp Leaders, Guide Leaders, Guides, Brownies), and took on a different feel. After the first night we were asked to contribute each night, so we shared British skits, songs and games. One night we even presented a skit completely in Estonian! On some nights we shared marshmallows or damper twists, and there was tea available. We were told that if we did not drink the tea, then "the queen will be pissed".

Marshmallows	Campfire	Singing
Damper Twists	Everyone getting involved	But the insects drove us crazy (in the evenings and all day!)

11.30pm - Bed-time

With darkness not closing in until after 11pm, we headed off to bed quite late each night - ready for a late start the next morning.


Our camp continued like this for Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. Each day had its perks, and lots of things to learn - Estonian Guiding culture, camp cooking, games, songs, workshops, Estonian language, and of course the 24hr hike on Friday! Stay tuned to our blog as each of us explores some of the different facets of camp.