Girl Guides Association 51st AGM tomorrow

The Sri Lanka Girl Guides Association (SLGGA) will hold their 51st AGM on 21 September with Dato’ Jeyadhevi Subramaniam, Chief Commissioner of the Girl Guides Association of Malaysia, presiding as the Chief Guest. “My wealth is my experience, my strength is my knowledge”, says Dato Jeyadhevi

Dato Jeyadhevi Subramaniam, Chief Commissioner Visakha Tillekeratne and President Professor Anoja Fernando will also address the gathering

Subramaniam,  who has 50+ years of Girl Guiding experience, 36+ years of teaching experience, is an accomplished sportswoman, with experience both in Malaysia and internationally, where she has served on various boards and forums related to Guiding.

SLGGA Chief Commissioner Visakha Tillekeratne and President Professor Anoja Fernando, together with International Commissioner Manishini Ekanayake, will also address the General Council.

The lives of millions of girls and women around the world have been influenced by the Girl Guide Movement, which today has more than 10 million members worldwide in 146 countries. This Movement, which began in the United Kingdom in 1909, spread to many countries in the then-British Empire and in 1917 the Movement took root in Ceylon (as Sri Lanka was then called).

Jenny Calverley established the first Girl Guide Company at the Girls’ High School in Kandy in 1917. Soon after that, companies and packs were established in Colombo at Methodist College, Kollupitiya; in Galle at Southlands College, Galle; and in Jaffna at the Chundukuli Girls’ High School. The Association had 3 years of centenary celebrations, culminating in 2017.

The Sri Lanka Girl Guides Association prides itself on being a voluntary, non-government secular organisation which is open to girls and women from all walks of life, irrespective of their social or economic situation. It is also an inter-generational organisation, bringing together children, youth, older persons all working together to implement an innovative non-formal education, program combining community service activities with usual Girl Guide activities such as camping, hiking and adventure programs. Being a diverse and inclusive organisation, the Sri Lanka Girl Guides Association encourages disabled girls and women to join and be integrated into society. Today the Association’s membership counts over 90,000 girls and young women. Many social issues such as violence, malnutrition, sexual and reproductive health, poverty, education and mental health are addressed by the Association