So, not quite sure where the other blogs have left off, so I think I’ll just cover from Saturday onwards. It was the first morning that many of us were able to sleep in, which was great. Speedy made getting up worthwhile by cooking pancakes for everyone (well, for everyone who was up in time!). Then for a couple of hours we had a mega-debrief on all that had happened during Week 1, and all that will happen during Week 2. We had time to reflect on our personal objectives from Week 1, and think about what we wanted to achieve over the next week. Also, each person had to say how they thought that WAGGGS could have maximum impact at COP15 this week.
Saturday afternoon many of the delegation attended the huge rally and march through the streets of Copenhagen to the Bella Centre. However, Speedy, Petina and Ally were in dire need of clean clothes and spent the afternoon hanging at the local Laundromat. Aby spent the afternoon at the Bella Centre as a member of a panel for a discussion based around youth involvement in action against climate change, dazzling everyone with her brilliance. Petina was everyone’s hero by cooking lasagne for dinner, before some headed out to the NGO Youth party for a dance or 2, or stayed behind and ate chocolate and lollies.
Sunday morning was another sleep in, but not for Speedy and Ally, who took advantage of a free sunny morning to enjoy a canal tour by boat (much to Petina’s dismay as she not able to join them). They had fun cruising along the harbour, checking out the back side of the Little Mermaid, the back canals with redeveloped navy buildings, and not having to duck their heads when the boat went under low bridges. They got back to the Scout Centre just in time to change into formal uniform to go and meet Her Royal Highness Princess Benedikte of Denmark at the Scout’s activity ‘camp’ in the city centre. Petina and Prisca (from Madacasar) made short speeches about why WAGGGS was represented at COP15, and what we had been doing. They were both amazing and the Princess was agreeing with everything they said!! After the reception with the Princess, our delegation said goodbye to Linden, who has returned to Australia. It’s been great having her with the team for the first week and a bit, and encouraging that WAGGGS is behind us 110% and so supportive.
At the Princess reception we also started meeting some of the Scout Summit participants, who number around 30 from nearly the same amount of countries. They are also now staying at the scout centre with us, which makes it a bit squishy, but a wonderful opportunity to meet like-minded young people from around the world.
Waiting to meet the princess
Monday...The last day that all our delegation were able to get into the Bella Centre at the same time!! At some points during the day the Centre was in ‘lock down’ with no new people allowed to enter, which meant that some people were stuck outside in the cold waiting for hours to get in, and maybe not at all. We were all very lucky to make it inside the centre and get to spend another day attending events, talking to people and making contacts. It was also a very special day because it was the first meeting of the International Youth Climate Movement (IYCM)’s gender group which was very much headed by some of our amazing WAGGGS delegates but brought together a group a youth all who are passionate about seeing girls and young women recognised in text (that means formally written in the documents that the governments will all agree on). It was really great to find other people who are on the same page as us!
Meeting Tim Flannery
Tuesday... This was the start of the secondary pass system limiting the number of people able to get into the Bella Centre (this was applied across all Non- Government organisations). Because of this the lines to get in where extra confused and extra long but all WAGGGS people who needed to made it inside (including Ally). Petina spent most of her day working on programs to run in local school using non-formal education to increase climate awareness and also activities that could be run in the cold at the Scout Climate Camp in one of the city squares in Copenhagen. Speedy once again out shone all when thrown a bed sheet within an hour turned it into a fully functional life size board game to be played at the Climate Camp. Ally and Petina along with Katie (one of our WAGGGS leaders) and Margrethe (one of the Danish WAGGGS delegates) spent our evening playing in the snow!!! Well we spent the evening teaching scouts that came through the climate camp games (playing) and it was snowing... so that is playing in the snow. Unfortunately the snow didn’t settle but it was quite heavy and delight for us all, if not a little cold!!! Wednesday is set to be a big day for all with the main WAGGGS side event and action (which both Ally and Speedy will be inside the Bella Centre for), our day of non-formal education yet with 2 school sessions and the scout camp (which will keep Petina very busy) and a koala day for Abby. So as we sign off now. Stay tuned to here more about the last few days of our amazing journey!
