We sat down with Pauline Cheung, the division commissioner for Hibiscus, to find out more about her Guiding journey thus far:
Q: What do you love about being a leader?
When I was a girl, I did all these activities and I never knew the significance of all the things we did in girl guides - until I went to university and discovered that I had been learning a plethora of practical skills through all of our activities without even realising! I feel blessed to be contributing to the same for the next generation of girls after me.
Q: What has been a highlight? I've been doing guiding long enough that some of the girls I worked with have gone through high school and are now in university! Seeing their successes on social media, and hearing their fond memories of guiding with me is just so incredibly rewarding.
Q: What do you get out of the experience?
The girls provide for me a place to experiment with team building and teaching strategies. Additionally, since each girl is different, I am learning all the time about team dynamics between girls of different personalities and skill sets! Ultimately, I am learning how to bring out the best in the girls both individually and collectively.
Q: Why do you volunteer?
I think that volunteering is so important because it is grounding and keeps you connected to your immediate community. It's so easy these days to just go about our days completely immersed in our lives and forget that we are part of something greater!
Q: What unexpected benefits have arisen from becoming a leader?
Guiding is an international organisation! I have visited Guide Shops in other countries on my travels and sometimes run into guiding units in the street - a sight that fills me with all kinds of warm and fuzzies. Each time I meet a guider of another nationality, we are instant friends! Even though we work at grassroots levels, women all around the world are doing the same. There's something very meaningful in a project like that.
Q: What would you say to someone considering becoming a leader?
Guiding is more than just "developing global citizens" (which isn't a poor goal by any terms). We are here to show the way - help girls learn about themselves, others, and all the things that are possible for them. We also lead by example by leading our own dynamic lives and modelling to them that ladies can be anything we want (which is why we have women from all walks with us and we love it!). The journey isn't just for the girls, there's lots in it for the leaders too! woohoo we love guiding!