THE Guyana Girl Guides Association (GGGA) held its Annual General Meeting last month during which it elected a new National Council and its Executive Committee.

Among the newly appointed was Ms. Schemel Patrick, a 32-year-old who is the youngest Chief Commissioner to have been appointed in the 95-year history of the local Girl Guides body, the oldest association in the country dedicated to the social development and wellness of girls and young women.

Patrick, who has been an active member of the association for over 20 years has previously served as Public Relations Coordinator and a member of the Executive Committee. In 2013, Patrick was the first Guyanese elected to serve on the Western Hemisphere Regional Committee of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS).

As a member of the GGGA, she has represented the organisation both regionally and internationally, and has spearheaded many local initiatives. Patrick has worked extensively on youth and women and gender issues; she is passionate about working towards the advancement of girls and young women in Guyana – this is evident in the work she continues to do and the organisations she serves in.

She is the co-founder and current secretary on the steering committee for SASOD Women’s Arm Guyana (SWAG); she is the first Chairperson of the Human Rights and Social Justice Commission of the Anglican Diocese in Guyana and serves as the youngest and only woman on the Provincial Human Rights and Social Justice Commission of the Province of the West Indies and she is a Caribbean Advisor for FRIDA – The Young Feminist Fund – an international funder for grassroots women’s groups.

Patrick noted that her first order of business would be to strengthen the visibility of the GGGA, additionally she intends to focus on recruitment – bringing new girls, young women and volunteers into the organization as well as retention, ensuring that individuals are enthused to stay and develop themselves.

The National Council, which serves as the governing and policy body of the Association, also announced its members for the term 2019-2022.

The new President of the Association is Patricia Gray.

The other office-bearers are as follows: Patricia Woolford, First Vice-President; Gillian Frank, Second Vice-President; Doreen Dealy, Secretary – Treasurer; Shawn Hughes, Assistant Treasurer; Tiana Ross, Youth Representative; and Life Vice President, Mrs Gloria Thompson.

Also appointed to the Executive Committee with the Chief Commissioner were June Halley as Deputy Chief Commissioner, and Ambalika Elliot-Belle as International Commissioner.
Halley, who is a member of the association for over 30 years is a Guide Leader at the St Paul’s Plaisance Girl Guides Unit; previously she served as the Divisional Commissioner for the East Coast of Demerara sub-region. The International Commissioner, Mrs Elliot-Belle is the Guide Leader at the Bishops’ High School. Elliot-Belle has been a member of the association for over 15 years. The First Lady, Her Excellency Mrs Sandra Granger serves as the Patron of the Guyana Girl Guides Association.