- OUSGG Webmaster
#meetourmembers!
We’re excited to welcome lots of new people this year, so we thought we'd ask some of our current members about their SSAGO experiences to show the variety of people and activities we have here at OUSGG!
EMMA H
About you: I am doing a PhD in Materials Science and will be the chair of Oxford SSAGO for 2020-21 academic year. I have been involved in Guiding since I was a Rainbow and have been a Leader in Kilwinning (my hometown), Southampton and Glasgow. I’ve taken some time away from being a Unit Leader recently but have kept up going to SSAGO events throughout university.
Why did you join SSAGO?
I first joined SSAGO while doing my undergraduate at University of Glasgow. I had so much fun I wanted to continue it into my PhD. I love the variety of people you get to meet and the national events mean I can keep in contact with friends in Glasgow SSAGO still.
What is your favourite SSAGO activity?
I love anything outdoors and the walk around Port Meadow when I first joined Oxford SSAGO was a great way to see a new part of the city and feel like I had escaped to the countryside. However, I also love chocolate so I have to say my favourite activity has been a trip to the Cadbury’s factory at Birmingham Chocolate Rally last year.
Random fun fact:
Unicorns are the national animal of Scotland (not Haggis).
EMMA B
About you: I will be going into my second year of Nutrition at Oxford Brookes. My experience of Guiding started at Brownies, but I really got into it when I was a little older. I was the first person in my district to receive the Baden-Powell Award and then went on to be a Young Leader for the new Swavesey Rainbow unit.
Why did you join SSAGO?
I found out about SSAGO from one of the Leaders of the Unit I was with at the time. It seemed like the perfect way to meet people who maybe had similar experiences and would be a way to make new friends, which I have definitely done!
What is your favourite SSAGO activity?
My spare time is usually filled with crafts so those kinds of sessions are perfect and it’s much more fun getting to have a chat with others while doing bits and bobs. I also absolutely love our walks and finding out about new places in Oxford I’d never been to before.
Fun fact:
Frozen peas have already been cooked before you buy them.
JAMES
About you: I will be the secretary of OUSGG for 2020-21, so be prepared for some fun emails! This is my sixth year in Oxford, but I only got involved with the Scout and Guide group last year at the start of my DPhil in Mathematics. I’ve been in Scouts since 2002, and my Scouting highlight to date was going to Kenya as an Explorer.
Why did you join SSAGO? It looked like good fun!
What is your favourite SSAGO activity? We have done so many activities over the past year it is hard to pick just one! However, the last thing I thought I’d be doing on a Thursday evening was sending a stranger from Edge Hill SSAGO blueberries and garlic bread via the Wetherspoons app, for ‘SSAGO Goes To Spoons’. I received three mini cookie doughs that night…
Fun fact: “A scout smiles and whistles under all circumstances” was one of the nine original Scout laws.
SOPHIE
About you: I am a 2nd year biomedical scientist at University College Oxford. My first experience with Scouts and SSAGO was actually here at Oxford during my 1st year, so I’m still pretty new to this all! My lack of experience hasn’t been a problem though as I have thoroughly enjoyed the meetings I have attended and felt very welcomed by all members.
Why did you join SSAGO? I was looking for activities to do outside of college events and stumbled across the OUSGG Facebook page and decided the events run here looked fun and that I’d like to join in on them. I specifically wanted to do something outdoors in an area that was away from the city and made me feel like I was back in the countryside. In retrospect, I think that as a child I would have rather enjoyed being part of a Scout or Guides club back home!
What is your favourite SSAGO activity? Thus far, I enjoyed our hike to Blenheim Palace the most, though I am sure there are going to be many more favourites in the coming terms.
Fun fact:
Devon is home to Westward Ho!, the only place name in Britain with an exclamation mark in it. It was named after the title of Charles Kingsley's novel Westward Ho! (1855), which was set in nearby Bideford.
CARINA
About you: I'm a third year geographer at Hertford College, Oxford, and I had a great time being Chair of OUSGG for the 2019-20 academic year. My first experience of Scouting was when I joined my local Explorer Scout Unit in 2014, which I enjoyed so much that I became a Leader there when I turned 18!
Why did you join SSAGO? I really wanted to stay involved in Scouting at university, but the Oxford terms didn't really seem long enough for me to become a Leader at an Oxford Scout group. When I found out about SSAGO from some of my older Scout friends it sounded like the perfect solution!
What is your favourite SSAGO activity? I've really enjoyed everything I've done with OUSGG, but a particularly special moment was our Centenary Annual Dinner in 2019, celebrating the club's 100th anniversary (see the photo below). There were about 120 alumni and current members there, and it was so great to hear everyone's memories from their time in OUSGG.
Fun fact: Since it seems relevant to what I wrote above... OUSGG is the oldest student scout and guide group in the UK, and the second oldest in the world - the oldest group is in the Netherlands!
