Introduce your guides to guiding friendships through writing letters.   The Post Box Secretary will arrange a link for units or individual girls.
 

• Guides under 9 are best linked as small groups or units.  As individuals, they can only be linked interstate.  As units, the link can also be overseas.
• Guides over 9 can be within Australia and overseas.

To apply write to:
                        Mrs Barbara Reynolds
                        90A Mackie Road
                        East Bentleigh 3165

Include:           Name of guide(s) wanting to be linked
                        Address
                        Phone Number
                        Date of birth
                        Country or state preffered (or a list of possibilities)
                        Languages able to be read/written
                        and a STAMPED SELF-ADDRESSED ENVELOPE

Sometimes there is no one on the waiting list in Australia, when a particular request comes from overseas.  These special links are advertised in "Communicating", so check each month to see what is available.

Process:
The Post Box Secretary will match each guide or unit with a penfriend as soon as possible, and send out the details.  Make sure the guides write straight away to get the link started.
If the link is successful it is good manners to let the Secretary know.
If there is no reply to the letter after a reasonable time, allowing for mails, a second letter could be sent - in case the first got lost in the mail.  If there is no reply to the second letter,  let then let the Secretary know and she will find another link.

Suggested Visual Aids:

• a sample letter to the Post Box Secretary
• a sample correctly addressed envelope
• a map of Australia and/or the world - to talk about possible links
• pictures of guides and guiding in other countries - to arouse interest and curiosity
• samples of different types of "letters" that can be used
• eg ordinary letter/airmail letter/aerogram/prepaid envelopes/email
• if possible have an indication of the cost of each and the time it takes to deliver
• stamps (and letters if possible) from overseas, especially ones in different languages to help girls realise that if they write to certain countries, there may be no one who can understand English

Suggested program activities:

• Have young guides make a unit post box out of an empty cardboard box; everyone writes a note or makes a drawing to "send" to someone else in the unit.  This allows the leaders to check that girls understand about signing your letter and putting the receiver's name on the envelope rather than the sender's.

• Have older guides brainstorm content of letters (what would they want to know about a new penfriend in another country?)                                                                                                                                               eg: where the nearest major city is on a map
• describe the local area where they live (not just address)
• the kind of house they live in
• others in the family
• pets/hobbies/guiding experiences
• school -type/location/classmates/teachers
• favourite music/books/films/games
• Make  agroup scrapbook to send to a linked unit
• about the unit
• about Australian guiding
• about Victoria or Australia
• Discuss (and compare if possible) how long it takes for different kinds of communication - ordinary letters, airmail letters, aerograms, faxes, emails, phone

• Hang a large map of the world on the wall and ask guides to select a country they would like to have a penfriend in.  Pin wool or narrow ribbon from Melbourne to the capital city of each named country.  This may help to overcome "copycat" choices.

• Challenge girls to find out how to say "Greetings from Australia" in as many languages as possible.  Write these on small cards ans place round the wall map.

• Older girls might like to arrange a night with access to the Internet.  Start with the Guides Australia website and link to other WAGGGS sites reading and signing guestbooks on the way.  This is a good introduction to email even though there is no direct reply.  If possible, arrange for a contact overseas to be waiting so that emails can be exchanged during the meeting.

 
 

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