The Irish Girl Guides has launched an initiative to encourage and welcome members of new communities to join them to reflect Ireland's cultural diversity.
The Girl Guides outreach project will be held in Corduff, Blanchardstown, Dublin, in July. It will involve a series of day activities and a week-long summer camp, from July 10th to 15th, at St Patrick's senior school in Corduff.
The outreach project is aimed at ethnic minorities living in the area, mainly eastern Europeans and Africans. Schools have been canvassed and posters in Polish, French and Russian have been displayed around the area, prompting a great deal of interest, according to Catherine Dooley, outreach development officer.
The Travelling community has also been made aware of the initiative, as the guides want to have a higher representation of Traveller girls involved, Ms Dooley added.
There are 80 places for girls between seven and 12. Activities at the camp include cookery classes, arts and crafts and treasure hunts. The outreach project is a pilot initiative the guides aim to eventually run in every county in Ireland.
Girl Guides membership in Ireland stands at about 12,500 and has been steadily growing for the past two years, said Dilys Lindsay, president of the Irish Girl Guides.