Dear Friends,   

After the summer break, here are the ICCG news :

The World Committee meeting :

In our last letter we informed you that we were planning to hold a meeting of Regional Teams in Italy during August 2001. We had to cancell this meeting for financial reasons, but we upheld the Wold Committee meeting. It took place from the 7^th to the 16^th August 2001 in Rome. A great than-you to AGESCI for its generous hospitality !

The holding of this meeting was very important indeed as we had to implement Resolution No. 1 voted during the Council meeting in Togo, on the theme of « Open to all and religious enditity ». The main objecive of the meeting was therefore to draft together a document which Françoise Parmentier and Jean Debruynne presented to Lesley Bulman, Director of the World Bureau at their last meeting on the 19^th of September 2001. The enclosed document has been also transmitted to World Board members of WAGGGS during their last preparatory meeting for the World Conference in the Phillipines, which was held in London during the 1^st week in October.
Please give this document large publicity within your organisations, and note that it can be the object of discussions and comments. We would be extreemly happy to receive your comments on the text and await your remarks impatiently.

In Rome, we took the opportunity of visiting the Pontifical Council for the Lay and the Pontifical Council for inter-religious dialogue. We also had the chance of taking part in the Holy Father’s private mass in Castelgandolfo. All of you were very present in our minds aswell as two other persons whom you know very well and who have left us : Bernadette Resampa, General Comissioner of the Guides of Madagascar and Mary MacDonald, General Comissioner of the Catholic Guides of Ireland.

We had invited to our Rome meeting Daniel Marchand, in charge of Catholic Education in Bangui, Central Africa, who shared with us his experience and thoughts on the subject of « open to all and religious identity » knowing that the problems faced by the catholic educational system are very similar to our own. We thank him very much for his contribution.

We have also invited Silvia Staib de Chanes, from the Girl Guides of the Argentina ( who was in the past Regional Executive for Latin America) to work with us on the next world gathering and ICCG Council meeting that will be held in BUENOS AIRES from the 20^th to the 30^th July 2003. Please do already reserve these dates.
The Argentinian Girl Guides are already at work preparing our welcome and we thank them very warmly.
The next meeting of the World Committee will take place in BUENOS AIRES from the 28^th of March to the 5^th of April 2002 in order to prepare the World Gathering of the year 2003. We will keep you informed of how to prepare for this next World Gathering.

Regional Projects :

Africa :

An interstate camp for older guides (16-18 years) planned for the second half of August 2002, either in Burkina Fasso or in Guinea. Six Guides are to be invited per country. The Regional Team will hold a meeting three days before the event.

Latin America :

A training is to be organised for young and adult leaders in Brasil form the 26^th to the 30^th July 2002. The Regional Team will meet at the same time from the 23rd to the 25^th July 2002. The theme of the meeting : « Reconciliation and social justice – on the road of Emmaus ».

Europe :

The first meeting of the Europe Regional team took place in Dublin at the end of September 2001. Part of the meeting was shared with the Regional Team of ICCS. The Team took up again the plans set up by the previous team, in particular the organization of a gathering for Guides and Scouts on the theme : « What Church would we like to propose as Guide and Scout leaders in a Europe that is more and more multi-religious and multi-cultural ». The date of this meeting has not yet been fixed.

Middle East :

The regional team of the Middle-East has been already very active during this year, as it has gathered 80 leaders from four countries in the region from the 4^th to the 8^th of July 2001 around the theme : 
                                          « You have been sent ».
A training for members of the Regional Team and those likely to become such members will be held from the 23td to the 28^th August 2002 in Alep.

General Assembly of the ICO’s Conference.

This General Assembly will take place from the 2^nd to the 9^th December 2001 in Bangkok. Elizabetta Brunnella and Jean Debruynne will be attending.

World Youth Gathering 2002 in Toronto

As in previous years ICCG encourages guides to participate in the Gathering through their parishes. We have to consult with ICCS to see if we will be preparing a joint event for that occasion. We have asked Marie-Paule Banville past secretary general of ICCG who lives in Canada to follow for us the preparations of the event. We will keep you informed.

Recent events                

As all associations, ICCG is also very moved by what happened on the 11^th September 2001 in the United States. We sent a message of solidarity to the American Girl Guide association. The father of a girl guide was the pilot of one of the planes. Jean Debruynne wrote the enclosed meditation for you, following these tragic events.

We expect now your news. We will give them publicity.
With all our friendship,

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