About the Helen Storrow Seminar
WAGGGS’s Helen Storrow Seminar (HSS) is an international leadership development event held every year at Our Chalet, WAGGGS’s World Centre in Switzerland, offering opportunities for young women and exploring relevant issues in society since 1986. The HSS explores the theme of environmental sustainability, and empowers young women to practise leadership, explore environmental issues and take action on them in their community. If you want to know more about past Helen Storrow Seminars, please take a look at our reports for Helen Storrow Seminar 2018 and Helen Storrow Seminar 2019.
Helen Storrow Seminar 2025
The programme focuses on leadership, environment and social change, with a specific focus on climate justice advocacy, led by girls. After the seminar, each participant implements a local, regional or national project that tackles environmental challenges and creates meaningful and sustainable change.
The dates for the next Helen Storrow Seminar will be 1-8 February 2025.
The 2025 theme is “Food” - so we are looking for people who have an interest in exploring the connection between food and the environment. To share some inspiration of what the programme could cover, here are some examples of potential change projects:
- An education programme to help young people learn the effects their food choices have on the environment.
- Advocating with local authorities to make laws that will reduce the impacts of the environment on food insecurity in their local communities.
-Teaching cooking classes to help community members learn about how to use local or more environmentally friendly food products in their meal preparations.
-Setting up a food waste reduction programme at a local camp or training centre.
Participant Applications
For a successful experience, participants need to:
Fit the participant criteria
- Be active members of a WAGGGS Association/Member Organisation.
- Be 18-25 years old at the start of the event.
- Be able to understand and communicate well in English.
- Not have attended a WAGGGS seminar (the JLS or HSS) before.
- Care about environmental issues.
- Want to develop their leadership and support their Association.
- Be mature and responsible global citizens.
Be committed to designing and running an environmental change project in the wider community
Have support from their Association to apply, share their learning, implement their project, and, if needed, apply for a travel visa. Help with grant follow-up might also be necessary.
The Helen Storrow Seminar is more than just a week in the Swiss Alps. It’s a chance to tackle environmental issues in your community and join a network of young global change-makers. Participants will learn how to address global environmental issues locally and will receive support to turn their ideas into real projects. We are looking for motivated and inspired participants who want to make a difference.
To apply to be a Helen Storrow Seminar participant there are two steps:
1. Complete the Participant Application Form
If you want to know what this form will ask you, you can download a pdf version of the form attached to this topic.
If you want to save your responses to share them with your International Commissioner, you will get the option to do this once you have completed the form.
2. The International Commissioner of your Member Organisation then needs to endorse your application by completing the MO Endorsement form
If you want to know what the International Commissioner needs to share with us, you can download a pdf version of the form attached to this topic.
It is the participant's responsibility to inform their International Commissioner of their application and request them to complete this endorsement form.
The closing date for applications is 1st September 2024. We must receive both a Participant Application Form and a corresponding MO Endorsement Form by this date for your application to be considered.
If you have any questions or doubts, please get in touch with us at [email protected]
