Nominated by:
Asociación de Guías y Scouts de Costa Rica
Languages spoken: Spanish as mother tongue, fluent English, basic Italian and Portuguese.
PERSONAL STATEMENT
What motivates you to serve on the WAGGGS World Board, and how would your experiences, skills, values, and perspective contribute to its governance, strategic leadership, and the global mission of the Movement?
I joined the Girl Scout Movement, after an eleven-year old girl asked my permission to attend a meeting. To support my daughter, and later my son, I joined as a collaborating mother. When I learned about the Law and Promise, it was very easy to join because they coincided with the way I had conducted throughout my life. Today, I see that girl has turned into a successful woman who has showed me the positive impact of the Movement on people’s lives and has inspired me with her enthusiasm.
After collaborating as a mother, I held many positions within my MO, before becoming the National President of the Asociación de Guías y Scouts de Costa Rica. The most rewarding aspect of volunteering is the opportunity to work directly with boys, girls and young people.
I see Governance as an opportunity to lead institutional processes that support and strengthen girls and young women’s experience of the Guiding programme, enabling them to fulfil their potential as citizens of the world and their environment.
Providing safe and courageous spaces where girls can be themselves and express their thoughts without fear, should always prevail. I want to contribute to ensuring that WAGGGS reaches 2032 as set out in Compass 2032 conversations, when we could affirm that there is a world where girls are free to be themselves and flourish carrying out their own projects in a brighter, more human and greener world.
I believe in a WAGGGS that ensures meaningful youth participation, where girls and young women can lead their own lives informed, empowered, safe, and valued for it.
In today’s unstable global geopolitical context, the rights of girls and young women are particularly vulnerable, and WAGGGS must continue to insist on leadership development based on the six mindsets. As a member of the World Board I am committed to promote a brave space where girls can take the lead in their own context; seeking gender equality, and recognizing the impact they can have, while protecting themselves and helping each other in a collaborative spirit with a creative and innovative thinking, and knowing that they can freely change their minds.
As a member of the World Board, I would also like to:
See a modern and inclusive movement, adapted to the realities of the 21st century where no one is left behind.
See a movement seeking solutions and supporting capacity building within MOs while creating strategies to increase membership and implementing quality programmes.
Strengthen training for governance and generation renewal by implementing efficient processes.
Listen and support the different voices in the Regions.
Besides my non formal education, my scientific background helps me analyse problems based on data and objective information in order to identify diverse solutions and make appropriate decisions in each situation presented.
Finally, I wish to contribute my skills and experience of working with girls and young women, as well as my experience of governance and leadership within my MO, to help grow the global movement in multicultural and intergenerational contexts.