Our Chalet
Encyclopedia
Our Chalet is an international Girl Guide/Girl Scout centre and one of four World Centres of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts
(WAGGGS). The others are Our Cabaña
, Sangam
, and Pax Lodge
. Our Chalet is just outside of Adelboden
, in the Bernese Oberland
of Switzerland
. Located in the Bernese Alps
, it is 1350 metres (4,429.1 ft) above sea level. In 2007, it celebrated its 75th anniversary.
Our Chalet, founded by Helen Storrow
, opened in 1932. It has only been closed to the public once, during World War II
when it was used as a military training and refugee centre. In the time since it opened, the Centre has been expanded and now includes several buildings. Our Chalet offers year-round activities, special events, and conferences for Girl Guides, Girl Scouts, and leaders from around the world.
In 1929, WAGGGS met in Holland
and decided to build a World Centre for Girl Guides and Girl Scouts worldwide. An American
Girl Scout leader, Helen Storrow (1864–1944), agreed to fund the construction and the first four years of operation if it were built in Switzerland. Helped by Swiss Scout Ida Von Herrenschwand (1887–1961), also known as "Falk", Storrow found several possible locations, including Grindelwald
, which had unsuitable ground; Kandersteg
, which already had the Kandersteg International Scout Centre
; and Aeschi
. Favoured by Storrow for its beauty, Aeschi was proposed at a conference at Foxlease
, UK. It almost passed, but Falk felt it was too low for winter sports, and Robert Baden-Powell
, founder of Scouting, agreed.
After more discussion, the conference agreed upon several important conditions. The site had to be near a main train line, but away from tourists. Hotels in the neighbourhood were also required, yet it could not be a fashionable place. The site had to be high enough for skiing in the winter and climbing in the summer while still suitable for those with heart trouble. It was also agreed that there should be sufficient ground around and pleasant neighbours.
Falk's continued searching turned up Adelboden, which she felt would be perfect. The contracts to buy the desired land from three different farmers were signed in December 1930. In June 1931, Storrow and the World Committee of WAGGGS came to inspect the site, which they approved. The name Our Chalet was chosen so that every Girl Guide or Scout would feel it was her home.
Construction of Our Chalet began with the basement in September 1931, and the roof was built on December 21, 1931, according to plans by architect M. von Sinner. Storrow returned in May 1932 to see the completed chalet
, prompting Falk and others to hold a party at a village inn to celebrate the strong bond that remains to this day between the chalet and villagers. Storrow then decided that she wanted a separate, smaller house of her own where she could stay and receive guests to be ready in time for the official opening of Our Chalet. Named "Baby Chalet", it is still open to guests.
The formal opening for both Chalets was on July 31, 1932 by Storrow and Olave Baden-Powell
with many villagers, Girl Guides and Girl Scouts from around the world, and Robert Baden-Powell in attendance. Falk became the World Centre's first "Guider in Charge".
The original plan was for Our Chalet to be open during the summer and for a brief winter holiday, but it was so popular that it soon opened to support the year-round demand.
Our Chalet was used immediately after its formal opening. First there was a meeting of the World Committee, and then sixteen girls from eight different countries stayed for a fortnight at the invitation of the Committee of the Juliette Low Memorial Fund, named after Juliette Gordon Low
, the founder of the Girl Scouts of the USA
. Many of today's traditions are from the first year of operation.
broke out eight days later. Our Chalet's staff quickly set upon the often difficult task of returning guests/ tourists to their home countries.
During World War II, the Centre was closed to regular guests, but the staff became involved in reuniting refugees, many of whom had Guiding and Scouting connections. The Centre was also used for training military skiers and interning foreigners. The Swiss Guides were the only Guides who were able to use Our Chalet during the war, except for some French Guiding Commissioners who showed up in 1942. Many refugees came to Switzerland during the war and the staff tried to accommodate them in Our Chalet, but this was not allowed in most cases due to wartime regulations. However, the staff did help them with relief funds from the Guides and Scouts of Switzerland, Great Britain
, and the United States
. The Our Chalet staff found great joy in helping reunite families who had been divided by war. American Girl Scouts also donated substantial funds to Our Chalet in 1944, through the U.S.A. Friendly Fund, to help with postwar recovery efforts.
Also in 1944, Storrow died, leaving open the position of Chairman. It was filled by Anne Hyde Choate
, another American and past president of the Girl Scouts of the USA
.
Conferences began again in 1946, with a Juliette Low conference held in July and an International Conference for Trainers in August. The first Germans, six leaders concerned about the nature of their welcome, arrived in 1948 and were treated like everyone else. The newly created Friends of Our Chalet fund helped with the remaining recovery efforts.
. 1952 also saw the visit of the 10,000 guest.
As Our Chalet's popularity grew, so did need for more facilities. In June 1956, a new building, "Stöckli", was opened for staff use. In the Canton of Bern, Stöckli is the name given to the house by the main farmhouse where the older generation of farmers live. Pen and the World Chief Guide were present. Our Chalet also held the first Ranger Adventure Week this month.
The Falk Fund was established in Falk's memory after she died in the autumn of 1961. WAGGGS member associations can apply for a "Falk Holiday" to permit one or more of their members to stay at Our Chalet as a thank you for years of good service, an exceptionally well-done job, or because they were handicapped.
Pen retired June 29, 1968, and was replaced by Inge Lyck, from Denmark
. Lyck introduced more challenging outdoor excursions to the programme and re-introduced the concept that each year would have a theme to tie all the activities together. In the autumn of 1968, Olave Baden-Powell made what would be her last visit to Our Chalet.
Our Chalet's 40th anniversary was celebrated on July 30, 1972.
By 1972, over 33,000 people had visited Our Chalet. Many improvements were made to the building and the grounds in the 1970s. Toward the end of the decade, Our Chalet began a fund to join the community sewage, which was eventually used in September and October 1986. During the 70's, cross country skiing in Adelboden became more popular, and in 1978 the "Chalet Challenge" award (see Activities), which is only available to Our Chalet visitors, was established.
Isabelle Dufour of Switzerland replaced Inge in 1975, and was in turn replaced by Hanna Newport, also of Switzerland, in April 1980 when she returned to nursing. In the spring of 1982, Our Chalet replaced the stone roof with a new insulated one to cut down how much heat escaped and prevent huge icicles from forming. In August 1983, five of the sixteen girls from the 1933 Juliette Low Memorial Fund group returned for their 50th anniversary and placed a plaque on the tree they had planted outside the library window. Newport left early in 1987 and Gwen Smith of the United Kingdom filled in until December 1987, when Maha Salhani of Lebanon
took over.
In the late 1980s, many of the walking sessions had to be cancelled due to lack of interest. The staff noticed that whereas in earlier years luggage was hauled by hand-cart, taxis were all that were used by this time. In the summer of 1986, Swiss law changed and banned underground oil tanks, which Our Chalet had. In 1988 Our Chalet had saved the funds to move the tanks to a new cellar under the kitchen porch.
In 1990, the World Conference in Singapore
gave permission for Our Chalet to build a new house to provide extra guest accommodation, conference facilities and office space. The new building, "Spycher", was officially opened in September 1999. There was extremely low attendance in 1991 because of low snowfall and the Gulf War
. On World Thinking Day
in 1998, Our Chalet became the first World Centre to launch its own web site.
Salhani served as Guider-in-Charge until 1992, when she was replaced by Gweneth Smith of the United Kingdom. Smith had been a staff member at Our Chalet since 1973 and worked with four different Guiders-in-Charge as a secretary
and ski instructor. Katharina Kalscics, of Austria
, took over as Guider-in-Charge in 1997 and served until 2000. Peter Neurator, from the United Kingdom, served as Guider-in-Charge from 2000 to 2005 and Lars Bo Petersen served as Guider-in-Charge from 2006. In 2009 the title was changed to World Centre Manager and the post is currently filled by Sally Thornton.
Yvonne "Cigogne" Cuénod (1900–1993), a Swiss Girl Guide Executive, was involved with Our Chalet for 61 years, from the beginning in 1932 until her death in 1993, and a staff member until 1953. She helped set up the original furnishings, regularly attended meetings, helped with cleaning, organised events, and handled relations with the local community. She was one of the three trainers at the first International Training Course for Guiders in 1932.
In recent years, an increasing number of non-scout guests are taking advantage of Our Chalet's low prices and prime location in the Swiss Alps, particularly skiers during the winter. These non-scout guests enjoy the local attractions and learn about the international Scouting movement from the Girl Guide and Girl Scout guests.
In 2007, over 400 guests from around the world visited Our Chalet to celebrate the centre's 75th birthday. Special activities for the big event included tours, interactive displays on the history of Girl Scouts, Girl Guides, and the centre itself, performances by local groups, campfire songs, and a fireworks display.
, adventure activities such as paragliding
, whitewater
canoeing
and rafting
, and evening programmes.
Winter activities at Our Chalet run from December through April. These activities include skiing, snowboarding
, snowshoe
ing, snowtubing, cross country skiing, paragliding, winter walking, ice skating
, curling
, ice climbing
, tobogganing, sit skiing, tailing, sleigh ride
s, and various night activities, among others. Adelboden is also known for skiing
and hosts the International Ski Federation
(FIS).
In addition to World Thinking Day and the FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup
being special events at Our Chalet and Adelboden, New Year's Eve
and Our Chalet's birthday are also major events. July 31 is Our Chalet's birthday and it is celebrated in conjunction with August 1, which is the day Switzerland became a confederation
in 1291.
and AIDS
.
accessible. There are also many facilities for seminars, training, and conferences. There are single, twin, and shared rooms available. Shared rooms sleep up to seven people. Dormitory rooms are available in the Main Chalet and Spycher Chalet. Squirrel House accommodates two groups, one upstairs of up to ten people and one downstairs of up to six people. Baby Chalet sleeps four people. Camping facilities and Edelweisshütte Camp House are available for camping.
World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts
The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts is a global association supporting the female-oriented and female-only Scouting organizations in 145 countries. It was established in 1928 and has its headquarters in London, England. It is the counterpart of the World Organization of the Scout...
(WAGGGS). The others are Our Cabaña
Our Cabaña
Our Cabaña is an international Guias Scout centre of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts located in Cuernavaca, Mexico. It opened in July 1957 as a Baden-Powell centennial memorial. The centre can house up to ninety guests....
, Sangam
Sangam World Girl Guide/Girl Scout Center
Sangam World Centre is one of the four meeting centers of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts .-Location:...
, and Pax Lodge
Pax Lodge
Pax Lodge is the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts World Centre in London, England. It was opened in 1990 but was not the first World Centre in England. It was preceded by Olave House , named after Olave Baden-Powell which was preceded by Our Ark .Pax Lodge is located in historic...
. Our Chalet is just outside of Adelboden
Adelboden
Adelboden is a municipality in the Frutigen-Niedersimmental administrative district in the Bernese Oberland in Switzerland.-Geography:Adelboden lies in the west of the Berner Oberland, at the end of the valley of the Engstlige river, which flows in Frutigen into the Kander river.Adelboden is a...
, in the Bernese Oberland
Bernese Oberland
The Bernese Oberland is the higher part of the canton of Bern, Switzerland, in the southern end of the canton: The area around Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, and the valleys of the Bernese Alps .The flag of the Bernese Oberland consists of a black eagle in a gold field The Bernese Oberland (Bernese...
of Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. Located in the Bernese Alps
Bernese Alps
The Bernese Alps are a group of mountain ranges in the western part of the Alps, in Switzerland. Although the name suggests that they are located in the Bernese Oberland region of the canton of Bern, portions of the Bernese Alps are in the adjacent cantons of Valais, Lucerne, Obwalden, Fribourg and...
, it is 1350 metres (4,429.1 ft) above sea level. In 2007, it celebrated its 75th anniversary.
Our Chalet, founded by Helen Storrow
Helen Storrow
Helen Osborne Storrow was a prominent American philanthropist, early Girl Scout leader, and chair of the World Committee of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts for eight years...
, opened in 1932. It has only been closed to the public once, during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
when it was used as a military training and refugee centre. In the time since it opened, the Centre has been expanded and now includes several buildings. Our Chalet offers year-round activities, special events, and conferences for Girl Guides, Girl Scouts, and leaders from around the world.
History
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and decided to build a World Centre for Girl Guides and Girl Scouts worldwide. An American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Girl Scout leader, Helen Storrow (1864–1944), agreed to fund the construction and the first four years of operation if it were built in Switzerland. Helped by Swiss Scout Ida Von Herrenschwand (1887–1961), also known as "Falk", Storrow found several possible locations, including Grindelwald
Grindelwald
Grindelwald is a municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. The village is located at above sea level in the Bernese Alps.-Winter sports:...
, which had unsuitable ground; Kandersteg
Kandersteg
Kandersteg is a municipality in the Frutigen-Niedersimmental administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is located along the valley of the River Kander, west of the Jungfrau massif. It is noted for its spectacular mountain scenery and sylvan alpine landscapes. Tourism is a...
, which already had the Kandersteg International Scout Centre
Kandersteg International Scout Centre
Kandersteg International Scout Centre is an international Scout centre in Kandersteg, Switzerland. The centre provides lodges, chalets and campsites covering 17 hectares of land. It is open to Scouts year round, as well as to non-Scouts for most of the year...
; and Aeschi
Aeschi
Aeschi is a municipality in the district of Wasseramt in the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. Burgäschisee is a lake in the forest on the border with Seeberg.-Geography:...
. Favoured by Storrow for its beauty, Aeschi was proposed at a conference at Foxlease
Foxlease
Foxlease is a training and activity centre of Girlguiding UK near Lyndhurst, Hampshire, UK. The Foxlease estate has been owned and managed by Girlguiding UK since 1922. The estate is and main house is known as The Princess Mary House, in honour of her marriage...
, UK. It almost passed, but Falk felt it was too low for winter sports, and Robert Baden-Powell
Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell
Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, Bt, OM, GCMG, GCVO, KCB , also known as B-P or Lord Baden-Powell, was a lieutenant-general in the British Army, writer, and founder of the Scout Movement....
, founder of Scouting, agreed.
After more discussion, the conference agreed upon several important conditions. The site had to be near a main train line, but away from tourists. Hotels in the neighbourhood were also required, yet it could not be a fashionable place. The site had to be high enough for skiing in the winter and climbing in the summer while still suitable for those with heart trouble. It was also agreed that there should be sufficient ground around and pleasant neighbours.
Construction of Our Chalet began with the basement in September 1931, and the roof was built on December 21, 1931, according to plans by architect M. von Sinner. Storrow returned in May 1932 to see the completed chalet
Chalet
A chalet , also called Swiss chalet, is a type of building or house, native to the Alpine region, made of wood, with a heavy, gently sloping roof with wide, well-supported eaves set at right angles to the front of the house.-Definition and origin:...
, prompting Falk and others to hold a party at a village inn to celebrate the strong bond that remains to this day between the chalet and villagers. Storrow then decided that she wanted a separate, smaller house of her own where she could stay and receive guests to be ready in time for the official opening of Our Chalet. Named "Baby Chalet", it is still open to guests.
Olave Baden-Powell
Olave St Clair Baden-Powell, Baroness Baden-Powell, GBE was born Olave St Clair Soames in Chesterfield, England...
with many villagers, Girl Guides and Girl Scouts from around the world, and Robert Baden-Powell in attendance. Falk became the World Centre's first "Guider in Charge".
The original plan was for Our Chalet to be open during the summer and for a brief winter holiday, but it was so popular that it soon opened to support the year-round demand.
Our Chalet was used immediately after its formal opening. First there was a meeting of the World Committee, and then sixteen girls from eight different countries stayed for a fortnight at the invitation of the Committee of the Juliette Low Memorial Fund, named after Juliette Gordon Low
Juliette Gordon Low
Juliette Gordon Low was an American youth leader and the founder of the Girl Scouts of the USA in 1912.-Early life:...
, the founder of the Girl Scouts of the USA
Girl Scouts of the USA
The Girl Scouts of the United States of America is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. It describes itself as "the world's preeminent organization dedicated solely to girls". It was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912 and was organized after Low...
. Many of today's traditions are from the first year of operation.
World War II
On August 24, 1939 Our Chalet was full of Guides from all over Europe. A group of Guides set out for nearby Kandersteg, but the clouds of war compelled Falk to recall them, as she was responsible for their safe return. An all-out effort managed to return the Guides by 4pm, despite significant protests. Falk's concerns were shown to be well-founded when World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
broke out eight days later. Our Chalet's staff quickly set upon the often difficult task of returning guests/ tourists to their home countries.
During World War II, the Centre was closed to regular guests, but the staff became involved in reuniting refugees, many of whom had Guiding and Scouting connections. The Centre was also used for training military skiers and interning foreigners. The Swiss Guides were the only Guides who were able to use Our Chalet during the war, except for some French Guiding Commissioners who showed up in 1942. Many refugees came to Switzerland during the war and the staff tried to accommodate them in Our Chalet, but this was not allowed in most cases due to wartime regulations. However, the staff did help them with relief funds from the Guides and Scouts of Switzerland, Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The Our Chalet staff found great joy in helping reunite families who had been divided by war. American Girl Scouts also donated substantial funds to Our Chalet in 1944, through the U.S.A. Friendly Fund, to help with postwar recovery efforts.
Also in 1944, Storrow died, leaving open the position of Chairman. It was filled by Anne Hyde Choate
Anne Hyde Choate
Anne Hyde Clarke Choate was an early and prominent leader in the Girl Scouts of the USA and in the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts ....
, another American and past president of the Girl Scouts of the USA
Girl Scouts of the USA
The Girl Scouts of the United States of America is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. It describes itself as "the world's preeminent organization dedicated solely to girls". It was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912 and was organized after Low...
.
After the war
The leader of all Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, World Chief Guide Olave Baden-Powell, wasted no time helping rebuild Guiding in Europe after the war was over. She was at Our Chalet on VE Day, May 7, 1945, to reopen Our Chalet. Despite hardships obtaining travel visas after the war, Our Chalet was swamped with visit requests.Conferences began again in 1946, with a Juliette Low conference held in July and an International Conference for Trainers in August. The first Germans, six leaders concerned about the nature of their welcome, arrived in 1948 and were treated like everyone else. The newly created Friends of Our Chalet fund helped with the remaining recovery efforts.
After Falk
Our Chalet's 20th anniversary was in 1952. A huge birthday celebration was held, resulting in the first financial loss. Falk retired that year, to be replaced by Penelope "Pen" Wood-Hill (later Cullingford), from the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. 1952 also saw the visit of the 10,000 guest.
As Our Chalet's popularity grew, so did need for more facilities. In June 1956, a new building, "Stöckli", was opened for staff use. In the Canton of Bern, Stöckli is the name given to the house by the main farmhouse where the older generation of farmers live. Pen and the World Chief Guide were present. Our Chalet also held the first Ranger Adventure Week this month.
The Falk Fund was established in Falk's memory after she died in the autumn of 1961. WAGGGS member associations can apply for a "Falk Holiday" to permit one or more of their members to stay at Our Chalet as a thank you for years of good service, an exceptionally well-done job, or because they were handicapped.
Pen retired June 29, 1968, and was replaced by Inge Lyck, from Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. Lyck introduced more challenging outdoor excursions to the programme and re-introduced the concept that each year would have a theme to tie all the activities together. In the autumn of 1968, Olave Baden-Powell made what would be her last visit to Our Chalet.
Our Chalet's 40th anniversary was celebrated on July 30, 1972.
By 1972, over 33,000 people had visited Our Chalet. Many improvements were made to the building and the grounds in the 1970s. Toward the end of the decade, Our Chalet began a fund to join the community sewage, which was eventually used in September and October 1986. During the 70's, cross country skiing in Adelboden became more popular, and in 1978 the "Chalet Challenge" award (see Activities), which is only available to Our Chalet visitors, was established.
Isabelle Dufour of Switzerland replaced Inge in 1975, and was in turn replaced by Hanna Newport, also of Switzerland, in April 1980 when she returned to nursing. In the spring of 1982, Our Chalet replaced the stone roof with a new insulated one to cut down how much heat escaped and prevent huge icicles from forming. In August 1983, five of the sixteen girls from the 1933 Juliette Low Memorial Fund group returned for their 50th anniversary and placed a plaque on the tree they had planted outside the library window. Newport left early in 1987 and Gwen Smith of the United Kingdom filled in until December 1987, when Maha Salhani of Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
took over.
In the late 1980s, many of the walking sessions had to be cancelled due to lack of interest. The staff noticed that whereas in earlier years luggage was hauled by hand-cart, taxis were all that were used by this time. In the summer of 1986, Swiss law changed and banned underground oil tanks, which Our Chalet had. In 1988 Our Chalet had saved the funds to move the tanks to a new cellar under the kitchen porch.
In 1990, the World Conference in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
gave permission for Our Chalet to build a new house to provide extra guest accommodation, conference facilities and office space. The new building, "Spycher", was officially opened in September 1999. There was extremely low attendance in 1991 because of low snowfall and the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
. On World Thinking Day
World Thinking Day
World Thinking Day, formerly Thinking Day, is celebrated annually on February 22 by all Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. It is also celebrated by Scout and Guide organizations and some boy-oriented associations around the world...
in 1998, Our Chalet became the first World Centre to launch its own web site.
Salhani served as Guider-in-Charge until 1992, when she was replaced by Gweneth Smith of the United Kingdom. Smith had been a staff member at Our Chalet since 1973 and worked with four different Guiders-in-Charge as a secretary
Secretary
A secretary, or administrative assistant, is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication & organizational skills. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit...
and ski instructor. Katharina Kalscics, of Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, took over as Guider-in-Charge in 1997 and served until 2000. Peter Neurator, from the United Kingdom, served as Guider-in-Charge from 2000 to 2005 and Lars Bo Petersen served as Guider-in-Charge from 2006. In 2009 the title was changed to World Centre Manager and the post is currently filled by Sally Thornton.
Yvonne "Cigogne" Cuénod (1900–1993), a Swiss Girl Guide Executive, was involved with Our Chalet for 61 years, from the beginning in 1932 until her death in 1993, and a staff member until 1953. She helped set up the original furnishings, regularly attended meetings, helped with cleaning, organised events, and handled relations with the local community. She was one of the three trainers at the first International Training Course for Guiders in 1932.
Present
In 2007, over 400 guests from around the world visited Our Chalet to celebrate the centre's 75th birthday. Special activities for the big event included tours, interactive displays on the history of Girl Scouts, Girl Guides, and the centre itself, performances by local groups, campfire songs, and a fireworks display.
Activities
Summer activities are available at Our Chalet from June to September. During this time is when the "Chalet Challenge" is offered; it is designed to stretch young girls both physically and emotionally so that they gain personal confidence, inner strength and a sense of self-worth. Challenge activities include learning some Swiss German, teaching a song, completing a hike, and taking part in a new adventurous activity. Other summertime activities include walking and hikingHiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
, adventure activities such as paragliding
Paragliding
Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure...
, whitewater
Whitewater
Whitewater is formed in a rapid, when a river's gradient increases enough to disturb its laminar flow and create turbulence, i.e. form a bubbly, or aerated and unstable current; the frothy water appears white...
canoeing
Canoeing
Canoeing is an outdoor activity that involves a special kind of canoe.Open canoes may be 'poled' , sailed, 'lined and tracked' or even 'gunnel-bobbed'....
and rafting
Rafting
Rafting or white water rafting is a challenging recreational outdoor activity using an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other bodies of water. This is usually done on white water or different degrees of rough water, in order to thrill and excite the raft passengers. The development of this...
, and evening programmes.
Winter activities at Our Chalet run from December through April. These activities include skiing, snowboarding
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...
, snowshoe
Snowshoe
A snowshoe is footwear for walking over the snow. Snowshoes work by distributing the weight of the person over a larger area so that the person's foot does not sink completely into the snow, a quality called "flotation"....
ing, snowtubing, cross country skiing, paragliding, winter walking, ice skating
Ice skating
Ice skating is moving on ice by using ice skates. It can be done for a variety of reasons, including leisure, traveling, and various sports. Ice skating occurs both on specially prepared indoor and outdoor tracks, as well as on naturally occurring bodies of frozen water, such as lakes and...
, curling
Curling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
, ice climbing
Ice climbing
Ice climbing, as the term indicates, is the activity of ascending inclined ice formations. Usually, ice climbing refers to roped and protected climbing of features such as icefalls, frozen waterfalls, and cliffs and rock slabs covered with ice refrozen from flows of water. For the purposes of...
, tobogganing, sit skiing, tailing, sleigh ride
Sleigh Ride
"Sleigh Ride" is a popular light orchestral piece composed by Leroy Anderson. The composer had the original idea for the piece during a heat wave in July 1946; he finished the work in February 1948. Lyrics, about a person who would like to ride in a sleigh on a winter's day with another person,...
s, and various night activities, among others. Adelboden is also known for skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
and hosts the International Ski Federation
International Ski Federation
The International Ski Federation, known by its name in French, Fédération Internationale de Ski is the main international organisation for ski sports...
(FIS).
In addition to World Thinking Day and the FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup
Alpine skiing World Cup
The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup is the top international circuit of alpine skiing competitions, launched in 1966 by a group of ski racing friends and experts which included French journalist Serge Lang and the alpine ski team directors from France and the USA...
being special events at Our Chalet and Adelboden, New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
and Our Chalet's birthday are also major events. July 31 is Our Chalet's birthday and it is celebrated in conjunction with August 1, which is the day Switzerland became a confederation
Confederation
A confederation in modern political terms is a permanent union of political units for common action in relation to other units. Usually created by treaty but often later adopting a common constitution, confederations tend to be established for dealing with critical issues such as defense, foreign...
in 1291.
Past events
Many major events have occurred at Our Chalet and in Adelboden, such as the Quo Vadis Council of 1933 for national and international Guiding leaders, World Committee conferences, and International Training seminars. In 1934, the first International Brownie Training, for training leaders of young girls, was held at the Chalet and the eighth World Conference, for Guiding leaders, took place at the Hotel Regina in Adelboden. The first Round Table of Trainers, for training people who do training, was held at Our Chalet in 1935. In the late 1930s, an International Ranger Conference—for Guides involved in high adventure programs, a Round Table for Ranger Captains—for Ranger leaders, a Round Table for Brown Owls—for leaders of the young girls' Brownie program, and more Quo Vadis Councils were held. In 1938 the tenth World Conference was held in Adelboden. By the time the second Round Table of Trainers was held in the spring of 1939, people knew it might be the last major international event for a while as the storm clouds of war were gathering. In August 1986, the first Helen Storrow Seminar was held. Each Helen Storrow Seminar focuses on a different theme, such as the rights and responsibilities of women or how women can fight HIVHIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
and AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
.
Juliette Low Seminars
The Juliette Low Seminars are named in her honour and provide international leadership training to young women from any WAGGGS member organisation. The first one was held on August 6, 1932 at Our Chalet. They were not held during World War II, but began again at Our Chalet in July 1946 and were held at there until 1968, when they began rotating around all four world centres. Originally, they were held annually but are now held twice every three years. The seminars are intended to help young women share their views and experiences, develop a sense of universal citizenship, enhance their leadership skills, appreciate cultural differences, broaden their international understanding, and prepare for national and international leadership.Accommodations
The primary accommodations are the Main Chalet and Spycher Chalet. There are also smaller private chalets and a camp ground that is open from early summer to autumn. There are a variety of sleeping arrangements in the primary chalets. Spycher is wheelchairWheelchair
A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, designed to be a replacement for walking. The device comes in variations where it is propelled by motors or by the seated occupant turning the rear wheels by hand. Often there are handles behind the seat for someone else to do the pushing...
accessible. There are also many facilities for seminars, training, and conferences. There are single, twin, and shared rooms available. Shared rooms sleep up to seven people. Dormitory rooms are available in the Main Chalet and Spycher Chalet. Squirrel House accommodates two groups, one upstairs of up to ten people and one downstairs of up to six people. Baby Chalet sleeps four people. Camping facilities and Edelweisshütte Camp House are available for camping.