Galway will play host to hundreds of leaders from across Ireland for the Irish Girl Guides (IGG ) National Leadership Day 2026, a full-day event designed to inspire and support volunteers in delivering fun, engaging, and empowering experiences for girls and young women.
This year, the event takes place in Galway as part of Irish Girl Guides’ ongoing commitment to rotate major national events across the country. By moving the event beyond Dublin, IGG ensures that Leaders from all regions can participate, making training more inclusive and accessible.
National Leadership Day 2026 is about strengthening Irish Girl Guides as a national organisation and ensuring every volunteer has the confidence, knowledge, and connections to help girls thrive now and in the future.
Róisín Mills, Programme and training commissioner, explained, “The Irish Girl Guide programme is constantly evolving to meet every changing needs of today’s girls, and the enthusiasm we see from our leaders gives us immense confidence in the future.”
This full-day event is structured around three key themes
Think and Dream: Leaders share ideas to support the upcoming review of the youth programme and shape the future direction of IGG. Act and Do: Hands-on branch training sessions equip leaders with practical skills and activities to bring back to their units. Act and Be: Volunteers connect with IGG’s committees, learning how they contribute to governance, sustainability, and growth, while exploring pathways for further involvement.
"National Leadership Day is an opportunity to deepen understanding, share ideas, and ensure that every volunteer feels supported in delivering an engaging, relevant, and empowering experience for our youth members.
"By connecting Leaders with our non?branch Committees, we’re strengthening the foundation that allows Irish Girl Guides to grow, innovate, and continue making a lasting impact on the lives of young women in Ireland,” Róisín Mills added.
A programme that delivers for volunteers
Throughout the day, Leaders will participate in a wide range of interactive sessions tailored to every branch and interest.
Ladybird, Brownie, Guide, Senior Branch, and Trefoil Guild sessions, offering everything from SDG-linked activities and campfire skills to enrolment ideas, international programme elements, and intergenerational engagement.
Committee-led sessions covering leadership and development pathways through the Adults Training and Outdoor Committee, communications skills, international opportunities, inclusive practices through the Membership, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, Global Citizenship Education, digital skills via the Hi Digital project, and the innovative LEGO Campfire Quest STEM project.
Every session is designed to ensure Leaders leave energised, inspired and equipped with ideas they can immediately bring back to their Units.
