Challenge To Crown Ireland's Top Guide And Brownie Engineers

Guides and Brownies across Ireland are being urged to take part in this year's Engineers Week Challenge.

Taking place from 29 February - 06 March, Engineers Week promotes engineering and the importance of the profession to children in Ireland and is coordinated by Engineers Ireland's STEPS programme - funded by Science Foundation Ireland, the Department of Education and Skills and industry leaders ARUP, ESB, Intel and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII).

As part of the week-long event, this challenge will see young people compete to become Ireland's Top Guide and Brownie Engineers.

Guides (aged 10-14) and Brownies (aged 7-10) are encouraged to work towards gaining the Guide Engineering Badge or Brownie Engineering Badge with their Irish Girl Guides Unit during Engineers Week and devise an innovative project that could be commercially produced. Each entry submitted before the 31 March deadline will be judged by the Engineers Ireland STEPS Dragons, with the winners crowned 'Ireland's Top Guide Engineers' or 'Ireland's Top Brownie Engineers'.


Director General of Engineers Ireland, Caroline Spillane, said: "Engineers play a critical role in shaping the world around us and play an important role in addressing some of society's biggest challenges. By working towards achieving the Guide Engineering Badge or Brownie Engineering Badge during Engineers Week, each unit will have the opportunity to engage young girls to work through a variety of fun engineering challenges based on creative thinking, curiosity and teamwork. It is our hope that each unit will engage in this Engineers Week Challenge and we look forward to crowning Ireland's Top Guide and Brownie Engineers."

Chief Commissioner of the Irish Girl Guides, Amanda O'Sullivan, added: "As one of the largest girl-only organisations in Ireland, we are delighted to provide more opportunities for our girls to develop their skills in STEM and engage with engineering activities. We were delighted to partner with Engineers Ireland to launch our Guide and Brownie Engineering badges two years ago and are thrilled that more than 3,000 of our members have already earned the badges.

"Ireland's Top Guide and Brownie Engineers competition will help to encourage our members to experience the engineering design process and to work together to create innovative projects and solutions to benefit their local communities."

This year's winners will join the company of Aoife McGovern (aged 9) and her fellow Brownies from Clogherhead, County Louth, who won the inaugural year of the competition in 2019 for their project on water conservation and reuse.

(CM/JG)