Tanya Tulloch (USA) - World Centre Manager
Tanya comes to us from Beaverton, Oregon where she worked for Columbia River Girl Scout Council for 12 years as a Manager. As a Girl Scout growing up in Kentucky she liked to participate in adventure activities such as repelling, hiking and camping. She has fallen in love with snow sports in her adult life in the Cascade Mountains. The idea of reaching the mission of WAGGGS through the outdoor adventure and leadership experiences has drawn Tanya to work at Our Chalet. Her background with camp management, volunteer development and strategic planning will help her to add to the team as a World Centre Manager. She is looking forward to meeting Girl Guides and Girl Scouts and other guests from all over the world while she is here.
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Korana Kovacevic Koka (Slovenia) - Deputy World Centre Manager
Korana aka Koka comes from Slovenia and has been involved in Guiding and Scouting since like, forever. From starting as a Rover to being an International Commissioner of her association. She is interested in the environment, people and leadership development. One of the reasons she chose to live and work in Switzerland is the great outdoors with endless hiking, skiing and thinking opportunities. She believes there is a leader in every one of us and is keen on providing opportunities for staff development as well as ensuring best Our Chalet experience for all the guests who visit and stay with us. She believes that life is fun and good, and that being happy every day is a matter of choice!
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Katie Scales (United Kingdom) - Programme Manager
Katie is from Lincolnshire in the United Kingdom and has been enjoying all the fun and challenges that Guiding brings for over twenty years. She first discovered the magic of Our Chalet when she finished university, and hasn’t really left since! Katie loves the outdoors, and spends most of her free time (and often work time!) exploring and having adventures in the mountains, whether she’s hiking, skiing, Klettersteig’ing’, snow shoeing, or wild swimming! She firmly believes in personal and leadership development through outdoor challenge and adventure, and is working to make sure this is as present in the programme as it has been for the past eighty years. Katie is very passionate about the history and traditions that surround Our Chalet, and thrives on the challenge of making the programme the best it can be, always making sure our guests get the most possible out of their stay. So, whenever you choose to visit Our Chalet, Katie will be there to make sure you're welcomed to your Swiss Guiding home with a smile!
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Catherine Moody Catt (United Kingdom) - Guest Services Coordinator
Catt is from Surrey in the UK and has been in Guiding for 14 years. She is one of those people who once visited Our Chalet, fell eternally and passionately in love with it. She visited Switzerland several times in her teens and has returned as a Winter volunteer in 2011, continued as a Guest Services Volunteer and now she is a member of the Long term staff at Our Chalet. She loves sports, especially hiking and snow fun stuff! As an ex competitive swimmer water is her natural habitat however snow does pretty good job too. Catt is very friendly and quirky girl with lots of ideas how to keep everybody happy and her office buddies constantly on their toes. Her creative brain solved many a problem at Our Chalet. Recently Catt is working hard to beat the world records in number of daily "Cat Love" cuddles and laughter outbursts! Go Girl!
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Jenny Egan (United Kingdom) - Catering Coordinator
Jenny comes from Yorkshire in England. She loves Our Chalet and have volunteered, worked and brought groups from her country here on several occasions. She is looking forward to four lovely months meeting new volunteers and passing on the kitchen mysteries and knowledge how to successfully feed from 1 up to a 100 guests. Back at home she is a very active leader of a Beverley Ranger unit organising international and national trips. She is keen to provide best Guiding experience and opportunities to her group members. Jenny loves animals and traveling. We are enjoying listening to the stories about her adventures from around the world. Every day she makes us and guests happy with her delicious cooking. So come and try it yourself : )
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Michael Ling (United Kingdom) - Grounds and Maintenance Assistant
“Michael is from Suffolk in the UK and is very much enjoying his first experiences of Guiding as a member of the Our Chalet staff team. He first came here two years ago when visiting his girlfriend Katy (a spring volunteer at the time) and was blown away by the beauty of Adelboden, the mountains and the old wooden Chalets. He never dreamt that one day this place would be his home and he’d even have his own little tool shed! As the grounds man of Our Chalet, you’ll find him pottering around outside, fixing things, chopping firewood, driving the minibus and clearing the vast amounts of snow with Boris (our ride on mower and snow plough). He loves to simply be outdoors whether it be skiing, tennis, hiking, making things from wood, tinkering with classic cars (though more recently Boris) or just laying out in the sun. In the summer he also teaches tennis to the Swiss kids and he’s working hard on learning their lingo!”
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Nicole Grossen-Wilhelm (Switzerland) - Bookkeeper
Nicole is one of our two Swiss members of Long term staff. She studied accounting which eventually brought her to Our Chalet as a bookkeeper. Nicole as a true Swiss at heart is a life time devotee to white sports - perhaps being a Ski Instructor at Adelboden Ski & Snowboard school for several years has something to do with it. She has two young children and a very patient husband. Nicole works with us on Mondays but we are of course always badgering her to come more often, even only to give us beginner ski tips and have fun with us. She is also one of those efficient, hard working young women who simply knows ho to just "fix things" comes to numbers, or taking calls in Schwytzerdütsch, an exotic language which none of us can really understand. She is fun too and joins us keenly in laughing our Mondays off.
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Melanie Mel Portelli (Australia/Malta) - Guest Services Intern
G’day mate! I’m Melanie from Cairns, Australia. I’ve been involved in guiding through various roles since I was 7 years old and was lucky enough to travel to the Four World Centres in 2011. On this journey I visited Our Chalet and fell in love with the picturesque landscape and friendly people. When I found out there was a position available as Guests Services Intern I applied, and to my surprise I was accepted. Knowing I was coming to Our Chalet as the Guest Services Intern I was extremely excited and couldn’t wait for the adventures to begin. I enjoy being outdoors, craft and everything guiding. I am a proud Girl Guide and believe that the opportunities available through the organisation are endless. I can’t wait to experience a new culture, make new international friends and challenge myself to new heights.
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Gaenor Harries (United Kingdom) - Programme Intern
Gaenor is from Leicestershire in the UK but sees Our Chalet as a home away from home! She has been in Guiding since she was four years old and a significant highlight of that time was being a Winter Vollie at the Chalet in 2011-12! Gaenor especially loves all outdoor adventures including spending lots of time up in the mountains but also out at sea sailing and kayaking. She has spent time working in the outdoors with young people since leaving University and is super excited to be back in the glorious abyss called the Swiss Alps! Gaenor loves everything that is ‘Our Chalet’ and is ready to be a part of every new experience the Programme Intern Position is all about.
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Danita Duguay (Canada) - Our Chalet Assistant, Summer
Hi, I am Danita from Canada! Ever since I learned about the 4 world centers I have had my heart set on visiting all of them. And from a young age, I have had a special place in my heart for Our Chalet. Being able to spend the summer working here is an absolute dream come true. I call Victoria, BC home, and am currently a student at the University of Calgary. I am working towards a bachelor of commerce with a specialization in tourism marketing and management, and a minor in sociology. Wow, that’s a mouthful. I absolutely love hockey and lacrosse, and it is my dream to be able to work in sports management. I have been a member of Girl Guides for 15 years. Guiding is the most important thing in my life next to my education, family and friends. I absolutely adore travelling. I’d love to see every country. I am not off to a bad start with 18 crossed off my list already. I am so excited for my summer here at our chalet. I am especially excited to meet all of our guests, to travel around and explore Switzerland, and to enjoy every moment of living in this beautiful country surrounded by Guiding.
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Angela Skidmore Angie (Canada) - Our Chalet Assistant, Summer
Hi, I'm Angie from Vancouver Canada. I study environmental science at Simon Fraser University and love everything to do with the outdoors. Some of my favourite pass times are hiking, camping and rock climbing. Last summer I completed a 75km hike along the West Coast of Vancouver Island (aka the West Coast Trail), which was a long time goal of mine and this summer my goal is to hike as many of Our Chalet's neighbouring mountains as possible! In guiding one of my favourite things is campfire and I'm looking forward to learning lots of new songs to take home and share. At home I am part of the Eagle Mountain District which is in Lougheed Area. There I run the 1st Guides unit which is full of lots of fun and outgoing girls. Another thing I love very much is badges. I have brought many to trade and have a camp blanket full of them! I'm so excited to have this amazing opportunity to spend the summer at the beautiful chalet and to explore all that international guiding and Switzerland have to offer.
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Alison Pollard (United Kingdom) - Our Chalet Assistant, Summer
Hey peeps. I'm Alison and I'm from the northwest of England. I've been in guiding since I was a rainbow and I am now a leader at St George's brownies (hey guys). I am currently studying for a degree in primary education at university. This is my second time at Our Chalet after visiting for a day in 2011. I knew I had to return someday but didn't know it would be so soon! I love travelling internationally meeting others, collecting and swapping badges and working part time at McDonalds!
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Kathleen Coulter (USA/Canada) - Our Chalet Assistant, Summer
Kathleen is a Canadian and American dual citizen. She grew up in sunny Florida and was just crazy enough to move to Alberta this past year. Kathleen has a BA in International and Global Studies and is currently working on her law degree. Before coming to Our Chalet, Kathleen has worked as a bartender at a retirement home, a night time security guard, and an English teacher in the Marshall Islands. She takes advantage of every opportunity to travel and is looking forward to exploring Switzerland this summer. Kathleen has been a member of Girl Scouts USA for 19 years. During that time, she's canoed through the Florida Everglades, learned the art of trapeze at circus camp, and put on many summer events for girls. She is a Leave No Trace trainer and is passionate about the environment and enjoying the great outdoors.
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Betsy - Lui Pui Shan (Hong Kong) - Our Chalet Assistant, Summer
Aloha! I am Betsy from Hong Kong. I have been in girl guides for more than 8 years. Impressed by the sharing from my guider a few years ago about her experience in Pax Lodge, I finally decided to step up on the Alps spending my 3-month summer in Our Chalet after finished my 2nd year of study in university.
My expectation in Our Chalet is “UNIQUENESS.” I would like to get a unique experience in such a multi-cultural environment and explore more in nature as well as mountains. I do believe I can make friends from different nations. Friendship is unique and long-lasting in Our Chalet because we cooperate and play with each other for 3 months with same faith in guiding. Definitely, I can eventually gain lots of new insights and inspirations which will benefit me for the whole life.
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Rachael Evans (United Kingdom) - Our Chalet Assistant, Summer
Hi all, my name is Rachael and I'm from Reading in the UK. I have been involved in Girlguiding since I was seven years old and throughout this time I have been a Girlguiding UK advocate, a secretary and liaison officer for my university student scout and guide group (I studied Mathematics, Operational Research, Statistics and Economics at the University of Warwick), a founder member of our senior section group and volunteered at the Young Women's World Forum at Pax Lodge. My current roles are an assistant Brownie leader and a district treasurer.
I'm very excited as this is my first overseas guiding experience. I'm looking forward to all the outdoor adventures (especially the abseiling and hiking), meeting new people, learning more about WAGGGS and all the new challenges I will face this summer in the heart of the Swiss Alps.
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Jocelyn Proctor (USA) - Our Chalet Assistant, Summer
Hey y’all! My name is Jocelyn Proctor and I am from North Carolina in the USA. Currently I am working my dream job as a summer volunteer here at Our Chalet! When I am not in the Swiss Alps I am studying Political Science and Economics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. So of course I am a big college basketball fan, go Tarheels! However, this coming fall semester I am planning on Studying abroad at Nottingham University in England, so the international experiences will continue. I started scouts when I was a little Brownie and then just never stopped. Last year I worked at a Girl Scout camp in North Carolina, but this summer I knew I wanted an international adventure, so here I am! I love all sorts of outdoor activities such as hiking, repelling, and caving and so I am super pumped to explore these more here at Our Chalet. Aside from scouts and school I love to read, eat ice cream, and am an avid watcher of Parks and Rec.
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Emma Glass (USA) - Our Chalet Assistant, Summer
Hey everybody! I’m Emma Glass from Washington DC. I’ve been in scouting for as long as I can remember. When my troop visited Our Chalet in 2009, I fell in love the beautiful mountains and immediately knew I has to come back one day for more outdoor adventures. When I’m not at scouts, I can be found reading adventure stories, doing arts and crafts, or practicing jazz, modern and ballet in the dance studio. After I graduated from my local high school, I took a gap year. For the first semester, I went to Spain and learned Spanish at the University of Salamanca. Afterwards, I became a nanny for some local families. I plan on studying Economics and Spanish at the University of Chicago in the Fall.
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Emma Walsh (Canada) - Our Chalet Assistant, Summer
Hi! I’m “Canadian Emma” from St. John’s, Newfoundland. I started out in Guiding as a four-year-old Spark and have stuck with the organization ever since! I now enjoy being a leader for the same Sparks unit that introduced me to Guiding. I have completed two years at Memorial University of Newfoundland, but am very excited to move to Montreal in the fall, to begin my studies at McGill University. I will be studying food and nutritional sciences, and hope to become a dietitian one day. In my free time I like to chill out, eat good food, and explore the beautiful outdoors. I feel very lucky to be spending my summer among the mountains, living the Swiss life, and doing the adventurous activities that I love.
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Samantha Stacpoole Sam (Australia) - Our Chalet Assistant, Summer
Hey Everybody, I’m Sam (Samantha Stacpoole) from Australia. I’m 21 and been In Guiding since I was 8 years Old. I’ve worked my way through the Ages, having been a Brownie, Guide, Ranger, Junior Leader and now a Leader with a Brownie Unit Back home. I love the Outdoors, Camping, Kayaking, Abseiling, and the occasional Hike. I’ve enjoyed a Voyage on a Tall Ship – The Young Endeavour, and Skydiving. In 2011 I made a Trip to Our Chalet for International Rover Week where I Tried Skiing, Tobogganing, Cross Country Skiing, Snow Tubing and Much more fun activities, with a lot of Falling over and jumping in Piles of Snow! (It was the first time I’d seen Real Snow) was very Exciting and Amazing. I’m really excited to be Back at Our Chalet as a Summer Volunteer and can’t wait to meet everyone, while Sharing Fun times, Adventure and Plenty of Hiking! Hope to meet you soon!
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Aisling Claffey (Ireland) - Short Term Volunteer, Summer
Hi, I'm Aisling from Cork in Ireland. I went to my first Guide meeting when I was 10 and haven't looked back since! I am now an Assistant Leader with the Owenabue Brownies and Carrigdhoun Guides in Carrigaline, County Cork aswell as a Senior Branch member. I love everything about Girl Guides, the challenges, the adventures and meeting people from different countries and sharing experiences. I am really excited to have this amazing opportunity in such a wonderful setting. When not guiding I am studying Culinary Studies at the Cork Institute of Technology. I enjoy this course as I love Cooking and Baking. I hope to become a Home Economics teacher someday.
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Louise Braine (United Kingdom) - Short Term Volunteer, Summer
Hi, My name is Louise and I am from London in the UK. I have been part of Girl-Guiding since I was 5 and now help at a Rainbow and Brownie pack for girls aged 5-11. I visited Our Chalet with my Senior Section group three years ago and really enjoyed the experience. I am therefore very excited to be back at Our Chalet as a short term volunteer for six weeks. Outside of Guiding I am currently studying Geography at the University of Leeds and in my spare time I enjoy running and hiking.
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Skippy Storrow - Our Chalet: Mouse Catcher and Friend
Skippy is from Adelboden in the canton of Bern, Switzerland. Her Scouting experience is quite vast as she has spent much of her time at Our Chalet. She explores the grass, eats bugs and protects the grounds and guests from any possible predators like marmots and slugs. In her free time she likes to soak up rays, catch mice and chase cows.
Meow :)
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