It has only been closed to the public twice, once during World War II when it was used as a military training and refugee centre and another time due to COVID-19.
[2] An American Girl Scout leader, Helen Storrow (1864–1944), agreed to fund the construction[3] and the first four years of operation if it were built in Switzerland.
It almost passed, but Falk felt it was too low for the sort of adventure that young girls were looking for and Robert Baden-Powell, founder of Scouting, agreed.
[2] Construction of Our Chalet began with the basement in September 1931, and the roof was built on 21 December 1931, according to plans by architect M. von Sinner.
[2] 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.
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.
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.
[2] Our Chalet's staff quickly set upon the often difficult task of returning guests/ tourists to their home countries.
[2] 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.
[2] 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.
It was filled by Anne Hyde Choate, another American and past president of the Girl Scouts of the USA.
Falk retired that year, to be replaced by Penelope "Pen" Wood-Hill (later Cullingford), from the United Kingdom.
In the Canton of Bern, Stöckli is the name given to the house by the main farmhouse where the older generation of farmers live.
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.
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.
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.
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.
[7] In recent years, an increasing number of non-Scout guests are taking advantage of Our Chalet, particularly skiers during the winter.
During this time the Swiss Challenge event is offered to young adults who come to experience a week of alpine fun, including town visits, hikes, zip lining, climbing and evening programmes.
[7] 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.
[8][12] The Juliette Low Seminars are named in her honour and provide international leadership training to young women from any WAGGGS member organisation.
[13] The seminars are intended to help young women share views and experiences, while preparing for world leadership.