Our Who’s Who in Canadian Guiding blog column offers our Members and volunteers a place to share their favourite stories from their own Guiding experiences, and their own take on why they continue to promote the organization’s mission. Today’s post is by someone many of us recognize by name and by site (but possibly not sight!): Becky “Dragon” Vincent!
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If any of my Guiding friends read this, they’re in for the shock of a lifetime. I am, at last, publicly admitting that I’m a bit of a ‘celebrity’ in the Guiding world. To my embarrassment, this is true both here in Canada and in many other countries around the world. However, for some reason, people always seem surprised when they meet me in person. Maybe it’s because I’ve started hiding my name tag when I go to large Guiding events. I have completely lost count of how many times, after introducing myself, I’ve heard the exclamation, “You’re THE Becky Vincent?!” So why am I so famous, you may ask? It’s because of a little hobby of mine, a website called Becky’s Guiding Resource Centre.
Back in the mid-90’s, when the Internet was brand new, I was a graduate student at the University of Guelph. I was dealing with massive writer’s block as I struggled to complete my Master’s thesis. The cure turned out to be spending hours and hours uploading onto the Internet everything I had in my Guider resource files. Embarrassing, but true – my website began as a productive way to procrastinate!
By the time I’d finished my degree, my website had taken on a life of its own. People were emailing me from all over the place, suggesting more material for me to add to my site. Before I quite knew what was happening, I had this HUGE site, full of games, songs, camping and science resources, being visited by Guiders from all over the world! To say that my website has succeeded beyond my wildest dreams is a serious understatement.
Whenever I meet Guiders in my travels, and explain that yes, I am THAT Becky, the one with the website, I get asked what my inspiration was for sharing all my resource ideas online. While I’ve certainly had a great number of contributors over the years, the heart and soul of my site comes from one place – Camp Woolsey, the Girl Guide camp just outside of Ottawa. I’ve been a staff member at Woolsey for something like 17 years now. I’ve spent more time at that camp in the summer than pretty much anywhere else.
Like all Girl Guide summer camp programs, Woolsey is an absolute treasure trove of new ideas, songs, games, crafts, and pretty much everything else. Working at Woolsey marked the start of my professional development, which took me from being a camp counselor to a camp director and eventually into my ‘real world’ jobs of being a teacher and an outdoor educator. My website has also opened the door to international travel! I spent most of a year exploring Australia a few years back – and thanks to my website I got to visit people and places I never would have otherwise, and made some great Aussie friends too!
So, in case you were considering volunteering your time at your local Girl Guide summer camp program – go for it! For me, it has been the source of my online inspiration. Thanks to summer camp, I’ve learned new skills, traveled to new places and been able to share the journey online on my website. Who knows what opportunities will open themselves to you?
By guest blogger Becky “Dragon” Vincent. Becky currently is a Ranger Advisor in Richmond Hill, a Resource Guider for Community 38, and an Assistant Summer Camp Director, at Camp Woolsey.
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Know someone you think would be great for our new Who’s Who in Canadian Guiding Column? Tell us! Email us at marketing1 (@) girlguides.ca
Missed our first Who’s Who? It was Chief Commissioner of Girl Guides of Canada -Guides du Canada, Chris Burton.