I recently had the opportunity to attend Ontario Council’s Guide Super Program weekend in Toronto in my capacity as National Program Adviser.  My purpose in attending the event was two-fold: to see how Guiders and trainers are working with the Guide program, and to meet and speak with as many Guiders as possible about their view of national programming.

The weekend was absolutely amazing!  The keynote speakers from the Disney Institute and the Canadian women’s hockey team provided insights that I have already begun to use within my own Guiding positions. In addition, I had the opportunity to attend a number of well-planned and well-executed sessions with suggestions and strategies for how to work with the program and make it engaging for the often-challenging Guide age.

I took away from the weekend:

• A number of fun and engrossing activities to share with the Guiders I work with
• An awesome USB bracelet with hand-outs from all of the sessions
• Some splendid new crests and swaps
• A spiffy new Guiding name tag
• A number of new Guiding friends
• The realization that despite the many differences between communities and provinces, Canadian Guiders face many of the same issues

More than anything, my experience at Guide Super Program reminded me why it is important for Guiders to get together for trainings and conferences.  Although events such as these focus on learning new skills and exploring new ideas, it was the spirit of camaraderie and friendship that I found most energizing and inspiring.  The weekend underscored the wealth of knowledge and experience that is present within the Guiding community, knowledge that it is important to share.

I would encourage all Guiders in Canada to seek out opportunities such as the Guide Super Program weekend. These opportunities are virtually guaranteed to boost your Guiding spirit!

By guest blogger Megan Clarke. Megan Clake has been a Spark, Brownie and Pathfinder Guider in Regina, Saskatchewan.   She currently holds the position of Provincial Program Adviser, Provincial Cookie Adviser, and  Provincial Awards Adviser.