There is something truly awesome about the way Guiding can open doors to new adventures while supporting girls and Guiders in a safe space. It really shouldn’t have, but it kind of surprised me recently – when our little unit from the ‘country’ found new experiences, tons of fun, and proven friendships while trekking around the ‘big city’.
Our unit, the 3rd Carter Guides, is from a small community outside of Halifax. While most of our girls take a school bus daily, only half had been on city transit. When we sat down as a unit to see if a city adventure was a good year-end trip the ideas flowed quickly. Girls had tons of ideas of what they would (and would not!) like to do during a day on the town.
We started our adventure by meeting up at the bus terminal one morning at 8 a.m. Each girl received a group name badge with emergency contact info, a scavenger hunt sheet (points for unique/creative answers), and a bag of snacks to start the day. As we hopped on the bus, I asked the girls ‘how many have never been on a city bus?’ As hands went up, others started sharing their experiences. Snack bags were opened, scavenger hunts started, and our adventure day was off to great start!
Over the course of the morning, girls discovered parks and playgrounds, explored the waterfront, enjoyed the ferry ride (another first for some!), participated in the Halifax tradition of playing on ‘The Wave’ sculpture, and suggested other ways we could add to our day. We had tentative plans for the day, but our bigger plan was to roll with our day – as girls, weather, and opportunities allowed. Walking more than 6.5 kilometres, taking two buses and a ferry we were certainly able to see a lot.
After a picnic lunch, we explored the award-winning (and enormous!) Halifax Central Library and the historic Public Gardens, with the final stop at a the Halifax Oval – where girls had the chance to try roller skates/blades, scooters and bikes. So many girls tried new things, and helped each other out.
As many traded in roller skates for (easier-to-use) bikes and scooters, one girl just kept trying. Her perseverance impressed me. When I skated passed on inline skates (for the first time in 20 years!) I told her I was proud of her and she yelled back “I’m proud of you, too, Jo!” That moment stuck with me. There is a girl, pushing herself, trying new things, and feeling comfortable doing so – and she didn’t just beam with pride, she passed it on.
Over our full day together, I saw too many Girl Guide-y moments to mention. The girls embraced adventure and small challenges, solved problems as a team (picture a scavenger hunt blowing away), used kind words, and laughed with each other. It isn’t often I take a day off work to spend away from my own family – but that Thursday, I couldn’t have been happier about my choice.
Guest post by Jo Swinemer. Jo has a been a GGC member for 30 years and has held a variety of roles – the past few years as a part-time Guider in Mount Uniacke, Nova Scotia. Jo is excited to open a Pathfinder unit for some of these advancing Guides this fall. By day, Jo is the Membership Support and Community Development staff at the Nova Scotia provincial office.