Author Archives: Girl Guides of Canada Blog

This is what Link looks like

What happens when Link members get together for the Young Guiders’ Retreat in  Nova Scotia? See for yourself! We didn’t all know each other when we arrived… Brownie-Ranger Guiders, DCs, former DPC, NS Arts Advisor, National Link Liaison… Lots of … Continue reading

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Small actions for inclusion

One of the things I really try to do as a Guider is foster a sense of safety and inclusion for all the members of our multi-branch unit. I think it’s a constant process and to be truly successful, needs … Continue reading

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Dream. Dare. Do.

When I attended the Juliette Low Seminar at the Sangam World Centre in India, I went  with the expectation of learning  about India, leadership in Guiding, and finding out more about the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts … Continue reading

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Touching Hearts – Valentines for Vets

Break out the markers and the red and pink construction paper! Valentine’s Day is just over a month away and it’s a great time to plan a Valentines for Vets activity with your unit. This Veterans Affairs Canada program distributes personal … Continue reading

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Blanketed in memories….Or, what do you do with 85 Girl Guide T-shirts?

Like many Guiders, I have accumulated an incredible number of crests and patches throughout the years and the culmination of this epic crest collecting has resulted in the completion of two camp blankets. But along with all of those patches … Continue reading

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Managing Friend Drama

Some years are better than others, but for every year I’ve been involved with our Brownies, it happens. There are inseparable friends who stubbornly cling to one another, in spite of our efforts to mix up groups and facilitate new … Continue reading

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Gone winter camping!

GirlGuidesCANBlog will be taking a bit of a break over the holidays. See you again in the New Year, with more great Guiding stories!

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Hats’ off!

Girl Guides definitely love to show-off their Guiding style. When we asked members to post photos of their Trefoil toques on our Facebook page, we were blown away  by their yarn-tastic enthusiasm. Here’s a sample of our members’ knitting awesomeness: … Continue reading

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I Am Super Guider !

When you envision a super hero, you don’t think about their alter ego’s responsibilities. You think about the super hero costume, the cape, the super powers, and the glory of saving the world. You don’t think about how these heroes … Continue reading

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Finding my courage

As Girl Guides of Canada–Guides du Canada marks 16 Days of Action to Eliminate Violence Against Women, we’re giving voice to our members’ perspective on gender-based violence. Today, we’re sharing Morgan’s personal story of how she found the confidence and courage … Continue reading

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Say No to Violence

As we launch our Say No to Violence Challenge and mark 16 Days of Activism to Eliminate Violence Against Women, we’re  proud to re-post  this meaningful piece from  International Commissioner Sharron Callahan, who has volunteered in Guiding with victims of … Continue reading

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Opening the Vaults: Creative camp gadgets

We have some really interesting photos of camp gadgets in our collection. So many that we had trouble narrowing them down and reached out to some self-proclaimed gadget experts for their help with the selection. Choosing these pictures brought back … Continue reading

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On the move: I will always be a Girl Guide

Back in 2013, I wrote about my move from being a Girl Guide in Vancouver, B.C to being a Girl Scout in Hanover, New Hampshire. This fall, I started classes at Bishop’s University in Sherbrooke, Quebec. Before arriving at Bishop’s, … Continue reading

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On the move: Taking your Guiding life with you

This week on GirlGuidesCanBlog, we’re featuring posts by members on how they keep their Guiding connections strong…. even when they move across the country.  At the end of August, I packed up my stuff and drove (and floated) over 3,000 … Continue reading

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Remembrance Day: Reflecting and giving thanks

Looking back on my 11 years of Guiding, some of my earliest memories are going to the Remembrance Day Ceremonies with my unit at the University of British Columbia. As I sat in War Memorial Gym year after year with … Continue reading

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Opening the vaults: How Girl Guides Contributed to War Efforts

This gallery contains 4 photos.

Girl Guides of Canada–Guides du Canada (GGC) members made significant contributions to Canada’s war efforts during the twentieth century. Our national archives collection offers a glimpse into how Girl Guides demonstrated bravery, ingenuity and selflessness during our nation’s most difficult … Continue reading

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Life of a twenty-something Guider

Have you ever been at a cookie selling event and had someone come up to you and ask you where the ‘adult’  in charge is? Or have parents ask the same thing? This has happened to me more than once … Continue reading

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How a vivid journey to the bottom of the sea led to my future

There comes a time in every teenager’s life when they have to make a decision on what they want to do or accomplish with the next few years of their life. For some, this decision is made over a long … Continue reading

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My camp blanket tells a thousand stories

Not all stories are told in books, not all memories are seen in pictures – some come in the form of a thousand little embroidered pieces of felt. My camp blankets tell more than my Guiding story. They weave together … Continue reading

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Dear Lego….

When we heard how the 70th Toronto Guides celebrated International Day of the Girl (October 11), we had to share their story with you: We shared with the girls the story of a female scientist who asked Lego to create … Continue reading

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Clean shorelines for all

Last year, Girl Guides of Canada-Guides du Canada (GGC) partnered with Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup to celebrate Global Youth Service Day (April 17-19). Girls across Canada jumped at this opportunity to make a difference in the world by cleaning up … Continue reading

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Teaching camp skills….indoors

Teaching camp skills to a group of 30, mostly new, inexperienced Guides before a fall tent camp that will be three-hours away from home can be a very rewarding experience. Teaching these skills that are to be applied outdoors during … Continue reading

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How I planned – and survived! and enjoyed! – trekking with my Rangers

New Brunswick’s 2nd Tidewater Ranger Unit focuses on outside activities as much as possible. Our meeting place is in a ski hut in a park in Moncton where we have access to hiking trails, cross country ski equipment, snowshoes and … Continue reading

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Girl Guide camp blanket vs. camp poncho

As units gear up for fall camps, we’re sharing one of our most popular blog items of all time. In today’s post, we’re entering into some pretty turbulent waters, opening up a seriously contentious debate, if you will. No, I’m … Continue reading

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My BFF is a Girl Guide too

Have you seen the new Girl Guides of Canada–Guides du Canada ad floating around social media or public transit? The one about finding your BFF in Girl Guides? Seeing that ad activates a wave of memories for me. I may … Continue reading

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Challenging ourselves – and lending a hand – in Mexico

When we saw that there was a Guiding trip to the Sea of Cortez in Mexico, we knew it would be something that we’d never experienced before. It looked like a great adventure where we’d learn so many new things … Continue reading

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Practicing for Guiding Mosaic 2016

With one year to go until Guiding Mosaic 2016 (GM2016), we decided to hold a Mosaic practice camp for the girls registered in our patrol. So, in mid-July we headed out, looking to get to know our girls better and … Continue reading

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Opening the Vaults: 1920s and 1930s Campfires and Cookbooks

Every so often we find cookbooks included in a donation to the archives. Today we have decided to share a few of the earliest cookbooks and illustrations from our collection. Many of these recipes and cooking styles would no doubt … Continue reading

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Transitioning into a new Guiding role

As someone who has always aspired to be a lifelong member of Girl Guides of Canada, I struggled to find a place for myself as a transitioning member (TMBR). During Rangers, I completed the program and earned my Chief Commissioner’s … Continue reading

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Saying ‘Welcome’ and ‘Bonjour’ with a postcard

A few years ago, I decided to start sending out mail to my Brownies and Guides at the beginning of August in preparation for the next Guiding year. There were many reasons that led me to come up with this … Continue reading

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How do you organize all your Guiding ‘stuff’?

Maybe you have one. You probably know a Guider who does. The Guide closet. (Or storage bin, or room, or basement?) I didn’t have one at first. At first, all I had was an expandable folder. And I thought that … Continue reading

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A girl, her Guiders and a special awards ceremony

Earlier this year, Girl Guides of Canada–Guides du Canada received a great email from one of our previous Girl Greatness Awards recipients, Cheyenne: Hi there! My name is Cheyenne. I received a Girl Greatness Award in 2014 and I must … Continue reading

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The Mystery of Alice the Camel

‘Alice the camel has…two humps’ is a common refrain at any Girl Guide camp fire or sing song. But what happens when Alice has no humps? Guider Nicki from Girlguiding UK delves into this mystery for us…. Camels are part of … Continue reading

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Trex Trek to Baden-Powell Lake

Earlier this summer, eight girls and six leaders from 1st Quinte Trex  in Trenton, Ontario headed into Algonquin Park for our annual wilderness canoe trip. In addition to the fun, good food and adventure, the girls planned a very special … Continue reading

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Who are we singing along the road

This past weekend, on a beautiful summer day, my friend Megan and I slapped about 40 pounds of gear on our back and took to the backwoods of Kejimkujik National Park. Like, 10 kilometres into the backwoods, into the backwoods. … Continue reading

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How many sleeps until camp?

We signed our Brownie up for a week-long camp experience at Camp Adelaide in the “Outdoor Explorers” program. This was her first sleep-away camp and she was apprehensive about being away from home for so long so we went to … Continue reading

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This is why I volunteer with Girl Guides: How one girl changed my unit

This story all began when Girl Guides of Canada reached out to me to say that a parent had called looking for a unit for her Guide-aged daughter. Her daughter has Asperger’s and some other disabilities and wanted to make … Continue reading

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I “Bee-lieve” in Camp!

I spent a lot of my time as a youth member in Girl Guides at camp. Going to Guelph ’93 as a Pathfinder was one of the defining moments of my youth, and one of the main things that kept … Continue reading

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In her own words…. Brownies recruiting Brownies

Meet Devon – a Girl Greatness Award recipient who took it upon herself to recruit more Brownies for her unit! During my first year of Brownies, we only had three girls, but it was still fun! After the advancement, my … Continue reading

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We can be the change

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”  With this statement as a foundation, we challenged our Guides to have the courage to speak out and take action on important issues to make the … Continue reading

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Spreading the word – and the fun of Guiding – over the summer

Summertime is a quieter season after a long Guiding year (whew!) but our area is taking advantage of tons of opportunities to have fun in the sun while expanding our programs to reach thousands more girls and women. West Coast … Continue reading

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The Link Summer Challenge

At the start of June, the Link Challenge was launched for Link members to complete over the course of the summer. The challenge’s theme is staycation and asks members to explore their community and connect with each other. Here’s the … Continue reading

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Being Gay in Guiding: How Guiding Supported Me When I Came Out, and How I Helped Make My Unit a Safer Place

In the beginning of my second year as a Pathfinder, I figured out that I was gay. Being in the closet was really hard for me. I felt like I was hiding such a big part of myself from everyone … Continue reading

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Throwback Thursday: Are you a Swap-a-holic, too?

We know our members are a little, ahem, ga-ga for swapping. As many Girl Guides gear up for summer camp, we’re re-posting one Guider’s confession.   Hat crafts. Traders. Swaps. You can call them whatever you want. I call them … Continue reading

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How I met my best friend on a Girl Guide trip (despite starting off with a sarcastic comment…)

In 2002 I was one of 10 youth members, aged 15 to 17, chosen to represent Girl Guides of Canada on the nationally-sponsored trip to the Ma-Buyu Youth Forum and Commonwealth Games Camp in Manchester, England. We all met at … Continue reading

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How am I resourceful?

At this spring’s National Conference: Guiding Girl Greatness, four girl members spoke to delegates about their own personal experiences with our Mission keys –  confidence, courage, resourcefulness and making a difference – and how they have incorporated them into their … Continue reading

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Finding your courage

At this spring’s National Conference: Guiding Girl Greatness, four girl members spoke to delegates about their own personal experiences with our Mission keys –  confidence, courage, resourcefulness and making a difference – and how they have incorporated them into their … Continue reading

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A Billion Brownies

After another crazy-busy year as a Brownie Guider in our multi-branch unit (72 girls!), by the time our last meeting rolled around, I was pretty much done. As in, I’m ready for summer, shut the door on the craft closet … Continue reading

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