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Continue reading →: Derby Girl Power!
Recently, we had members of the 709 Derby Girls come to visit a bridging event with our Brownie and Guide units. We thought it would be a cool new sport to learn about, and we knew the girls would be excited about meeting the Derby Girls, seeing their cool roller…
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Continue reading →: A Step Back into a Brownie Time Machine
In planning for learning a bit about the history of Guiding, I wanted to do something different this year. Then I remembered that someone tried to pawn off a bag of old Brownie badges on me years ago. Are you shocked to hear that she held on to that bag,…
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Continue reading →: This Earth Day Build a Bat House
Program planning starts with an idea – a spark that with a little time and effort can quickly become a heart-warming campfire. This is exactly what happened with the bat house project for the 157th Guide unit in the Calgary area. Leaders with cups of tea sat around a table…
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Continue reading →: Are you a Swap-a-holic, too?
Hat crafts. Traders. Swaps. You can call them whatever you want. I call them “my addiction”. My name is Alana, and I am a swap-a-holic. It started innocently enough. When my daughters were Sparks, a fellow Guider showed up at an event with her camp hat. I thought, “How cute!…
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Continue reading →: You’re a Teenage Girl Living in a Scary World. Be True to You.
Update: This post was voted a 2012/2013 GirlGuidesCANblog Big Deal Seal winner in the Reader’s Choice category! Bravo blogger Sarah! ———————————– This guest blog post was written in response to the recent death of Nova Scotia teen Rehtaeh Parsons, and the October suicide of Amanda Todd. We encourage Guiders to…
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Continue reading →: Hands-On History
I admit it – I’m a history geek. I love visiting historic sites, I search out the history section in the book store, and I regularly PVR shows on the History Channel. I have a degree in History, and training as a Museum Professional. So I guess it’s natural that…
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Continue reading →: The “Outsider” Girl Guider
Update: This post was voted a 2012/2013 GirlGuidesCANblog Big Deal Seal winner in the Girls’ Guides category! Bravo blogger Megan! —————————— At a time when a girl can choose Scouts or Girl Guides, is there really much difference? Or can she get a little bit of both in Girl Guides?…
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Continue reading →: Make Your Own Wordle Shirt
I remember the year they introduced the wordle shirt. That shirt WAS Guiding. It was perfect. I remember thinking… finally there is a piece of clothing that is cool. I would wear mine to camp, to the gym… even to school! A few years later… I am now the DC…
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Continue reading →: A Spirit Revitalized
In March 2012, I left my home in Calgary to spend a year volunteering with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) committed to social and economic change in developing nations. I chose to visit India on my journey because I felt it was a country that would challenge me and give me incredible…
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Continue reading →: A Constant Quest for Adventure
My new year’s resolution for 2013 was to sleep outside at least one night every month of the year. This goal is born from a passion for outdoor adventure. I feel like I am the best version of myself when I have a backpack on or a paddle in my…
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Continue reading →: Rock Stars Among Us
I was a quiet, introverted teen looking for my place to shine. Girl Guides was that place – to be recognized and to develop into my own person. My Guider made me feel like a Rock Star. Draw the Curtain: Encourage Them to Shine There are girls craving to step…
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Continue reading →: One Step at a Time (It’s Worth It)
Our Sparks Unit is really taking it’s time fulfilling Girl Guides’ National Service Project. But good things do take time. What is the point in rushing things so that there is nothing to remember later? Operation Earth Action is a wonderful project and should be done with care and passion.…
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Continue reading →: What the World (and Guider Sarah) Needs Now
March 20 is the International Day of Happiness. Here is a special post to mark the day. Happiness, to me, is like a bubble blown from a wand into the wind. It floats near me; then away. It slowly dances a tease –“I’m just within reach!” – and then it’s…
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Continue reading →: Don’t Forget To Breathe
Note: This article is referring to occasional, manageable anxiety. If you feel anxious all the time, or if your anxiety is out of proportion to a given situation, you should talk to a guidance counsellor or a psychologist for additional help. Like most Girl Guides, you are probably pretty busy.…
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Continue reading →: A Pathfinder Guider Job Description
Recently I was asked to come up with a Pathfinder Guider job description, specifically what kind of person it would take. I think this is a bit like asking what kind of parent makes the best parent – it’s hard to pinpoint because there are so many ways to go…
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Continue reading →: Guiding Culture Shock
I recently spent three years in Guelph, Ontario for university followed by seven months in China for an internship, so I was a little apprehensive about heading home to Montreal. I worried that all the friends I hadn’t seen in a long time would have moved away or forgotten about…
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Continue reading →: Happy International Women’s Day
Ever since “I promise[d] to share and be a friend”, I wanted to help people. And when “I promise[d] to do my best, to be true to myself, my beliefs and Canada…”, I knew I wanted to experience the United Nations. Today I am part of the World Association of…
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Continue reading →: “Multi-Branch” Means More Fun!
I grew up with Guiding, joining as a shy Brownie and going through Guides, Pathfinders, Rangers, and Link. I never doubted Guiding would remain a part of my life, but I didn’t know that I would begin my journey as a Guider in a rather unique way. When I finished…
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Continue reading →: From Frustration to Compassion: A Guider’s Journey
Please don’t ask me to lead Sparks or Brownies again. Don’t get me wrong: there is nothing more adorable than a Spark selling Girl Guide cookies, or more wonderful than the unbridled inquisitiveness of a Brownie. But give me a Pathfinder or Ranger unit – that’s where I belong. Pathfinders…
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Continue reading →: Guiding a Family
I was never a Brownie or a Guide. So how has Guiding become such a huge part of my family? Quite simply, a small slip of pink paper came home with my oldest daughter nearly 10 years ago. At that age she really craved structure and rewards for her efforts.…
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Continue reading →: What Are Jeans Good For?
Update: This post was voted a 2012/2013 GirlGuidesCANblog Big Deal Seal winner in the Camping/Outdoors & Global Guiding category! Bravo blogger Elizabeth! —————————- Our district went to a winter camp a couple of weekends ago and quite a few Guides from my unit were in attendance. As leaders, we…
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Continue reading →: My ELLE Experience
Unlike many teens my age, I still actually check my emails on a daily basis. A few months ago I received an email from Girl Guides of Canada about something called the ELLE leadership training, and since I have been in the Guiding movement since sparks, I’ve had the pleasure…
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Continue reading →: Happy World Thinking Day 2013!
Each year on February 22, Girl Guides and Girl Scouts around the world celebrate World Thinking Day. Girl Guides of Canada Members use this day as an opportunity to participate in activities and projects with global themes, learn and take action on important issues facing girls around the world. The…
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Continue reading →: Traveling Abroad
As a student of international development I have always been passionate about exploring new cultures and meeting new people. In many ways it was this curiosity that inspired me to travel internationally, never realizing what existed in my very own community. A few years ago I moved to West Africa…
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Continue reading →: Women in the Media: Empowering and Enraging
I truly think women in the media can be both empowering and enraging, depending on the situation. There are some television shows/movies/ads that present women in a positive way and some not so. In some media portrayals, they make all the girls look pretty, skinny and tall, which in reality,…
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Continue reading →: February Book Club Choice: The Painted Girls
Welcome to She Said/She Said, where GGC Members from across Canada are our book reviewers who share their opinions about this month’s book choice: The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan (published by Harper Collins Canada). This book is intended for adults aged 18 and older, and may contain profanity,…
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Continue reading →: Guiding and Me
After many years away from Guiding I found myself volunteering last year as a leader with my daughter’s Brownie group. Now my daughter is off to Guides and I am still a Brownie leader. My original plan was to volunteer the one year that my daughter had left of Brownies…
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Continue reading →: Help to Remove the Stigma
Today, I would like to invite all members of Guiding, to talk about the realness of Mental Health. I suffer from severe depression and anxiety. I have been fortunate to have found reassurance in attending my Pathfinder meetings and comfort in sharing in the sisterhood of Guiding. For a long…
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Continue reading →: The Value of Friendship
One of my favourite parts of working with the National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC) is the creativity it allows. I’ve worked with groups of students and adults of all different ages and explored a variety of influences on body-image, self-esteem, and health with them. And while I have nothing…
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Continue reading →: A Careful Eye on Gender Messaging
Over my past 8 years as a Unit Guider, I’ve taken my girls to a variety of events, outings, and sleepovers – horseback riding, snowshoeing, wilderness camping, heritage villages, wood working workshops, ceramics making, and many more. A common thread, however, has been that I ensure a balance in what…
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Continue reading →: The Power of an Expert
We all wish that we were good enough at everything to teach the Girl Guide program in fun and creative ways for every activity, badge, and skill. But I know that while I am pretty good at most things and pretty great at some others, there are some activities best…
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Continue reading →: Every Penny Counts!
Every year, in the weeks leading up to World Thinking Day, our unit talks about Girl Guides and Girl Scouts around the world, and ways that we can be a part of the Sisterhood of Guiding. This year, we decided to try something we had never done before: to raise…
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Continue reading →: Why I Volunteer with “The Trefoil”
The other day I had to submit my resume for the chance to be a delegate at a conference. I would be representing a volunteer organization, so I felt it necessary to really highlight the volunteer experience I have, versus the work experience. For a moment – it was quite…
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Continue reading →: Trex would make for awesome Pokémon Trainers!
Girl Guides has seriously affected the way I approach Pokémon. Ever since I was a kid, I always imagined what I’d be like as a Pokémon trainer going on my journey, and one of the biggest things that I always got hung up on would be my outfit. It’s only…
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Continue reading →: Permanently, a Girl Guide
I was a young Guider when, as many young adults of my generation have made the choice to do, I let someone have “craft time” on my body, drawing and colouring in a tattoo (or two). And to be honest, while I could have worn uniform pieces that covered them…
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Continue reading →: 2nd Chilliwack Guides Pledge to Do More
We are the 2nd Chilliwack Girl Guide Unit in Chilliwack, B.C.. Our third-year Girl Guides planned and led a meeting to help the other girls in the Unit earn the National Service Project: Operation Earth Action crest. The main activity, Making Your Own Green Cleaning Products, was only one element of the evening which…
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Continue reading →: Guiding Girls to See What Others Cannot
To celebrate the birth of Louis Braille, who developed the Braille system of printing and reading when he was 15 years old, January is Braille Awareness month. We thought this might be a nice opportunity to introduce the girls to this very important method of communication. The question was, how…
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Continue reading →: Watching Girl Greatness
Something pretty amazing happened to me the other day, and I am still excited about it. Through my job with the Canadian War Museum, I recently attended a video conference organized by the United States Embassy about women’s empowerment in Afghanistan. Heads of NGOs, diplomats, community activists and Afghan-born women…
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Continue reading →: Lone Guiding Rocks!
Do you know any girls who give you grief about wearing their uniform, or having to sit beside so-and-so at a meeting? Is this maybe you, a leader, some weeks when you’re tired and stressed and unprepared? The next time this situation comes up, take a deep breath and consider…
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Continue reading →: Bumbling [Brownie] Badges
Badges can be the bane of a Guider’s existence, can’t they? Although they provide satisfaction and joy, they are small and easily lost. They like to hide in every nook and cranny of our Guide bags, and only show up in abundance after you’ve purchased more, because you thought that…
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Continue reading →: On the Right Path with Pathfinders
Pathfinders (age 12-14) are both a challenging and rewarding age to lead. This age group is where a lot of girls would drop out of Guiding because it is no longer the ‘cool’ thing to do. However, our Unit is thriving, with girls who are all very busy with school…
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Continue reading →: Key to Brownies: Getting to know you with a Beaded Bracelet
How To: Beaded Friendship Bracelet (Thanks to Guider Janice for this idea!) Supplies: Pipe cleaners and pony beads (one kind of bead for each girl in the Unit) Opening activity – make beaded friendship bracelet. (Each girl will receive a different bead on a pipe cleaner and an empty pipe cleaner. The…
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Continue reading →: Operation Earth Action
In September, many parents had been very enthusiastic, while others had no idea what was coming towards them. Needless to say, I also had no clue what I had just signed up for, but now realize how lucky I had been to have signed up for TD Tree Days in…
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Continue reading →: Tea with Trefoil Guilds
Earlier this month, the two Trefoil Guilds in Richmond, BC – the Fraser Delta and Legends – hosted the 28th annual Christmas Fair. Our ladies came through as they always do; we had wonderful home-baked goodies, candy and preserves, lots of great “treasures” from the attic, amazing silent auction items…
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Continue reading →: The Spirit of the Season
Sometimes at this time of year, we get all wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of the season and we forget what Christmas is really about. But, it’s not just Christmas. Many religious groups celebrate this time of year. Whether it be Hanukkah, Kwanza or any other religious holiday,…
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Continue reading →: Just the Beginning of a New Adventure
While attending Guiding Mosaic 2010 in Guelph, Ontario, I met two Irish Girl Guides with whom I became very good friends. Along with the seven other Kanata Rangers, I built a strong friendship by the end of camp with Niamh and Laura. Most of us were sure that we wanted…
Girl Guides is a catalyst for girls empowering girls. We provide a safe environment that invites girls to challenge themselves, to find their voice, meet new friends, have fun and make a difference in the world. Together, we’re building a better world, by girls.
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