National Council – your chance to be heard
“Girl Guides really gets it! They care about our voices and they’re ready to listen.” That’s what I was thinking last year when applications opened for Girl Guides of Canada’s first National Youth Council.
Now, five months into my term, I can honestly tell you that GGC’s promise to hear us was completely authentic and true. Not only are we being taken seriously, our ideas and experiences are truly being valued and taken into account when decisions are made about Guiding.
These are all fancy words that are nice to say, but how is this relevant to you? Why should you be supportive of the Youth Council and ultimately apply to join? Because this is not just for show – Girl Guides is putting girls front and centre, where they should be.
I originally applied to the council on a whim. It looked like fun and I like to be involved. And then I submitted my application and I was accepted. I was actually on the National Youth Council and I was going to have to speak up for girls across Canada.
Hooray!? This is what I wanted, no? That’s when my internal Debbie Downer started playing in my head. It’ll be lame. They won’t listen. They won’t like you.
So you can imagine I came into our first meeting a bit unsure. We awkwardly said “hello” over Google Hangouts and told each other what kind of weather we would like to be in an icebreaker. Then Madeleine, our amazing chair, started telling us the goals of our term and the tangible actions we would take. As she revealed the council’s future, my confidence was boosted. This was going to be great! We are going to be doing important stuff and this was not all just for show.
When the council first met for a face-to-face orientation meeting, it was magical. As we bonded over playing spoons on the floor of the airport, you could really feel that something great was coming together. After meetings and team-building activities the group dynamic was strong.
So far throughout my term, we’ve participated in conference calls to discuss what matters to girls in Guiding and had the chance to give our opinions on lots of new projects Guiding has on the go. They are searching for OUR youthful opinions on things that will affect Girl Guides as a whole! We were truly representing girls – that definitely makes you feel like you’re actually making an impact.
So, what are you waiting for – get started on your National Youth Council application. If you become a member, know that your open-minded, inclusive, inspired co-members will encourage you to your full potential and help inspire ideas you have never even considered before.
Guest post by Sophie McCafferty, a member of GGC’s National Youth Council. Sophie is a 17-year-old from town Saint-Lazarex, Quebec, who’s passionate about the environment and its link with happiness and creativity. She proudly defines herself as ‘different,’ an activist and beekeeper.
Related Girl Guide programming that’s available year round for all ages:
Lt(N) Garnham is a former Girl Guide herself. She talked about how members in Guiding and the military both make a promise to make the world a better place. She also shared how the sisterhood of Guiding is a lot like the sisterhood she shares with her fellow women in the military.
After her presentation, Lt(N) Garnham led us through a little activity. She placed various leadership quotes on the floor and asked girls to stand by the one that spoke most strongly to them. We then got to share with each other the quote we had chosen and why we felt that quote described an important part or trait of leadership. The girls did a great job sharing their thoughts and then set to work on their Peace badge.
I recently went on a two-week long B.C. Girl Guide trip to Peru. We toured over a dozen towns in Southern Peru as well coastal cities such as Lima and Paracas. We hiked Machu Picchu, explored the floating islands on Lake Titicaca and went sandboarding in the desert. It was everything a perfect trip should be – educational, engaging and exciting. 
I was so proud of my fellow Guiding travelers who immersed themselves in the language and seized every opportunity to learn a new Spanish word. This trip was an incredible experience; it pushed me outside of my comfort zone and put my Spanish skills to the test. At times, it was challenging, especially given my Lima-ted vocabulary, but I always had the support of my fellow Guiders.
In April 2016, I began to blog and write about my experiences with mental illness. Since then I’ve been talking to just about anyone who will listen about my experiences, about body-focused repetitive behaviours and taking care of ourselves.
To Girl Guides of Canada, and to everyone who has helped me get to where I am, I wanted to thank you for your support— my life’s puzzle seems to fit together quite nicely.
Jillian Ashick-Stinson is one of these young women. As a member of Girl Guides, she will be representing the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts at next week’s 
Nominations are now open for the 
When it comes to STEM, we still have a long way to to go to balance the equation on the levels of participation of women and girls. Gender barriers persist and many of our most brilliant physicists, engineers and mathematicians will tell you that women have to work harder than their male counterparts to be taken seriously.
Guest post by Pamela Rice, Chief Commissioner, Girl Guides of Canada. Want to explore opportunities in STEM with your girls? Check out our 
“Thinking Day has been set apart to carry Guide thoughts to Guide friends around the world. It is the day on which the Guide world emphasizes the peace and friendliness and the glory of our world-wide Movement as the Guides of each country join in thoughts of love, sympathy, friendliness and goodwill with their Guide sisters around the world.” – Canadian Guider, January 1936
When our next unit meeting rolled around, all of the girls’ eggs made their way back to Guides. Some with more Band-Aids and hot glue-filled scars than others. But to all of the Guiders’ surprise, additional eggs came to our meeting, too. Amazingly, the eggs had multiplied. Why you may ask? Because the girls made their eggs a friend. Just like in Guiding, friends are important to eggs, too.
Every week our Sparks come in smiling, ready and excited for what’s in store. They light up with each new challenge, and are delighted to learn more about what it means to be in Guiding. They have truly begun to demonstrate the Spark Promise and show excitement and imagination in all they do. We play games, craft, learn invaluable life skills and, most importantly, we have FUN!
My best friend, Beth, also a former Girl Guide, was a bit more hopeful. “It’s not about the blanket, it’s about what you learned in Guiding. Think of that.” So I did. Fortunately she lives in the same province as me, a mere two-hour hour ferry trip and 90-minute bus ride (or two days by bicycle, or 40 minutes by float plane if you’re feeling adventurous). We spent some time together over New Year’s and brainstormed…
I like being a Pathfinder. I’ve made so many new friends and they’re really inclusive and accepting. They make sure I always know that it’s ok to be myself. Through Pathfinders, I also get to do a lot of things that I don’t usually do such as geocaching, playing some really weird, different games and camping.
Girl Guides in Ottawa came to Parliament Hill to celebrate the launch of 
Sophie Grégoire Trudeau – a gender equality activist, public speaker, devoted mother of three and wife of the Prime Minister – lent her support to Guiding and the Mighty Minds program by sharing this letter with girls at the event:
“Would you be ashamed if you broke your leg. No. So why be ashamed of a mental illness?” – 14-year old Pathfinder
“Talking to people is a good thing. People love you and want to help. It’s what people do.” – 9 year-old Guide
Our 
For more information about the NSP: Action on Poverty check out 
Career Awareness Badge
These are the 14 young women who, on December 6, 1989, were killed at École Polytechnique in Montreal in what became known as the Montreal Massacre. Young women, pursuing their goals. Young women, hated simply for being women in engineering. Young women, killed for who they were, and who they wanted to be.
I’ve been thinking a lot more about safety and inclusivity lately. Just the other day, at work, in a room full of peers, superiors, and contractors, I was forced to justify some very personal choices and reveal a part of my identity that I didn’t want to. As I looked around the room, growing more uncomfortable and feeling more judged by the second, I realized I didn’t know who my allies were, if indeed I had any. I have never had this experience in my Guiding Life – quite the opposite is true. I feel safe, supported and valued for who I am and how I choose to present myself.
GGC’s 
Living in Canada, we often believe ourselves to be above sexism. But are we really? As girls and young women, we’re told that “maybe engineering isn’t the right place for you to be, with all those smart boys. Do you really think you can compete with them?” We tell girls that they should be careful walking alone at night. We tell girls that they shouldn’t dress or behave in a certain way for fear of attracting the wrong type of attention.
ongly prefers chocolatey mint to the classic flavour (especially when frozen :P).
We started by trying to define a “perfect girl.” One of my co-Guiders, Lindsay, and I each took a piece of paper and prepared to write down their suggestions. Unbeknownst to the girls, we’d agreed that Lindsay would write down anything superficial and I would keep track of the elements that had more to do with a girl’s personality. I’m proud to say that they saw through our ruse and Lindsay’s paper stayed blank for the first 10 minutes or so of the discussion.
Some of their favourites were:
This fall, the Sangam World Centre is celebrating its 50th anniversary! To mark this milestone, we’re re-posting this blog with tips on helping girls feel connected to Sangam and the global sisterhood of Guiding.
Make your own Sangalee
the bill was only $9!)
After they had tweaked their flavours, we set them to work designing a marketing scheme for their product. Some girls designed packaging, others jingles or TV advertisements. We finished the meeting with a sharing circle, where each of them marketed their chips to the other girls. Their ads were hilariously awesome. Even the shyest girls were eager to participate! It was by far our best meeting yet.
In my role as District Commissioner, I often take advantage of the incredible opportunity to visit units. So when I walked into a unit meeting with the 2nd Dartmouth Guides, several of the girls yelled, “Hi, Giggles!” I smiled as I saw so many familiar faces. So many of my former Sparks had become Guides. The more I looked around, the more faces I recognized.
Guest post by Faith Cormier, a Spark and Ranger Guider in Fredericton. Faith is also a Trainer and loves to camp. 
Guest post by Kris McGee, a Guider and Deputy Provincial Commissioner, Administration with Ontario Council.
“It was pretty hectic at some points in time! We had a lot of fun, even though our team didn’t win.” – Sarah
“Know that you have one thing in common,” Dr. Bondar concluded. “You believe in
Guest post by Madeleine Deschenes. Madeleine is a Guider for a Sparks unit in Kingston, ON, and Chair, National Youth Council. She is in her third year studying Kinesiology at Queen’s University. She is ecstatic to have the opportunity to develop the Youth Council and to have the chance to meet all the amazing Rangers who will apply to be a part of the council!
We were having a great night cookie selling. This was the first year in a long time that it hasn’t rained on us. To top it off it was actually warm.
Regrouping with the other four teams, we sadly headed back to the church with only two cases sold.
This summer I took my nine-year-old daughter, Helen, to Kenya for the African Regional Conference of the 
Despite huge global differences in access to education, food and medical treatment, girls as a demographic are united in disproportionately facing barriers such as violence, discrimination and poverty. Unless addressed, these barriers make it impossible for girls to reach their full potential. Girl Guides of Canada–Guides du Canada (GGC) is addressing these barriers by enabling girls to be confident, resourceful and courageous, and to make a difference in the world.
Check out the GGC Make a Difference Day 
Guest post by Erin Brintnell, a third-year Ranger in Calgary who enjoys all aspects of the Guiding world. She loves hiking, biking and exploring the outdoors as well as helping in her community. Guiding Mosaic 2016 was the highlight of her summer!
Midnight. The night before camp. My fiance is sitting on the couch cutting out tiny white felt circles with child-size scissors. He loads the vehicle for camp, videotapes our enrollment, and has his own special name-tag that says “Mr. Sparkles” because he heard that the other Guider husbands have special nicknames, too.
Being a member of Girl Guides of Canada–Guides du Canada has always been an influential and positive experience for me. But I never realized just how proud I was to be a member of such an incredible organization until I was given the opportunity to walk in the Halifax Pride Parade this year.
The morning started with some of my best friends, Jessie, Kaitlyn, Jade, Calena and Anna all meeting up. We all chose to carry posters that had been made by some Guiders that had inspirational sayings on them. Then, we began to walk! Throughout the whole walk, we exploded with Girl Guide pride. We sang songs such as the Girl Guide Marching Song and Thunderation and Everywhere We Go! My favourite part of singing these songs, especially Everywhere We Go, was hearing the crowd repeat the verses after us. The applause Girl Guides received made my heart so, so happy. The walk was long, but it felt much shorter when we were surrounded by happy cheering, and of course, the company of other Girl Guides!
It’s that time of year again: it’s time to unpack the toadstool, get everything in order and invite the girls back for another exciting year of Guiding. For some of the units in Newmarket, Ontario, that means sending out welcome cards, addressed to the girls, by good old snail mail. Why you ask? It’s simple: who doesn’t like getting a letter in the mail? Especially when you’re a kid!
All About Me Surveys – In the card, I include a separate “All About Me” survey. It asks questions like: What did you like about Brownies/Sparks last year (depending on if they are advancing or returning)? What would you like to try this year? What makes you upset? What are things that make you feel better? What is one thing you want the Guiders to know about you? The girls are encouraged to fill out the survey and return it to me via mail, email or bring it to the first meeting. On the back of the survey, I answer the same questions I asked them; that way they can get to know me before the year starts.