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Continue reading →: We could learn a lot from girls when it comes to supporting mental health
Chill. Relax. Get over it. It’s no big deal. Don’t stress about it. Who hasn’t been given this kind of not-really-helpful-at-all advice when they’re struggling? And we all struggle from time to time – it’s totally normal for some days to feel less like a bowl of cherries and more…
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Continue reading →: Why you should make travel part of your 2018 bucket list
What’s on your bucket list for 2018? How about a little more travel and adventure and new ways to connect with your #globalgirlsquad? Good thing a Girl Guide travel experience has it all. With applications closing Wednesday, January 17 for our 2018 B.C. Wilderness Adventure trip for girls 16+, here’s…
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Continue reading →: Meet the girls who are taking action on poverty
Do not underestimate the power of girls. This holiday season, Girl Guides from coast to coast to coast are all about the giving as they take part in our National Service Project: Action on Poverty. They’re sewing mittens for youth experiencing homelessness, making snack bags for teens in need, and volunteering…
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Continue reading →: The world isn’t always great for girls – but Guiding is a powerhouse of support
Even though we live in a world where girls are constantly treated as less valuable or powerful than their male counterparts, I’ve never believed that my gender makes me worth less. That’s because when I was 11-years-old I became a Guide – and I learned that girls can do anything.…
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Continue reading →: Let’s talk about… Violence against girls
Sexual harassment and violence against girls. While this may feel like a grown-up topic, it’s really not. The truth is many girls in Canada are already dealing with harassment. It can start with catcalling in the hallways, creepy comments online and escalate from there. While it’s easy to feel overwhelmed…
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Continue reading →: Why letting girls lead was the best thing to happen to our Guide unit
Last year, the Guiders of the 26th Orleans Guides stopped leading the horseshoe, the campfire, or organizing games – and it was the best thing we ever did. We had started our year with four Guiders and a productive planning meeting full of great ideas. We had no idea that…
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Continue reading →: Smart. Funny. Confident. Why this Girl Guide should be your new role model
“Kinley is smart, funny, and kind. She also happens to have Down’s syndrome.” That’s how we were first introduced to 11-year-old Kinley in her 2017 Girl Greatness Award nomination. Kinley received an award in the Confidence category after being nominated by her friend and fellow Girl Guide, Julia. In Guiding,…
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Continue reading →: How I turned up my confidence as a twentysomething in Guiding
Let’s face it: becoming an adult is all kinds of exciting and terrifying all at the same time. There are so many new things to learn and do – but it can also feel like just so much new all at once. As twentysomethings, we’re learning to live independently, to…
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Continue reading →: Why Guiding is the ULTIMATE Choose Your Own Adventure
There’s nothing like a Guiding trip to empower girls to see the world – and themselves – in a whole new way. Bonus – it’s a pretty awesome way to find your global girl squad, too. With applications closing Monday, October 30 for our 2018 nationally sponsored trips, three girls…
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Continue reading →: The world may be divided, but the girls of the world are not
I am one of a kind. And I am also one of 10 million. I stand together with the 10 million girls and women in Guiding around the world who are making our mark and fighting for gender equality. Attending the recent 36th World Association of Girl Guides and Girl…
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Continue reading →: Wonder how much pressure teenage girls face? Just ask them
Too girly. Not girly enough. Too smart, too dumb. Too skinny, too curvy. Too anything. For girls, the mixed messages they get about how they should act, look, and think are confusing and demoralizing. The sad reality is that girls are being held back by all of the unrealistic expectations…
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Continue reading →: Adventure. Confidence. Leadership. How my daughters found it all in Guiding
Fact: Guiding has changed the life of my daughters drastically in the past five years. It all started simply enough. I registered my third daughter, Hari, in Guides. In just a few weeks, I noticed some positive changes in her and soon enough I was registering my second daughter, Rishi,…
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Continue reading →: The Guiding year is starting and the excitement is REAL
Excited. Like really excited. That’s how girls, parents and volunteer Guiders are feeling about the start of the Guiding year. But don’t take our word for it (even though you can always trust a Girl Guide). Check out all the feels and all the 😍 😍 😍 members are sharing online. Because…
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Continue reading →: From networking to chilling out: 5 reasons being a Guider is an A++ idea
We all know that Guiding empowers girls to learn, explore and find their place in the world. And as I discovered, volunteering with Girl Guides as a university student also pays off in a big way – both for the girls and for you. Here’s why: The girls will teach…
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Continue reading →: How a Girl Guide trip helped me find my #globalgirlsquad
Travelling as a teenager to another country can definitely be a little bit scary – but also super exciting and amazing at the same time. This summer, I was part of a Girl Guide trip to Ireland and it’s no exaggeration to say it was the most amazing, unforgettable and…
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Continue reading →: These girls put the POWER in empowering by mastering how to use a drill
Learning how to drive a nail and use power tools are empowering skills that can make girls feel strong and fearless. Meet some Girl Guides who mastered how to swing a hammer while learning about female entrepreneurship along the way. In the 12th Toronto Girl Guide Unit this year, we’ve really dived…
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Continue reading →: Why giving girls a little bit of freedom in the great outdoors is a recipe for awesome
Think Sparks are too little to cook their own meal or set off on an adventure? Think again. As this Guider writes, when girls get outdoors and have the chance to discover just what they can do on their own, they’ll show you they’re pretty unstoppable. As a Girl Guide…
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Continue reading →: 5 retro camp pics way cooler than anything on Instagram
Who needs Instagram to give their camp photos a nostalgic vibe? At Girl Guides of Canada, we’ve got lots of classic camp pics with that hazy look that can only come from the 1970s and 1980s. More permanent than Snapchat and more legit than an Instagram filter, our archives has…
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Continue reading →: The moment this Guide learned to ride a bike will give you all the feels
Have you ever had a fear of trying something new? Not this Girl Guide, who tackled learning how to ride a bike.
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Continue reading →: This Sparks pj party will give you the warm and fuzzies
Pajama party checklist: PJs? Check. S’mores? Check. Campfire? Check. Giving back to your community? Check. To celebrate the end of the Guiding year, the 73rd Toronto Sparks put on their finest and fuzziest to celebrate with a pajama party. But this being Sparks, it was so much more than just…
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Continue reading →: Six Important Things I Learned from Six-Year Olds
There are so many reasons to volunteer with Girl Guides of Canada. And now that my second year of volunteering with Guiding is about to come to a close, here’s a list of what I’ve learned from a group of five- and six-year olds: Lesson 1: Little Girls Walk the…
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Continue reading →: How this shy, dinosaur-loving 8-year-old found her strong in Guiding
When you sign your daughter up for Guiding, there are tons of opportunities for her to shine. Let us introduce you to Ellie – she’s all kinds of amazing. She was recently recognized with a 2017 Girl Greatness Award. We dare you not to feel all the feels after reading…
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Continue reading →: Move over Wonder Woman – these super hero Sparks are super every day
While Wonder Woman leaps into movie theatres across the planet this week, there are real-life female super heroes in our midst every day. We’re talking about Girl Guides. Super heroes like the 1st Valley East Sparks in Sudbury, Ontario, who recently hosted a superhero night for their dads and other…
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Continue reading →: Who’s listening to what girls have to say? Girl Guides is.
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…
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Continue reading →: How girls created the MOST Canadian welcome for newcomers
Sometimes, the best ideas come to you early in the morning. You know, when there’s a crisp quietness in the air and the sun is just starting to warmly say ‘hello’ for the day. This particular idea – knitting a warm red-and-white welcome for new Canadians – began before dawn…
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Continue reading →: Getting real and giving hope when everyone is watching 13 Reasons Why
For National Mental Health Week, we reached out to Kids Help Phone to develop some recommendations on how to talk about some of the serious subjects covered on the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why if they’re brought up in a unit meeting or other times. Lots of teens and adults are watching…
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Continue reading →: Three reasons why volunteering with Girl Guides is awesome
By Katie Dersch There is something for everyone Growing up in Guiding, I was able to try so many different things. From camping to robotics, I got to see for myself what I was interested in. Girl Guides helps you grow an appetite for adventure, and if that isn’t your…
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Continue reading →: Why I Volunteer with Girl Guides
By Christina Roberts I love volunteering with Girl Guides because providing girls with enriching experiences and learning opportunities is tremendously rewarding. For the past two years, I have led a Brownie unit. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting intelligent and driven girls who love learning and trying new things. I…
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Continue reading →: Thank you, volunteers!
As National Volunteer Week begins, girls in Guiding are sending a huge shoutout to our amazing volunteers.
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Continue reading →: Remembering Beyond Remembrance Day
On April 9, Canadians will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the battle of Vimy Ridge. Guider Michelle writes how inviting a woman from the Canadian Forces helped her Guides explore their own leadership skills and the achievements of those who ensure the freedoms we enjoy today. While we often…
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Continue reading →: Lost and found in translation
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…
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Continue reading →: In Guiding, I’m not alone
When I was growing up we didn’t talk about mental health and mental illness. It wasn’t something we talked about at home. It wasn’t something we learned about at school. And it certainly wasn’t something we discussed at Girl Guides. Now there’s Mighty Minds, Girl Guides of Canada’s new mental…
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Continue reading →: When the pieces click together
At university, they say the first semester is the hardest. To say I was nervous was a bit of an understatement: on top of delving into my specialization degree in Immunology and Infection at the distinguished (and somewhat menacing) University of Alberta, I was attempting to score stellar grades worthy…
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Continue reading →: Pamela Rice: Why Feminism Is Not a Dirty Word
Nesta Ashworth is the kind of hero that girls today would have no problem relating to. In the early 1900s, she saved her pocket money to buy an axe and build a fort in the woods with her friends. When she wanted to sleep in a tent, she was told…
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Continue reading →: The courage to start
Every day across Canada, girls in Guiding are accomplishing great and amazing things: overcoming obstacles, realizing their goals, and contributing in positive ways to their communities. I know this personally because I have seen it first-hand over the 13 years I have been privileged to be a member of the…
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Continue reading →: We are #STEMinists
As the world celebrates the best in cinematic achievement this weekend, all eyes will be on Hidden Figures, the Oscar-nominated film about female African-American mathematicians who played a vital role at NASA in the 1960s. This film has inspired many for its portrayal of a group that rarely gets meaningful…
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Continue reading →: Opening the Vaults – World Thinking Day and the Intangible Spirit of Guiding
When we look through the collection in our national archives, we’re often inspired by the intangible spirit of Guiding that shines so bright in many of the images. For this World Thinking Day, we have pulled together a selection of quotes from past issues of Canadian Guider magazine and photos that…
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Continue reading →: A positive egg-sperience in responsibility
Warning: Some eggs may have been cuddled in the making of this post The theme for one of our recent unit meetings was understanding responsibility. The girls brainstormed ways to be responsible in Guides, create kit lists and set goals for our unit. The top goals that everyone agreed on: Go…
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Continue reading →: Sparks sparkle – and so do new Guiders!
A few months ago, an email arrived announcing that the national office would be hosting our own Girl Guide units. It read: “Are you looking for a little more glitter in your life? Looking to connect with nature and possibly even camp out under the stars? Well, we have just…
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Continue reading →: Lost: One camp blanket
My camp blanket is gone. I’d feel better if I’d left it behind at camp, or accidentally swapped it with another Guide, or if it had been the victim of a flooded tent (kidding! I don’t actually wish that). The truth is this: I left Guiding when I moved across…
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Continue reading →: It’s more than OK to be myself
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…
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Continue reading →: Shining a Light on Mental Health on Parliament Hill
Girl Guides in Ottawa came to Parliament Hill to celebrate the launch of Mighty Minds, our new mental health program. Girls had the chance to try some of the activities from the program, while meeting Members of Parliament, Senators and the Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister of Status of Women (top…
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Continue reading →: What girls have to say about mental health
“I think mental health is more normal than people think. If more people talked about it, it would become normal.” – 10-year old Guide Girls have a lot to say about mental health, and we’re giving them the space to start talking. This month, girls across the country are taking…
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Continue reading →: Experts in the house!
This week, Girl Guides of Canada staff returned to the office after the holiday break to start work again on all things awesome and amazing for Guiding. And a few staff members brought their personal ‘in house experts’ with them into the office – their daughters. Not ones to let…
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Continue reading →: When Girl Greatness spreads to the office
“It is better to do good than be good.” – Lord Baden-Powell Every day we challenge girls to go out and make a difference, to go over-and-above to make their communities a better place to live. And every time, they do this with enthusiasm and ingenuity. Over the course of…
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Continue reading →: Full STEM ahead
The overwhelming theme for our unit’s activities this fall has been science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). With Girl Guides of Canada–Guides du Canada programming like Girls Count, and instant meetings like International Day of the Girl 2016, it’s been fun and easy to emphasize STEM as a key part…
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Continue reading →: All in the family – sisters and role models
Daring. Courageous. Risk-taker. These are all words that can be used to describe Viola Desmond, who’ll be featured on the new Canadian $10 bank note. In 1946, the Nova Scotia business woman refused to leave a whites-only area of a movie theater. Desmond’s court case was the first known legal…
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Continue reading →: Ending violence: The power of girls
Geneviève Bergeron, 21 Nathalie Croteau, 23 Anne-Marie Edward, 21 Maryse Laganière, 25 Anne-Marie Lemay, 22 Michèle Richard, 21 Annie Turcotte, 20 Hélène Colgan, 23 Barbara Daigneault, 22 Maud Haviernick, 29 Maryse Leclair, 23 Sonia Pelletier, 28 Annie St-Arneault, 23 Barbara Klucznik Widajewicz, 31 These are the 14 young women…
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Continue reading →: Feeling Safe
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…
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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