Category Archives: Uncategorized

Acceptance + Compassion: My wish list for teens like me who work a little harder on their mental health

My name is Kate. I’m 17 years old and in my final year of high school. I love science and reading and aspire to be a neuroscience engineer. And my mental health is something I work on. Every. Single. Day. … Continue reading

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How girls are building survival skills to navigate the digital wilderness

Phones. Tablets. Laptops. Snapchat. Instagram. Texting. Fake news. Selfie perfection. Sexting. Yup – it’s a digital minefield out there for girls. With countless options for connecting, sharing and shaping their identity online, there’s a lot for them to navigate. Yet, … Continue reading

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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 … Continue reading

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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 … Continue reading

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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 … Continue reading

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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 … Continue reading

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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 … Continue reading

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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 … Continue reading

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Thank you, volunteers!

As National Volunteer Week begins, girls in Guiding are sending a huge shoutout to our amazing volunteers.

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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 … Continue reading

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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 … Continue reading

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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 … Continue reading

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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 … Continue reading

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Say No to Violence – end of discussion

16 Days of Action to Eliminate Violence Against Women started on Friday, Nov. 25. We’re highlighting girls’ voices on social media throughout the 16 Days. Check out what Rishi has to say:    Living in Canada, we often believe ourselves to be … Continue reading

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The chance to make a change: Are you ready!?

In reading this blog post, be prepared to be very excited! Girl Guides of Canada is currently recruiting for our first ever National Youth Council! Let me repeat that: First. Ever. National. Youth. Council. Applications are now open for girls in … Continue reading

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Opening the Vaults: Before there was Instagram…

Long before Instagram and eons before selfies, Girl Guides captured their forever memories by printing and developing photos and carefully preserving them in photo albums. Among the favourite items in our national archives collection are two black photo albums titled, … Continue reading

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Summer Guiding projects

I am a crafter. In the various areas of Girl Guide programming (and life in general), I have always excelled in the area of crafts, art and nifty things you can make. While this is a great skill to have, … Continue reading

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What’s next on your volunteering bucket list?

Whether you’re interested in helping shape the programming Guiding offers girls or having a role in our international travel program, our national volunteer opportunities are a great way to make your mark on Guiding. (Bonus! These roles are also an … Continue reading

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Opening the vaults: A camping we will go…

As girls are set to arrive at Guiding Mosaic 2016 (July 9 to July 17), our 13th national camp, we have combed through the archives and discovered some pictures from past national camps. Our first national camp was held in … Continue reading

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Proud of ‘My Girls’

This past weekend, I had the absolute pleasure of watching ‘my girls’ receive their Lady Baden-Powell awards. Were you there? Did you see that person hiding in the back with a box of Kleenex? That was me. Yup, I cried. … Continue reading

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Opening the Vaults: Timeless summer fun

Exploring the outdoors through activities such as hiking, camping and rock climbing can have an extraordinary impact on a girl’s life. With the approach of summer, we’re showcasing some of the outdoor activity photos from our national archives. Although the … Continue reading

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A Proud Mama Hen

I’ve been a parent volunteer for the last three years, since my daughter joined Guiding as a Spark. I can tell you that Girl Guides has been a great experience for me personally. Watching the girls learning, laughing and growing … Continue reading

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Thank you x 74,340

Week in and week out, we know just how much our volunteers give to girls in Guiding. You contribute on so many levels – as Unit Guiders, Trainers and Advisers, Commissioners and Treasurers, and Trefoil Guild and Link members. Thank … Continue reading

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Guiders like to play, too

Guiding encourages girls to try new things, learn through playing, and to challenge themselves, all while earning badges along the way. You can tell a unit meeting is going well by the sound of fun, the sound of laughter and … Continue reading

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The gift of school supplies

Last week, we shared the story of how a Quebec unit was Taking Action for Refugees. Today, we’re showcasing the 3rd Victoria Guides, who supported newly arrived refugees with a school supply drive as part of their participation in our … Continue reading

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Opening the Vaults: World Thinking Day and the World Flag

World Thinking Day reminds us of our connections to global Guiding. Last year, we opened the vaults to look at the many ways that we have celebrated World Thinking Day in the past. This year, we’re showcasing the origins of the … Continue reading

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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Five Things I Learned as Chief Commissioner

This weekend, Sharron Callahan’s term as Girl Guides of Canada–Guides du Canada’s  19th Chief Commissioner concludes at our Annual General Meeting, as Pamela Rice of Quebec succeeds her in the role. Here, Sharron shares some personal  insights on her term.  … Continue reading

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What’s next on your volunteering bucket list?

As you scroll through Guidepost, Twitter and Facebook, have you ever been intrigued by the national volunteer postings? If you’re like me, you might think to yourself, who can volunteer for a national position? Do you need many years of … Continue reading

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Engineering some excitement

“Hi I’m Rose and I’m a mechanical engineer, and my job is really cool!” That’s how I started every ‘Mission to Mars’ and ‘Don’t Wake Mom!’ workshop I facilitated this March for National Engineering Month 2015 – with the aim … Continue reading

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Putting Words in Action into…Action!

Did you know there are Literary Agents to help Unit Guiders bring Words in Action to their unit? Of course, a Guider’s first step should be to review the Words in Action website for service and activity information. If you run into … Continue reading

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Capturing Guiding in action

As the old saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” I take pictures of my girls so that one day they can look back at them and remember all the fun things that they did with their Guiding … Continue reading

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Girl Guide fun + chocolate = the perfect Valentine’s Day

The Quebec Chocolate Challenge! What’s more fun than making and eating chocolate? Sharing, of course! The 1st Valois Brownies created an event called “Chocolate Wonderland” to complete the Quebec Chocolate Challenge and in the spirit of sharing, invited the Valois Sparks in order … Continue reading

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How one District’s Thinking Day event became a pretty big deal

Ten years ago I was a brand new, wide eyed Brown Owl of a group of 36 Brownies! I had been in Brownies as a girl myself but was new to the whole ‘leading’ thing.  I had no clue what … Continue reading

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Wreaths Across Canada: Remembering our soldiers, and a dedicated Guider

Earlier this week, members of the 1st Dorothy Crocker and 1st West Ottawa Wanderers (WOW) Trefoil Guilds had the privilege of volunteering with Wreaths Across Canada. Ceremonies were simultaneously held at Ottawa’s National Military Cemetery at Beechwood Cemetery, Mount Pleasant Cemetery in St. John’s, … Continue reading

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Friday Night Guiding!

When people find out I run a Guide unit on Friday nights, I often hear similar comments. “On a Friday? Really? Are you not tired at the end of the week”? Truth is, there are many advantages to running a … Continue reading

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Opening the vaults: Embarrassing moments

Ever have one of those moments where you find your old journal or a box of letters you wrote? Yeah, it can be kind of embarrassing. So imagine Guider Sarah Govan-Sisk’s surprise when a letter she wrote almost 20 years … Continue reading

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We will remember them

Remembrance Day – November 11, 2014 My earliest memories of Guiding are going to my Sparks meetings in a little church hall, on the Canadian Forces Base in North Bay, Ontario. I was excited to continue a family tradition. My … Continue reading

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