Girl Guides of Canada
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Girl Guides of Canada Guides du Canada |
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| Organizational data | |
| Headquarters | Toronto |
| Country | Canada |
| Founded | 1910 |
| Membership | 116,206 |
| Chief Commissioner | Myrtle Corkum |
| Website | http://www.girlguides.ca |
 Scouting portal |
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Girl Guides of Canada - Guides du Canada is the national Guiding association of Canada. Guiding in Canada started in 1910 and was among the founding members of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) in 1928. As of 2006, the association has 116,206 members[1].
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[edit] History
Mary Malcolmson organized the first Canadian Girl Guides Company to be officially registered in St. Catharines, Ontario; their registration is dated 1910-01-11. A park in St. Catharines was later named for Mary Malcolmson. Other Guide Companies were registered later in 1910: Toronto, Moose Jaw and Winnipeg. The First Toronto Company held the first-recorded Girl Guide Camp in Canada on the banks of the Credit River in June of 1911. By 1912, the movement had spread to all parts of Canada, and had become so popular that on July 24, 1912 Agnes Baden-Powell created Lady Mary Pellatt "Chief Commissioner of the Dominion of Canada Girl Guides". Many Guide events were held at her home, Casa Loma, in Toronto. It is now a tourist attraction with a special Girl Guide display. In 1917 the Canadian Government passed an Act of Parliament approving the Constitution of the Canadian Girl Guides Association as it was then known.
In 1918 Newfoundland's first Guide Company was formed, although the Province itself, did not become part of Canada until 1949.
The Salvation Army adopted Guiding as part of its program for girls in 1937, and it became officially associated with the organization. Although the Army disassociated itself in 1998, it continues to offer a form of Guiding to its girls.
The Canadian Girl Guides Association changed its name in 1961, again by Act of Parliament, to "Girl Guides of Canada-Guides du Canada".
In 1962 "Les Guides Catholiques du Canada (secteur français)" became members of Girl Guides of Canada. This organization had originally been active only in the Province of Quebec but over the years had developed a small membership in other Provinces as well. It had its own program, uniform and administration, but acknowledged the Chief Commissioner of Canada as the head of Guiding in Canada and had membership in the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. In 1992 "Les Guides Catholiques du Canada (secteur français)" became a separate, unaffiliated organization known as "Guides francophones du Canada", and in 1995 they became officially affiliated with Girl Guides of Canada-Guides du Canada again, as "Guides francocanadiennes". This affiliation ended in 2006.
[edit] Program
Girl Guides of Canada is the largest organization for women and girls in Canada, with 116,000 members at the present time. The membership is organized into different groups according to age. These are Sparks (ages 5 and 6), Brownies (ages 7 and 8), Guides (ages 9 – 11), Pathfinders (ages 12 – 14), and Senior Branches (15-17+) .
There is also a program for girls who, for whatever reason, are not able to physically attend unit meetings. They have a membership (Lones) that allows them to carry out the programme of their branch by correspondence.
Two of Guiding's newest initiatives are Extra Ops and Trex. These programmes are for members of Guiding who have more specific interests (i.e: Camping or Hiking), though Trex and Extra Ops programs are generally adopted by girls who are already a member of a branch of Guiding (such as Rangers).
Adult women (18+) are welcome in the organization as Leaders (Guiders), who can work with any age grouping of girls. There are also places for volunteers in Public Relations, office jobs, and other important facets of the organization. A program for women ages 18-30 called "Link" is in place for young women who wish to retain (or establish) their ties with Guiding, but who may not be able to give of their time to the extent of being a Guider. Though that said, Link members are sometimes Guiders, or will sometimes hold other positions within the organization as well. Link members choose to met when convenient to do so and will often participate in various Guiding events.
Adult members over the age of 30 have the option of becoming Trefoil Guild members. Just as with the Link program, a woman can opt to be a member of the Trefoil Guild and participate in other roles within the organization, if she so chooses. Trefoil Guild groups usually meet once or twice a month, and often participate in various Guiding events. Many (but certainly not all) Trefoil Guild members are senior citizens, some of whom have decades of Guiding experience.
[edit] Sparks
The Sparks program is for five and six-year-old girls. Their program is called "Go Sparks Go!" Sparks participate in a wide variety of activities with other girls of the same age. The Sparks uniform includes a pink shirt with the words "I promise to share and be a friend" printed on it. They wear their enrolment pin and other badges on a sash.
[edit] Brownies
Brownies are 7 and 8-year-old girls. Brownies aim to develop a sense of identity and a positive relationship with others by participating in a varied program of activities. Uniforms used to be brown but were updated to orange and navy blue. Their program is called "Brownies Can Do It!"
[edit] Guides
Guides are girls between 9 and ll-years-old. Guides are encouraged to do service projects to help their communities. Guides learn about people in other countries. They are also encouraged to discover and explore issues which are important to them. There are four program areas: You in Guiding, You and Others, Discovering You and Beyond You.[2] The program is called "Guides on the Go" and was first distributed in 2006. Girls can earn their Lady Baden Powell Award, the highest achievement a Guide can earn. Uniforms are blue.
[edit] Pathfinders
Pathfinders are girls between 12 and 14-years-old. They focus on community service, leadership and camping. Girls can also earn their Canada Cord, the highest achievement that can be earned throughout three years. Their program was revised and the new edition was released in 2006. It is called "Listen, Learn, Lead, Live!" Uniforms are green.
[edit] Senior Branches
Options for older girls (ages 15 – 18+) include:
- Cadets
- Junior Leaders
- Rangers
Cadets gain experience through being leaders in the different branches of Guiding. They meet as a unit to plan and exchange thoughts and then go to another Spark, Brownie, Guide or Pathfinder unit to try out their programs. The Cadet colour is yellow.
Junior Leaders gain experience by taking leadership in one branch of Guiding. They help plan and run the unit. The Junior Leaders colour is navy blue.
Rangers plan and lead their own activities. Adult leaders are there for guidance, but it is the Rangers who are responsible for planning and executing their activities. The Rangers colour is red.
Awards that can be earned while in Senior Branches include the Girl Guides of Canada Chief Commissioner's Gold Award, and the Commonwealth award. The Chief Commissioner's Gold award is the ultimate award you can earn as a youth member of Girl Guides of Canada.
In 2008, GGC announced that by the end of that year, all three of the Senior Branches will be amalgamated into one branch, which will hence forth be known as "Rangers". This new Ranger program will be very flexible and allow members the opportunity to peruse those areas of Guiding which most interest them (such as camping, working with younger members, community service, etc).
[edit] Adults
Adults invovled can be either a leader in a unit, or they can be a member of Link or Trefoil Guild.
[edit] Girl Guide Cookies
Girl Guide Cookies are a time honoured tradition in Canada. They were first baked by a Guide Leader in Regina in 1927 as a simple way to raise money for uniforms and camping equipment.[3] Girl Guide cookies have gone through many recipe changes but the goals remain the same. Girl Guide cookies today are the largest fundraiser and are used to help support the girls in their program and activities.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Girl Guides of Canada-Guides du Canada. World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. Retrieved on 2007-12-04.
- ^ Girl Guide Branches - Guides. Girl Guides of Canada, Ontario Council (September 2005). Retrieved on 2007-12-06.
- ^ Cookie Story. Girl Guides of Canada Guides du Canada. Retrieved on 2007-12-06.
[edit] External links
- Official website (English) (French)
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