Girl Guides of Canada

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 in 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 1911. By 1912, the movement had spread to all parts of Canada, and had become so popular that on 24 July 1912 Agnes Baden-Powell created Mary, Lady Pellatt "Chief Commissioner of the Dominion of Canada Girl Guides". Many Guide events were held at Lady Pellatt's 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, even though the Province did not become part of Canada until 1949.

The Salvation Army adopted Guiding as part of its program for girls in 1937 when it became officially associated with the organization. Although the Army disassociated itself from the program 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 a member 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. 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". In 1995, they became officially affiliated with Girl Guides of Canada-Guides du Canada again, as "Guides francocanadiennes". This affiliation ended in 2006.

Program

Girl Guides of Canada is the largest organization for women and girls in Canada. 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 Rangers (15-17+) .

There is also a program for girls who, for whatever reason, are not able to physically attend unit meetings. They are known as 'Lones' and complete the program of their branch by correspondence with a Lone Guider.

Two of Guiding's newest initiatives are Extra Ops and Trex. These programs are for members who have more specific interests (i.e. Camping or Hiking), Trex and Extra Ops programs are generally adopted by girls who are already a member of a branch of Guiding.

Adult women over the provincial age of majority are welcome in the organization as Leaders or Guiders. 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. However, Link members are sometimes Guiders or will hold other positions within the organization as well. Link members choose to meet 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. A woman can opt to be a member of the Trefoil Guild and participate in other roles within the organization. Trefoil Guild groups usually meet once or twice a month, and often participate in various Guiding events. Many Trefoil Guild members are senior citizens, some of whom have decades of Guiding experience.

Sparks

The Sparks program is for five and six-year-old girls. Their program book is called "Go Sparks Go!" Sparks participate in a wide variety of activities with other girls of the same age. The Sparks uniform was originally a pink shirt with the Sparks promise, "I promise to share and be a friend.", printed on it, they now wear the same blue T-shirts as brownies through rangers, except with pink inserts at the collar and sleeves. Sparks have the chance to work towards nine "keepers" (badges). The nine "keepers" are:

Sparks wear their enrolment pin and these badges on a sash.

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. Their uniforms used to be brown, then changed to orange and navy blue, and are now the uniform blue T-shirt with brown insets at the collar and sleeves. The Brownie program book is called "Brownies Can Do It!", and is divided into ten "keys". There are program requirements to complete each key, and a number of corresponding optional "interest badges". The keys are: Key to Brownies, Key to Me, Key to My Community, Key to I Can, Key to Active Living, Key to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math), Key to the Living World, Key to Camping, Key to the Arts, Key to Girl Guides.

Guides

Guides are girls between 9 and 11 years of age. Guides are encouraged to do service projects to help their communities. Guides learn about people in other countries and are encouraged to discover and explore issues which are important to them. Their uniforms, originally navy blue, were then sky blue and navy blue, and are now the uniform blue shirts with navy blue insets and the collar and sleeves. The program is called "Guides on the Go" and was first distributed in 2006. There are four program areas: You in Guiding, You and Others, Discovering You and Beyond You. Girls can earn their Lady Baden Powell Award, the highest achievement a Guide can earn, as well as many different "interest" badges. Occasionally Guides help sparks and brownies, earning a crests entitled " spark/brownie helper". Guides can go camping, canoe, Have a sleepover, or help a local women's shelter.

Pathfinders

Pathfinders are girls between 12 and 14 years old. They focus on community service, leadership and camping. In Pathfinder units the girls are very independent and plan many camps, district camps, and meetings. The units are also usually very small, so the Pathfinders are usually close friends and very welcoming to new members. Their uniforms were green T-shirts, or white tee shirts, with the opposite coloured sleeves, they are now uniform blue with green inserts on the collar and sleeves. Pathfinders also wear a white neck tie with green maple leaves on it. Their program was revised and the new edition, "Listen, Learn, Lead, Live!", was released in 2006. Through program work, girls can earn their Canada Cord, the highest achievement that can be earned by a Pathfinder. To earn the Canada Cord award, a Pathfinder must complete 20 select modules (about 4 activities each usually) participate, plan and lead 3 camps and/or leadership events, earn her community service award by working 15 hours of community service, participate in two Ranger meeting bridging activities, lead three bridging activities for younger girls (Usually guides or brownies, but occasionally sparks) complete a first aid course given by a recognized agency, and earn her citizenship certificate by doing 8 activities out of the be a model citizen module. Girls have 3 years to complete this if she chooses too. The Canada Cord requires a great commitment to guiding to be earned. Any girl registered in Girl Guides as a pathfinder is eligible to earn her Canada Cord award, regardless of how long she has been a member with Girl Guides of Canada.

Rangers

As of September 2008, girls between the ages of 15 and 17 (or older) are known as Rangers (prior to that date three branches of the GGC existed for youth in this age bracket: Rangers, Cadets and Junior Leaders, the latter two now defunct). The new Ranger program is very flexible and allows members the opportunity to pursue the areas of Guiding which are of interest to them (Camping, working with younger members, community service, etc.). Adult leaders are there for guidance, but it is the Rangers who are responsible for planning and executing their activities. The Rangers uniforms were the same as those worn by the adult members, with the addition of a neck tie that is white with red maple leaves, however with the new uniforms the Ranger shirts now match the rest of the girl uniforms with red insets on the collar and sleeves. Red is the colour that is associated with the Ranger branch.

Awards that can be earned while in Rangers include the Girl Guides of Canada Chief Commissioner's Award, the Cookie Campaign Challenge Pin, the Ranger Service Project Pin and the Commonwealth Award. The Chief Commissioner's award has three levels: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. The Chief Commissioner's Gold award is the ultimate award a youth member can earn within Girl Guides of Canada. Rangers can also earn the Ranger Certificate for being an active unit member and the Junior Leader Certificate for helping with a younger branch of Guiding.

Adults

Adult women can be a leader in a unit, or they can choose to be a member of Link or Trefoil Guild, depending on their age. Some members choose to participate in both functions.

Principles

The Guiding movement is based on the principles outlined in the Promise and Law. Every Guide makes this promise when she is enrolled. The Promise and Law were renewed in 1994, and on 13 January 2010, the current Promise was unveiled.

Promise (1994-2010)

Spark Promise (current)

I promise to share and be a friend.

Law (current)

The Guiding Law challenges me to:

Law (pre-1994)

Girl Guide Cookies

Girl Guide Cookies are a tradition in Canada. Inspired by America's Girl Scout Cookies, they were first baked by a Guide leader, Christina Riepsamen, in Regina, Saskatchewan, in 1927. They were sold door-to-door, with a bag of 12 cookies costing 10 cents, for the purpose of earning passenger rail fares for a camping trip to a lake. The sales were brisk, requiring extra batches to be baked to meet demand. It was then adopted as a simple way to raise money for uniforms and camping equipment.

In 1929, the National Headquarters began selling the cookies across Canada. Girl Guide cookies have gone through many recipe changes but the goals remain the same. Girl Guide cookies today are the largest fundraiser for the organization, and are used to help support the girls in their program and activities.

There are two different cookie campaigns, one in the fall and the other in the spring. The fall cookies are the chocolatey mint cookies, similar to the Girl Scout Thin Mints cookies sold in the United States. The classic vanilla and chocolate sandwich cookies are sold in the spring.

Manufactured by Christie's from 1960-2003, they are now made by Dare Foods Limited. This was due to Christie's inability to meet the Girl Guides' new "nut-free" requirement.

According to, modern Girl Guide Cookie history began in 1946:

Centenary

Guiding Mosaic 2010 was held in from 8–17 July at Guelph Lake Conservation Area in Southern Ontario. Over 2,500 girls and women attended the camp. Participants came from across Canada as well as from many countries, including Australia, Bangladesh, Jamaica, Japan, New Zealand and the United States.

On 8 July 2010, Canada Post made a stamp to commemorate the centennial of the Girl Guides.