WHAT IS GIRL GUIDES?

It’s fun. It’s adventure. It’s friendship. It’s learning new skills and using your imagination. It’s becoming independent, confident, and caring. It’s connecting to girls and women in your own community and around the world. It’s that time each week where daily pressures can be put aside and girls can focus on being girls.
 
Through the Girl Guide program, girls are encouraged to grow and develop the following:

Environmental awareness: through camping and outdoor activities, discussions, research and  service projects, girls will learn more about the environment and what they  can do - individually, as a group or with their family and friends - to  protect our environment.

Decision-making skills and judgment: as girls progress through the branches, they will take on more  responsibility for decision-making. Through mentoring by Guiders and other  young adults, girls can develop their judgment.

Global awareness: girls  gain a better understanding of world issues affecting girls and women and  learn effective advocacy skills to make a difference.  

Leadership: girls learn  about different leadership styles, how to run a formal meeting, plan and  coordinate an event or project, practical communications skills,  problem-solving, working with a team and motivating others.

Practical outdoor skills: through camping and other outdoor activities, girls learn how to take  care of themselves in the wilderness, use a compass or other navigational  tool, about proper equipment and care, and about being prepared for emergency situations.

Respect: girls gain respect for different cultures, abilities and attitudes by sharing with  their peers and having open dialogue about important issues and the impact  they might have on others. Girls will become more aware of their biases and have a greater understanding of the need for equity. 

Responsible citizenship: girls learn about the rights and responsibilities of citizenship  and the importance of giving back to their communities through volunteer service.

Relationships: girls will develop relationships with their peers, Guiders, other girls and young women, and perhaps some new international friends. Through these relationships, girls will gain positive role models and have the opportunity  to be a role model for younger girls or their peers.

Value of a healthy, active lifestyle: through practical activities, discussions, service projects  and more, girls will get active and learn the importance of staying active. Girls will also gain an appreciation for the many health-related issues facing  women and girls today – in Canada and  around the world, and general ideas or service project that will make a  difference.

Guides is also Canada’s largest organization for girls and women. There are just over 120,000 members – 100,000 girls and 20,000 adults. That’s a lot of positive energy!
 
Girl Guides is NOT:

Pressure to conform, to grow up faster, to be thinner, to wear expensive clothing, or to pretend to be something you’re not.

When you come to Girl Guides with an attitude of acceptance, interest and adventure, you’ll be greeted with the same.