Advancement & Awards

The end of May means it is time for Advancement as we send our 3rd-Year Guides up to Pathfinders. This year's theme was Red Carpet to go along with showing the movies the Guides made earlier in the month. We also had a photo booth that was very popular and 3 of our 3rd-Year Guides finished up their Mixology Badge by making punch for everyone to enjoy with cupcakes. 

Guiding is a journey. Some start as Sparks, while others join later as Brownies, Guides, Pathfinders, Rangers or Guiders. Some will travel along the Guiding path from beginning to end, while others will take breaks along the way. Each person’s journey will be different, but each will be the star of her personal Guiding journey. 

This year, we embraced the new Girls First Program. We now work on Theme Badges and Program Areas rather than checking off boxes for specific activities. This puts our Guides, Pathfinders and Rangers in charge of their Guiding experiences.

In the Guide Together Program Area we find out about Guiding in Canada and around the world, as well experiencing the sisterhood of Guiding. This year we voted on options for the new uniform, explored Guiding history, took part in a community campfire, bridged with Sparks and Brownies for World Thinking Day, and held our annual messy night.

The Build Skills Program Area helps us to build important life skills. We’ve practiced teamwork and leadership skills, learned how to be prepared for emergencies at home, spent time in the kitchen, and made first aid kits.

The Explore Identities Program Area is all about us! We explore what makes us special and learn to appreciate differences in others. This year we shared our dream careers with Girl Guides of Canada and earned the Team Girl badge for the International Day of the Girl.

Our favourite Program Area is <>Experiment and Create because we get to try hands-on science activities, build our own creations, and explore the arts. This year we learned about caterpillars, explored space and astronomy, built with LEGO, wrote and created our own movies, and tried our hand at clay modelling and different types of painting.

Be Well is the Program Area about being healthy – mentally and physically. We’ve learned how to recognized and manage stress, stayed active with lots of games, and built relationships with each other through board games.

Activities in the wider community fall under the Connect and Question Program Area, where we explore our local community, Canada as a whole, and the wider world.  We’ve visited the Caledonia and District Food Bank, celebrated Pancake Tuesday, and explored Maori culture by earning the New Zealand Guide Maoritanga badge.

Service is a big part of Guiding, so the Take Action Program Area is the place for us to explore issues we care about, learn about advocacy and make a difference. We found out how the Food Bank works, packaged items for Christmas hampers, explored issues that impact girls around the world, filled a three shoeboxes for teens living in transitional housing, and took part in the Students Rebuild Ocean Challenge.

Next year a new Program Area will be added called Into the Outdoors, with three theme badges all about camping and outdoor fun! We still went into the outdoors this year with outdoor games, fire lighting, winter camp, emergency preparedness in the outdoors, and cooking on buddy burners.

Tonight we have 5 Guides who are getting ready to star in the next stage of their journey. Sierra, Jaime, Anna, Kennedi and Marika are all receiving the Guide Challenge Pin to remember their time in Guides and a gift to help them keep track of their adventures, use their creativity, explore the world around them, and always be prepared.

Sierra, Jaime and Anna have also earned the Lady Baden-Powell Challenge, the highest award for Guides. To earn this award, they had to complete the Guide program, take part in service and leadership activities, share their Guiding experiences, find out about Pathfinders and learn about Lady Baden-Powell.

Congratulations Guides!

Advancement & Awards 2018

Our final meeting of the year was our annual Advancement & Awards Ceremony. Everyone received badges and certificates, and we also presented 1 Guide Challenge Pin, 1 Canada Cord, 1 Chief Commissioner's Silver Award and 1 Ranger Service Project Pin. 

This year, we tried something a little different from our usual ceremonies and had everyone sit in a horseshoe. Chairs for guests were arranged in a horseshoe shape around the outside of the room and the girls marched in and formed their horseshoe inside the guests' chairs before sitting down as well. Girls came up to the top of the horseshoe to receive their badges, etc. and everyone had a good view!

We welcomed our families, then started by singing Fire's Burning. 

Our first Guide speaker stood up and read:
Just like a campfire starts off slowly and grows over time, Guides learn new things and grow in Guiding. Our first years began by exploring Guide traditions through a Guiding heritage night, learning how to form a horseshoe and taking part in World Thinking Day activities. They have also built new skills by learning about money management, finding out the rules of the road for cycling, and by practicing outdoor skills. 
Badges were handed out to 1st Year Guides.

We then sang Make New Friends, and out second Guide speaker stood up:
As Guides we try to make new friends, treat everyone with respect, include others, and make a difference in our communities. Tonight 7 girls are receiving the Make a Difference Award. To earn this award, girls participated in activities for World Space Week, the International Day of the Girl, World Thinking Day, International Women's Day and Earth Day.
Certificates were handed out to the girls who had earned the Make a Difference Award.

The next song was Black Socks, followed by our third Guide speaker:
Guiding is all about fun! We know Guides love games, being loud and having time to be silly. Whether it's creating new fashions from newspaper, getting your elf or pirate name, learning more about Starburst candy or turning a different colour at messy night, our second years know how to have fun!
Badges were handed out to the 2nd Year Guides.

Next up was a Unit favourite - Fried Ham (Guide, Pathfinder and Ranger verses only!), and our fourth Guide speaker:
Our Pathfinders are growing up and ready to use their voices to make a difference. They've increased their awareness of girls and women's rights, developed their leadership skills, and learned about first and and knife safety. But we also know Pathfinders like to have fun, so scavenger hunts, a trip to Tim Horton's, art nights, an Alice in Wonderland Tea Party and Spa Night also featured in their program.
Badges and knife permits were handed out to the Pathfinders.

As we started to quiet down, we sang Land of the Silver Birch, followed by our fifth Guide speaker:
Did you know that Rangers were the second branch of Guiding to be formed? Girls who had been Guides didn't want to leave, so a new program was created for them in 1918. Rangers are still going strong today, exploring their interests, practicing their leadership skills, providing service and making the world a better place.

Here, we called up Lynsey, our only Ranger and presented her with the Chief Commissioner's Silver Award, Ranger Service Project, and Girl Assistant Certificate of Appreciation.
Lynsey is receiving the Chief Commissioner's Silver Award, the second highest youth award in Canadian Guiding. She has completed the Ranger Service Project by undertaking camp maintenance projects at Camp Woolsey last summer. We are also happy to present Lynsey with the Girl Assistant Certificate of Appreciation for her work with the Guides and Pathfinders.

Our final song was My Paddle, followed by our final Guide speaker:
All good campfires must come to an end, and so must each stage of a person's Guiding journey. Guides and Pathfinders are each 3 year programs and during their time in each, girls have opportunities for new experiences, learning new skills, trying new things, making new friends, and exploring new and old interests. As a Guide moves to Pathfinders, she is ready to spread her wings and take on bigger challenges, new leadership roles, and ownership of meetings, events and camps. Advancing Pathfinders will look wide as Rangers, and when they think they are looking wide, they will be challenged to look wider, expanding their awareness locally, nationally and globally.

We presented the Guide Challenge Pin to Abi:
Tonight Abi is finishing her time as a Guide. She is receiving the Guide Challenge Pin to remind her of her adventures as a Guide and we hope that she continues to find fun, friendship and new challenges as she continues her Guiding journey in Pathfinders.

Sophie was receiving her Canada Cord and moving on to Rangers:
Sophie is finishing her time as a Pathfinder and is receiving the Canada Cord. The Canada Cord is the highest award girls can earn in the Pathfinder program, and the fourth highest youth award in Canadian Guiding. Completion of the Canada Cord usually takes three years. To earn this award, girls complete specific modules to learn more about Canadian and World Guiding, event planning, the outdoors, relationships, safety, health and fitness, and the arts. They learn and demonstrate leadership skills, plan and carry out small service activities and larger service projects, participate in bridging activities with older and younger girls, learn about first aid and earn the Citizenship Certificate. We are all proud of Sophie and her accomplishments and hope that she will look wider for service, experiences and skills as she continues her Guiding journey as a Ranger.

To finish, we thanked everyone for coming, invited them to join us for cupcakes and lemonade, and sang Taps.

Advancement & Awards Ceremony

Our Advancement and Awards Ceremony for the 2016-2017 Guiding Year was held on May 30th. Girls received badges, awards, challenges, and we had 6 Guides move up to Pathfinders.

We started out by having the girls form a horseshoe, then laid out stepping stones across the centre. Family and friends were welcomed, and we then asked the advancing Guides to go to the beginning of the path. As each piece of the ceremony was read out (by a Guide, Pathfinder or Ranger), the group moved forward to the next stone.

Our stepping stones were: Promise & Law, Talents & Abilities, Left Handshake, Respect, Service, and Be Prepared. When the girls reached the end of the path, they were presented with their Guide Challenge Pin, Advancement Certificate and a gift.

Ceremony
Tonight 6 girls are moving along the Pathway from Guides to Pathfinders. We hope that they have picked up a few things along the way that will help them in the future. (Advancing Guides move to start of pathway)

Reader #1 - One of the first things you learned as a Guide was the Promise and Law. Your promise to do you best, to be true to yourself, your beliefs and Canada, to take action for a better world and to respect the Guiding Law will stay with you through Pathfinders and beyond.

Reader #2 - As a Guide you have helped others, shared your talents and taken on responsibilities. As a Pathfinder, you will have new experiences, develop your leadership skills, take on greater challenges, and explore your own abilities, beliefs and values. 

Reader #3 - Remember the left handshake? Our special greeting, shared with our Guiding sisters around the world. Pathfinders explore our global movement, learn more about our 10 million sister Guides and Girl Scouts, and deepen their awareness of the wider world.

Reader #4 - In Guiding, we learn to respect ourselves and others. In Pathfinders, you will continue to grow in awareness and confidence, while learning to be a global citizen and a community leader.

Reader #5 - As a Guide, you took part in community, environmental and global service activities. In Pathfinders, you will choose and create your own projects to take action for a better world. 

Reader #6 - The Guide Motto is Be Prepared, but it's not just something we say. You have learned how to prepare for an outing, bring the right things to meetings, and started to plan and run your own activities. In Pathfinders, being prepared becomes a way of life. Not just knowing what to do and how to do things, but also being able and ready to put your ideas and plans into action.

[Names of advancing Guides] are finishing this stage of their Guiding journey and are receiving the Guide Challenge Pin to remind them of their adventures in Guides. Whichever path they choose next, they will find new experiences and new adventures, with the same fun and friendship they have enjoyed so far.

Following the Advancement portion of the evening, the advancing Guides rejoined the horseshoe and we moved on to the Making A Difference Award. This is a certificate and the Girls Making A Difference crest that we present to any Guides who take part in all the GGC Making a Difference Days for the year. The special days this year were the International Day of Peace, the International Day of the Girl, International Human Rights Day, World Hunger Day, and Canada 150. This year, 6 girls received the award.


The final portion of the ceremony involved the presentation of badges, challenges crests and Cookie All-Stars certificates to all of the Guides. Our Pathfinder received the modules she has completed and a collection of Challenge crests, and we presented our Ranger with the Chief Commissioner's Bronze Award and the Girl Assistant Certificate of Appreciation. The final item was to present one of our Guiders with a 'care package' as she is heading off to college in September.

We finished with lemonade, shortbread cookies, and ice cream sundaes!

Advancement & Awards Ceremony 2016

Our final meeting of the 2015-2016 Guiding Year was our annual Advancement and Awards Ceremony, where girls received badges, awards, challenges, and certificates, and we had 3 girls move up to the next branch - a Guide to Pathfinders, a Pathfinder to Rangers, and a Ranger to become a Guider.

Our ceremony was very simple, but allowed for recognition of each girl and her accomplishments. We had the girls form a large horseshoe with the open end facing their guests. Six girls were chosen to come forward as and read out the statements about different things we do in Guiding and hold up a themed poster.

Guiding is a journey. 

Some girls start as Sparks, while others join later as Brownies, Guides, Pathfinders, Rangers or Guiders. Some will have a continuous journey, while others take breaks along the way. Each person's journey will be different, but in our travels, we will all explore...

Service - In 1918, B-P said that a Guide's first duty was to be helpful to other people. Today, we give service through projects that help out local community, our environment, and the wider world.

The Arts - In Guiding we explore our creativity through the arts - drama, music, painting, drawing, writing, crafts, and singing.

Camping and the Outdoors - In camp, we not only learn to appreciate nature, we learn that we can do things for ourselves. Through outdoor activities, we not only learn about the outdoor environment, we also experience it.

Science and Technology - As we explore the world of science and technology, we do experiments, design and build, invent, and take part in programs at universities, aquariums, and planetariums.

Life Skills - While having fun, we learn useful skills, like how to get along with others, how to respect others ideas, how to plan, and how to lead.

The World - Through games, crafts, food and fun, we explore countries and cultures, and join with our 10 million sisters in celebrating our worldwide Movement.

Tonight, 3 girls move on to the next stage of their journey. Whatever path they choose, they will find new experiences and new adventures, with the same fun and friendship they have enjoyed so far.

H. is finishing Guides and is receiving the Guide Challenge Pin to reminder her of her adventures in Guides, and the Lady Baden-Powell Challenge, the highest award for Guides. We wish her happy trails as she continues her journey.

L. is finishing Pathfinders, and is working to complete her Canada Cord, the highest award for Pathfinders. She is receiving the Citizenship Certificate, one of the steps towards the Canada Cord. We hope she will continue her journey and look wider in Rangers.

O. is finishing Rangers, and is working to complete her Chief Commissioner's Gold Award, the highest youth award in Canadian Guiding. She is receiving the Ranger Cookie Campaign Challenge, one of the steps towards the Gold Award. O. is also receiving the Youth Commitment Award from Ontario Council. This award is only presented to girls who have been continuous members of Guiding from Sparks through Rangers (13 years!). We look forward to welcoming her back in September as a Guider.

Our next award is the Make a Difference Award. This is presented to girls who participated in programming related to the Girl Guides of Canada Make a Difference Days for 2015-16. These were: the International Day of the Girl, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, World Thinking Day, International Women's Day and National Mental Health Week. We have 6 recipients: ---

Our top cookie seller this year was ahead of everyone else by at least 8 cases. A. sold a total of 11 cases this year!

Each girl was then called up individually while a list of her program sections/interest badges were read out. Their program badges were stapled onto a footprint and an envelope attached with all of their challenge crests. They also received a Cookie All Stars Certificate and, if they participated, a Great Canadian Shoreline Clean-Up Certificate.

The guests were then thanked for coming, told about the Powerpoint presentation available to watch, and the girls were sent to get their guests orders for juice and ice cream sundaes(!).

All in all, a successful end to the year!

Guide Advancement 2015

Our Guide Advancement Ceremony was celebrated in the last week of May. The girls came for 6.30pm as usually and the parents returned at 7.15pm for our ceremony at 7.30.

We began our ceremony by forming a horseshoe and then welcomed all of the parents and guests. Each girl then shared something that she really enjoyed about Guides this year.

Next, we called each girl up to receive her badges and Cookie All Stars Certificates. The badges were in cookie envelopes with a sheet attached listing what was inside (everyone receives lots of badges and challenge crests).

Once all the 1st and 2nd year Guides had received their awards, we called up the 3rd year girls individually. All girls received the Guide Challenge Pin and 3 received the Lady Baden-Powell Challenge (a 4th girl earned this Challenge, but was not present). The girls were called up, received their badges, pins, certificates, and a green gift bag. They then had to remain standing in a line while each of the other Guides came up one at a time and added an item to their bag, explaining what it was for (the bags became a "Guiding Survival Kit" to prepare them for Pathfinders). After all the items had been placed in the bags, our Junior Leader presented each girl with a blue flower and a green flower, and the girls then rejoined the horseshoe.

At the end of the ceremony, we called up our Junior Leader and presented her with the Girl Assistant Certificate for all of her help this year. Parents and guests were then thanked for coming and cupcakes and juice were served.

Advancement & Awards

We ended our Guiding year with our annual Advancement & Awards Ceremony. In the first part of the ceremony, we recognized all of the Guides, Pathfinders and Rangers present with the badges and challenges they have earned in the last part of the year.

We then performed a ceremony based on 'Keys' to say goodbye to our advancing Guides as they moved up to Pathfinders.

The final part of the ceremony was to present Ocean-Lee with her Chief Commissioner's Bronze Award. Ocean-Lee is a Junior Leader with the Guide unit, so this was an appropriate time to recognize her achievement.

We ended the evening with cake and juice, while parents looked at the work we had displayed around the room and watched a PowerPoint presentation of our year's activities.

Advancement & Awards Ceremony

Our year-end Advancement and Awards Ceremony was held on Tuesday, May 28th. 7 Guides received the Guide Challenge Pin, 3 Guides received the Lady Baden-Powell Challenge Pin, and 1 Pathfinder received the Canada Cord.

We started the ceremony by forming a horseshoe and then some of the Guides shared their favourite activities from the past year. All of the Guides were then called up individually to receive year-end badges, crests and Cookie All-Star Certificates.

We then welcomed 3 2nd Year Brownies to Guides by presenting them with a certificate.

Next, the Guides just receiving the Guide Challenge Pin were called up and presented with their Pin and Certificate.

A brief overview of the Lady Baden-Powell Challenge was shared with the parents: "The Lady Baden-Powell challenge is the highest award girls earn in the Guide program. Completion of this challenge usually takes at least two years. To earn this award, girls complete the Guide program, learn more about Lady Baden-Powell, share their Guiding experiences with others, and participate in small service activities and larger service projects, both inside and outside of Guiding." Then we called up the Guides receiving the Lady Baden-Powell Challenge Pin in addition to the Guide Challenge Pin and presented them with their Pins and Certificates.

Our final award of the evening was the Canada Cord.

A brief overview of the award was shared: "The Canada Cord is the highest award girls can earn in the Pathfinder program. Completion of the Canada Cord usually takes three years. To earn this award, girls complete specific modules to learn more about Canadian and World Guiding, event planning, the outdoors, relationships, safety, health and fitness, and the arts. They learn and demonstrate leadership skills, plan and carry out small service activities and larger service projects, participate in bridging activities with older and younger girls, learn about first aid and earn the Citizenship Certificate."

We then presented the Canada Cord and Certificate.

The Guides then did a short Candle Ceremony:

Guide comes up and lights Pink Candle

In Sparks you learned to share and be a friend and work as part of a team.

Guide comes up and lights Orange Candle

In Brownies you learned to lend a hand and take part in your community.

Guide comes up and lights Blue Candle

            In Guides you learned to be prepared and try new things.

Guide comes up and lights Green Candle

In Pathfinders you learned to plan your own activities and to lead others.

Guide comes up and lights Red Candle

In Rangers you will look wider as you continue to work as part of a team, participate in community projects, have new experiences, plan your own activities and develop your leadership skills.

The evening ended with juice and cake for everyone.