Before I dive into my story, I want to express my heartfelt support for Girl Guides and Scouts Canada. These incredible organizations have shaped the lives of countless young individuals, including my own. Witnessing their decline over the years has been disheartening, especially considering the profound impact they had on my life. If you want to guide youth into becoming strong, productive members of society, consider becoming a volunteer.
I spent seven wonderful years in Brownies and Girl Guides, creating some of my fondest childhood memories. These experiences were foundational, fostering a sense of community, adventure, and personal growth. My journey didn't end there; I dedicated another 16 years to Scouts Canada as a leader, trainer, and support person, driven by a passion for supporting youth and giving back to the community that had enriched my youth. This long-term commitment honed my leadership skills, strategic thinking, and ability to inspire and manage teams.
I was a Brownie and a Girl Guide long before the introduction of Sparks and Pathfinders. I joined at age seven and remained involved until I was fourteen. It was in my seventh year that Girl Guides of Canada made a significant change to the age structure and other aspects of the program. While these changes were beneficial for the organization overall, they had a personal impact on me, leading to my departure. This experience taught me the importance of adaptability and the need to balance organizational improvements with individual engagement.
As a goal-oriented overachiever in the organization, these changes hugely impacted me. The badge structure and camping were why I was there. As I remember, the changes affected the badge structure, which in turn impacted me in getting my All-Around Cord (which should have been awarded but was not) 45 years later, and I'm still a little bitter. 😊 Under the old structure, I had fulfilled all the requirements. Additionally, getting my Canada Cord, the highest achievement back then, was just around the corner, with the structure staying the same. With the changes to the new organizational structure, neither of these awards was a viable achievement anymore.
Although I agree that changing the age structure was good overall, my last year as a Brownie was agony because what appealed to the 7-9-year-old did not appeal to my 11-year-old; the decision cascaded into a series of decisions I made regarding Girl Guides and Scouts Canada later in life.
As a young adult with minimal disposable income but lots of time, I felt the heartfelt need to give back to the community that had given so much to me in my youth. I had fantastic leaders who were engaged in creating a robust and challenging program. The program I was involved in was not all about crafts and songs and girly things (they were there but not heavily relied upon). It was about learning new things, changing oneself, setting and achieving goals and living outside of the “girl” constructs of society. The lasting memories and happiness Girl Guides provided inspired me to pay it forward and make a meaningful impact as a leader.
I looked for a Girl Guide group in my area, but I could not find one. I did, however, find Scouts Canada, and they were looking for volunteers. Despite some hesitation, my interviewer expressed regarding my personal motivation; I was approved to become an assistant leader with the Cub Pack at 13th Ajax. I was only 21 years old. Starting with six cubs and three leaders, I embraced the challenge and focused on creating an engaging and dynamic program for the youth I was assigned to guide and mentor.
A year later, with my guidance and insights into creating a successful program, I became the Akela, and we doubled in size. Three years later, under my leadership, we grew to 36 cubs, with a waiting list of 12, and managed a team of six leaders, all senior to me. Four years in, we split the pack into the 13th A and 13th B Pack, added a Scout troop, and filled our Beaver colony. When I left eight years later to start my own family, 13th Ajax had a thriving Scout troop, two full Cub packs, and two nearly full Beaver Colonies. I certainly can not take all the credit for its success, but I played a crucial role. When my children were of age, we moved to Brampton. I repeated this success with 18th Bramalea, transforming a struggling pack of 6-8 youth into a thriving group of 36 within three years.
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