On February 22, local Girl Guides groups came together to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the organization’s Sparks program (for ages 5-6) and the 109th anniversary of Guiding in Canada.
According to the Girl Guides of Canada website, “It all began in 1909, when girls in England demanded to take part in a Boy Scouts rally organized by Lord Baden-Powell at the Crystal Palace in London.
“Baden-Powell was impressed and he asked his sister, Agnes, to create a program just for girls. This was the beginning of Guiding. By 1910, the Guiding Movement had reached Canada and the first Unit was formed in St. Catharine’s, Ontario. By 1912, there were units in every province and many of Canada’s most forward-thinking women banded together to form the Canadian Girl Guides Association.”
Guides and Brownies began in Huntsville in 1925, notes Tracy Badger, a Guider (leader) with the 3rd Huntsville Brownies. The 3rd Huntsville Brownies is the longest-running local program with continuous service since 1963. The 1st Huntsville Sparks unit began in 1990.
February 22 is World Thinking Day for the Girl Guides. The date was the birthday of both Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of Boy Scouts and Girl Guides, and his wife, Lady Baden-Powell who was the World Chief Guider.
“World Thinking Day is a special day to reflect on our global sisterhood in Guiding and to think about issues that are important to girls and women around the world,” notes the Girl Guides of Canada website. This year’s World Thinking Day theme is Leadership.
“We had a blast at Thinking Day and ended the evening with an indoor campfire and cupcakes!” says Badger.
It’s not a party without cupcakes! (supplied)
Huntsville has 126 active Girl Guides members in Sparks, Brownies (ages 7-8), Guides (ages 9-11), Pathfinders (ages 12-14), Rangers (ages 15-17), Guiders (the volunteer leaders) and the Trefoil Guild (retired leaders still involved in Guiding).
Badger encourages girls to get involved in Guiding. “It is a relevant program that is keeping up with the changing times for girls and women in the world. It is the largest female-only international organization,” she says. “It helps girls to find their strengths and passions and helps them to grow, become confident, know who they are and build lifelong friendships.
“Most of the Guiders were girl members as well and between all of us there are hundreds of years of service.”
For more information about Girl Guides of Canada, visit www.girlguides.ca.
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Great write-up on guiding. As a former brownie and guide I always remembered “Thinking Day”..I also wish more girls would join the guiding movement.