Guiding fun for girls from five to 17-plus

As the summer winds down, Guiding in Niagara is getting ready for another year of fun, friendship, and new experiences – and we’re looking for female mentors for the next generation of Sparks, Brownies, and Girl Guides.

In Niagara-on-the-Lake, we have about 75 youth members, spread across five branches of Guiding.  While we have a fantastic core team of leaders, we are in need of new adult volunteers to help keep our units open and thriving. We provide training and skills development, and no experience is needed – just curiosity, an interest in our community, and a willingness to have fun.

Our youngest members, Sparks, are aged five and six, and meet in Old Town on Monday evenings for one hour. Sparks promise to “Share and Be a Friend,” which really sums up their program well — Sparks is all about making new friends and trying new things.  If you love being silly and staying young at heart, Sparks may be the right fit for you.

Brownies meet on Tuesday evenings in Old Town, and could use a few more hands — the Brownie unit always fills to capacity.  Brownies are seven and eight years old, and their motto is to “Lend a Hand.” Their program is all about getting out in the community, making new connections, and discovering ways to make a difference. If you enjoy stories of mythical creatures, are curious, and like a good knock-knock joke, the Brownies would love to welcome you (and they’ll even give you an honourary “Owl” name).

Our third branch, Guides, meets in Old Town on Monday evenings. Guides are aged nine to 11, and their program encourages exploration of both current interests and new skills. Guides do lots of outdoor activities like camping and hiking, but also start to explore their leadership capacity, plan service opportunities in the community, and share their knowledge (of everything from science to s’mores!) with younger branches. If your idea of a great weekend is singing around a fire and roasting marshmallows, Guides could be a great match.

Our oldest two branches, Pathfinders (aged 12 to 14) and Rangers (aged 15 to 17-plus) meet on Monday nights in a variety of locations, ranging from Virgil to Old Town to Stamford (and beyond).  While we currently have a full complement of leaders for these two groups, we are always looking for guest speakers to share their talents, insights, and life experiences, so even if you can’t commit to regular meetings, but would be interested in sharing a skill or two, we’d love to have you visit.

Girl Guides of Canada recognizes and values the richness of human diversity in its many forms, and therefore strives to ensure environments where female-identifying youth and women from all walks of life, identities, and lived experiences feel a sense of belonging and can participate fully. We encourage self-awareness and awareness of others; room for difference; and environments where our members feel safe, respected, supported, and inspired to reach their potential. If you think we sound like the right volunteer fit for you, and you’re keen to share your unique talents with our youth, please visit us online at www.girlguides.ca, email [email protected], or call Megan Gilchrist, NOTL Community Guider, at 905-329-4983 for more information.  We look forward to welcoming you to the Guiding family soon.