Girl Guides of Canada

Grace
Thornhill, ON
First Year, Science & Business Administration

Empowering young girls has made me more confident as a leader and as a young woman myself. It has become a crucial part of my Guiding experience and played a huge role in my own leadership development.

Rachel
Ottawa, ON
Third Year, Software Engineering

It is sometimes difficult to be a woman studying in such a heavily male dominated field, but if Guiding has taught me one thing it is that a girl can do anything she sets her mind to.

Veronica
Calgary, AB
Fifth Year, Computer Science

Girl Guides of Canada (GGC) has been an organization whereby I have gained many skills that have helped shape the woman I am today. My love of science, technology, and math was fostered throughout my youth member years with GGC and I continue to share this passion with my current Ranger unit.

Chelsey
Brookdale, NS
Third Year, Journalism

Guiding has been such an important part of who I am ever since I was four-years-old. Throughout the years, this organization has presented me with thrilling opportunities, helped me develop life skills and continues to shape who I am today. It has connected me to a sisterhood that I can find across Canada and even across the world.

Fiona
St. Jacobs, ON
First Year, Human Rights & Human Diversity

Guiding has made me a more compassionate and empathetic person. This has helped me to connect with people and to realize my personal interests in global rights, human diversity, and international advocacy. This has driven me toward the goal of working in the field of advocacy and global development.

Hannah
Port Morien, NS
Third Year, Art & Science in Environment

I am so incredibly proud to be a part of an organization that creates a welcoming and supportive environment for all girls and women, and it is a great honour to share the teachings I have learned through Guiding with girls in an environment where they are respected, valued, and recognized for their diverse talents and abilities.

Makayla
Aylesford, NS
First Year, Modern Languages, Literature & Cultures

In these past few years as a Ranger and now a Transitioning Member, Guiding has assisted in my personal growth and independence by equipping me with important life skills that are not always taught in school, such as cooking, food safety, first aid, and banking. As a result, I have become more independent and capable of caring for not only myself, but also others in my family and friend groups and holding leadership positions.

Chloe
Victoria, BC
Postgraduate, Environmental Education & Communication

Although I was in Guiding for much of my youth, as an adult I have become even more heavily committed. I believe Girl Guides of Canada is an excellent organization for girls and women that offers opportunities, such as building youth’s understanding of community and the wider world in a holistic way.

Sophie
West Vancouver, BC
First Year, Engineering

Guiding has hugely helped with my mental health, aiding me with anxiety and stress. I have cultivated lifelong friends and experienced true companionship in tough times. Going on adventures and being surrounded by wilderness, have given me an escape from my everyday stresses, and an appreciation for nature’s resources.

Natalie
Halifax, NS
Postgraduate, Medicine

Growing up in a rural town in Nova Scotia of less than 1,000 people, I found my community in Guiding. I remember how important Guiding was for me when I was young and I want to keep that spirit alive for the girls in that community. I have assisted in growing Guiding by reopening the local Spark unit that I now lead.

Cassidy
Berwick, NS
Postgraduate, Medicine

Guiding has meant everything to me and I did not realize when I first learned to recite the Guiding Law so many years ago that it truly would later become my personal mantra and pave the road that my future self would choose to follow. I believe that joining Guiding at such a young age provided a much greater influence on the woman I have become.

Amy
Redcliff, AB
Second Year, Acting

When I was little if you would have told me, I could kayak the ocean, explore the world, speak out for those in need and work to improve our planet, I would have said “no way”, but Guiding has allowed me to do this and more.

Cassey
Edmonton, AB
Second Year, Science

Within the program I developed better interpersonal skills, making various lifetime friends and grew to love a good challenge, focusing on leadership activities, including public speaking, to better myself. Girl Guides has truly shaped who I want to be.

Chantel
Dartmouth, NS
Part-time Studies, Fine Arts

As a Pathfinder, I was fortunate to have a college-aged leader who was willing to go the extra mile and take me to camp and other events when I otherwise may not have been able to attend. I felt empowered and I was learning these strange, cool skills that other girls weren’t talking about.

Emilia
Bay Roberts, NL
Fourth Year, Animal Science & Agriculture

At Guiding events I always felt included. I felt wanted and needed, and to this day some of my greatest and longest friendships are results of Guiding. Guiding helped me in a tremendous way to come out of my shell, to help me find myself, and build my confidence.

Gail
Sarnia, ON
Part-time Studies, Education

I believe Guiding saved me from losing my direction in life. I was taught patience, understanding, fellowship and acceptance. Leaders encouraged me to do my best and taught me it’s okay to fail. Just pick yourself up and try again.

Lauren
Edmonton, AB
Postgraduate, Law

Guiding has helped me to be a more balanced person by encouraging me to try new things and pushing me outside of my comfort zone. I have had amazing experiences through Guiding, such as backpacking, wilderness survival training, travel to Jasper National Park on the train, attending Guiding Mosaic 2010, scuba diving, kayaking and travelling with my Ranger unit to Europe.

Megan
Kelowna, BC
Third Year, Zoology

Sometimes when you look at all the problems in the world it can be overwhelming. We feel there is just so much wrong that there is nothing we can do. But Guiding lets us take on just a little bit of a problem and address that bit. It shows me that every little bit helps and that everybody can do something that makes a difference. And when each member of the sisterhood of Guiding is making a little difference, it adds up to a big difference, and I am proud to be a part of that.

Sabrina
Greenfield Park, QC
Postgraduate, Library & Information Studies

Guiding has been an intrinsic part of my life since I was five-years-old. It taught me to be unapologetically myself, to find a voice to speak up in this world, how to make a strong team, and that anyone can effect change in the world.

Samantha
Winnipeg, MB
First Year, General Studies

My involvement with the Girl Guides was instrumental in helping me choose a career in the field of education. It has provided me with the leadership skills and confidence which I will certainly need as I stand in front of a classroom of students.

Shelby
Chilliwack, BC
Third Year, Nursing

I’ll admit that I lost a bit of interest in Girl Guides around the age of 14. What helped was becoming a Girl Assistant with some great co-Guiders. They treated me like an equal and I was allowed to plan and lead program meetings and camps. I was also a mentor and role model to the younger girls I worked with, which is what I’ve always enjoyed.

Breanna
Comox, BC
First Year, Education

Guiding has given me an enviable resume which resulted in a job working with the International Student Program last summer, as well as being invited back for next summer. My community involvement, achievements and confidence due to my years in Guiding give me a great leg up for future education and career options.

Kaitlyn
Kingston, ON
Third Year, Education

As an adult member, I not only get to help girls learn the skills that I got from Guiding, but I have the opportunity to continue to grow and share in the sisterhood that Guiding has created. Being a Guider has been an extremely rewarding experience that I look forward to continuing for a long time, and that I feel has only done nothing but encourage my desire to be a teacher and work to empower youth.

Hannah
Burlington, ON
First Year, Art

To me Guiding is a tight-knit family that is there for each other, who is supportive, who does not discriminate. Along with other girls, Guiding has been a life vest or safety raft that any girl or woman can climb onto so that they can become who they are in a fast-paced growing community.

Sarah
Burlington, ON
First Year, Environmental & Earth Science

I was on the Ontario Girl Forum along with several other hard-working girls from across the province. The work I did on Girl Forum paved the way for many members to come and served as a model for other provinces to create their own advisory councils. This has given many girls the ability to have their voices heard and make an impact across the country.

Sarah
Dundas, ON
First Year, Social Science

It was in Guides where I was able to unleash my need for something that school never gave me: I was able to taste freedom. I was able to be free from societal pressures and go on adventures with my Guiding family. Guides taught me dedication and perseverance (as we camped under the stars and “roughed” it at times), and fueled my love of nature.

Shelby Lynn
Dundas, ON
First Year, Environmental Science

The influence of Guiding on my life has been profound, a constant fixture for 13 years now; it is responsible for my closest friends and proudest achievements. Participating in and organizing cleanups, camps, volunteer opportunities and even international travel are just a few of my favourites.

Sierra
Pickering, ON
First Year, Environmental Science

Guiding as a ‘girl’s only’ space has always been a welcoming space that I could come to every week. I will always be grateful to both my leaders and fellow Guiding sisters, who were my friends when I needed it the most. Being with like-minded girls who were both kind and respectful taught me how to come to think of myself as strong and beautiful.

Geneviève
Kingston, ON
Postgraduate, Mathematics Education

Through volunteering as a Guider, I learned how women could come together to create positive experiences for girls. The leadership and teamwork skills from Guiding have been essential in my career as an elementary school teacher, especially in the last ten years as a French mathematics teacher for grade 7 and 8 students.

Teagan
Calgary, AB
First Year, Ancient & Medieval History

Through positive female role models, programming that promotes leadership, and ample opportunities to exercise these skills, I have gained the confidence to act as a leader within my community, both in Guiding and otherwise.