Girl Guides is a lot more than just about the cookies. It is about teaching community engagement and developing citizens, something that has been happening in Powell River for close to 90 years.
“Giving back to the community is a big part of our program,” said District Commissioner Kate Boyd for Powell River and Texada Island Girl Guides. “We try to promote the idea that [the girls] are part of the community, so what can they do now to be a part of it?”
Powell River Girl Guides have just started their new year and they are looking for more girls to participate in the program. They meet regularly on Wednesday nights throughout the school year at Henderson Elementary School.
In a typical meeting the groups may engage in games, crafts, program work which could involve learning a skill or learning about something, researching a subject and then activities outside the meeting like tree planting, hiking, geocaching and provincial camps.
One highlight for the girls is Camp Orenda located next to the Scouts’ Camp Nassichuk. “We’re very blessed to have that and the girls are really happy to go camping out there,” she added.
“We try to be involved as much as possible—more than just cookie day,” said Boyd, who has also been a leader for the past eight years with the group. “We don’t want that to be the one thing that people associate with us.”
Over the years the group has planted trees, participated in Remembrance Day ceremonies, helped to clean up Willingdon Beach and planted daffodil bulbs at locations around the city.
“We try to promote the idea of being helpful and involved in the community,” she said.
This year, in addition to the regular planned community activities, the group will celebrate its 90th anniversary in Powell River, though details on the plans have not yet been decided.
“I’ve got a really strong group of Guides who have been involved since they were Sparks,” said Boyd.
Girl Guides is divided up by ages starting with Sparks then Brownies, Guides, Pathfinders and Rangers.
Boyd is helping to organize fundraisers this year for her third-year Guides who are planning to visit London, England, in 2015, the birthplace of the Guiding movement.
While in London for 10 days, the girls will do some sightseeing, learn more about the city’s history and the history of Guiding and work on a service project.
“It’s a real variety of things,” she said. “They’re doing all this research and learning about this world centre. It’s really a big deal.”
Boyd hopes the experience will help her girls make the connection that they are part of something bigger. In the future she wants to have her Guides visit other world centres of the movement in Switzerland, India and Mexico.
Although the group faces declining numbers, as most other Powell River youth groups do, Boyd’s focus as commissioner is to work to strengthen the group.
On Texada Island they have Sparks, Brownies and Guides meeting all together depending on what girls they have each year, she said.
“It’s one unit of all different levels,” she said. “It’s really interesting how it works over there. We have some very dedicated volunteers.”
