The program is largely Guide driven. While our job as leaders is to help them accomplish their program and organize activities, we take direct inspiration from ideas the Guides share with us at the start of the year. This means that each Guide year looks a little different depending on the kids in the unit, but through the Guide’s suggestions, we have done activities like a scavenger hunt in IKEA to learn budgeting, visited the observatory, volunteered in a retirement home, learned basic robotics and coding, cleaned up the ravine, held a mock election, baked mug cakes, learned about exchanging money, gone to sleepovers and camping, and so much more!

The Guide program is called Girls First.

It has eight core program areas: Guide Together, Into the Outdoors, Exploring Identities, Build Skills, Be Well, Experiment & Create, Connect & Question, and Take Action.

Through these areas and the suggestions of the Guides on what they want to explore, they can earn different theme badges based on what activities they choose.

For example, if the Guides suggest that they want to learn Robotics, they might focus on the Design Space theme in Experiment & Create.

If your concern is for something that is preventing your child from participating, please speak to us. We always want to hear how we can provide every Guide with the best experience.

If your concern is for the content itself, please speak with Girl Guides directly by contacting info@girlguides.ca. When planning any activity, we look to the national program team for guidance on how to deliver activities that are age appropriate and align with the values of the organization. We will also let you know in weekly emails what we plan to discuss so you can decide accordingly whether your child will participate.

Anywhere that your child likes! They can sew/pin them on their shirt, keep them in a memory box, buy a sash to sew them on and wear it with their uniform, or even sew them with other crests on a camp blanket.

The traditional way is to sew them on. However, you can also attach them with fusible backing like “Heat and Bond” or “Badge Magic.” You can usually find these products online or at craft supply stores.

Yes! Just like badges, your child can keep or show off their crests however they like.

Yes! They can mix and match how they like once they earn them. However, some children like to keep each of the branches badges separate or have a separate sash for each branch. They might also want to move old badges and crests to a memory box or camp blanket and just wear their new ones.

Badges all have a similar design and the border colour will be the same as the branch they are in (pink for Sparks and blue for Guides). Badges represent the achievements your child has accomplished by participating in the program.

Crests will have special unique designs and come in all sorts of shapes and colours. They represent completing a special challenge, participating in a special event, or just for fun!

The Lady Baden Powell (LBP) Award is a special challenge that Guides can work on independently outside of meetings to accomplish. It involves sharing the Spirit of Guiding with others, exhibiting good leadership skills, and giving back to your community.

You can see all the details about how to earn the challenge in the workbook available below. Your Guide also has a copy of this in their Blue Journal.