Spark and Brownie Fairy Camp

Posted on July 12, 2013 by Carissa

The 1st Sparks and the 54th Brownies recently had their year end camp together at the beautiful Camp Olave. The theme was “A Fairy Earns Her Wings” and the girls had a fun-filled weekend doing different tasks that eventually ended in a fairy ball where each girl was presented with a pair of beautiful wings.

There were crafts, games, and songs. They did activities like navigating a blind trail obstacle course and swimming in the ocean. There was even a bear sighting the first night that put a rather rapid end to the campfire, and provided much excitement.

The weather was warm and beautiful. Every single girl got into the ocean — which isn’t always the case, as the water is very cold! But these fairies needed to cool off.

One of the highlights was the fairy magic station. Regular little girls can blow regular bubbles. But only fairies can make GIANT bubbles. This activity was a hit with girls and leaders alike, and got the attention of many other campers on site.

At the fairy ball the girls earned their wings, got a fairy jewel (a ringpop) and danced to some pop music. It was a great celebration to recognize their fairy accomplishments.

Big thank yous to all the leaders who organized such a successful camp. There were a few volunteer mums who came to help out and they were amazing. For many of these girls this was their very first camp — we’re glad it was such a great one.

District Advancement & Family Picnic

Posted on July 1, 2013 by Carissa

To wrap up the Guiding year at a district level, Burnaby Mountain hosted a family picnic at Warner Loat Park to celebrate our girls and their families. The event was well-attended and it seemed like a good time was had by all.

The event started with an Advancement ceremony where each branch’s advancing girls were welcomed by the next branch as they symbolically crossed a foot bridge. The group got bigger and bigger as the group of advancing girls amassed, and eventually all of the girl members crossed together into the next Guiding year.

Picnic activities included face painting, balloon animals, and button making, as well as carnival style games like bean bag toss and egg on a spoon. There were also areas for bubble blowing and free play.

There were big crowds and huge smiles. More than 150 hotdogs were served. Prizes were claimed by girls and siblings who completed most of the activities. It was a great treat to see so many girls and guiders and family members come together to celebrate the Guiding Year.

Big thank yous to the hard working Guiders who planned and put on such a great event. Thank you to the Pathfinder and Ranger girls who helped run the stations. And thank you also to West Coast Area Commissioner Donna came out as a special guest.

Brownie Dance Party

Posted on June 7, 2013 by Carissa

Early in the Guiding year the girls of the 54th Brownies were very clear about one thing that they wanted to do this year. They wanted to have a DANCE PARTY.

Brown Owl wasn’t too sure what to make of their request at first, but as they continued to show interest in pop music and making dance routines and singing together during regular meetings, it became clear that this was something they should pursue.

So for their second sleepover of the year, the group rented a hall in the community for the night. The leaders decorated with music-themed decorations. The girls made a craft out of recycled CDs. But the biggest hit was the disco light that showed three different colours and kept to the pace of the music that was playing.

The girls made dance routines in patrols to some of their favourite pop songs. They also did “traditional” dances like the Chicken Dance, the Macarena, and the YMCA. The danced enthusasitically, even singing along to the chorus of Brown Owl’s favourite song (Bon Jovi’s “Living on a Prayer”) taught to them by some of the other leaders.

It was a night of Kelly Clarkson, and Justin Beiber, One Direction, and Taylor Swift, and so many more — and a really fun night that neither the girls nor the leaders are likely to forget.

Guider Participates in UN Commission on the Status of Women

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Carissa

Earlier this year one of our Guiders took part in an amazing opportunity where she was able to represent Girl Guides (and women, more generally) on the world stage. Saffina, a leader of the 47th Brownies, attended the 57th Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations, New York as a WAGGGS youth delegate. She was selected at the national level to participate in this event because of her dedication to Guiding as well as her personal accomplishments. Saffina majored in Women’s Studies and minored in Islamic History. She currently works at a local rape crisis center and crisis line as well as a youth detox facility and therefore has an ample understanding of the challenges girls and women face every day and their value to society. What an amazing role model to our girls!

Like many of the Guiders who take part in international opportunities, Saffina says that one of the highlights of her experience was meeting the other members from around the world. The delegation also featured World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) members from countries ranging from Pakistan to Malawi — a total of 13 countries were represented.

The delegation focussed on educating others and lobbying globally for girls rights in all aspects of life by promoting the “Stop the Violence” campaign. Saffina invites you to add your voice to this campaign by visiting http://www.wagggsworld.org/en/take_action/violence.

Saffina’s incredible contribution has already been featured on the Girl Guides of Canada national blog. See what she wrote about her trip here. You can also check out more information about the Commission on the Status of Women WAGGGS delegation here. The other members of her district are extremely proud of her. We couldn’t have asked for a better representative for such an important event.

Brownie Sleepover at the Pool

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Carissa

Earlier this year the 47th Brownies went on a sleepover to Eileen Dailly Pool in Burnaby. The swimming — and especially the waterslide! — was a lot of fun. Kudos to the leader brave enough to take her phone into the pool to get this awesome group shot.

After some time in the water, the girls got to eat pizza and cake. Before bed they watched Disney’s Brave, which was a great opportunity to talk about how awesome girls are.

A big thank you to the staff at Eileen Dailly for hosting our group for the night. Everyone had a great time.

Area Awards Dinner

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Carissa

Last night West Coast Area held its annual awards dinner to thank all Guiders in the Area for their hard work and to recognize extraordinary contributions with awards. Our district filled two whole tables with Guiders who enjoyed a wonderful meal and a silent auction benefiting girls going trips this summer.

Our district was also proud to see seven of our adult members recognized with awards. Here is a list of who recieved what.

The Membership Pin indicates years of membership in the organization. After 15 years of membership, pins are awarded every 5 years.

Sandra, 14th Pathfinders

Awarded for 45 years of dedicated membership in Girl Guides of Canada.

The Gold Thanks Pin may be awarded to girl or adult members for exceptional service to Guiding. They are given at the district or area level.

Chelsea, 1st Sparks & 54th Brownies

Awarded for her many informative talks given to units throughout the Area about her 3 months volunteering at the world centre Sangam, in India

The Commissioners and Administrative Communitiy Leaders Award is presented to Commissioners who lead by example, actively welcome new Members and retain current ones, mentor adult Members, and uphold the values of GGC.

Gerry, District Comissioner & 54th Brownies

Awarded for stepping up to the plate as a new member commissioner when the district was desperate and going above and beyond the requirments of her role at Area council and benefiting the Distric immensely.

The Broze Merit Award is given to a person who goes above and beyond the basic requirements of her role and demonstrates dedicated service to Guiding.

Neelofar, 3rd Sparks

Awarded for her dedication in helping her unit recover from several issues that threatened to close her unit. She worked tirelessly to repair administrative issues requiring close work with the District Comissioner and Treasurers all while offering a great program to her girls.

Nadia, 49th Guides

Awarded for her ongoing dedication to her very large Guide unit, promoting Guiding in her daily life, and being a positive role model to her girls. She takes on the important role of communicator for her unit.

Ann, 14th Pathfinders

Awarded for her longtime commitment to her girls and the district. She has gone above and beyond, often volunteering to do things like help with unit bookkeeping.

The Silver Merit Award is given to a person who goes above and beyond the basic requirements of her role and demonstrates excellent service to Guiding.

Bethany, 1st Sparks & 54th Brownies & District PR/Membership Advisor

Awarded for her accomplishments in creating and maintaining the district website and Facebook page, as well as attending volunteer fairs, resulting in increased membership in her district and in others.

Congratulations to all of the award winners. Your contributions to Guiding are greatly appreciated. Our girl programs would not be possible without the tireless work of these amazing volunteers.

Go Burnaby Mountain District!

Club Aviva Sleepover

Posted on April 7, 2013 by Carissa

This weekend the 1st Sparks (along with a few Brownies) spent the night at Club Aviva gymnastics centre in Coquitlam. The girls had a wonderful time. They got to play in the gymnastics gymnasiums, have a pizza snack, play parachute games, and then sleep in the gym.

The leaders were tired out just watching them race through the gym and use the equipment. Some girls had already had gymnastics training whereas others were using the equipment for the very first time. Either way, they loved it.

The trampolines were probably the biggest hit of all. Who doesn’t love bouncing?

Why yes, that Spark is about 15 feet up in the air. She shimmied up there like a monkey. This seems like a good time to thank the amazing Club Aviva staff for having us for the night and for making sure we had a great time while also being really on top of our safety!

The other really popular area was the foam pit. Girls could jump or swing in and land in balls of foam.

Now that this unit has done two sleepovers already this year, it’s time for them to start getting excited about their 2-night camp in June. Some people believe Sparks can’t do the same fun things as older girls, but this unit sure proves them wrong. These girls are unstoppable!

Congratulations Cookie Poster Winners!

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Carissa

Congratulations to the two members of Burnaby Mountain District who won the West Coast Area cookie poster contest for their branch levels!

The winning Spark poster was by Ryley, a member of the 1st Sparks.

The winning adult poster was by Bethany.

Good job to everyone who entered the contest. There were some great posters sent in. Ryley and Bethany will be recieving their prizes in the mail. Good luck with your cookie sales everyone!

Sparks and Brownies go Mini Golfing

Posted on March 28, 2013 by Carissa

Over the past few weeks the girls of the 1st Sparks and the 54th Brownies have used the mini golfing facilities at Eaglequest Golf in Coquitlam. The groups weren’t there on the same night, but both were lucky to have great weather and had a good time.

The Sparks went first in early March. It’s definitely one of those “dress for the weather” kind of activities.

spark golf 1

It was chilly outside and the course was pretty dark by the time they were done, but the girls had a blast. For many this was their first time playing mini golf, but nevertheless there were some skilled golfers on the course! Spark golf 2

A couple of weeks later the Brownies hit the course. They had the advantage of daylight savings time and enjoyed a beautiful sunset through most of their game.

brownie golf 1

The Brownies played a little more competitively (they actually kept score!) and also had a great time.

brownie golf 2

Snow Camping at Seymour with Guider Roz

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Carissa

A special shout out goes to out to Guider Rosalinde, who is doing a year abroad at SFU from the UK where she is involved in Guiding at home. Rosalinde (affectionately known as Roz) has been working weekly with the 1st Sparks but she has also lent her time to other units including the 54th Brownies, the 12th Rangers, and the 2nd WCA Trex.

Guider Roz in the snow

The Trex unit recently went on a snow camping adventure where Rosalinde helpedbuild an igloo! Here’s what they had to say about the adventure:

The 2nd WCA Trex, also known as the Tyrannosaurus Trex, invited Guider Rosalinde, an SFU student visiting us from the U.K., to a snow camp on Mt. Seymour. We were the only group that managed to complete our igloo. Roz’s determination kept us working until after 11:00pm on Friday night. This hard work paid off. Everyone had an opportunity to sleep in the igloo. We were cozy and dry. The igloo took eight hours to build. One must slither like a seal to enter and exit the igloo as the floor is higher than the tunnel entrance. Many thanks to Lougheed Area and Adele Cooshek for organizing and inviting us to this well run camp. Camping in the snow was a blast!

Burnaby Mountain District

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