Tag Archives: Volunteers

Training for New Guiders

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The 2019-2020 Guiding year is about to get started and girls and Guiders across Burnaby Mountain District are SO excited! Have you ever thought of joining as an adult member volunteer? Several Burnaby Mountain units are still looking for enthusiastic women to join their leadership teams.

While it’s never too late to join, there are certainly some advantages to getting started at the beginning of the year. It can be a bit of a learning curve, but Burnaby Mountain is full of Guiders happy to mentor and work with you. Plus, Girl Guides of Canada is launching a great new training stream this year for new volunteers.

learning path

If you think you might be interested, get in touch today! See http://www.girlguides.ca to apply, or message us if you have any questions.

Recognizing Our Awesome Volunteers

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Recently, West Coast Area Girl Guides hosted its annual awards dinner, which is wonderful night for Guiders from across the area to get together to celebrate everything that we do to support girls in our various roles. Several of our adult members came out to celebrate together.

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At this year’s event we saw awards granted to Guiders Helen, Sandra, and Gerry — thank you ladies, for all that you do! From helping with camping equipment, to coordinating our cookie deliveries, to managing our volunteer human resources, these ladies are all fundamental parts of our district’s success.

Did you know that we are now planning for next Guiding year (2019-2020), and we have many vacant positions in our rosters? If you are interested in volunteering to join this amazing team, please reach out and let us know. Guiding is all about running great programs for girls, but it is also a way for like-minded adults to find new friends, have lots of fun, and make a difference in the community.

Guider Retreat

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The adult volunteers of Burnaby Mountain District recently gathered for a Guider Retreat at Camp Capilano in North Vancouver. 21 adults participated! The overnight event had three goals:

  1. Provide relevant training
  2. Team building
  3. FUN

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In regards to the first goal, our Guiders got training about the new Girls First program, camp equipment, effective communication strategies with girls, bullying prevention, and Guiding traditions.

Guiders also got to choose between two out trips — a tour of the new BC Guide House building and visit to Lonsdale Quay, or a geocaching hike in Capilano Park.

A highlight of the event was a team building visit from Dance Downtown, with a facilitator that took the group through a teamwork intro and a Bollywood dance lesson. It was so much fun!  There was a lot of laughter and bonding.

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All in all, the three goals were definitely met! Our Guiders now feel more prepared to engage with our new program and have lots of other skills they can work with. Perhaps even more importantly, we’re a better team than ever before.

Want to join the fun? Get in touch with us any time. We’re always looking for dedicated volunteers to join us.

Leaders Planning Fun Things

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At last week’s district meeting the adult members of Burnaby Mountain district discussed exciting upcoming events including the Great Salmon Send-Off (happening right now at Stoney Creek School!), district camp, and awesome things happening in the various units.

District camp quartermaster Jenn demonstrated how to make cinnamon sugar witches hats which are going to be a tasty treat at the Harry Potter themed district camp next month. They were delicious! These ladies are all very excited about the creations.

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This is a great team to join! Several of our units are looking for new Guiders to join in the fall. Guiders have lots of fun, give back to the community, make new friendships, and learn lots of great transferable skills.

Did you know Burnaby Mountain District is opening a new Guide unit and a new Pathfinder unit for next year? Phase 2 of registration which includes all current girls (including those changing units or branches) opens on Monday. Don’t delay — some of our units may fill during this phase!

Contact us for more information about how to sign up as a volunteer adult or about how to register your girl into our exciting programs.

 

Adult Recognition

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Earlier this week several Guiders from Burnaby Mountain District attended the West Coast Area annual awards dinner. This is a great event with hundreds of Guiders from all around Burnaby, Vancouver, New Westminster, Richmond, Ladner, and Tsawwassen. It’s a great way to say THANK YOU to our wonderful volunteers, and some even get recognized with formal awards for their contributions.

This year we had several members in our district get recognized for their many years of service. One of these women, pictured below, was recognized for 55 years of service.

Farida

Another, who was unfortunately unable to attend the evening’s event is celebrating 60 years of membership!

In addition, several women throughout the area were presented with merit awards for their outstanding service. One of these was one of our University Highlands Guiders, pictured below, who received a Bronze Merit Award for her dedication to Guiding. In addition to taking on increased responsibility when one of her co-Guiders went on leave earlier this year, this Guider is responsible for a patrol going to SOAR (a week-long camp in Smithers this summer), and is consistently involved in district events including organizing the Science Day at SFU last spring. Way to go!

Alex

The District Commissioner, Area Commissioner, and Provincial Commissioner present a Bronze Merit Award

Over all the event was a lot of fun. The ladies at the Burnaby Mountain table had a great time socializing and enjoying each other’s company. They all enjoyed a great meal, and also enjoyed browsing the silent auction.

We’re currently working on our plans for next year’s leadership and we need some more enthusiastic women to join our team! If you, or someone you know, would like to join the sisterhood of Guiding please reach out any time. We’d love to give you more information.

Join us!

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Girl Guides is always looking for dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers to join out team. Burnaby Mountain District has several openings for new leaders as well as advisor positions on our district council available.

Being a volunteer with Girl Guides means joining a sisterhood more than 10 million strong around the world. Guiding provides great experience in working with children, communication skills, organization, event planning, and more. There are even training opportunities to help you improve those skills, as well as chances for training in things like first aid.

Oh, and did I mention it’s a whole lot of fun? Check out these photos of our adult volunteers from events earlier in 2016. Who wouldn’t want to join this team???

Contact us today to find out about how you can get involved. It is rewarding to work with the girls, and a great place to make new friends. No experience necessary. Join with your daughter — or without: Guiders don’t have to be moms. All you need to be a woman 19+, to pass our screening procedures, and be enthusiastic about girl greatness!

National Volunteer Week 2016

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Happy national volunteer week to all of our amazing volunteers! Guiding wouldn’t be possible without the hard work and dedication of all of our leaders, council members, and commissioners. We’d love to take this opportunity to share the following thanks from Girl Guides of Canada:

volunteer week 2016

As well, we would like to congratulate some of our amazing volunteers who were recognized with merit awards for their hard work in our organization. Burnaby Mountain had three Guiders awarded with merit awards at last week’s West Coast Area Awards dinner. Two were able to attend the event — congrats, Christine and Gerry!

The third Guider has not yet received her award, so we don’t want to spoil the surprise right now. But well done, everyone!

Looking ahead to next Guiding year, Burnaby Mountain is sad to be bidding some of our leaders farewell as they move on to other things. This means we have a shortage of leaders in some of our units. If we are unable to recruit more, some units are at risk of being closed. This would be a great time to consider volunteering! Guiding is a great place to work with amazing girls and women to promote girl greatness and empowerment in a fun and supportive environment. Guiding offers great opportunities to our adult members including training, scholarships, travel, and more. For more information, contact us using the comments or by email at the “contact us” tab above.

To all of the amazing volunteers who power our district, Burnaby Mountain District says a big THANK YOU!

Introducing the new DC team

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Burnaby Mountain District is pleased to be welcoming a new District Commissioner team.

For the last four years, Burnaby Mountain has had a wonderful Commissioner, Gerry. During her term, Burnaby Mountain’s membership numbers have increased substantially, and new units have opened allowing us to serve more girls in our community. Gerry also was at the helm of a variety of district events, with highlights such as Science Day at SFU in the 2013/2014 Guiding year and the super successful Space Centre Sleepover in 2014/2015. These kinds of all-ages, large scale events with clear educational benefits are typical of Gerry’s conviction for having “fun with a purpose” in Guiding. These are traditions that the district will hopefully continue.

Gerry, out-going DC

Gerry, out-going DC, happily barbecuing for her district’s Guiders

Starting today, Gerry’s term has concluded and taking over for her as District Commissioner is Bethany. In addition, the district now also has the benefit of a Deputy District Commissioner who will help support Bethany with the DC duties. Bethany is thrilled to have Saffina taking on the Deputy DC role.

The new DC team! Deputy District Commissioner Saffina (right) and District Commissioner Bethany (left)

The new DC team! Deputy District Commissioner Saffina (left) and District Commissioner Bethany (right)

Bethany and Saffina both have several years of Guiding experience. They have been active guiders in the district for a long time and both have experience with international Guiding.

Sometimes, parents and girls don’t have a very clear idea of what the District Commissioner does. The DC leads the district council. This includes a variety of important duties including (but not limited to):

  • Communicating information from the Area, Provincial, and National levels of Girl Guides of Canada to our unit’s Guiders
  • Ensuring that safety, legal, financial, and administrative procedures are being followed in all units
  • Interviewing and orienting new leaders
  • Facilitating communication throughout the district including team building, workload sharing, and if necessary, conflict management
  • Coordinating the district’s biannual Girl Guide Cookie campaigns
  • Planning, or overseeing the planning, of large-scale district events

It is a big job, and Bethany and Saffina anticipate that Gerry will continue to mentor them for the next few months as they get accustomed to their roles.

Thank you, Gerry, and welcome to Bethany and Saffina!

What Are You Waiting For?

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Our organization is only possible because of the hard work of our dedicated volunteers. Some units in Burnaby Mountain District already have wait lists. In order to support more girls by increasing our unit capacities or opening more units, we need more adults. volunteerBenefits of being a leader include membership in the world’s largest organization for girls and women, training, mentorship, and opportunities for international travel and post-secondary scholarships. We are a fun and supportive community of women who welcome new ideas and enthusiasm.

Working with girls is super fun and really rewarding. From the youngest Sparks all the way to the teenagers in Pathfinders and Rangers, our girls are the best! No experience is required — and no daughters are required either. Our adult members must be over 19, female, and pass a screening process including a police criminal records check.

Not a big fan of working closely with kids? Our district is also actively seeking volunteers for other positions “behind the scenes” such as a new treasurer and a cookie advisor.

Interested? Drop us a comment or send us an e-mail for more information. Check the Contact Us tab for how to reach us. Our district will also have representatives stationed in Lougheed Mall this coming weekend. Drop by to chat with us.

Area Awards Dinner

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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.

45 pin

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

Commisisoner award

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.

bronze merrit

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.

silver merit

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!