What would Girl Guides be without leaders to guide them?
That’s the question that local representatives are asking themselves these days. As the three Girl Guides districts in St. Albert prepare to start up next week with about 300 girls registered, there is a shortage of people who have signed up as leaders. All that they want right now, Kathy Batty says, are a few good women.
“Currently we have approximately 57 adults volunteer their time but that’s not enough,” Batty said.
She added that, of those 57, there are numerous people who do multiple jobs.
“They might run two units like Sparks and Brownies, or two Guide units, something along that line,” she said.
Her ideal roster would include 92 people to be leaders and hold other positions. That leaves her with a shortfall of 35 people. To her, the ramifications are more than mildly unpleasant.
“We have four units that there is a very, very good chance that they will not open next week … and they’re full of girls. That equates to roughly 55 girls that will not be able to do Girl Guides this year,” she said.
The only qualifications to become a leader are that you must be a woman over the age of 18. Batty said that a good Guide leader is any woman who enjoys spending time playing with girls. Training is provided.
“You don’t have to have experience. You don’t have to be a mom,” she said.
“That’s a huge misconception,” added Jennifer Duggan, who’s been a leader for three years after spending most of her life in the program.
“People think that I have a daughter in Brownies. I don’t. I just love working with the Brownies. It’s so much fun and so rewarding,” Duggan said.
Duggan is also proof that being a leader has other benefits. She was just chosen to be one of two representatives from Canada to travel, all expenses paid, to Finland next month as part of an international roundtable conference.
Girls between the ages of five and 17 can join the worldwide program that invites girls to be themselves, meet new friends and find their own voices, all within a safe and supportive environment.
“It’s a great place for girls to be able to come to just be girls,” Batty stated.
Duggan added that it had a huge formative effect on her life.
“It’s the definition of my life. I had one year off at university and I went through withdrawal,” she laughed. “My mom said I had to go back!”
To learn more about Girl Guides or to register, please call 1-800-565-8111 or visit www.girlguides.ca.
To become involved as a leader in the Tamarac area (including St. Albert, Morinville and Legal), please contact Batty immediately at 780-458-8230.
