Girl Greatness, Empowering Girls | Le Pouvoir D-agir des filles

Act

Girl Guides of Canada believes that every girl has the power to influence decision-makers on the issues they care about and build a better world. This may sound complicated, but really, it just means speaking up and taking action. Think of recycling as an example of the power of social change. Some people (maybe even you!) spread the word about using the recycle bins properly – what goes where, what isn't recyclable and why we should recycle. This encourages people to put their recyclables in the recycle bin and not the garbage – and can even influence people’s behaviour outside of school and work – encouraging them to recycle at home and when they are out in public.

Through our Promise, we make a personal commitment to change the world around us.

Share and be a friend. Lend a hand. Take action for a better world

So what can Girl Guides do? Be creative and use the skills and interests of the girls in your Unit or Patrol to come up with a great service project that can celebrate girls, make a positive contribution to your community, and take action for a better world for all girls.

Step 1: Brainstorm with your Unit or Patrol

List everyone's hobbies and interests.
What are the issues facing girls in your community? If some investigating is needed, girls could be asked to check in with parents, older sisters, teachers and even Guiders to learn about some of the important issues in the community and to come back and share what they’ve discovered.

What links can you make between hobbies/interests and issues?

What fits together? For example, if your Unit is really interested in yoga and the women's shelter or refugee centre needs to collect winter clothes, you could organize a yoga event at school, where the entrance fee includes clean, gently used kids clothes. Then all the kids who participate in the yoga event learn about the need for winter clothes for kids and help out by bringing in clothes. Or if you are all very artistic you could do an art project titled “EmPOWERing Girls” and display your work at the local library, community centre or school. What about the environment and a garbage issue in your community? Work with your school to start a composting program! The possibilities are endless.
Ask yourselves:
- Why does this issue exist?
- What information do we know, or need to know?
- How is this issue related to achieving the Millennium Development Goals?
- What resources do we have to help us?
- How can we make a difference in our own community?

Need some more concrete ideas?

Step 2: Make a plan and make it happen

Once you have decided on your service, you get to make it happen! Doing service is great because you can get out into the community, meet new people and learn a lot about yourself.

Some things to keep in mind:

What are our goals?
What do we want to achieve?
What is our message?
What do we want to learn?
What skills do I/we want to build?
Who do we want to meet?
What can we learn from them?

Step 3: Share!

After you have completed your service project, take some time to celebrate and reflect on what you have done. All the girls should have a chance to answer these questions:

Did I have fun?
Did I know what I was doing and why I was doing it?
Did I learn anything?
Who did I meet in the community?
What has changed about the way I think about this community issue?

Remember, that if Girl Guides are seen taking action to tackle a problem, you raise awareness and inspire others to join you or follow your example.

Shout out and let the world know what you’ve done!

Log on using your iMIS number and share your service, how many total hours your Unit spent on the project, and the knowledge you gained. This is also your chance to highlight your action on our national map, adding your efforts to those of girls across the country.

Need more ACT ideas?