Ontario Girl Guides of Canada

Unit Leaders/Unit Guiders deliver programming directly to our girls on a weekly basis. Our Unit Guiders (leaders) are the backbone of our organization – providing guidance, fun and friendship while delivering a dynamic program to girls from 5 to 17+. Unit Guiders are women over 18 years of age. The Unit Guider has the responsibility for the leadership and management of the unit and is supported by and accountable to the Administrative Community Leader (ACL) for her personal performance and for meeting the requirements of her appointment. She is supported by both the ACL and her Community Guider. The Unit Guider works with the other Guiders in the unit. Guiders form a leadership team where skills are utilized and no one person carries the full workload. A fair distribution of the work ensures everyone has time to work and play. Working within the leadership team structure allows Guiders to showcase the positive aspects of sharing, goal achievement, cooperation, and goodwill. Unit Guiders work together and with the girls to plan activities and deliver programming to the unit. Ontario Council provides support to Unit Guiders by paying their national registration fee and the fee for Police Records Checks (PRC). Each Unit Guider is supported by a volunteer Administrative Community Leader (ACL) and a staff Unit Administrator (UA). There are trainings to provide information and skills necessary to deliver the girl program. In Ontario there are “communities of Guiding” and your community number is based on where you reside.

To begin the screening process to become a Unit Guider, please complete the Online Application.

A non-member volunteer is an individual who supports unit activities or a particular member in a specific context.

Non-member volunteers may be:

• Unit Assistants who support unit activities on an occasional basis when asked to by the Responsible Guider (Note: Individuals who support unit activities more than twice in the Guiding year must be registered as NMV, submit a valid Police Record Check (PRC) and appear on the unit roster).
• Treasurers
• Support Persons who regularly accompany persons with disabilities to provide assistance with access to our activities and programs, communication, mobility, personal car, etc.
• Home Contact Person

Non-member volunteers require a PRC when:

• working with girls during unit meetings more than twice.
• volunteering at a Girl Guides of Canada (GGC) day camp or overnight camp.
• volunteering at any other day or overnight events.
• they are a Treasurer handling Girl Guides of Canada funds.
• they are a support person who accompanies a persona with a disability to Girl Guides of Canada meetings and events.

As outlined in the National Adult Support Module 2: Screening:

Non-member volunteers must be under the supervision of a fully screened adult member when they support a group of girls.

Non-member Volunteers may never be one-on-one with a girl who is not their own daughter/ward.

Males can be non-member volunteers in a limited capacity. They may assist occasionally with unit activities but must have a female Guider in attendance when working in any way with girls.

To register as a non-member volunteer, complete a Non-Member Volunteer Application Form (A.7) and Image Release form (IR.1).

Contact Guiders communicate on behalf of the unit with parents/guardians, other Guiders in the unit, your Administrative Community Leader, your Unit Administrator and the public to ensure smooth operation of the unit. Read the Contact Guider role description for more information. A Contact Guider can attend  the unit meetings on a part time basis.

Resource Guiders are adults with specialized skills who enjoy working with girls, but prefer a flexible Guiding commitment. Resource Guiders are currently visiting units virtually to provide access across Canada. Contact programs@girlguides.ca for more details.

A trainer is an adult member of GGC who has an interest in training other adult members. With the training skills developed both through Guiding and personal experiences, trainers aim to equip members with the skills and resources they need to provide a positive experience for both girls and fellow adult members.

Contact the Training Adviser at on-trainingadviser@girlguides.ca if you are interested in becoming a trainer.

Lone Guiders are adults that are familiar with a branch of the Guiding program and are able to work with girls that meet in non-traditional setting (distance-Guiding) to complete branch programming. Programming is provided to girls through a variety of medium, including but not limited to: blogs, social media, phone, email etc. Contact the ACL at acl.99@girlguides.ca for full details.

There are a number of ways to volunteer in an administrative capacity at GGC. You could help support us as a Unit Treasurer or Cookie Receiver. There are positions that require more knowledge of Guiding, such as an Administrative Community Leader, Community Guider or Provincial Adviser. Some roles do not require you to be a member of Girl Guides of Canada, but rather a non-member volunteer. One such role is that of a Unit Treasurer.

The Unit Treasurer looks after the unit books and makes sure money is deposited to the centralized GGC banking system in a timely fashion, keeps the other Guiders informed of the unit finances, and ensures the money to cover unit expenses is in the bank. The Treasurer uses online banking to look after the Unit finances. You are supported by online training sessions offered by experienced members of the organization and there is a "helpline" for any unit banking questions.

The Unit Purchase Card Holder is assigned a visa card linked to the unit bank account, which allows the unit to make use of the funds in their account. Ontario Council encourages all units to have a Purchase Card Holder to ensure that no Guiders are out of pocket for unit related expenses. Please note: to hold this position, you must be an active member and in the unit as either Unit Treasurer or Unit Guider.

The Cookie Orderer is responsible for placing the unit’s order for the two cookie campaigns in the Guiding Year and oversees the coordination of cookie pick up and distribution of the cookies ordered.

Additional responsibilities include:

• Completing the cookie all-star rewards program for the girls in your unit who are eligible to receive a reward
• Relaying important cookie related messages to all Guiders in your unit

Please note: to hold this position, you must be registered in the unit as either Unit Treasurer (Member) or Unit Guider.

Trefoil Guild membership is for women from age 30 to whenever! Belonging to a Trefoil Guild is a great way to connect socially with other adult members of Guiding, as well as a way to support girls and Guiders through such activities as fundraising or event planning.

Membership in the Trefoil Guild is open to women over the age of 30 who are current fully-screened members of Girl Guides of Canada. All members are entitled to wear the Trefoil Guild Pin with the appropriate adult uniform or the pin may be worn out of uniform.

Trefoil Guild members pay the National membership fee annually, unless they are:

• In a position that supports the girl program. This could be a Unit Guider, Community Guider, Trainer, Resource Guider, Specialty Community Member or Provincial Adviser.
• An Honourary Life Award recipient.
• Aged 75 or older by December 31, 2016. (A birth date must be registered in iMIS to qualify for this exemption.)

Link is a membership option for women ages 18 to 30 who wish to have contact with Guiding during those often busy and transitional years following high school. Many Link members are university and college students, although a number are new mothers or women beginning their careers. Link members can also have other membership activities such as Unit Guider, trainer, etc. In Ontario a Link member who holds a position supporting girl programs such as Unit Guider, Community Guider, Trainer, Resource Guider, Specialty Community member or Provincial level volunteer has their registration fee paid for by Ontario Council, otherwise Link members pay the National registration fee annually.

Members-at-Large are members of the organization who believe in the values and principles of Guiding and want to maintain their membership but are unable to take on a specific role; Members at Large pay the national GGC registration fee annually.