Skip to content

Boundary area girl guides receive the Canada Cord

The Canada Cord is a top honour for girl guides between the ages of 12 to 14.
4798grandforksGFGgirlguides130605
These Pathfinder Girl Guides all received a Canada Cord award on Saturday at gallery 2. The Canada Cord is only given to Pathfinders with the highest achievements.

A select few girl guides from the Kootenays received the Canada Cord, which is only given to teenagers of the highest achievement in the Pathfinders age group (12 to 14).

Amongst the 13 girls recognized on Saturday at gallery 2 in Grand Forks, local Tori Stavenjord.

“I think my life has been impacted by guiding by making me more confident,” Stavenjord said in a written statement. “The highlights of my guiding experiences were definitely the trips.”

Before earning the top honour, the girls must complete a number of steps, which include community service activities and first-aid.

There is also a leadership and camping component in which girls are expected to complete three camps or events.

“This (award) is a culmination of three years of hard work,” said Pat Wildeman, Girl Guides of Canada Kootenay area commissioner.

“The Canada Cord is only given to girls that have advanced achievement in guiding and it involves leadership skills, it involves their own personal development and certainly camping and outdoors, but a lot of these young ladies have organized events; its quite an involved program,” she said.

Thao Atkinson and Kim Faminoff, two Midway residents from the Boundary Guiding Unit were also recognized with the top award.

“To me guiding is about challenges, adventure, good times and great friendships,” Faminoff said in her statement. “Best of all you have an opportunity to make a difference, in my community and our world.”

Atkinson said that guiding helped her to become independent but also feel as if she was a part of a team.

“To me, guiding means that you learn and help others along the way,” she said.

Wildeman said the next step for the girls would be Ranger, which is another three-year Girl Guide program.

Some girl guides from Canada are planning a trip to a World Association of Girl Guides and Girls Scouts World Centre in central Mexico in 2014.