Training
We are lucky to live in the middle of our very own outdoor playground.
Getting outside, enjoying nature and challenging ourselves are some of the best parts of the Guiding experience and are central to the Girl Guide philosophy and program.
Guiding is all about a ‘progression of skills’ for both girls and Guiders. The OAL Program follows the ‘progression of skills’ needed for short outdoor activities, through to indoor and tent camping and then on to more challenging adventure camping trips.
This ‘stepping stone’ approach helps both girls and Guiders build and ‘try out’ their new skills all in a safe and supportive learning environment. As your comfort level in the outdoors grows, so will your girls’.
Upcoming Training and Events
Interested? Register for event through lionsareatraining@gmail.com
Event
Description
Location
Dates & Times
Cost
Lions Area Thinking Day Campfire
Join us and celebrate Lions Area Thinking Day!
- Come join your sisters in guiding for an hour of song
- This is a family & friend’s event – everyone is welcome
- Wear your uniform – bring a flashlight or lantern
- Free event crest for each participant
Shipyards Stage Area
Thurs, Feb 22 from 6:30 – 7:30 pm
Free
| This Training Extravaganza is a “pick your own adventure” type of training which means that you can build your weekend around your own interests. There will be a variety of trainingopportunities for newer and experienced Guiders and Rangers. Session lengths will vary.
Pick the “adventure” you want. Participants can “piece together” the sessions they want To register: email lionsareatraining@gmail.com |
Guide House, North Vancouver
Mar 1 – 3
$25
For Guiders & Rangers
Registration opens Sept 1, 2023 and closes one week before the respective training session
*Training content will be tailored to the participant’s needs.
Skill
Description
Location
Dates & Times
Cost
SHELTERS
Learn the basics of making a tarp shelter. Includes learning the taut line hitch, the truckers hitch and storm lashing. Find out about other types of creative shelters.
Cates Park, North Vancouver
| Sun, Mar 3 from 3:00 – 4:30 pm*Mar 3 training is combined with the Come GLOW with Us event
Sun, Apr 7 from 2:00 – 4:30 pm |
Free
OUTDOOR
COOKING
Learn how to make and cook with box ovens, buddy burners, waxed burlap and a Dutch oven. Learn about interesting camp recipes and try a home-made dehydrated meal.
Cates Park, North Vancouver
| Sun, Mar 3 from 1:00 – 3:00 pm*Mar 3 training is combined with the Come GLOW with Us event
Sat, Apr 7 from 10:00 – 12:00 pm |
$10
FIRES
Learn how to teach girls to safely light a match, set and light a fire, and extinguish a fire. Learn how to use a flint to light a fire. Make homemade fire starters. Finish off with an easy meal cooked over the fire.
Cates Park, North Vancouver
| Sun, Feb 11 from 11:00 am – 12:30 pm
Sun, Mar 3 from 2:00 – 3:30 pm *Mar 3 training is combined with the Come GLOW with Us event |
$5
KNIFE & HATCHET
Learn how to teach girls to safely use a pocket knife to whittle wood and safely use a hatchet to make kindling.
Guide House
| Tues, Jan 9 from 7:30 – 8:30 pm
Thurs, Feb 22 from 7:30 – 8:30 pm |
Free
GADGETS
Learn how to lash wood and make fun and functional gadgets for camp.
Guide House
| Tues, Feb 27 from 7:30 – 9:00 pm |
Free
PACKING
| Learn what to pack for an indoor camp, overnight backpack trip or a day hike. Learn how to make a bedroll, how to pack your overnight backpack efficiently and how to wear it comfortably. Learn what to carry to hike safely (the essentials). |
Guide House
| Thurs, Jan 18 from 7:30 – 9:00 pm |
Free
For Girls and Guiders
Skill
Description
Location
Dates & Times
Costs
WINTER CAMP
| Learn how to tent camp safely in the snow and have fun with it! This camp is for Pathfinders, Rangers and Trex along with their Unit Guiders and also individual Guiders who are interested in learning how to snow camp. Click here for more details.*There will be two mandatory meetings prior to camp – a parent/girl meeting and a gear check meeting.Registration opens: Dec 1, 2023Registration closes: Jan 12, 2024 |
Alexander Falls, Callaghan Valley (near Whistler)
Weekend of Feb 16 – 18.
Noon on the 16th to noon on the 18th.
TBD
CAMP SKILLS DAY
(For Guide aged girls)
This is an opportunity for Girl Guides to have fun learning three essential outdoor camping skills:
Each topic will be covered in three round robin style 55 minute sessions. Guiders must provide ratio and supervision as per Safe Guide. Guiders are also strongly recommended to participate with their girls. Registration opens: Feb 1, 2024 Registration closes: Mar 15, 2024 |
Cates Park Whey-ah-Wichen, North Vancouver
Sat, April 20
There will be two sessions. One in the morning from 8:45 am until noon and the afternoon session from 12:45 pm to 4:00 pm. Leaders and their girls can choose to attend either the morning or afternoon session.
$10 per girl
TEAM
Training in Girl Guides is called Training and Enrichment for Adult Members (TEAM). Every Guider should have an opportunity to take training which will enhance their Guiding experience. Lots of training is available on e-learning for those that can’t make it to face-to-face training, but we are lucky in Lions Area to be able to connect with most Guiders through training face to face. We are also very lucky in Lions to have an extremely supportive Area Council that promotes and supports training.
For more about the Training and Enrichment for Adult Members and e-learning, visit Memberzone.
Meet the team
The smiles are real! Our trainers take to the Broughton Archipelago waters, Northern Vancouver Island 2023.
Alison Speirs, Area Training Advisor
alison_s@eastlink.ca
Alison has been a Trainer for more than 30 years and is presently the Area Training Advisor. She feels that Guiding has shaped her life in a thousand wonderful ways and has many happy memories of Guiding growing up. Alison has been a leader in all branch levels, and a District Commissioner. She invites you to share her passion and enthusiasm for Training!
Val Clark, Deputy Training Advisor and Registrar and e-learning
lionsareatraining@gmail.com
Valerie has been involved in Girl Guides for as long as she can remember. She’s worked her way through the girl programs and was a Sparks leader for 8 years. She has been with the Training team for the past 20 years. She looks forward to meeting you at the next Training!
Annalisa Adam
lionsareatraining@gmail.com
A Brownie, Guide, Pathfinder and Ranger herself, Annalisa has now been a leader for all those branches as well as holding various Council positions – District Commissioner and a member of the Provincial Training Committee. Annalisa’s passion for Guiding include camping, travelling (near and far) and sharing new adventures with the girls. She encourages all leaders to challenge themselves and their units to get out of their comfort zones and try something new.
Katie Caple
lionsareatraining@gmail.com
Katie loves music in Guiding, camping, walking and hiking, having fun, and basically anything to do with the Arts (not so much crafts). She has been Guiding for more than 50 years – from Vancouver to Prince George and now the Sunshine Coast. She is currently a member of the Panther Trefoil Guild on the Sunshine Coast, and she loves to do anything and everything with her grandchildren.
Tracy L. Clark, Interim Area Commissioner
lionsareatraining@gmail.com
Tracy has been a Guider in Lions Area for over 40 years, with positions ranging from Unit Guider to District, Division and Area Commissioner as well as several Provincial Guiding positions – adding to her illustrious Guiding career.
Tracy loves Sparks and Embers and seeing their eyes light up with they accomplish a task or craft, or seeing something on a hike they did not expect. She loves to do crafts and show everyone that they are not as scary as they seem. She is passionate about making sure everyone is having FUN!!!!!
Susan Gilmour
lionsareatraining@gmail.com
Susan is passionate about sharing her experiences as a Unit Guider with new Guiders. Susan started as a Sparks Leader many years ago and has been a leader with Embers, Guides and Pathfinders. She enjoys the traditions, community service opportunities, and outdoor activities associated with Guiding.
Tamsin Guppy
lionsareatraining@gmail.com
Involved in Girl Guides for many years, Tamsin continues to be involved because of her love of the outdoors and her desire to share her enjoyment with others. Tamsin’s favourite guiding activities are back-country camping, hiking, kayaking, cycling and snowshoeing. Tamsin enjoys helping get groups outside and can come to your unit to help you develop skills for future camps or other outdoor activities. Look out for Tamsin teaching at any outdoor training.
Clare Lakes, Area Camp Advisor
lionsareatraining@gmail.com
Clare, our Area Camp Advisor, is happiest when cooking over a camp fire, sleeping in a tent, hiking in the mountains or digging a shelter in the snow at Winter camp.
Clare has enjoyed leading girls through Sparks, Brownies, Guides and Pathfinders. She continues to be involved in Guiding as she shares her experience and love of the outdoors as a Trainer.
Maureen Rennie
lionsareatraining@gmail.com
Maureen wants more girls to experience outdoor camping and adventurous activities. Serving as a trainer has been a rewarding way to share her experience and perspective and encourage new leaders to take their girls out into nature for fun and challenging experiences with friends. Maureen also loves leading campfire singing and teaching canoeing and kayaking skills.
Lisa Vitols
lionsareatraining@gmail.com
Lisa has Guided in West Vancouver, Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa, and now calls the Sunshine Coast home. She is an experienced trainer and Guider mentor. She helped champion the Girls First program when it was introduced and ran the Environment and STEM programs at our large provincial camps. She enjoys training new Guiders, active games, and always more STEM. She’s all about making training and programming more engaging for both Guiders and girls!
Would you like to become a trainer? We would love to add you to our team. For more information, contact us HERE.
Evaluations from Training participants…
…New Guider Training Day was just so much fun! I really was dreading going and wasting a full day but the time flew and I learned so much that will help me this year with my Brownies! Thanks!
I was really shy about attending New Guider Training Day but my District Commissioner picked me up and brought me to the training and it was just great! I met so many new Guiders just like me! A group of us are planning to meet for coffee…I was so impressed with everything…thanks!
My Guiding buddy and I arrived together not expecting anything special…but wow! Someone with balloons met us right in the parking lot…we had no doubt that we were in the right place! Thanks!
The Trainers at Guide Camp Skills Day were just great…so patient and kind! The best part was the look on the girl’s faces when they lit a match for the first time! So much fun…we can hardly wait to go camping and try out our new skills!
Safe Guide wasn’t boring like they told me…every moment was full of good, clear, concise information…thanks to Val…she was awesome! I am actually looking forward to completing my first set of Safe Guide forms for our next camp!
…I cannot fully express how connected I feel to Guiding at the moment…what a weekend! I thought that I had seen and done everything Guiding but this was purely magical…I highly recommend an enrichment retreat/overnight to everyone!
I was totally feeling overwhelmed…but now I feel like this is doable…
I love how the training has given so many great take home ideas to try out immediately…thanks!