Big news! Our unit is fully up-to-date on the COVID vaccination declaration, which means we can continue to meet in person, and start phasing in some indoor meetings starting now!

Given this development, we’re going to have our Halloween meeting in person at St Thomas Anglican church. Come in costume, and be prepared to have a spooky and boo-tiful evening! If you haven’t been to St Thomas before, enter from the side door off of St Margaret’s St.

The Vancouver Coastal Health region of Girl Guides of Canada is currently in stage “Indoor 1” of the return to Guiding plan. For more information about the “Indoor 1” stage, which includes mandatory masks for everyone, no shared food, and physical distancing, check out this important information online.

As we continue to adapt and respond to COVID-19, we’re going to continue to offer in-person outdoor, indoor, and online options for meeting participation, so stay tuned for more information about upcoming meetings.

Fall and winter months could mean heavier rain or snow. With falling leaves and other debris of city life, clogged catch basins can lead to flooded streets and trash washing into adjacent waterways.

Fortunately, we benefit from a small army of ‘adopters’ who give their time and energy to keep neighborhood catch basins clear.

Adopt a catch basin and help keep your neighbourhood a vibrant, safe, and healthy space. 

Vancouver has 45,000 catch basins, with about 41,000 that need adopting. When you sign up to adopt a catch basin and keep it clear, you:

• Protect public and private property from flooding
• Protect water quality by keeping leaves and debris from flowing into our rivers and streams
• Provide a fun, safe way to involve kids in giving back to the community

To learn more about how to adopt a catch basin in your community (could even be one on your street!), visit the City of Vancouver website and mapping system. Adopting is fun and easy, and you get to name your catch basin!

Adopted a catch basin? Bring some information about your catch basin and what you’re doing to protect and support it to a unit meeting to share information with the group and log your service hours!

The 6th Pathfinders have invited us to join them for an Amazing Race Scavenger Hunt at Granville Island from 2:30 – 4:30 pm on Sunday November 7!

What to expect:

A series of fun activities in a race with a prize at the end.  Event includes an Amazing Race participation badge.  Badges will be sent to unit Guiders after the event.

For meeting up at the beginning of the event and pickup by parents, look for a blue canopy shelter, with a 6th Vancouver Pathfinder banner.

This event is being organized by Kaitlyn and Zoey, 2nd year Pathfinders in the 6th Vancouver Pathfinder Unit in Southridge District.

Our deadline for RSVP to the 6th Vancouver Pathfinders is Friday October 29, so please contact Karla no later than Thursday October 28 if you’d like to attend. We will also be collecting interest at our meeting on Wednesday October 27.

This week, we’re exploring Southeast False Creek with an outdoor adventure and ride on the False Creek Ferries! We’ll meet at Creekside Community Centre (1 Athlete’s Way) at 6:45 pm. Please be on time as we’ll be starting with the ferry ride, and the ferries leave at 7:00 pm. Pick up is at 8:30 pm at Creekside Community Centre.

Please come dressed for the weather, including wearing a warm and waterproof jacket, and a toque. Bring a headlamp or flashlight, because some portions of the Seawall can be a little dim once the sun goes down.

We’ll also be sending home materials for our virtual Halloween Party next week, so be sure to attend tomorrow night to pick up your supplies!

Lastly, we have more cookies that you can pick up tomorrow night. Connect with Christa on site for cookies!

We’re not having a Wednesday night meeting this week. Instead, we’re heading out on transit for a fun adventure and learning opportunity on Saturday afternoon for the BC Girl Guides & TransLink All About Transit Outing!

WHAT TO EXPECT
Discover public transit and explore free fun activities towards your Local Communities badge and other Girl Guide program themes/areas, with friendly staff from TransLink. Activities will include:

Bus tours
Station scavenger hunts
Transit-themed crafts & games
Safety information
Free crests!

Meet at 29th Ave Skytrain Station at 1 pm. Pick up at Central Park, in the parking lot off of Kingsway (north side of the park) near the children’s playground at 4 pm. 

Dress for the weather, wear your uniform, and bring your bus pass!

Also, reminder that you need to self-declare your COVID-19 vaccination status before October 22 in order to continue participating in in-person meetings as COVID-19 vaccination is mandatory for people 12 years and over starting later this month. Speak with Karla if you have any questions about the self-declaration, and the options to participate in virtual and anytime Guiding.

On Wednesday October 6, we are meeting in person at Trout Lake to do some activities in preparation for our enrolment ceremony later this fall, and play some games.

We’ll meet at the south end of the park near the Concession Stand – you can enter the Parking Lot off of 19th Ave near Lakewood.

It will be dark for most of the meeting time, so please keep the following in mind:

• Please warm clothing appropriate for the weather, including waterproof shoes, long pants, and a toque
• Wear a rain jacket, even if it’s not raining cats and dogs
• bring a head lamp as it will be dark
• There are washrooms in the park, but they close at dusk so please make sure to use the washroom before you come to Pathfinders!

Also, please get in touch with Karla and Christa if you’d like any (more) cookies to sell, as we have more cookies for the unit and can bring them to the meeting on Wednesday night!

On Wednesday we will have a session to plan our year together. This will include how we want to be with each other, the skills we want to learn, the activities we would like to do and how we want to give back to the community.

Before Wednesday, take a few minutes to complete the following reflective exercise. The answers to these questions are for you, and will feed into the planning discussion we will have on Wednesday.

You will need a pen, a piece of paper, and a quiet spot to sit. Create four boxes on your paper (you can fold your paper in half and then in half again) and answer one of the following questions in each of the boxes.

1. Thinking back over your previous years in Guiding, what activities, adventures, skills, or group dynamics stands out? What made them special?

2. In 5 years, when you look back to this year in Guiding, what are the stories you would like to tell?

3. What is something you have always wanted to try or to learn more about?

4. What can we do as a group to make everyone feel like they belong?

On Wednesday September 29th, we’re meeting online on Zoom to plan our amazing Pathfinder year! The Zoom meeting info and link is in the event posting in the Pathfinder Calendar. Click for details!

Be prepared to bring some great ideas and goals for discussion, and to have your camera on for the meeting, so we can make sure we’re getting the most of our time together.

Also, if you haven’t received your fall cookies yet, or would like more cookies to sell, please email Karla for more information on how you can pick some cookies up in East Van before our next in-person meeting on October 6.

We are meeting in person tonight for some fun and games, and to get to know each other as we kick off the Guiding year. We’ll meet at St Thomas Anglican, on the east side of the church (St Margaret’s St side). Adults, please plan to stay for the first ~15 minutes of the meeting so we can meet you, introduce ourselves, and share some important updates about the Guiding year.

Please remember to wear a mask and come dressed for the weather. It will be dark by the end of the meeting, so we’d encourage you to bring a flashlight or head lamp if you have one.

Please remember to do the COVID-19 self assessment prior to coming to Pathfinders, and please stay home if you’re feeling unwell.

Lastly, we will be handing out cookies tonight so adults, please plan to arrive by 8:15 pm so we can hand out cookies to take home to start selling!

Welcome (back) to the 9th Pathfinders!

Our first meeting of the year is going to be Wednesday September 22. Stay tuned and check your emails for more information about starting the Pathfinder year, including important health and safety, unit admin, and program updates to come!