Girl Guides of Canada—Emotions flared in late May as adult leaders and parents received an email survey that suggested Girl Guides of Canada may remove a reference to God and faith from its well-known promise.
“People feel very strongly about this issue,” a representative told the Record. She noted that some think such a change would be a positive step to make the organization more inclusive, while others have strong attachments to tradition and the personal meaning of the current promise. Results of the survey should be released in September, but a final decision will probably take longer as the movement struggles with its identity and relevance in the modern world.
The promise was revised 15 years ago to allow members to substitute the word “faith” in place of “God” if they preferred.
About 20,000 adult leaders and 89,000 girls are members of the organization, which will celebrate its centenary next year.
