FAQ

Who doesn't ever have a question about Guiding?? On this page we will try to answer your questions, be it about GG policies, fundraising, the new OAL, help with dealing with leaders/and or girls...a Dear GiGi so to speak...so please send in your questions!!

Topics:

• Financial Reports
• Web Site Submissions
• Award Nominations
• What is iMIS?
• Allocation of Cookie Money
• OAL Transitional Training
• 18 Year Old Guiders
• Theft of Guide Property
• Privacy Rules and Guiding
• Keeping Up with Safe Guide Updates
• New Image Release Form

Q. My Commissioner wants to know my bank balance and says I have to give it her every month. Why is she monitoring me?

A. It is the Commissioner's job to ensure that GG funds are being accounted for as our Financial Guidelines govern us. She needs to know that deposits are being made in a timely fashion, and that you have a special purpose for any 'large' amounts of money in your account. This can also be a good thing -- for if you are having difficulty collecting from parents -- cookie money or reg fees -- your Commissioner can be aware of that and help to collect that money if the need arises. Girl Guide Money is Public knowledge money -- and if anyone asks to see how you spend the money, you should be prepared to show them. There should be no secrets when it comes to Girl Guide money, and if there are, it's time to investigate! As well , our Area Treasurer needs to have Unit balances within each District submitted -- for the same reason. You might have read in the Canadian Guider about money getting 'stolen' from the girls, and a big part of this is just not monitoring 'who' is doing your books. We all pay when money goes missing!

Q. I want to have something put on this web site. How do I do that?

A. All material for this site must be approved by Laurie Douglas (everything but Guide Store) or Kathy Disher (Guide Store). Please put together the information and pictures, then e-mail it to them. They will verify that the material meets policy and foward it to the webmaster to put on the site.

Please keep the following in mind:

• when sending pictures, please also send a brief description of the events, or pictures. Just sending pictures will not be put on the website without some sort of explanation accompanying them. It is up to you to have and keep photo releases for every person who is in the pictures. Please keep photo sizes to 640 x 480 and 72 ppi maximum.
• events should be of Guiding nature only --camping, doing a service project, an AGM, or District/Division events, etc. Send in your stories!
• the webmaster has the right to edit as he sees fit the length of any article. (I don't intend to change anything without your approval and expect that only minor formatting changes will need to be made.)
• proper Guiding writing is expected...ie capitalizing District Commissioner, Guider, etc.

Q. I want to nominate someone for an award, not sure of even what award to give or how to go about this process. Help!!

A. Congratulations on wanting to recognise someone for their volunteer time, something Mid Island doesn't do enough of. Please refer to the Awards page, and read what's available. If in doubt, ask your commissioner and I am sure she will help you to make a good award choice.

Q. What is iMIS?

A. iMIS is our National database that records all Guider records--trainings, awards, positions held, years in Guiding. iMIS also looks after stats of each province, and tracks the numbers of girls in each level. The past census proved to be very confusing, for Guiders and our iMIS programmer alike!! There was allot of big oops in the system, and LOTS of suggestions will be made by our Area iMIS adviser at the end of this month. Please do not contact National about any iMIS matters...ask your commissioner to look into things, as any inquiries only get redirected back to our Membership Adviser.

Q. Why do units not receive more of the cookie proceeds than they do right now?

A. District vary as to how they allot their money out to units, some units order and sell their own cookies, while other districts sell as a whole..but Guiders need to remember that apart from the cost of cookies (17.40 goes to Dare), the remainder ALL goes back into Guiding, be it at District, Division, Area, or Province level. Each level helps the girls in many different ways--such as International travel, camping trips, or sending Guiders to conferences to refresh their Guiding minds and come back with new ideas for the girls. We have to break through the competition barriers, and realize the big picture that shows we ALL benefit!!

Q. Why do I have to attend this new OAL transitional training by Dec 31st?? I have my CLC already.

A. You have to take the transition so that you get the proper information on the difference between what the CLC was and what the new OAL program is and stands for as there is a significant shift in responsibility. You need to be aware of who is responsible for what.
If you do not have your paperwork in by Dec. 31st -- then you will have to attend an OAL Path training, then go on to a Trail training.

Q. I have a young lady who is 18 who would love to be a Guider. The PO & R says she can be a Guider at age 18, but BC says otherwise. Why is this??

A. In BC, 18 year olds are not considered to be “adults” in the eyes of the law. 18 year old Unit Guiders will, therefore, be registered as Associate Guiders. They will not be able to undertake any adult responsibilities, including: being left in sole charge of youth Members, being part of an adult ratio as specified in Section 13 of PO&R, being Contact Guider, or handling financial matters.

Please list the 18 year old as an Associate Guider when completing the “Volunteer Agreement” (A.2) form. You will not have to issue a change in title when the Guider turns 19 as this will be done automatically through IMIS. In this way, Associate Guiders are able to be part of Unit leadership teams, be Members of Link, and earn service awards towards adult Long Service Awards.

Q: A Guider stores cookies in a church basement or business location and, unfortunately, some cookies are stolen. Who is responsible for paying for the cookies? Does GGC insurance cover the stolen cookies?

A: Girl Guides insurance does not cover this situation. Property coverage, including cookie inventory, is the responsibility of the Province, Area, Division, District, or Unit to arrange and purchase.

Q: How do privacy rules apply to Guiding?

A: Girl Guides of Canada-Guides du Canada (GGC) recognizes the importance of keeping all personal information confidential, employing safeguards to maintain all federal and provincial laws governing privacy and the guidelines of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

The collection of personal information will be limited to that which is necessary for the purposes as identified by GGC. Names, addresses and other personal information held by GGC will not be given to individuals, organizations or corporations outside GGC at any time for any reason except with the consent of the individual member or as required by law.

Members may access their own personal information upon request to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the information.

Faxing and Emailing Personal Information As a rule of thumb, the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia (OIPC) suggests that, 'you should only fax or email personal information that you would feel comfortable discussing over the telephone if it were your own personal information'. Sensitive personal information, such as medical or financial information, should not be transmitted by fax or email unless it is absolutely necessary that it be sent at once and faxing or emailing is the only timely way of doing so. The document does, however, provide a useful benchmark against which any organization's current policies and procedures might be measured. If only for that reason, it is a very useful reference.

Faxing and E-mailing Personal Information (pdf document 254 kb)

Protecting Personal Information Outside the Office Organizations must take reasonable measures to protect personal information from unauthorized collection, use or disclosure and are legally liable for the failure to do so. When personal information is removed from the office whether one is working at home or at another location it may be more easily lost or compromised. In order to minimize the risk of that happening, the OIPC has provided a list of tips for protecting personal information when it is removed from the office. Ensuring, for example, that all electronic devices are password protected and that briefcases are kept locked are good basic practices. Reminders that personal information should not be left in vehicles or stored on personal hard-drives are equally so.

Protecting Personal Information Outside the Office (pdf document 238 kb)

Q. Safe Guide updates are way too much to keep up with. Help!!

A. We on M I A Council hear your frustrations! Please know there is a light at the end of this LONG tunnel...the last update will be made April 1, 2006. Right now, new revised Safe Guides are available for purchase through the Guide store ( you should have responded to Kathy's e-mail regarding this) and any new Guiders whom register this Fall will receive on for free from National, upon registrating as a new Guider. We all know the importance of using this valuable tool when planning our outings. Some suggestions to help your Guiders learn how to use it

• at a District meeting, have a mock form filling out session, have your Guiders bring their Safe Guide for reference, and have pens and form copies ready.
• brainstorm on how to evaluate the risks when you go to camp-- ie, if you go to Camp Creina, depending on the time of year, accomodations and activities, the list should be fairly standard. Info on forms can be re-copied onto a fresh form the next time you camp there!
• find out easy ways to use the book. Each level spells everything out. USE your checklists. Sparks and Brownie outings rarely go over Level 3.
• if in doubt, ASK a fellow Guider for help. Do not stop these fun events just because of the Safe Guide!!

Q. There is a new "Image release form" on the website, instead of the Photo Release form. Are they the same??

A. Yes, the Image Release form replaces the photo release form. These new forms need only to be signed once by members -- both girls and Guiders -- and are good for life. They will be collected by your commissioner, who will in turn, pass them onto our Area iMIS adviser, who inputs them and sends them to Province. If circumstances change for the girl and her picture is not to be taken, then another forms can be signed indicating that and inputted again into iMIS, making a slight change in iMIS' privacy section. Once a girl member turns 18, she will have to sign a new one as an adult member, but then is good for life. This will at least eliminate one of the pieces of paper for any event!