B.C. Girl Guides to receive same number of school credits as Scouts after 12-year-old points out inequity

Girl Guides in B.C. will now earn twice the number of high school credits previously allowed, bringing them on par with many similar programs traditionally catered to boys.

Effective Sept. 1, Girl Guides will receive double the amount of B.C. graduation credits for two programs — the Canada Cord, for girls aged 12 to 14, and the Trailblazer Leadership Gold Award, for girls aged 15 to 17.

The change comes after Kylar Tennart, a 12-year-old participant in the Girl Guides of Canada's Pathfinder program, pointed out an inequity in credits being earned by different youth programs.

Diamond Isinger, provincial commissioner for Girl Guides Canada, first met Tennart at an event in Nanaimo in the spring, when she presented her "big idea."

"She felt that that she should receive more school credit and her friends should receive more credit for the achievements that they obtained by getting their Canada Cord," she said.

"When I did more research to see if that would be possible ... we realized that compared to a lot of youth-serving organizations, especially those that are traditionally male, such as Cadets and Scouts, they were receiving double the credits that girls in guiding were receiving for very similar levels of achievement."

Isinger reached out to the Ministry of Education and said that within a week, officials responded saying they would look at changing how different programs are accredited.

"I think Kylar is delighted ... she, like all of our girls thinks big, dreams big and comes up with big ideas," Isinger said.

"She was really excited to have an idea of hers and actually see it come to life, especially because it benefits so many girls all across British Columbia," she said.

Isinger said it's hard to know how the inequity started because credential systems have been in place since 1998.

Girls working toward the two awards explore topics covering science, the arts, and the environment. Each award is now worth four credits, the same as a standard high school course in B.C.