Girl Guides Of Canada Announces Change To Age Group Name To Be More ‘Inclusive’

The Girl Guides of Canada Share In an effort to be better, Wednesday saw a new name given to one of its groups “inclusive.”

Instead of “Brownies,” The Girl Guides of Canada (GGC), seven- and eight-year old age branches of girls will be called now “Embers.”

“This wasn’t just about a name or its origin. This was about the fact that girls experienced racism and felt that they weren’t welcome in Girl Guides,” Jill Zelmanovits (CEO of Girl Guides of Canada)  In a press statement.

“We heard from many current and former members and even members of the public who understood why we had to make this change. Over the last couple of months, families have signed up with Girl Guides for the first time because changing this name means Girl Guides is more inclusive for their daughters,” Zelmanovits observed.

In November, the Girl Guides declared that they were trying to change the name of the branch. This was after past members and current members had suggested the idea. “Brownies” Title “caused harm and was a barrier to belonging for racialized girls and women,” According to the release.

The name “Embers” September will see the full integration of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. Request Members are not to wear clothing with an old name on them after September 1st “when representing GGC.”

“With the new Embers name, we hope even more girls will see Guiding as a place where they can just be themselves, grow their confidence and explore their talents and interests,” Zelmanovits said. “By taking action and changing the name to Embers, Girl Guides is living our promise to ‘take action for a better world’ and we are showing girls that what they say matters. This is something I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of.”

The Brownies were founded in England in 1914 by girls who wanted to form a similar group as the Scouts. They were initially known as the Brownies. “Rosebuds,” According to BBC.

They The name was going to be changed in November. A request was made for members to weigh-in and vote online to choose a new title. These were the two options. “Embers or Comets,” According to The New York Times.

The Girl Guides of Canada first realized that some people didn’t like the name “Brownies” According to Zelmanovits (per the Times), protests and riots erupted around the globe after George Floyd’s death in 2020.