Canadian Girls in Training, or CGIT, is a church-based program for girls and young women aged 11–17 throughout

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. Girls who join the CGIT vow to "Cherish Health, Seek Truth, Know God, Serve Others and thus, with esus'help, become the girl God would have me be".

History

The group was founded in 1915, as an alternative to the burgeoning

Girl Guides Girl Guides (known as Girl Scouts in the United States and some other countries) is a worldwide movement, originally and largely still designed for girls and women only. The movement began in 1909 when girls requested to join the then-grassroot ...

movement, which the founders felt was too British or American and too authoritarian. Initial support was provided by the

YWCA The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...

, along with the

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

, and

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

churches. A uniform to be worn by the members, consisting of a white and blue

middy blouse A sailor dress is a child's or woman's dress that follows the styling of the sailor suit, particularly the bodice and collar treatment. A sailor-collared blouse is called a middy blouse ("middy" derives from " midshipman"). In early 20th-century A ...

, was modelled on a style of shirt that was popular at that time. By the end of its first decade, 75,000 girls had received CGIT training. By 1933, there were chapters in 1100 communities across the country, with a total membership of 40,000. Later, after the YWCA ran into financial difficulties, the group was taken over by the

Canadian Council of Churches The Canadian Council of Churches (French: ''Conseil canadien des Églises'') is a broad and inclusive ecumenical body, now representing 26 member churches including Anglican; Eastern and Roman Catholic; Evangelical; Free Church; Eastern and Orient ...

' Department of Christian Education, and was an independent organization by 1976. Today, it is supported by the

United Church of Canada The United Church of Canada (french: link=no, Église unie du Canada) is a mainline Protestant denomination that is the largest Protestant Christian denomination in Canada and the second largest Canadian Christian denomination after the Catholi ...

, the Presbyterian Church in Canada, and the Canadian Baptist Ministries, and numbers approximately 2,000 members in 150 groups.

Activities

CGIT Camp 1927 near Peterborough Ontario

CGIT leaders organize a variety of creative and athletic activities rooted in or consistent with contemporary Christian (

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

) values. CGIT members also have the option of attending one of several CGIT camps, including Kalalla (

Alcove, Quebec La Peche QC 2

Alcove is a small community in Quebec, Canada, part of the ...

), Ryde Lake (

Gravenhurst, Ontario Gravenhurst is a town in the Muskoka Region of Ontario, Canada. It is located approximately south of Bracebridge, Ontario. Mayor Paul Kelly was . The Town of Gravenhurst includes a large area of the District of Muskoka, known to Ontarians as ...

), and Wohelo (near

Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anchor ...

). The camps provide opportunities for healthy outdoor fun and group activities.

References

{{reflist
City of Toronto Archives
Site accessed February 3, 2008 * Keller, Rosemary Skinner, Ruether, Rosemary Radford, Carlton, Marie. "The Encyclopedia of Women and Religion in North America". pp. 365–366. ''Indiana University Press''. 2006. * McIntosh, Robert Gordon. "Boys in the Pits: Child Labour in Coal Mines". p. 19. ''McGill-Queen's University Press''. 2000. * McLean, Lorna R., O'Rourke, Kate. "Framing Our Past: Canadian Women's History in the Twentieth Century". pp. 155–156. ''McGill-Queen's University Press''. 2001.

External links

Canadian Girls in Training websiteCamp Kalalla websiteRyde Lake Camp websiteC.G.I.T. Camp Wohelo website
Christian organizations established in 1915 Christian education in Canada Non-aligned Scouting organizations in Canada Christian non-aligned Scouting organizations Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting Women's organizations based in Canada * 1915 establishments in Canada Protestantism in Canada