Ontario Girl Guides of Canada

GirlJam is set to be a GIGANTIC Girl Guide event that will bring thousands of girls from all branches across Ontario and Nunavut together for a jam-packed one-of-a-kind day full of amazing activities!

GirlJam will take place May 24-25 at Exhibition Place, Toronto. On Friday, May 24, participants will sleep over and on Saturday, girls will choose from amazing program activities. There will be a day-only option to attend on Saturday, May 25, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Registration opens at 6 p.m. on Friday night for sleepover participants.
Registration opens at 9 a.m. on Saturday for day participants

Yes, there is a designated reflection space. It will be separated from the open SleepZones and Program Space space by drapery. It is a quiet location but it will not be silent. It has a concrete floor.

Yes, there is a designated quiet room. While the room will not be 100% quiet it is indoors an seperated from the main activity areas. There will be seating and it is a cement floor.

You can bring a collapsable wagon but wagons will not be allowed in buildings or within program areas. Wagons will need to be parked outside in the designated area when your unit is inside or in the outdoor program areas.

Outdoor activates will continue to run in light rain provided there are no safety concerns. Please refer to the kit list and ensure you bring weather appropriate clothing. In the event of rain, raincoats are recommended over unbrellas to ensure you still have free hands to participate in the activity.

The majority of the activity stations are located inside the Queen Elizabeth Building and in the Better Living Building.

In the event of significant or heavy rain, lighting, wind or thunder, activaties originally located in the outdoor area will move into the Better Living Building. The planning team will communicate with participants and vendors should the rain plan need to be used.

Registration opened November 14 and closed on January 31.

No, registration closed on January 31 and the event is sold out.

No, there will not be a waitlist.

No, can no longer add to your registration.

Only units can register for both the overnight and day event or the day-only option.

The full event fee (Friday/Saturday) is $89+ HST/participant. 

The day option fee (Saturday only) is $50+ HST/participant. 

Transportation costs are included in the registration fee. Please see the Transportation section for more information.

The participant fee includes: 
Friday night: Special event, snack and indoor sleeping space. 
Saturday: All-day extraordinary activities, breakfast, lunch and snacks (morning and afternoon). 
Organized transportation to and from the event. 

Note:

• Friday travel to event: Does not include lunch or dinner. Units will need to organize these meals at the participant/unit expense.
• Saturday day option only – fee does not include breakfast. Participants will need to eat breakfast before arriving at GirlJam.
• Saturday travel home: Does not include dinner. Units will need to organize this meal at the participant/unit expense.

There is no minimum number of girls required from your unit. Each unit will require the minimum number of Guiders (including one with current First Aid qualifications) according to the Safe Guide yellow ratio. The number of Guiders registered cannot exceed the minimum yellow ratio for the branch of girls you are registering. See the Safe Guide section for more information

Yes, you will need to provide names and general information for each participant at time of registration.

No. Only the deposit of 50% is due at time of registration and 50% is due by April 1.

Registration closed on January 31.

You can change the names of the participants you have previously registered. The last day for name changes is April 15, however, if a participant is no longer going to attend they may not be eligible for a refund. Please see FAQ about cancellations and refunds for more information on this topic.

No. Registration cost may be paid in full at time of registration or it may be paid in two installments. For instalments 50% is due at time of registration and 50% is due by April 1st.

Registration will close in January 2024. More details will be made available this year.

For unit registrations, both the deposit and final payment will be made via unit transfers to the province. Please see the Banking section for more details.

You can change the names of the participants you have previously registered and register additional participants, space permitting.

However, if a participant is no longer going to attend, they may not be eligible for a refund. Please see FAQs about cancellations and refunds for more information on this topic.

Ontario Council is currently subsidizing the event registration fee; therefore, no additional subsidies are available.

All requests for a refund must be submitted via the online Event – Request for Change to Existing Event Registration form. All deposits are non-refundable and non-transferable. A refund, less the deposit, may be issued until March 15, 2024. After this date, no refunds will be provided without medical documentation, or if extenuating circumstances (e.g., death in the family) apply. Refunds are provided via the same method used to pay for the event.  

Deposits should be made with the EVNT code.

When the treasurer allocates the deposits, the transactions should be entered as Special Events with the following in the comment section GirlJam 2024 before approving the transaction.

All travel receipts must be submitted on or before June 25th,2024 for your travel expenses to be reimbursed into your unit bank account.

They should be entered as a Special Events expense.

Please have the treasurer put this code: GirlJam 24 TE in the comments section of the transaction.

Friday night:  Evening of fun while making new friends. Check out the Specail Events sections for more details on Friday programming

Saturday’s programming will be free flow – participants will choose what program sessions they want to attend all day long! Participants will be in the driver’s seat of their day at GirlJam 2024. Programs will be operating by our amazing volunteers and third-party vendors. Some programs may have scheduled times and some maynot be able to support all interested parties at the same time. We ask that you please be respectful to our program operators and the limitations they might need to set in order to ensure an amazing day.

Program will be divided into five areas:

• Experiment in our STEM Lab
• Design and create in our Arts Studio.
• Test your limits in our Sports and Outdoors Pavilion.
• Take Action for a Better World in our Advocacy Hub.
• Build skills at our Life Stuff Arena.

Yes. Before the event you will receive an activity tracking sheet and program description handout. This resource will describe each station with recommended branches and suggested Program & Theme activities, making it easier for you to plan your day.

In the Stem Lab

• Explore nature and get your hands dirty learning about animals

In Art Studio

• Bring your dancing shoes and get ready to move to the music

In the Sports area

• Learn about a new sport with professional athletes

In the Advocacy Hub

• Work together with different agencies to create acts of service

In Building Skills

• Learn skills to help with your mental, emotional and physically well being.

All units must be within a similar area to ensure that youth participants are supervised.

Program areas will be set up in a way that youth can go to different stations while still being supervised.

Youth members should never be left alone while at programs. Program operators are not able to supervises participants at their stations.

At GirlJam we are working with the Daily Bread Food Bank and collecting non-perishable food items. For suggestion on what to donate please use this list.

We are also working with Period Purse and will be collecting unopened period products.

It is not mandatory to bring items to donate – it is optional. Items will be donated in the Toronto area.

You will be able to drop off donations at the Daily Bread and Period Purse booths at any time on Saturday.

No. This is a girl-focused event and Unit Guiders in attendance will be supervising units and helping girls with program activities.

Depending on when you arrive, your unit may be able to join in Body Break, badge/pin/hat craft swapping or a campfire.

There will be scheduled performances on three stages! 

Performances will include:  

• Acrobatics/clowning
• Dance
• Music
• Magic

There will be an opening and closing event scheduled on Saturday and a campfire scheduled for Friday evening.

Yes, there will be both audio and visual components to the special events.

The caterer will be able to accommodate the following:

• Vegetarian
• Vegan
• Gluten-Free
• Nut Aware

Every effort will be made to ensure other allergies/dietary restrictions are accommodated.

Friday night: Snack
Saturday: Breakfast, lunch, and snacks (morning and afternoon).
Please note: Friday night snack and Saturday breakfast are only provided for overnight participants.

Friday travel to event: Does not include lunch or dinner. Units will need to organize these meals at the participant/unit expense.
Saturday day option only travel to event – fee does not include breakfast. Participants will need to eat breakfast before arriving at GirlJam.
Saturday travel home: Does not include dinner. Units will need to organize this meal at the participant/unit expense.

Typical menu includes:

• Friday night snacks – popcorn, pepperette and cheese string or veggies and hummus
• Breakfast – breakfast wrap, fruit, yogurt tube, juice (for overnight participants only)
• Morning snack –Made good granola bar
• Lunch – sandwich/wrap, granola bar, veggies and dip, dessert bar
• Afternoon snack - Banna bread bearpaw

Menu adjustments have been made to accommodate food preferences as specified on the unit’s registration information.

Each meal bag will be marked with the meal type. Participants with complex dietary requirements may have their name also on the meal bag.

Guiders will receive a list of who has which meal bag to ensure everyone receives the right meal.

One Unit Guider will be able to pick up all the meals for their unit by presenting their unit’s food ticket to their designated food booth. Meals are individually packaged and placed in a larger tote bag for the Guider to carry back to their unit’s chosen picnic spot.

Menus have been designed to accommodate the food preferences and allergies from the registration data. There will be no substitutions/alternatives available.

No. There are not other locations on site that you will be able to order food from.

No, be sure your units have had dinner prior to arrival. We are not allowed to bring outside food into the facilities.

Crew meals will be provided for the crew. Please see the crew section for more details.

Transportation will be organized for participants by the GirlJam organizers. Travel methods will depend on the distance the participants are traveling to the event.

Travel zones are as follows:

• Zone 1 – Participants who reside in the City of Toronto and surrounding area serviced by TTC. Adults and girls 13 and older can receive reimbursement for their TTC fare (receipt or transfer required). Remember, children 12 and under are free on the TTC! 
• Zone 2: Units located within 30 km of the Lakeshore East or Lakeshore West GO Train line. Adults and girls 13 and older can receive reimbursement for their GO Transit fare (receipt or transfer required). Remember, children 12 and under are free on the GO! Discounted group passes/weekend passes are also available for purchase on the GO Transit website.
• Zone 3 – Participants who reside further than 30 km from the Lakeshore East or Lakeshore West GO Train line but less than 650 km from Exhibition Place. Ontario Council will organize busing for participants to and from the event location. Note: Based on distance, bussing will be either by school bus or Coach bus.
• Zone 4 – Participants who reside farther than 650 km from Exhibition Place. Ontario Council will organize transportation which may include flights (including shuttle from the airport, if applicable, to Exhibition Place).

Travel costs to and from the event are included in the GirlJam registration fee. Units looking to travel outside the planned travel times for the event would be at the cost of the unit. There will be no adjustment to the registration fee, and units will be responsible for any Safe Guide paperwork.

If you are planning on extending your trip to activates outside of this event, please email on-girljam@girlguides.ca to let us know.

Units travelling to GirlJam by bus will have designated pick-up/drop-off locations. These locations will be established across the province by the GirlJam organizers based on the various locations that units are travelling from.

Units travelling by plane must coordinate their travel to/from their city airport. Once in Toronto, transportation to the event site will be organized by the GirlJam organizers.

No, you will not be able to leave any items on the bus. Buses will not remain on location during the event and your unit may travel back on a different bus number.

There are washrooms on the coach buses. There are no washrooms on the school bus.

You can bring a collapsible wagon. Your wagon cannot exceed #x# as there is limited space on buses.

Departure and arrival times will be different for each unit. Contact Guiders will receive unit specific information via email.

No, there is no eating allowed on school buses.

Yes, you can eat on a coach bus.

GirlJam is considered a yellow event. All units attending must meet Yellow Safe Guide ratio and provide the correct number of First Aid qualified Guiders.

Minimum supervision ratios will be:

Sparks 1:5*, Embers 1:5*, Guides 1:7*, Pathfinders 1:7, Rangers 1:15

*A minimum of 2 Supervisors is required.

If a unit attends with more than 25 people, they will need more than one Guider with first aid, as yellow first aid ratio is 1:25 participants.

For Multi Branch units please use the Supervisor and First Aid Ratio Calculator on Member Zone to insure you have the correct number of Guiders and First Aiders. Safe Guide.

The Safe Guide submission for this event will be handled by the event planning team on behalf of the units participating in the event.

The SG.1, SG.2, SG.4 forms are available and can be found under the forms tab on the GirlJam page. GirlJam 2024 - Forms.

For units in Zone 3 (see transportation information) on the SG.1 and SG.2 forms the costs can be updated to include the any extra food costs during travel.

Meals not included are lunch and dinner Friday and dinner on Sunday.

Yes, absolutely! There will be questions during the registration process asking if there is a support person attending GirlJam to help a participant. The support person must be listed on the Roster as a support person to attend the event. There is no cost for a support person to attend GirlJam.

As GirlJam is a girl focused event and we would like to provide as many girl opportunities as possible, an A.7 non-member unit assistant can only attend if needed for ratio purposes.

No, as GirlJam is a girl focused event, Guiders can only attend the event in two ways:

• As a Unit Guider to meet ratio
• On-site volunteer

Participants will be sleeping indoors on the floor. Sleepover participants will need to bring their own sleeping bags, sleeping pads, pillows and overnight personal items.

All participants must pack gear that they can carry themselves. There will not be a transportation system in place to transport gear to the building for participants.

There will not be any shower facilities available at the event.

Your luggage will be secured during the day in your SleepZone. You will pack it up before breakfast and place it into a designated/labelled space. You will be able to pick it up after the closing on Saturday. There is no access to your gear during the day.

Any items that you will need during the day should be in your day bag. Please see the kit list for what your day bag should look like.

There will be dedicated bathrooms for changing and dedicated bathrooms for toileting needs. Pop up change rooms will be available for purchase or to share.

The entire space uses low lighting (flashlights not necessary for late night movement).

Each unit will be allocated to one of three SleepZones which are supported by a three-person DreamTeam and will accommodate approximately 600 sleepers.

Your unit will be assigned a designated SleepSpot based on the number of participants. Your SleepSpot will be marked out on the cement floor.

Your SleepSpot will not have any type of physical barriers around it.

Each sleeper will have a space approximately 3'x8' – it will be wide enough to accommodate a single width sleep or yoga mat.

Whatever you bring you have to be able to carry up to 1 km from the bus loading area to your SleepSpot. Guiders will be allocated the same 3'x8' space as a youth member.

Each SleepZone has a different lights out time based on the age of the sleepers. All SleepZones will have a 6:45 a.m. wake up call.

Each SleepZone is supported by a three-person DreamTeam. They will have a labelled map of the space and your SleepSpot will be identified by your unit name/number.

Units are being assigned SleepZones based on branch level, arrival times and unit size. There will be some crossover between Embers and Sparks or Guides, but not branches two or three levels above/below.

We can not guarantee that you will be located in the same area or near a specific unit.

Electrical outlets will not be available in the SleepZones. Any outlets will be designated for CPAP machines or other medical needs.

There will be limited and designated areas for charging personal devices. However, as these are limited, we recommend bringing an external battery pack for your personal devices.

Units will be offered a handheld snack on Friday evening, please see food for more information on the provided snack.

Several waterbottle refill stations will be available throughout the facility.

No. Make sure your units have had dinner prior to arrival. We are not allowed to bring outside food into the facilities.

All SleepSpots are in a large open, low-lit area. There are no separate SleepSpots for youth or adults.

GirlJam will be a volunteer-powered event! Sub Hub are still open and Crew applications are coming soon. Keep an eye on Guidepost for more information.

Yes. All volunteers must be fully-screened members of Girl Guides of Canada in order to apply and be accepted for any volunteer positions at GirlJam.

Volunteers will be asked to pay $50 + HST. The fee includes a crest and meals during the event.

There are many different Sub-Hub and Crew positions, including helping with site services or security, leading a session, helping with communications, or assisting with stage events. See “Volunteer Opportunities” for the most UpToDate lists of volunteer options. 

Sub-Hub and Crew will be recruited through an application process. Once applications are received, the steering committee members will review and set up phone interviews for potential crew members for their respective teams.

All volunteers and participants will be sleeping inside.

No. All volunteers will need to bring their own sleeping gear to the event.

Transportation will be organized, and travel options will be based on Travel Zones and the volunteer's role.

Volunteers will be asked to pay $35 + HST. The fee includes a crest, shirt and meals during the event.

Crew members will be fed meals based on arrivals times on Friday and Saturday.

There will be a crew space during GirlJam.

Yes, this is a smoke-free and vape-free event. No smoking or vaping is allowed in the building or in outside areas being used by GGC. A smoking/vaping area may be designated outside of these areas if available.