INCLUSIVITY of these lines over the years. No girl or unit is wrong when they sing it the way they’ve learned it – in fact it can be quite beautiful to hear the different versions sung together. I think it’s a great illustration of how each girl and Guider brings something unique to the song, and when we sing together, beautiful music is made in the form of girl empowerment, leadership, and the spirit of Guiding.
Embracing Adaptation and Change Even songs we think of as permanent fixtures of Guiding have a colourful history of adaptation and change. For example, the song “On My Honour” was written by a Girl Scout Leader named Cindy Dasch at an international camp in Illinois in 1971. From there, it travelled quickly all over the world, but it wasn’t put into print until the late 1980s. In a letter Cindy wrote in 1991, she noted that, “a Guide unit from Manitoba once taught me two new verses!” In an epic game of broken telephone, some song lyrics have changed organically over time, while other lyrics were
When we choose to be inclusive in our song choices, we create a safer space for the girls and Guiders in our units and in the broader Guiding community to be who they are.
“O Canada” – English O Canada! Our home and native land! True patriot love in all of us command. With glowing hearts we see thee rise, The True North strong and free! From far and wide, O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. God keep our land glorious and free! O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
“O Canada” – Bilingual O Canada! Our home and native land! True patriot love in all of us command, Car ton bras sait porter l’épée. Il sait porter la croix! Ton histoire est une épopée Des plus brillants exploits. God keep our land glorious and free! O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
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deliberately changed in an effort to make sure everyone who gathers around the campfire feels that they belong. So how do we know when a song lyric needs changing? It can be challenging, especially when it’s a song we’ve been singing for years, and that fits with our own beliefs. Being curious about the girls in our unit, and getting to know their stories and experiences without singling anyone out can help us to make more inclusive choices. It’s important to remember that thinking some girls could “just leave out a line or sing a different lyric” is not inclusive. Some folks (including girls and Guiders) are not comfortable making the choice, for fear of appearing “different” from the group. And, sadly, some will just quietly leave Guiding, rather than continue in an environment that doesn’t feel welcoming to their unique identity. In my own unit, we made the switch to a new version of “Taps.” The change in song lyrics came with a learning opportunity – we flagged that “God is nigh” may leave out members in our unit who practise a different religion or no religion at all. We voted on our new closing line, presenting a few options, and ultimately chose to go with “Friends goodnight.” Over the course of this discussion, I learned that many girls didn’t even know what “nigh” meant – so they learned a new word in the process. We now encourage the girls to identify any song lyrics that they don’t understand going forward, providing more learning opportunities for the whole unit.
Did you know? • Proclaimed to be Canada’s national anthem on July 1, 1980, “O Canada” was first sung in French on June 24, 1880 – more than 100 years earlier. In 2018, legislation was passed to change the English line, “In all thy sons command” to “In all of us command.” This change makes the anthem gender neutral and, therefore, more inclusive. • While the English lyrics have been changed several times, the first widely accepted English version was already gender neutral. The line was “Thou dost in us command.” • According to the Government of Canada: “There is no law or behaviour governing the playing of the national anthem; it is left to the good citizenship of individuals.” There are people who sing “we keep our land” instead of using the word God, but for others it might be more meaningful to use God. • Consider opening a discussion with the girls in your unit to see what they think of the lyrics. With almost any song, you can provide them options – or they can come up with some together – so they can see how different/altered song lyrics provide one way to make space for everyone.
CANADIAN GUIDER | SPRING 2019