This is a fabulous Canada Cord Ceremony posted to the Guide Mailing List by Wendy Baker. It could easily be modified to suit any type of advancement ceremony:
This is a flower ceremony and each flower symbolizes a part of their Guiding life. The flowers are colour coordinated to the branch of Guiding. Since I have not had any girls yet who were sparks I have not added this branch to the ceremony yet. There are a dozen flowers and depending on the number of girls, the time of year, and our finances they can easily be very inexpensive. A bunch or two of flowers from the grocery store can often be made to work. I usually have 3 carnations sprayed, silver, gold and bronze as well as the yellow rosebud.
The ceremony goes like this:
Guider: (name of girls) these flowers are symbols of your life in Guiding. We know that you own Guiding experiences will take you into a lifetime of good deeds and prepare you for a life of service to others, being always prepared for anything. These flowers remind us of the world of nature which we in Guiding love and respect, but each flower individually also reminds us or your journey in Guiding.
Brownie Leader (presents flower and says): This yellow daffodils symbolize your days in Brownies, from your first days as a nervous Tweenie to the day you proudly flew up to Guides to meet new challenges awaiting you in Guides.
Guide Leader (presents flower and says): This blue carnation symbolized your days in Guides, when you meet your challenges and were always prepared.
Girls Mother(s): This red rose reminds you of the warmth of the hearth in your home. Your caring ways with your family and friends have been enriched through your challenges learned and home skills practiced on your family and friends.
Mayor of Town: This white carnation symbolizes the Community Emblem which you earned, learning about your community politically as well as how to provide service to others in your community. How to bring light into the lives of those less fortunate than yourself.
Fellow Pathfinder: This pink rose symbolizes the Camping Emblem. Camping has been a very important part of your Guiding years. You have met many new challenges in the out of doors through your camping experiences and many new friendships with your fellow campers.
Fellow Pathfinder: This white carnation reminds us of the World Emblem where we learned to preserve our heritage on earth for future generations. We are the ones who can bring global peace and unity in the future.
Fellow Pathfinder: This pink rose symbolizes your ability to always Be Prepared for all your personal challenges in life by applying the Guide Law and always being honest and trustworthy.
Guider: This red rose symbolizes the Be Prepared emblem where you learned to always Be Prepared for all your personal challenges in life. Having completed the three stages of all of these emblems, silver, bronze and gold. You have reached the end of the Pathfinder Program and so you are now ready to begin your new challenges awaiting you in Rangers as well as in life. As Roberta Bondar said, "Each goal achieved in Life was like a new badge earned in Guides."
Ranger: Finally this yellow rosebud symbolizes the new challenges and goals awaiting you in your life ahead. Just as this bud is beginning to open, so you have already begun to meet these new challenges.
Guider: This red ribbon ties all of these flowers
together just as your Canada Cord encompasses all the work you have done as a
Pathfinder. Congratulations ____ as a Canada Cord recipient it is your destiny
to share the Guiding principles and be proud to be a Canadian.
Before the ceremony starts I usually give a little story about the girl and her accomplishments. This ceremony is performed with the entire District present. The girls like to have their mothers put on their cord but the decision is theirs to make.
I always write to the members of Parliament and invite them to the ceremonies, if they cannot attend they will send a certificate for presentation, a letter from the Prime Minister and a certificate from the Premier.
YIG Wendy Baker, Pathfinder Guider (among other things) Campbellford, On