Dear Guides,

Welcome to 2013! Well this might be a little late, but we are still in the first month, and first term of this year.

For some of us, the youngest in the company (won’t be for long though)—Y2s, this means your second year in Guiding. It’s been a year since you’ve stepped into this company, and I’m sure your sister guides and yourself have gone through 2012 experiencing ups and downs together.

Y3s—are you all starting to get used to being called that term? As seniors we’ve seen your growth, from strength to strength, and seen you become more determined. 2013 marks a new year for you, a new journey to go through with your fellow Guides. And I can promise you that it will be your most challenging year yet.

Y4s, we’ve come this far in our Guiding journey; this year will be our last part of the path. This is our final chapter in this company that we have grown, truly, to call our home.

Guides-- Do you remember the days when you first met the company and your level mates? When you first bought your Guides uniform, when you first tied your scarf , when you first learnt footdrill; when you first tied a knot, when you first went through a camp, when you first sang along with your sister guides in our campfire. We all grow through the same experience, year after year. No matter what year you are now, you will also go through these 4 years together.

The question I want to ask is, do you know what is your purpose in Guides?

It is definitely not by chance that you are in this company, reading this post right now. No one else who doesn’t belong to RVGG would be reading this post, and no one else would care. This company is yours; you belong to this family. These 4 years that you are going to go through must surely amount to something. You can't do things without knowing what you do it for.

Think about it. Guides is a CCA that you have to go to every Tuesday and Friday, and learn skills and drills. You go through enrolment tests, skills training, camps and courses. At the end, do you know why you are here and why you go through all these?

Many of us go through things without making it count. We assume that we have time, and we think that it is not important. We think that we are not important. And so we use this as a reason to not grab hold of opportunities. We let moments slip by. These moments add up into memories, and they might just turn into regrets.

Often, we end up doing things without a sense of purpose, without knowing why. What is your purpose in Guides? Everyone is important, and every single one of us have a reason being in this company. Sit down and think about what you want to achieve this year in Guides. Who are you as a Guide? Find your purpose of being here, being in RVGG together with your sister Guides.

Don’t let 2013 just be another year where you follow through the motions, where you just let things happen and slip by. This year is not going to come by again, no matter what. Are you going to just be a bystander of this company or are you going to live out your purpose?

Guides, the choice is always yours.

Yu Jia