Hay River (Oct 20/03) - Selena Pukanich believes in the Girl Guide movement.

"I went through the whole program right up to Pathfinders," says the Hay River district commissioner for the Girl Guides. "I think it's an absolutely fantastic program for young girls."

She has been district commissioner for just over a year, the first time she has held the position.

Currently, about 38 girls are involved in the guiding movement in Hay River, although Pukanich says the program could accommodate up to 80.

Her goal is to give all girls the opportunity to experience the world of guiding.

"They learn so much," she says. "It's not just come out and play."

As district commissioner, Pukanich recently faced a difficult decision.

Two weeks ago, a decision was made to cancel the Brownies and Guides programs in Hay River for the year, due to the lack of parental involvement. Since then, at least two people answered a call for volunteers to lead the programs, Pukanich says. "We should be able to fire it up in the next two weeks."

Pukanich says still more volunteers are needed. "The more volunteers you have, the easier the programs run and the more you can do."

The Sparks and Pathfinders programs were never cancelled, she notes. "We have the leadership, we have the programs, we have everything in place."

About two years ago, the Scouting movement folded in Hay River because of a lack of parental involvement, she notes. "That was a real shame."

In fact, she has received a half-dozen calls from some mothers hoping to get their sons into Guiding, although she explains Guiding is strictly a girls club.

"The Boy Scouts should really get their act together here in this town," she says.

Her role as district commissioner is to ensure that all Guiding groups are run properly and to undertake various ongoing projects, such as fundraising efforts and operating the Guides cabin at Sandy Lake.

Pukanich and her husband Dwayne moved to Hay River from Edmonton almost two years ago with their daughter.

"We were looking for a change," she says. "We were looking for an adventure."

The 40-year-old says she decided to try different things in the North, including becoming a returning officer for the territorial government.

"It tweaked my interest," she says, noting she had been a poll clerk and an enumerator in Edmonton. She and her husband, who works at Ekati Mine, also foster two children.