Our History
During our founder Adele Heagle’s undergrad in Guelph, she saw a gap in girl’s programming, limiting opportunities to accessible spaces and inclusive spaces for self-identifying women. Inspired by a folklore from her childhood, she named the nonprofit Indigo Girls Group — children who were supposedly put on the earth as wise beings who create positive change around them.
Soon the clubs themselves grew and a team of passionate women leaders helped to establish the program with a strong foundation. These leaders took the concept to their own communities and that was just the beginning of the Indigo Girls Group.
In 2021, Indigo Girls Group underwent organizational change to better represent the evolving community of Indigo Girls Group. The organization as a whole voted to rename IGG to Willow Youth Network. The mission and vision changed accordingly, ushering in a brand new era for the organization.
In 2023, we’ve revamped our brand with new illustrations to represent our youthful participants. In addition, we redesigned our internal and external website pages for better navigation amongst participants, parents, and volunteers.
Why Willow?
It has a strong and adaptable root system that enables it to thrive in a variety of challenging environments. We seek to follow this example by being a strong adaptable organization firmly rooted in the needs of the communities we serve.
Willow trees also create a beautiful, welcoming and calming environment, and many members have fond memories of playing in and around willow trees as children. Likewise, we aim to create safe nurturing environments where people can learn and grow.