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SCOUTING LIFE

FALL 2013

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ScoutingLife.ca Fall 2013 1

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Scouting Life Magazine is produced for Scouts Canada three times a year by Moongate Publishing Inc. 120 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 1100, Toronto, ON M4P 1E2 416-930-1664 • www.moongate.ca

Scouting Life Magazine addresses timely topics about leadership in Scouting. Editorial contributions are made on a voluntary basis. Unsolicited submissions welcome.

Advertising policy: Advertisement of a product or service does not indicate endorsement by the publishers. The publishers do not assume any responsibility by warranty or otherwise with respect to products advertised.

Publisher Yolanda Thornton Editor James MorrisContributing Editor Ted Morris Advertising Sales Manager Madeleine HagueGraphic Design Egg Design

SCOUTS CANADA EDITORIAL BOARD

Andrew Price, Chief Commissioner and Chair of the Board of GovernorsKaylee Galipeau, National Youth Commissioner and Chair of the National Youth NetworkSteve Kent, Past Chief Commissioner, Contingent Leader 23rd World ScoutJamboree 2015Doug Reid, Deputy National Commissioner, Program ServicesDoug Wakabayashi, Deputy National Commissioner - Communications Clément Belanger, Group Commissioner & Akela, 1st HullJohn Petitti, Executive Director, Marketing & Communications

CONTENTS

VOLUME 44 ISSUE 1

FALL 20132813

3 Editor’s Note: starting a conversation. Mot du rédacteur en chef : appel à la participation.

4 Commissioner’s Corner: some helpful thoughts for the fall. Mot du commissaire en chef : conseils pratiques pour l’automne.

6 I Promise: putting meaning behind the words.

8 Leadership Challenge: an authoritative word on authority. Défi du leadership : des conseils qui font autorité.

12 Sofa Surfing: flat out fun on the Prairies.

14 Citizen Engagement: when Scouting meets Government. Participation des citoyens : les scouts et le gouvernement.

17 Jamboree Memories: a fond look back (pull it out and save it!)

25 Two Scouter Rule: it’s simply a matter of safety. La règle des deux animateurs : une question de sécurité.

28 White Tail Tale: a campfire story, written by a Scout for Beavers.

30 Group Activities: ideas from the 66th Windsor and Facebook

33 Scouter’s 5: how a pencil is more than just a pencil.

34 Leading Reading: a little Kipling can bring a lot to your Pack

36 International: Venturer Scouts venture to Croatia

38 Engaging Youth: Michael Burdo’s word on effective leadership.

40 Scouter’s Album: We asked, you submitted. Now send us more!

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Scouting Life is printed on recyclable paper.ISSN 0711-5377

2 ScoutingLife.ca Fall 2013


For those of you who have been receiving Scouting Life for a while, you may have noticed that the way it looks and reads has been changing for just over a year now.

Since starting as editor, I have tried to put my experience

as an active Scouter to use in the development of articles that aim

to do three things:

First, to speak to leadership issues. Leadership in Scouting is

what we all have in common. The primary goal of the magazine is

to act as a resource to Leaders, in their efforts to deliver a quality

Scouting program to youth in their communities.

Second, to be a conduit of information from Scouts Canada to

those of you from coast to coast who volunteer your time to make

good on the promise of Scouting. There are ongoing changes

within Scouting culture, and the magazine should be a valued

means for sharing information.

And third, to share examples of Scouting at its best. There

are an infinite number of personal approaches, individual

accomplishments or noteworthy moments in Canada’s Scouting

community, and we aim to share them.

In this issue and going forward we’re aiming to be more

connected to Scouting as it works in meeting halls and church

basements. We’ll still be keeping you informed on Safety and

Program Development, but we are shifting the emphasis.

In order for it to work, though, we need your photos

and stories. So I’m asking you to get in touch with me at

[email protected] to tell me about yourselves and your

groups. The only caveat is that we need good, high resolution

photographs of youth and leaders in action, and that the article

ideas address leadership issues or best practices.

I’m looking forward to hearing from Scouters at every level in

the coming months. Let’s start the conversation now!

James Morris

Editor, Scouting Life Magazine

Ceux d’entre vous qui reçoivent Scouting Life depuis un certain temps déjà ont peut-être remarqué que l’apparence et le contenu du magazine sont en évolution

continue depuis plus d’un an maintenant.

Depuis mes débuts comme rédacteur en chef pour Scouting Life, j’ai

essayé de mettre mon expérience comme membre actif en pratique dans

la création des articles de trois façons :

Premièrement, en parlant de leadership. Le leadership est un des

aspects centraux du scoutisme. L’objectif principal du magazine est

d’aider les animateurs à offrir des programmes de qualité aux jeunes de

leur communauté.

Deuxièmement, en servant de source d’information entre Scouts

Canada et ses membres qui donnent de leur temps d’un océan à l’autre

pour accomplir la mission scoute. Le mouvement scout est en constante

évolution, et le magazine se doit d’être un outil efficace pour partager

l’information, les politiques et bien plus encore.

Troisièmement, en partageant des exemples réels de scoutisme. Il

existe une infinité d’expériences et de réalisations personnelles ou de

moments spéciaux qui ont lieu dans les communautés scoutes du

Canada et qui valent la peine d’être partagés dans le magazine.

Dans ce numéro et à l’avenir, nous visons plutôt à adopter une

approche axée davantage sur les activités de scoutisme de tous les jours

comme elles se déroulent dans les salles de rencontre et les sous-sols

d’églises. Nous vous tiendrons tout de même informer au sujet des

programmes et de la sécurité, mais sans mettre l’accent sur ces formalités.

Afin que notre nouvelle approche fonctionne, nous avons besoin de vos

photos et de vos histoires. Je vous demande donc de communiquer avec

moi pour me parler de vous et de vos groupes à [email protected].

Notez bien, toutefois, que nous avons besoin de bonnes photos en haute

résolution de vos jeunes et de vous en action, et que vos idées d’articles

doivent être en lien avec le leadership ou les pratiques exemplaires.

J’ai très hâte de lire les courriels des membres de partout au pays dans

les prochains mois. Commençons nos échanges dès maintenant!

James Morris

Rédacteur en chef du magazine Scouting Life

EDITOR’S NOTE

OPENING THE CONVERSATION

MOT DU RÉDACTEUR EN CHEF :

APPEL À LA PARTICIPATION


Building the experience

COMMISSIONER’S CORNER • MESSAGE DU COMMISSAIREANDREW PRICE

Forger l’expérience

Friends in Scouting:

A utumn is upon us – the air is getting crisper, and the

leaves are turning colour. As a life-long Scout, this is one

of my favourite seasons. I’ve been fortunate enough to

experience outdoor adventures in almost every province

across this great country. I love the beauty that fall brings

to Canada’s outdoors, and I am always excited by the beginning

of another year of great Scouting.

YouthOur team of Scouters has been busy enabling the Cub Scouts to

choose their own adventures. Encouraging them to think about

what they want to accomplish during their Scouting year, teaching

them to prepare themselves for weekend outings, and helping them

to learn by doing. As the fall turns to winter, we’ll be encouraging the

Cub Scouts to take on even more challenging activities.

One of the best ways to keep energy levels high is to bring new

members into the group. New members bring new perspectives

– some of our greatest ideas for meetings, visits and camps have

come from our tenderpads! Growing our section also makes it

more exciting for returning members: there are new faces and

names to learn, new skills in the Group and new friends to make.

ScoutersFall is about building a strong team of Scouters, a team where

everyone contributes and feels supported. The Scouters I volun-

teer with are all talented individuals with varied skills, knowledge

and interests. When we collaborate, each Scouter can leverage his

or her strengths to deliver safe, cohesive, and varied programming.

Our leadership teams often change in the fall, so I always try to

take some time getting to know each of my fellow Scouters on a

personal level. The more we know and trust each other, the better

we become at delivering exciting programs throughout the year.

Fall is also a time when I am reminded of the ‘Plan, Do,

Review’ cycle that Scouters use when conducting programs.

Reviewing previous activities gives us ideas for improvement,

and planning ahead means that we won’t be struggling to meet

our quality program standards.

Chers amis du scoutisme,

L ’ automne est de nouveau à nos portes, la température

se refroidit et les feuilles ont changé de couleur. J’aime

la beauté des paysages canadiens à cette période et je

suis toujours ravie de commencer une nouvelle année

de scoutisme.

JeunesNotre équipe d’animateurs a travaillé fort afin de faire participer les

scouts louveteaux dans leur choix d’aventures. Nous les avons encoura-

gés à réfléchir à ce qu’ils voulaient accomplir pendant leur année de

scoutisme, nous leur avons appris à se préparer pour leurs sorties et nous

avons mis l’accent sur l’apprentissage par la pratique. Avec la venue de

l’hiver, nous encouragerons nos scouts louveteaux à relever de plus

grands défis encore dans le cadre de leurs activités.

Une des meilleures façons de maintenir le niveau d’énergie à son

maximum est d’accueillir de nouveaux membres dans le groupe. Les

nouveaux membres amènent de nouvelles perspectives, et certaines de

nos meilleures idées viennent d’ailleurs de nos pattes tendres! De plus,

l’agrandissement de notre section rend l’aventure plus excitante pour

nos anciens membres, puisqu’il y a de nouveaux visages, de nouveaux

talents et de nouvelles amitiés à nouer au sein de la meute.

AnimateursL’automne nous permet de bâtir une solide équipe d’animateurs.

C’est-à-dire une équipe dans laquelle tout le monde participe et se sent

soutenu. Les animateurs avec qui je fais du bénévolat sont talentueux et

possèdent des compétences, des connaissances et des intérêts variés.

Lorsque nous collaborons, chaque membre met à contribution ses forces

pour mettre en œuvre des programmes sécuritaires, uniformes et variés.

Notre équipe d’animateurs change souvent à l’automne, je prends donc

toujours le temps d’apprendre à connaître personnellement chacun de

mes compagnons. Mieux nous apprenons à nous connaitre et à nous

faire confiance, mieux nous mettrons en œuvre des programmes

stimulants pendant l’année.

L’automne c’est aussi l’occasion où je me rappelle de l’importance

du processus de « planification, action, révision » que nous utilisons

pendant l’année. La révision des activités antérieures nous permet de


ParentsWhether new or returning, parents always have a number of

questions: what will you be doing this year? Will it be both fun and

safe? And how much fundraising will they be responsible for?

Parents are a critical part of the Scouting team. Fall is a great time

to connect with parents, encouraging them to better understand

our activities and our mission. I can’t count the number of times a

personal connection with parents has helped us to access new

activities, locate fantastic guests for our meetings or resulted in

welcoming a new Scouter. When orienting parents to Scouting, I

would recommend you check out our new guide which can be

found with other program resources on scouts.ca.

Parents are particularly interested in the safety of their

children. I encourage you to take the time to help them under-

stand the processes we have in place to keep all of our members

safe. Once they know what we do to provide safe Scouting for

their youth, they are even more supportive.

MoreWhen I review what we’ve achieved as an organization over the

past year, I am incredibly impressed. The excitement of CJ ’13,

welcoming our new Chief Scout, and the incredible contributions

our Youth Spokespeople have made to key events are just a few of

the successes that have helped us build momentum. I am firmly

convinced that we are ideally positioned to share adventurous

Scouting experiences with more Canadian youth, experiences

that will better prepare them for success in the world. The level of

commitment I have observed among Scouters is definitely our

Movement’s greatest asset: I am confident that it will enable us to

grow our membership during this Scouting year and for many

more to come.

Over the past few years, we have worked hard to ensure that

more youth are able to benefit from Scouting. I speak for the

Board and National Leadership Team when I say that we all share

the same goal – we are One Scouts Canada, seeking to offer great,

safe Scouting adventures to more young Canadians. We are One

Scouts Canada – Growing Together.

Yours in Scouting:

Andrew Price

Chief Commissioner and Chair of the Board of Governors

[email protected]

nous améliorer, et une bonne planification nous permet de respecter

plus facilement les normes de programme en matière de qualité.

ParentsLes parents, qu’ils soient nouveaux ou non, ont toujours de nombreuses

questions. Les parents font partie intégrante de « l’équipe » de scoutisme,

et l’automne est un moment idéal pour établir des liens avec ces

derniers afin de leur faire mieux comprendre nos activités et notre

mission. Je ne peux plus compter le nombre de fois où un lien avec un

parent nous a ouvert des portes. Lorsque vous initiez les parents au

scoutisme, je vous recommande de consulter notre nouveau guide que

vous trouverez parmi les ressources de programme au scouts.ca.

Les parents sont particulièrement intéressés à la sécurité de leur

enfant. Je vous encourage donc à prendre le temps de les aider à

comprendre les processus que nous avons mis en place pour assurer la

sécurité de nos membres. Une fois que les parents savent ce que nous

faisons pour offrir un environnement sûr à leurs jeunes, ils sont encore

plus coopératifs.

Plus d’informationLorsque je regarde ce que nous avons accompli comme organisation au

cours de la dernière année, je suis incroyablement impressionné.

L’excitation du JC 2013, la nomination de notre nouveau Chef scout et

la contribution incroyable de nos porte parole-jeunesse lors

d’évènements importants sont seulement quelques exemples de nos

réalisations qui nous ont permis de poursuivre sur notre lancée. Je suis

fermement convaincu que c’est le temps plus que jamais de partager

des expériences scoutes uniques avec davantage de jeunes Canadiens,

des expériences qui les prépareront à la réussite dans le monde. Le

niveau d’engagement que j’ai pu observer chez les membres est

certainement le principal atout de notre organisation. Je suis certain

que cet atout nous permettra d’accroître notre nombre de membres

cette année et pour les années à venir.

Au cours des dernières années, nous avons travaillé fort afin de nous

assurer que plus de jeunes tirent avantage de l’expérience du scoutisme.

Je parle au nom du conseil et de l’équipe nationale de leadership

lorsque je dis que nous partageons tous le même objectif : Scouts

Canada est une organisation unie qui tend à offrir de belles aventures

scoutes en toute sécurité à plus de jeunes Canadiens.

Salutations scoutes,

Andrew Price

Commissaire en chef et président du conseil des gouverneurs

[email protected]


I Promise to Do My Best

A closer look at what we are asking our members to do.

By James Morris


But that’s the point. As Leaders in

Scouting it is our job to encourage the

youth in our Sections to live up to that

promise. That’s why it is so important to

bring it into our leadership approach as a

tool for helping them to embrace the ideals

of the organization. It is an all-too- common

experience of Scouting that the members

treat it as just one of the many activities

that their parents shepherd them to on a

weekly basis. But if we are to fully deliver

the benefits of Scouting to them, we will

help them not just to repeat the promises,

but to live up to them.

A good first step is to start and maintain

a dialogue with the youth (appropriately

for their age) about what it means to

promise something. Because a promise

should go far beyond the speaking of

words. It addresses behaviour and

intentionality. So Beavers need to know

two things as they repeat their promise

from week to week: that being a Beaver

means trying your best to keep it, and that

loving God and taking care of the world

can become a part of many, many parts of

their day.

Similarly, the Cub Scout promise is

reinforced by the Grand Howl. Doing your

best is the most repeated aspect of a Cub

culture. But with age comes complexity,

and in Cubs the promise includes

adherence to the Law. So that’s something

else to review with the Pack, or in Sixes.

Again in Scouts, the details of the

promise are broader and more

demanding. The fact that it starts with “On

my honour ” is significant in itself, as most

Scout-aged youth are not called upon to

even consider their honour in any other

circumstances. The connection of the

promise to the Scout Law is significant as

well, as it includes a very complete

behavioural guideline.

The very notion of making a promise

about how you intend to behave from day

to day is at the heart of the character-

building promise of the Scouting

Movement. Scouts share a set of values

that is reflected in the promises of the

Sections. This concept marks the

difference between Scouting and other

activities. Because the youth who embrace

the promises go on to think of themselves

as Scouts, rather than as kids who go

to Scouts.

Ask the adults in your life if they had any

involvement with Scouting. The ones who

had the best experiences will remember

the values they learned with as much clarity

as the activities they enjoyed. They will

remember their Leaders with an aura

of respect – having seen those values

epitomized in their bearing and demeanour.

There is another aspect to delivering a

full understanding of the promises and

how to live up to them that a lot of Leaders

miss out on. It helps on several levels to

bring parents into the equation. How? By

communicating with them early in the

Scouting year and helping them to

understand a couple of key points.

The first is that Scouting is a values-based

organization that is designed to bring

particular benefit into their lives. Getting

those benefits comes quickest and best

when the youth are encouraged to think of

themselves in terms of their membership in

Scouting. The second is that the promise can

and should be brought to bear on their

children’s day-to-day lives. When the

promise to help take care of the world

includes thinking about how we treat our

friends, how we take care of our toys, what

we do with our garbage and other

considerations, being a Beaver Scout

becomes a daily thing. The parents can use

the promise as a reminder when addressing

everyday behaviours.

Parents should work in communication

with Scouters. They should be given an

understanding of the program and its

goals, and they should be kept informed as

to their children’s progress.

There is a path that young people walk

along as they age. It includes a set of

changing capabilities in their sense of self

and other. By the time a youth is old

enough to enter Venturer Scouts, he or she

should have the personal bearing not to

need an adult Leader to say what needs to

be done or to guide personal behaviour.

But that development doesn’t just happen.

It requires guidance and help.

t every meeting in Scouting we ask the youth in our care to repeat a

promise. The requirement starts simply enough in Beaver Scouts –

to love God and help take care of the world – and becomes more

complex through Cub Scouts and into Scouts. The difference makes

sense, as it would be unreasonable to hold a five-year-old to the

same standards as a youth of fourteen.


Whether you are absolutely new to

Scouting or have been wearing the

shirt and necker for years, if you take

three steps back and look at the goals

of the movement you’ll recognize

that leadership should be foremost in

your understanding of your role as an

adult volunteer. Active consideration

of leadership fits into two parts –

the leadership you provide and the

leadership you teach. Both are vital,

and the relationship between the two

becomes particularly important at

the Troop level.

THE LEADERSHIP CHALLENGELE DÉFI DU LEADERSHIP

TROOP

By /Par James Morris

Que vous soyez nouveau dans le

mouvement scout ou que vous portiez

l’uniforme et le foulard depuis des

années, si vous réfléchissez quelques

minutes aux objectifs du mouvement,

vous constaterez que le leadership

occupe une place centrale dans votre

rôle comme adulte bénévole. À bien y

penser, vous mettez en pratique deux

types de leadership, le leadership dont

vous faites preuve et le leadership

que vous enseignez. Ces deux sortes

de leadership sont essentielles, et

la relation entre les deux devient

particulièrement importante au niveau

de la troupe.


As the youth in our care progress through the Movement, they

change and grow. Beaver Scouts need more supervision and

direction than Cubs. Cub Scouts learn to take on responsibility

as they move towards joining the Troop. But new Scouts are still

essentially Cubs, until they learn that what is expected of them

now is different than before.

The fundamental differences between the programs provide

the basis for learning moments, and the new Scout should be

able to see that the culture of a Troop is actually quite different

than that of the Pack. One major point should be that the adult

Leaders are much less involved in the maintenance of order.

That there are older Scouts who offer guidance and direction.

That these older Scouts, their Patrol Leaders, have a stake in the

running of the program. That they seem dedicated to helping the

Troop Leaders to accomplish what’s on the agenda.

Ensuring this hierarchy in the Troop leads to a natural flow of

interest that grows with the individual Scouts and continues to

the Venturer Scout level. Because Scouts who learn leadership

and responsibility and use that learning as a context for taking on

the challenges of the Scouting Program will be ready to work on

their own – with just the support of advisors – when they move

up to the next section.

All of this might seem unworkable when facing a roomful of

over-exuberant youth who are intent on their own amusement.

You’ve all seen it. The wrestling. The poking. The ignored calls for

attention and quiet. Because the natural dynamic among Scout-

aged youth is pandemonium. And too often the first tool in the kit

for getting past that challenge is dictatorial authority. That’s when

we become the angry adults yelling at them to be quiet, to stop

what they are doing and to do what we say.

The truth is that we have that authority by virtue of social

convention. But not all kids bend to it. And overusing it leads to

an oppressive environment where less learning and fun happen.

In the best case, adult authority should be present, understood

and only very occasionally used. The better way is to formulate

agreement as to expected behaviours within the Troop, to create

Tandis que les jeunes que nous côtoyons progressent dans le

mouvement, ils grandissent et évoluent. Les scouts castors ont

besoin davantage de supervision et d’encadrement que les scouts

louveteaux. Les scouts louveteaux apprennent à devenir de plus en

plus responsables alors qu’ils se préparent à joindre la troupe. Au début,

les nouveaux scouts dans la troupe sont essentiellement encore des

scouts louveteaux jusqu’à ce qu’ils apprennent que les attentes envers

eux ont changé.

Les différences fondamentales entre les programmes sont des

occasions d’apprentissage, et les nouveaux scouts devraient être

capables d’observer par eux-mêmes que la culture de la troupe est en

fait très différente de celle de la meute. Une des différentes majeures

devrait être que les animateurs gèrent beaucoup moins le maintien de

l’ordre et que les scouts plus âgés offrent de l’aide et du soutien. Ces

scouts plus âgés, les chefs de patrouilles, ont un rôle à jouer dans la

mise en œuvre du programme. Ils doivent aider les animateurs de la

troupe à accomplir ce qui est prévu à l’horaire.

Il est important de faire en sorte que la hiérarchie dans la troupe

soit naturelle et qu’elle évolue avec chaque scout jusque dans leur

compagnie de scouts aventuriers. Les scouts qui apprendront à faire

preuve de leadership et à être responsables, et qui se serviront de cet

apprentissage pour relever des défis, seront capables d’évoluer seuls

dans les autres sections à l’aide du soutien des conseillers.

Cette approche peut vous sembler bien difficile lorsque vous vous

retrouvez en avant d’un groupe de jeunes excités qui veulent s’amuser.

Tous les animateurs se sont déjà retrouvés dans cette situation. Les

bousculades, le chamaillage, les rappels à l’ordre et au silence ignorés

font partie de la dynamique naturelle des jeunes d’âge scout. Trop

souvent, le moyen utilisé pour relever ce défi est de faire preuve

d’autorité dictatoriale. C’est à ce moment que nous devenons ces

adultes bougons qui s’emportent et crient pour que les jeunes se

taisent et qu’ils écoutent ce que nous avons à leur dire.

La vérité c’est que nous avons de l’autorité grâce aux conventions

sociales auxquelles tous les enfants ne se plient pas. Une autorité

excessive crée un environnement oppressant moins propice à

l’apprentissage et au plaisir. Dans le meilleur des scénarios, l’autorité

IN THE BEST CASE, ADULT AUTHORITY SHOULD BE PRESENT, UNDERSTOOD AND ONLY VERY OCCASIONALLY USED.

DANS LE MEILLEUR DES SCÉNARIOS, L’AUTORITÉ ADULTE DEVRAIT ÊTRE PRÉSENTE, COMPRISE ET UTILISÉE À L’OCCASION SEULEMENT.


routines where the Scouts know that fun activities are balanced

with times of heads-down learning and to engage the Patrol

Leaders and their Assistants in the running of the program.

It starts with a spirit of mentorship. Assign a Leader to be the

PL advisor. Have that Leader lay out some clear expectations of

them and their patrols. One example is to have them be ready at

every meeting to explain any absences. “Judy’s not here because

she had a hockey game.” Setting that requirement means that

the Patrol Leader is responsible for his or her patrol. It requires a

weekly phone call to remind the patrol members of the meeting

and to ensure their participation. And getting the call from the

Patrol Leader will create an understanding within the individual

Scouts that they have a relationship.

As much as possible, communication between the Troop

and the Scouts should be passed through the PLs. The more

they are seen to do the work, the more the patrols will gel into

functioning units.

Patrol challenges will encourage the Scouts to work together.

And if one patrol consistently outperforms another, the members

can be moved around to create balance.

One concept to communicate is that the decision to come to

the meetings or the camps should not be thought of in terms of

self. Each Patrol member should understand that he or she plays

a role in contributing to the success of the group. So Scouting

becomes less a consideration of “what I get out of it” and more

along the lines of “I can’t let my team down.”

Here’s another example. The scouting challenge is to know

how to tie and use five different knots. Some youth will be

adulte devrait être présente, comprise et utilisée à l’occasion seulement.

L’approche plus réaliste consiste à formuler une entente concernant les

comportements acceptables au sein de la troupe pour créer une routine

où les scouts savent que les activités amusantes sont aussi suivies de

période d’apprentissage. Faites aussi participer les chefs de patrouilles

et leurs assistants au déroulement des activités.

Tout commence avec un esprit de mentorat. Assignez un animateur

comme conseiller des chefs de la patrouille. Demandez à cet animateur

d’établir des attentes claires pour les chefs de patrouille et les autres

jeunes. Par exemple, vous pourriez leur demander de nommer à

chaque rencontre la raison des absences. « Judith n’est pas là parce

qu’elle avait un match de hockey ». Cette règle rend le chef de la

patrouille responsable de cette dernière. Il doit communiquer avec les

membres de sa patrouille chaque semaine pour s’assurer de leur

présence. Cet appel téléphonique permettra aussi de développer une

relation entre le scout et le chef de patrouille.

Autant que possible, la communication entre la troupe et les scouts

devrait passer par les chefs de patrouille. Plus les chefs de patrouille

font un bon travail, plus les patrouilles deviendront efficaces.

Les patrouilles encourageront les scouts à travailler ensemble. Si une

patrouille fonctionne constamment mieux qu’une autre, les membres

peuvent être échangés de patrouilles pour créer un équilibre.

Mentionnez à vos jeunes que la décision de venir ou pas à une

rencontre ou un camp ne devrait pas se faire de façon individuelle.

Chaque membre de la patrouille devrait comprendre qu’il joue un rôle

important au sein de cette dernière et qu’il contribue au succès du

groupe. Ainsi, les membres du groupe penseront moins de façon

individualiste et se diront qu’ils ne peuvent pas laisser tomber leur équipe.


motivated by the fact that learning them means meeting a badge

requirement. Others will like the idea of the stuff you can can do

with ropes when you know what you’re doing. Others will have

no interest at all. One approach is to show the whole Troop how

to tie the knots, then ask them to work individually. Another is to

have the Patrol Leaders take on the responsibility of ensuring that

their whole Patrol knows all the knots. Then create a challenge. It

could be a relay race. It could be a problem solving challenge at

camp. Either way, the goal is to challenge the sub-groups to build

the skill in order to meet a requirement. And the context is fun.

Now the knot tying activity includes leadership, teamwork, skills

development and – most important – memorability.

One note to add to this is that institutional memory kicks

in with successful activities. The Pioneer Scout who enjoys the

relationship with a Patrol Leader through a series of activities will

make use of the experience when it becomes his or her time to

lead. It’s the “Oh! I love this stuff!” that makes it fun to teach the

next group of newbies.

The best Scouting memories come from the things you

learn through the experiences you enjoyed. The patrol system

empowers youth to be good leaders and good followers. And it

provides the best framework for including youth in the planning

and implementation of the program.

Voici un autre exemple : un des défis des scouts est de savoir

comment faire cinq nœuds. Certains jeunes seront motivés par le fait

de recevoir des badges pour leur accomplissement. D’autres seront

excités à l’idée de pouvoir mettre en pratique ces nœuds, et d’autres

ne seront pas du tout intéressés par cette activité. Vous pourriez utiliser

la première approche et montrer à toute la troupe comment faire les

nœuds puis leur demander de travailler individuellement. Ou encore,

vous pourriez demander aux chefs de patrouille de s’assurer que toute

la troupe connait tous les nœuds. Vous pourriez ensuite organiser un

défi, par exemple une course de relais ou encore un défi de résolution

de problèmes lors d’un camp. L’important est de stimuler le groupe

pour aider les scouts à assimiler ces connaissances tout en s’amusant.

Ainsi, l’activité de nœuds encourage le leadership, le travail d’équipe,

le développement de compétences, mais surtout elle est mémorable

pour les scouts.

Souvenez-vous que les activités amusantes et bien organisées

favorisent l’apprentissage. Plus les chefs de patrouilles seront actifs et

impliqués, plus les autres jeunes seront motivés à mettre en pratique

les connaissances apprises lors des activités lorsque viendra leur tour

de diriger. Vous prendrez goût à enseigner aux nouveaux jeunes si vous

obtenez des « Oh, j’adore cette activité! »

Les meilleurs souvenirs scouts proviennent des expériences

mémorables que nous vivons. Le fonctionnement de la patrouille

encourage les jeunes à être de bons leaders et de bons élèves et offre

un cadre qui favorise la participation des jeunes à la planification et

à la mise en œuvre de leur programme.


SOFA SURFINGMAINSTREET SCOUTING IN SASKATCHEWAN

FEATURE

The concept is simple. Scrounge a disposable couch. Recruit a

team of three to seven. Designate a photographer. Use the map

provided by the local Troop. Push, pull, drag or ride the furniture

to one of the thirty-seven marked sites. Take a picture as proof of

the visit, then remount and press onwards to as many more sites

as possible between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

It isn’t a race. Having fun is the prime objective; that and

making Scouting visible. Neckerchiefs are mandatory and some

teams elect to participate in full uniform.

The event was started six years ago by Bryan Mierau of the 8th

Zion group in Yorkton. The first year saw five local teams, but its

popularity has more than doubled that number, attracting

Scouts, Venturer Scouts and Rover Scouts from nearby Melville,

Regina, Estevan, Saskatoon, Moose Jaw and Vonda.

Out-of-towners sack out in the Yorkton Scout House on the

Friday evening. Last year they crammed in thirty, with Bryan

hosting an overflow of twenty visitors in his house. This year the

organizers are trying for a school gym as a dormitory.

The couches cannot have wheels attached. Dollies, carts

and wagon are permitted as no team wants to hand carry a

couch for half a day. The rolling aids have to be removed for the

official photos.

Local residents are no longer surprised. In fact, they are

often invited to “have a seat” and they pose for pictures with

the Scouts.

During breaks, the Scouts down tools in front of fast food

outlets and convenience stores and take their ease and refresh-

ments in padded comfort.

Donors of the couches usually don’t want them returned.

Bryan says they usually end up left out to disappear overnight.

They are still usable pieces of furniture. There was a flood in the

Yorkton region three years ago, and half a dozen of the couches

ended up in new homes.

Like moving furniture? Scouts in Saskatchewan have honed it to a fine art form in the six years of the Yorkton Couch Rally.

By Ted Morris


Over the years, Scouts in

Yorkton have taken the spirit of

Scouting to some unusual places,

through pleasant and challenging

conditions and connected with a

huge variety of people. And every

year the common denominator

is a public exhibition of youth in

Scouting as they meet a

challenge and have fun..


Our Scouting members play leadership roles within their

communities, whether through a food drive, painting a

community centre, or helping out at a shelter, Scouting

youth are always looking for opportunities to make

their communities a better place. Why not showcase what

we do in Scouting to our elected officials and to the rest of

Canada?

Contact your local Member of Parliament (federal), MPP/

MLA/MNA/MHA (provincial), or city councillor's office (munici-

pal) and make an appointment to meet him/her, get to know

them, and let them know of the great activities and events

happening with your local Group. Elected officials are always

keen on attending events in their local area. Why not invite your

elected representative to your next Group activity or meeting?

We want to build relationships and share the great work that

Scouts Canada does throughout the country, engaging with your

elected representatives is a great way for youth to learn about the

parliamentary process and participate in meetings with Canada’s

decision makers.

Do you have Scouts who are working on their Chief Scout

Awards? They'll need to obtain their Pathfinder Scout require-

ments first, which include meeting with a member of local

government and discussing their responsibilities.

Are you trying to obtain your Queen’s Venturer Award? You’ll

need to obtain your Social, Cultural and Spiritual Award first, one

of the requirements is to investigate the structure and services of

Nos membres scouts font preuve de leadership dans leurs

communautés : qu’il s’agisse d’organiser des collectes d’aliments,

de peindre des centres communautaires ou d’aider dans des

refuges, les jeunes scouts cherchent toujours à améliorer la qualité

de vie dans leurs communautés. Pourquoi ne pas montrer ce que nous

faisons dans le mouvement scout à nos représentants élus et au reste

du Canada?

Communiquez avec votre député fédéral, votre député provincial ou

votre conseiller municipal pour prendre un rendez-vous afin d’apprendre

à le connaître et pour lui parler des activités et des évènements

intéressants organisés par votre groupe local. Les représentants élus se

font toujours un plaisir d’assister aux évènements de leur région.

Pourquoi ne pas inviter votre représentant élu à votre prochaine activité

ou rencontre de groupe?

Nous voulons établir des relations avec les gouvernements et les

citoyens et parler du bon travail que Scouts Canada accomplit dans

tout le pays. De plus, grâce à la relation établie avec les représentants

élus, les jeunes pourront en apprendre sur le processus parlementaire et

participer à des rencontres avec les décideurs canadiens.

Essayez-vous d’obtenir votre prix du Chef scout? Une des exigences

consiste justement à rencontrer un membre du gouvernement local et

à discuter avec lui de ses responsabilités.

Essayez-vous d’obtenir votre prix de la reine des scouts aventuriers?

Vous devrez tout d’abord obtenir votre distinction sociale, culturelle et

spirituelle et l’une des exigences consiste à faire des recherches sur la

structure et les services de votre municipalité ou sur une partie du

One of the greatest aspects of our Canadian political system is the

ability to engage with our elected officials, whether at the federal,

provincial, or municipal level, we should take full advantage of

this great opportunity!

Un des plus grands avantages de notre système politique au

Canada est le fait que nous puissions communiquer activement

avec nos représentants élus à l’échelle municipale, provinciale et

fédérale. Et nous devrions profiter pleinement de cette chance!

CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT/ PARTICIPATION DES CITOYENS

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALSAPPRENEZ À CONNAÎTRE VOS REPRÉSENTANTS ÉLUS


GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT/ MINISTÈRES

WHAT WE DO IN SCOUTING CE QUE NOUS FAISONS CHEZ SCOUTS CANADA

ENVIRONMENT

ENVIRONNEMENT

• Scoutrees• Shoreline Cleanups• Climate Change Action Program• Leave No Trace Program

• Arbrescouts• Nettoyages des rives • Programme d’action sur les changements

climatiques• Programme « Sans trace »

HEALTH/SPORT

SANTÉ ET SPORTS

• Camping• Healthy active living• Access to sport and recreation programming

activities• Outdoor activities as part of regular Scouts

programming• Injury prevention training

• Camping• Mode de vie sain et actif• Accès à des activités sportives et récréatives• Activités extérieures régulières dans le

programme scout • Formation sur la prévention des blessures

VETERANS AFFAIRS

ANCIENS COMBATTANTS

• Working with the Royal Canadian Legion for Remembrance Day activities

• Remembrance Trails on Scouts Canada properties where youth can learn about Canada’s involvement during the two World Wars while hiking

• Remembrance themed programming

• Collaboration avec la Légion royale canadienne pour les activités du jour du Souvenir

• Les sentiers du Souvenir, situés sur les propriétés de Scouts Canada, permettent aux jeunes d’en apprendre sur le rôle joué par le Canada pendant les deux Guerres mondiales pendant leurs randonnées.

• Programmes thématiques sur le souvenir

FOREIGN AFFAIRS

AFFAIRES ÉTRANGÈRES

• SCOUTSabroad program• International Brotherhood projects

• Programme SCOUTSinternational• Projets communautaires internationaux

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

SCIENCE ET TECHNOLOGIE

• STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) program permitting scouts to participate in exciting, hands-on programming in fields such as chemistry, environmental science, math and robotics

• Le programme STIM (science, technologie, ingénierie, mathématiques) permet aux scouts de participer à des activités pratiques stimulantes dans des domaines comme la chimie, les sciences environnementales, les maths et la robotique.

your municipality or some part of the provincial or federal

government. Attend meetings where possible.

What to discuss at your meeting with your elected

representative:

• Get to know your elected representatives. Ask him/her if they

had any involvement in Scouting growing up?

• Inform him/her of the great activities and events happening in

your local Group

• Invite him/her to your next local group event

• Inquire into any upcoming legislation or debates which may

involve what we do in Scouting.

gouvernement provincial ou fédéral. Assistez à des rencontres dans la

mesure du possible.

Voici certaines suggestions pour vos rencontres avec vos

représentants élus :

• Apprenez à connaître vos représentants élus. Demandez-leur s’ils ont

fait partie des scouts dans leur jeunesse.

• Informez-les sur les activités et les évènements intéressants

organisés par votre groupe local.

• Invitez-les à votre prochain évènement local de groupe.

• Informez-vous au sujet des législations (lois) à venir qui pourraient

concerner le mouvement scout.

At Scouts Canada, a lot of our programming aligns with relevant government ministries and governmental departments which you might not be aware of, some examples include:

Saviez-vous que chez Scouts Canada plusieurs de nos programmes correspondent aux mandats de certains ministères gouvernementaux? En voici quelques exemples :

INFORMATION ON ANY OF THE ABOVE PROGRAMS CAN BE FOUND ON SCOUTS.CA OR BY CALLING 1.888.855.3336.

VOUS TROUVEREZ DE L’INFORMATION SUPPLÉMENTAIRE SUR LES PROGRAMMES CI-DESSUS AU SCOUTS.CA OU EN APPELLANT AU 1-888-855-3336.


WASN’T THAT A TIME!WHEN 6,500 CAMPERS GET TOGETHER, THE RESULT

IS A WEEK OF FUN ACTIVITIES, MEETING NEW

FRIENDS AND FEELING THE STRENGTH OF SCOUTING

ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

GETTING INTO ITFor some it followed a quick drive from

not too far away, but for most of the

massive collection of campers arrival

at Sylvan Lake followed a trek across a

significant part of the country. They came

by plane and by bus, and they all faced the

same challenge – get the gear down the

hill and make themselves comfortable in

what would become their temporary home

for the upcoming, fun-filled week.


GROU

P DYNA

MICS

Gathering together at the Central Stage, there was enthused and

boisterous representation from every region in the country – plus some

from places beyond our borders. The group spirit at the opening ceremony

flew higher than the flags raised proudly on their masts.

THE SUM WAS FUN!


THE SUM WAS FUN!What made the Jamboree such a success?

Everybody! From the Troops that came

from across the country to the amazing

team of volunteers who set up and ran the

activities. It was a group effort from which

the whole group got so much more than

their individual part.


With such a huge variety of activities, how

could the days have flown by any slower?

Scouts climbed high, got wet, got dirty,

challenged their dexterity, ran, dodged,

toured… and had a chance to enjoy

themselves to the max. The final result?

Our bet is a set of memories, held warmly

by individuals from coast to coast, of the

best of what Scouting is all about.

OPENING CEREMONYNON-STOP ACTION


If you thought camping with and meeting Scouts from across Canada was a blast, it’s time to start your plans to enjoy that amazing experience on a world scale!

Every Scout has the chance to attend just one World Jamboree, and in 2015 the Canadian Contingent will be heading to Hong Kong and Japan for a once-in-a-lifetime experience with international Scouting spirit. As Leaders, it is time to put the opportunity before parents and youth, so anyone with an interest can start making their plans. Online registration is available now at scouts.ca/japan2015

The Canadian Contingent team is working as hard as possible to make the Jamboree accessible to as many as possible, but participating in a World Jamboree requires a lot of fundraising in advance.

Any Scout born between July 28, 1997 and July 27, 2001 is eligible. They can attend with others from the same Scout Group or as part of a larger Area or Council group. We will find a Patrol and a place for everyone. And we need volunteers to be part of the International Service Team, too.

The cost to participate is $5,995 per person. This includes a fantastic Pre-Jamboree Camp in Hong Kong from July 24 to July 28, 2015 and 11 days of exciting Jamboree programming from July 28 to Aug 8. A home hospitality experience (staying with a Japanese Scouting family) following the Jamboree is also available, and is an opportunity not to be missed. Scouts who register with pre-authorized payment by December 15, 2013 will receive a $250 discount.

So, join us in Hong Kong and Japan in 2015 and journey into tomorrow. Further information and updates are being added all the time, including tips and suggestions for fundraising. Visit scouts.ca/japan2105 for more details and to register today.

JOIN US IN JAPAN!

@WJ2015CANADA FACEBOOK.COM/23WSJ QUESTIONS?:

[email protected]

?

OPENING CEREMONY


La règle d’or en matière de sécurité est très simple : la prudence réduit les risques.

Il est facile de prouver la véracité de cet énoncé à l’aide de divers

exemples, mais prenons celui de la conduite automobile. Personne ne

vous dira qu’être un conducteur automobile prudent vous assurera de

ne jamais être impliqué dans un accident, puisque la conduite des autres

conducteurs est imprévisible et la température aussi. Vous ne pouvez

tout simplement pas contrôler tous les facteurs de risque de la conduite

automobile.

Toutefois, avec de la concentration, de la formation et des assurances,

la conduite automobile devient une activité envisageable qui fait partie

de notre quotidien. Le danger est toujours là, mais il est atténué par

des mesures raisonnables. Et lorsque des accidents ont lieu, la première

question soulevée est celle de la responsabilité, puisque la plupart du

The golden rule in safety is very simple – precaution reduces risk.

There are any number of ways you can prove this to be true, but

let’s take driving as an example. There is nobody who will tell you

that being a careful driver is enough to ensure that you won’t ever

be in an accident. Because you never know what the other guy is

going to do. You don’t know what the weather will be. You simply

cannot control all the factors that contribute to the risk of operat-

ing an automobile.

But with attention, training and insurance, driving becomes

an approachable activity that fits effortlessly into our lives. The

danger lurks, but it is mitigated by reasonable steps. And when

accidents do happen, the first question is fault. More often than

SAFETY

SOME RULES WERE NOT MEANT TO BE BROKEN

CERTAINES RÈGLES NE DEVRAIENT JAMAIS ÊTRE

ENFREINTES.


IN SCOUTING, THE STAKES ARE SIMPLY TOO HIGH TO ALLOW BAD THINGS TO HAPPEN.

NO ONE CAN AFFORD TO BE THE LEADER WHO WAS LOOKING THE OTHER WAY WHEN THE

ACCIDENT HAPPENED. AND THAT IS WHY WE HAVE THE TWO LEADER RULE.

DANS LE MOUVEMENT SCOUT, L’ENJEU EST TROP IMPORTANT POUR LAISSER DES

ACCIDENTS SE PRODUIRE. PERSONNE NE PEUT SE PERMETTRE D’ÊTRE L’ANIMATEUR

QUI REGARDAIT DE L’AUTRE CÔTÉ LORSQUE L’ACCIDENT A EU LIEU, ET C’EST POURQUOI

NOUS AVONS LA RÈGLE DES DEUX ANIMATEURS.

not, a car only collides with something else when someone was

disregarding the basic rules of safety.

In Scouting, the stakes are simply too high to allow bad things

to happen. No one can afford to be the Leader who was looking

the other way when the accident happened. And that is why we

have the Two Scouter Rule.

It’s not always easy to implement. It draws on resources and

can create difficulties in the smooth running of a meeting or a

camp. And sometime it makes the Youth look at us like we’re

nuts. But it works. And that’s the best reason to fully commit to it.

There was a time when nobody really thought much about

using seat belts. Then somebody suggested that the widespread

use of these silly things would save a significant number of lives.

Soon it became law to wear one. Then the idea of not needing

them became unthinkable – even in the back seat. And guess

what? With seat belts, fewer people are killed or injured in auto

accidents – just like the smart guys suggested at the beginning.

But the difference isn’t that seat belts save lives. It’s that

people have to make and live up to the commitment to fasten

them. Whenever they are in a moving car.

The Two Scouter Rule works when it is followed. And just as in

a car accident, when things go wrong in Scouting you can guess

that somebody may have been letting the rules slip.

temps les accidents sont causés par une personne qui a enfreint une

règle de sécurité de base.

Dans le mouvement scout, l’enjeu est trop important pour laisser

des accidents se produire. Personne ne peut se permettre d’être

l’animateur qui regardait de l’autre côté lorsque l’accident a eu lieu, et

c’est pourquoi nous avons la règle des deux animateurs.

Il n’est pas toujours facile de respecter ce règlement puisqu’il

requiert un certain nombre de bénévoles en tout temps lors des

rencontres et des camps. Et parfois, même les jeunes nous regardent

en pensant que l’on est complètement dingo. Mais ce règlement

fonctionne, et c’est la meilleure raison pour le respecter.

À une certaine époque, personne ne portait la ceinture de sécurité.

Puis, quelqu’un a affirmé que le port de la ceinture de sécurité pourrait

sauver un nombre considérable de vies. Bientôt, le port de cette

dernière devenait obligatoire sous peine d’amende. Peu de temps après,

il était impensable de ne pas porter de ceinture de sécurité, même sur

le siège arrière. Et devinez quoi! Avec la ceinture de sécurité, moins de

gens perdent la vie et sont blessés lors d’accident, tout comme l’avait

affirmé cette personne au départ.

Cependant, pour que la ceinture de sécurité sauve des vies, les

gens doivent tous s’engager à toujours boucler leur ceinture lorsqu’ils

montent à bord d’une automobile.

Dans le même ordre d’idée, la règle des deux animateurs fonctionne

lorsque tout le monde la respecte. Et comme lors d’un accident routier,

si les choses tournent mal lors d’une activité scoute, c’est qu’un

règlement n’a pas été respecté.


~ An Exiting Camping Adventure ~

at JUNGLE CAT WORLDFun and educational

Wildlife Show - meet some

amazing Creatures

Night Time Guided Tour

through Cat World Zoo

Evening Meal & Snacks

Heated Bunkhouse

Accomodations

Meets Requirements for

World Scout Environment Badge

3667 Concession Rd. 6 Orono, Ont. 905-983-5016

[email protected]

45 minutes east of Toronto

NIGHT SAFARI

Www.junglecatworld.com

Four seasons of adventureA hundred years of experience!

[email protected]

www.tamaracouta.com

TAMA

RACO

UTA

CAMPSQuatre saisons d’aventuresCent ans d’expérience!

Ask us about our New Year and March Break Camps

Ask us about our New Year and March Break Camps

Découvrez nos camps du Nouvel An et de la relâche scolaire.

Découvrez nos camps du Nouvel An et de la relâche scolaire.

SEND US YOUR STORIES AND PHOTOS!Stories about your leadership ideas and experiences. Pictures of youth in action. Contact the Editor directly at [email protected]

SCOUTING LIFE

READ IT. LEAD IT.

28 ScoutingLife.ca Summer 2013

COLONY

Once upon a time, there was a very curious wolf cub...

One day, while his mother was out

getting food, he noticed a dark cave over a

hill. He decided to investigate.

In his boredom, he forgot all the stories

about the fearsome bear that lived in the

woods. He forgot about the razor sharp

teeth, the gnarled claws and the bulging

eyes that belonged to the fearsome beast.

As the cub made his way across the hill,

he looked back and realized just how far

he was from home. It was much farther

than he thought. He was suddenly filled

with fear at the thought of being so far

from home. “No, I can’t give up now!” he

said. “I’ll show everyone in the forest that

I’m the bravest!” So he continued.

When he finally made it to the cave, he

noticed two shining things in it. More

curious than ever, he walked into the cave.

When he got in, he made his way closer to

the shining objects. Still curious, he

continued further into the cave, not

noticing how dark it had become. Little did

he know, the shining objects were actually

The Cub in the Bear Cave By Luca Morris

A CAMPFIRE STORY FOR WHITE TAIL BEAVER CUBS

ScoutingLife.ca Summer 2013 29

the eyes of the bear, staring at his next

meal! Without warning, the huge menace

jumped out, and the cub didn’t even

have time to shout before the bear ate

him whole.

Now it was very dark. The cub could

barely see. What he did see was the inside

of the bear’s stomach – and when he

realized where he was, he was beside

himself with upset and regret. “Why was

I so stupid?” he cried. “How could I ever

believe that I could take that bear?”

His teardrops pooled on the floor of the

bear’s belly.

After a while, a deep rumbling began.

Then, the cub heard a deep burp and he

was thrown up towards the opening of the

bear’s mouth. “Hey, that was funny,” he

said, wiping away tears from his face. “Wait

a minute, if I upset his stomach, I’ll come

out of his mouth!”

He forgot about the

razor sharp teeth, the

gnarled claws and the

bulging eyes that belonged

to the fearsome beast.

He began to work on his plan immedi-

ately. He jumped and hit, tickled and

scratched. At one point, he even started to

climb on the bear’s ribs! The bear resisted,

and tried to discombobulate the cub by

jumping up and down and rolling around.

The cub actually enjoyed it! This was all

great fun for him!

Finally, after much jumping and

disturbance, the cub was all worn out. Just

as he was catching his breath, the bear’s

stomach started growling. The growling got

louder, and louder, and louder more! It had

gotten to the point where the cub thought

he was experiencing an earthquake!

Then, all at once, the bear let loose an

unbelievable burp that shot the cub up

and out of its mouth.

The wolf cub hit the ground running.

He ran as fast as his legs could carry him,

all the way back to his den, where his

mother was waiting for him. “Where were

you? What happened? Are you all right?”

she asked.

“Oh Mom, I’m fine.” he answered. “I

just had a little adventure, that’s all.”

Luca Morris is a Pioneer Scout with the

101st Toronto Group. He wrote this story for

White Tail Beavers as they look forward to

swimming up to Cubs.


Each year, the 66th

Windsor Scouting

Group in Ontario

conducts two all-

section family camps, one in

the fall and one in the spring.

The camps are multi-purpose – first to

encourage the younger Section members

to interact with the older youth (linking to

entice long-term retention) and secondly

to engage the Group on at least one project

that gives back to the community.

In spring of 2013, using materials

generously donated by Rona of Windsor,

the Group built a large quantity of bat

houses from scratch. The houses were

earmarked for use by Essex County

regional farms and wineries and some City

of Windsor locations for mosquito and

insect control.

The houses also make for an interesting

and complementary addition to certain

structures (like a barn or roof peak). The

youth worked in teams of Beaver Scouts,

Cubs and Scouts, with each member

getting hands-on experience in every step

of construction.

Each house was branded with the 66th

logo which today can be seen at various

locations throughout the Windsor/Essex

region. The youth not only learned new

skills from doing their community projects

and working in teams but also enjoyed a

sense of pride upon completion of each

project. Observing the fruits of their labour

every time they revisit a project site or spot

one in the community continues to give

added enjoyment to all involved.

GOT BUGS?

66TH WINDSOR SAYS: “GET A BAT HOUSE!”


ASKED AND ANSWERED…WE ASKED ON FACEBOOK: WHAT IS THE BEST ACTIVITY YOUR GROUP HAS TAKEN ON?

Join in the conversation on the Scouts Canada Official Facebook Page, where Scouting enthusiasts from across the

country share their thoughts and ideas, opinions, questions, resources and experience. Look for it on Facebook, and

let your voice be heard.

Carm Galati: For Scouts it is the knife building. It's fun, teaches them some woodworking and they have a keepsake forever. For our Group, our annual Oakville Santa Claus parade float. The entire Group gets involved and we design and build a completely new float every year. 1st Trafalgar Group has been in the parade the longest out of any other group in Oakville. We've even won some awards!

Jim Lien: 85th Old Mill (Toronto) Venturers did the

CN Tower climb, raising close to $1,000 for United Way.

Eric Davison: I second the knife building, if you have a Leader with access to a shop. Plenty of camps need work done on them somewhere if you’re looking for something a bit bigger and want to teach them some construction skills. We made a camp out of rebuilding a fence.

Sebastienne VanWill Moran: I would say a range of things, from my previous Group’s all-sections camp which was called Friendship Camp - and involved each Section inviting another Group to join us (Beavers invited another Colony, Cubs invited another Pack etc.), to our most successful CJ fundraiser which was a spaghetti dinner, dessert auction and silent auction, where we had so much fun, and the attendees had so much fun, that we were ASKED to make it an annual event!

Kevin Ryan: Food Drives for the local food bank,

Doing an evening of Christmas carols at a local

seniors home, Various projects at local camps.

Ron Boyd: Our Group participates in the Great Canadian Shoreline Clean Up each fall. It's a great project to get the entire Group, Leaders, youth and families outside, helping the community and environment and gets us great exposure too! And it's a ton of fun! Our Venturer Company started the project many years ago and for the past 7 or 8 years or so it's become a full group initiative. Highly recommend it!


NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING Notice is hereby given that the Annual Meeting of the Corporation of Scouts Canada will be held on Saturday, November 16, 2013 at 2:00 pm MT at the Calgary Marriott Downtown Hotel, 110 9th Ave SE, Calgary, Alberta, T2G 5A6 for the purpose of: 1 Receipt and consideration of reports including the Corporation’s annual report;2 Receipt and consideration of the financial statements and the auditor’s report

thereon for the preceding year;3 Election of Honorary Officers and Honorary Members;4 Recommendation to the Patron Scout of an individual to fill the position of

Chief Commissioner, and this recommendation may take place up to one year in advance;

5 Appointment of Officers and election of Members of the Board (except for the CEO, who is appointed by the Board, and the Chief Commissioner, who is appointed by the Patron Scout);

6 Appointment of an auditor; 7 Consideration of any matter placed before it by the Chief Commissioner on

behalf of the Board;8 Selection of three (3) Voting Members to serve on the Nominating Committee

for the ensuing year; 9 Consideration of any resolution(s) introduced by the Voting Members in

accordance with Article III i., and the recommendation(s) of the Board relating thereto: and

10 Such other business as may come before the meeting and which the Members under applicable law are authorized to transact.

Members and Honorary Members of the Corporation are entitled to a notice of the Annual Meeting of the Corporation and Voting Members are entitled to vote thereat. This meeting is being held in conjunction with other sessions and workshops.

AVIS DE L’ASSEMBLÉE ANNUELLE Avis est donné que l’assemblée générale annuelle de l’organisation de Scouts Canada se tiendra le samedi 16 novembre 2013 à 14 h, HNR, à l’hôtel Marriott du centre ville de Calgary situé au 110 9th Ave SE, Calgary, Alberta, T2G 5A6, aux fins suivantes :1 Réception et examen de rapports, notamment du rapport annuel de

l’organisation.2 Réception et examen de l’état financier des opérations nationales et du rapport

du vérificateur à ce sujet de l’année précédente.3 Élection des officiers honoraires et des membres honoraires.4 Recommandation au Chef scout d’une personne pour pourvoir le poste de

commissaire en chef. La recommandation peut être effectuée jusqu’à un an d’avance.

5 Nomination des officiers et élection des membres du conseil (sauf pour le directeur général qui est nommé par le conseil, et le commissaire en chef qui est nommé par le Chef scout).

6 Nomination d’un vérificateur.7 Examen de toute question soulevée par le commissaire en chef au nom du

conseil.8 Sélection de trois (3) membres votants pour siéger au comité des candidatures

pour l’année suivante.9 Examen de toute résolution présentée par les membres votants en vertu de

l’article III i., et de toute recommandation du conseil à cet égard.10 Examen de toute autre question soulevée devant l’assemblée dont les membres,

en vertu de la loi pertinente, sont autorisés à le faire. Les membres et les membres honoraires de l’organisation ont droit à un préavis de l’assemblée générale de l’organisation et les membres votants ont le droit de voter à cette assemblée.

Cette assemblée est tenue de pair avec d’autres séances et ateliers.

ADVENTURE, WILDERNESS AND FELLOWSHIPin Scouting await you at SJ in Nova Scotia.

So mark July 11-16, 2015, in your calendar.Come experience our theme of Scout Olympics, includingwilderness camping, canoeing, sea kayaking, zipline, and climbing wall.

Those interested in Offer of Service, contact [email protected]

What are you doing July 2015?

What are you doing July 2015?

For information contactHerb Ripley at [email protected] Thomas Oickle at [email protected]

ScotiaJamb 2015


LIST

YO

UR

BLES

SIN

GS

EVER

Y D

AY

HURT FEELINGS (YOUR OWN AND

OTHERS’) WILL HEAL WITH CARE AND TIME.

EVERYONE NEEDS A DAILY REMINDER THAT HE OR SHE IS LOVED.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS

COLLECTED BY LISA MURPHY

The most innocuous objects in your life can give you pause for thought, if you take

the time to think a little differently...

TAKE

SO

ME

TIM

E EV

ERY

DAY

TO

REL

AX

AN

D R

EFLE

CT.

WHEN YOU STICK TO IT, YOU CAN ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING.

PICK OUT THE GOOD QUALITIES IN OTHERS, AND HOPE THAT THEY SEE THE GOOD QUALITIES IN YOU.

EVERYONE MAKES MISTAKES.

BE FLEXIBLE, AS THINGS MAY NOT ALWAYS GO THE WAY YOU WANT THEM TO. ALSO, BE PREPARED TO STRETCH YOUR CAPABILITIES.

SCOUTER'S 5


DEEPER READINGTHE JUNGLE BOOK CAN PROVIDE MUCH MORE TO THE CULTURE OF YOUR PACK THAN A JUST LIST OF NAMES.

by James Morris

PACK


W hen Baden Powell envisioned a

junior branch of Scouting, he

asked his friend Rudyard Kipling

for permission to use the

anthropomorphic morality tales

of The Jungle Book as a teaching

framework. Now, close to a hundred years

later, the resulting structure still holds up.

But how long has it been since you turned

to the source material?

The names we use in Cubbing – most

commonly Akela, Balloo and Bagheera,

but also many others from the Mowgli

stories and the other tales and poems in

The Jungle Book – all come from a source

that provides a rich vein of meaning that

we can and should communicate to the

members of our Packs.

Beyond the names, there

are a myriad of lessons to be

gleaned from the text –

without much in the way of

literary analysis required.

The easy approach is to have a movie

night and enjoy the classic animated

Disney film, but given the major differ-

ences in meaning and characterization

between it and the book, this actually

provides the youth with an experience

that is much less than they deserve. Kaa,

for instance, is presented as Sheer Khan’s

villainous lackey in the film, but is an

important ally to Bagheera and Balloo in

the book.

The original text includes clear roles

for the various characters. Balloo and

Bagheera both speak for Mowgli at the

Council Rock. In doing so, they take

responsibility for his place in the Pack

which leads to their roles as teachers and

mentors to Mowgli. Leaders who take the

time to read the book will get a better

sense of what their names are supposed

to teach the Cubs in their Pack.

Beyond the names, there are a myriad

of lessons to be gleaned from the text –

without much in the way of literary

analysis required. The story of the Bandar-

Log, for instance, provides a terrific lesson

on the importance of following the guiding

principles of Scouting. In the book, the

monkey tribe kidnaps Mowgli. Full of

mischief but unable to sustain focus on

their purpose, they soon lose Mowgli back

to Bagheera, Balloo and Kaa. Most

impostant in this story is the description of

the Jungle’s complete lack of regard for the

tree dwellers – which stems from the

Monkeys’ complete lack of regard for the

laws of the Jungle. The lesson for our Packs

is easy to draw. When decorum breaks

down and the individuals break from the

expectations of the Pack, nothing gets

done.

Similarily, lessons can be drawn from

the path that Mowgli takes throughout the

book. He is brought to the Pack under

threat from Sheer Khan, whom he later

defeats with fire at the end of “Mowgli’s

Brothers.” But in this victory there is also a

loss. Because Mowgli feels that he must

leave the Pack – vowing to return and

restore order by killing the tiger when he

is able. There are cubs in the Pack who

turn from the traditional ways to follow

Sheer Khan. They challenge Akela’s

leadership. So when Mogli returns and

fulfills his promise, it includes a reckon-

ing with the misguided wolves.

The lesson of all of this is that the Law

of the Jungle is founded on undeniable

truths. That progression and growing

requires listening and learning. That

knowledge and capability have lasting

value that far outweighs momentary

amusements.

Leaders who can incorporate the story

in their programming will provide their

Cub Scouts with a firmer grasp on the

principles of Scouting. Parents who read

the story with their Cubs will be doing

their part to support the program and get

the most out of it.

Baden Powell saw the value in it. It

might be worth it for you to crack the

cover and find it for yourself.

Here we sit in a branchy row.

Thinking of beautiful things we know;

Dreaming of deeds that we mean to do,

All complete in a minute or two –

Something noble and grand and good,

Won by merely wishing we could.

Now we’re going to – never mind,

Brother thy tail hangs down behind!

From the Road-Song

of the Bandhar-Log

By Rudyard Kipling


CANADIANS IN CROATIAIn July of 2012, six Venturer Scouts and two Advisors from

the 11th Toronto Venturer Scout Company travelled to

Croatia to be hosted for two weeks by the Poseidon Scout

Group from the city of Split. Together they joined four other

Scout Groups from other parts of Croatia for a 14-day camp

at the beautiful Plitvice National Park.

Over the stay, the Canadian Venturers participated fully

into the local program – eating and cooking Croatian meals,

sleeping in traditional Croatian military tents, attempting to

learn basic Croatian, and most of all, experiencing Croatian

culture. In addition to visiting the national park, their host

was also kind enough to bring them on two sightseeing

tours to the cities of Zagreb and Split.

It was very sad for them to leave, as friendships had been

struck up, and life-long memories were being made. But

plans are in place for the Poseidon Group to visit Toronto in

the summer of 2014.

COMPANY

ScoutingLife.ca Fall 2013 37ScoutingLife.ca Summer 2013 37


COLUMN

Understanding our youth goes a long

way in working effectively with

them within the Scouting program.

In order to be successful at this,

there are four important concepts

to keep in mind:

• The overall challenge is to help them to

become responsible, self-assured and

independent.

• Developing a positive relationship is a

major first step.

• Respect is a vital component in positive

relationships.

• A youth’s behaviour always has a

purpose

There are three styles of leadership that

we can use with youth at various times in

our interactions with them.

Giving Orders: With this style, Leaders

establish limits. They control the youth and

the situation with less room for freedom.

When leaders bark orders, they place

demands and possibly at times

inappropriately pressure them. Naturally,

there are times and situations where

ordering youth is appropriate – in cases of

emergency or high risk.

There are three styles

of leadership that we can

use with youth at various

times in our interactions

with them.

But here, I am speaking to how we

address behaviours: “If you continue to act

out, I will send you out of the hall!” Here,

there is minimal trust and respect for the

youth. This autocratic method does not

permit much opportunity for building up

respect. The style lacks an opportunity for

offering responsibility and choice. It does

not allow the children to independently

think for themselves. The children may

easily discourage, argue back or get into a

power struggle with the leadership.

Giving In: The leader concedes to the

youth and with this style and the children

experience a high lack of consistency and

an absence of clear limits. Leaders

relinquish any effort at dealing effectively

with the behaviour. They simply choose to

throw up their arms in despair. This style of

leading allows for a complete absence for

the building of respect. It does not provide

for boundaries and clear limits. Youth will

not learn to work cooperatively. It takes

away from the opportunity to learn

responsibility. Moreover, the children will

begin to feel discouraged.

Allowing Choices: The leader provides

stability by setting a balance between

THE ART OF LEADING OUR YOUTH

ENGAGING YOUTH

by Michael Burdo B.A.,B.S.W. – Youth and Family Counsellor


by Michael Burdo B.A.,B.S.W. – Youth and Family Counsellor

establishing limits and appropriate

freedom with the youth. Allowing choices

provides a balance between responsibilities

and rights. It demonstrates respect and

provides opportunities for the children to

make decisions. There is a presence of

equality in the fair treatment of the youth

and the demonstration of respect. While

order and discipline is still required, it is

managed through appropriate guidance

and counsel. Children may be called upon

to assist in the setting out of guidelines and

fair limits. Leaders are not controlling all

the process but rather helping the youth to

take on manageable responsibility and to

begin to think for themselves towards

attaining appropriate independence.

There will be times when the behaviour

of the youth will certainly come into

question. This is a critical time when our

leadership skill set will be put to the test.

Seeking attention,

entering into power struggles

through argument, wanting

revenge and showing

inadequacy are four goals of

youth misbehaviour.

It is at these times that we need to

ascertain what is the goal of the

misbehaviour on the part of the youth.

First however, we need to establish who

owns the problem. Ask yourself these

simple questions. Are people’s rights being

disrespected? Could somebody possibly

become hurt? Could there be damage to

property? Is the youth unable to assume

responsibility? If the answer to any of these

questions is “yes,” then the leadership

team owns the problem or both the youth

and you own the problem together. If not,

then it is the youth who owns the problem.

Seeking attention, entering into power

struggles through argument, wanting

revenge, and showing inadequacy are four

goals of youth misbehaviour. If youth can’t

obtain attention in positive ways, they will

strive for it by behaving inappropriately.

Their attempts at gaining independence

through power play out in testing the

limits, breaking established guidelines,

and sometimes shouting. Other youth

believe that if they can get retribution, they

will have found a way to belong even if it is

not a positive way of doing so. Showing

inadequacy and feeling discouraged are

ways that some youth behave in order that

others do not place high performance

expectations on them.

Strive to identify the

strengths in the youth and

place less importance

on the mistakes.

When we determine the goal of the

misbehaviour, we can better intervene at

changing it in a positive manner. Showing

encouragement and recognizing effort will

diminish the need for attention. Displaying

respect and using “I” messages will lower

power struggles while identifying the

feelings of the youth. Demonstrating

cooperative behaviour, responsibility

taking, and asking the youth for their ideas

and thoughts will dissipate such negative

behaviours as feelings of inadequacy and

seeking of revenge or retribution. Youth

want to be involved and they want to strive

for independence. They look for fairness

and they work towards gaining

competency. They want to contribute and

assist in the decision making process. They

enjoy being helpful and they look to be

able to trust in themselves and others.

Some Ways Of Building A Better Relationship With Youth In Your Group:Enjoy them: Learn to laugh at yourself,

have a sense of humour, allow yourself to

be imperfect. Smile and laugh a lot. Set out

to spend quality time with them.

Provide encouragement: Strive to

identify the strengths in the youth and

place less importance on the mistakes. Be

aware of effort and show them that you

believe in their abilities. Let them know

that you have confidence in them.

Show compassion: A pat on the back, a

thumbs up, an exchange of kind and caring

words, and doing things that the youth

enjoy will build up the team. Speaking and

acting respectfully with them will help the

children grow in independence and

responsibility.

A pat on the back,

a thumbs up, an exchange

of kind and caring words

and doing things that

the youth enjoy will

build up the team.

By now, you perhaps have become aware

of how much work it takes to effectively

interact in a positive manner with the youth.

Learn to do the same with yourself. Take time

to relax, to give yourself a pat on the back, to

enjoy quiet moments of personal reflection,

to be well prepared with a solid and mean-

ingful team approach set out in the program,

and to see challenges with a new perspective

as an opportunity to grow and strengthen

yourself. Scouting provides a wealth of

adventure, fun and challenge to both the

youth and the leaders. It is indeed the highly

skilled leaders who are an integral force

behind the many successes experienced by

our various Scouting groups.


SCOUTER'S ALBUMWe asked for pictures from you. Pictures that show off

Scouting at its best. These terrific shots were submitted by Scouters

Beth McAdams, Bryan Mierau, Jared Gudnason and Colleen McCaw.


SHARE YOUR SHOTS!

GOT SOME GREAT SHOTS OF YOUR OWN TO SHARE? GET IN TOUCH WITH US AT SCOUTING [email protected]!

START YOUR

ENGINES FOR ANOTHER EXCITING YEAR OF THE

BEAVER BUGGY AND KUB KAR PROGRAM!

Check out the all NEW Hot Wheels® inspired packaging at the Scout Shop this year!

Complete with a Special Offer and Decals.

For NEW design templates, building tips and great resources

for Scouters planning their rallies visit:

Scouts.ca/hotwheels

© 2013 Mattel. All Rights Reserved.

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