Program Ideas 1 – Environmental Stewardship

Posted on April 15, 2012 by | 2 Comments

While I’m in the middle of taking my Woodbadge II for Company and Crew, it occurred me there aren’t a lot of resources on the more obscure parts of a well-rounded program.  All parts of the Venturer and Rover Scout Programs are important, but some like camping or service get a lot more attention than topics like conservation or even simply administration of the Company or Crew.

So this will be one of many in a series of improving various aspects of youth programming at the Venturer and Rover Scout levels.

Environmental Stewardship

Leave No Trace Canada

The main thing I find that gets attention from companies and crews when talking about the Environment is Leave No Trace. From the simple, “pack in what you pack out” to more elaborate codes of conduct, it can have various meanings for various activities. Leave No Trace Canada is a “national non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and inspiring responsible outdoor recreation through education, research and partnerships.”  Otherwise a perfect outside agency to learn from for being experts in their field.  They offer various levels of training, an awareness workshop which covers the basics, and trainer certifications to put on the workshops.

Venturer Scouts can take the course which can satisfy various requirements:

  • Contribute to Section 4-f of the Exploration Award
  • Section 3-c,i of the Outdoorsman Award
  • Contribute to requirement 3 of the old World Conservation Award

Rover Scouts can take the workshop, or even take the trainer certification and put on courses for Venturer Scouts in the area.  Besides, it never hurts to get a refresher to use when you’re planning your exploration events.

[Editor's note: A LNT session will be put on by your's truly at the upcoming Mash Moot, and is available to put on courses upon request.]
More Program Ideas After The Jump

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Posted in Program Ideas

It’s the People (Skills), Stupid

Posted on January 8, 2012 by | 5 Comments


In the past five or six years, I’ve increasingly heard the sentiment locally and through other channels that social camps are useless and have nothing to do with Scouting. After all, are there the markings of a traditional scout camp? Not really. Heck there’s even dances and jello wrestling at one of them!   Like customer service bad events are always shared with 7-10 people while good events are only shared by 1-3  and I wanted to explain with the help of some local Rovers what exactly what they are and what value they bring to the program of Venturer Scouts and Rover Scouts.  Social camps in south-western British Columbia include four (4) main events spread out over the Scouting year. There is a new social camp, Camp Coyote and some smaller Rover Moots that supplement these main program markers.

A few things that are common to all camps:

  • Each(aside from the Rover only Moots) are open to Venturer Scouts, Rover Scouts and members of Girl Guides of Canada aged 15-30 as well as their respective Advisors. It’s also open to other WOSM organizations; we’ve had Australians and Americans attend at least one of these events in any given year.
  • Camp attendance varies from 300-700 participants (Youth and Advisors) from Pacific Coast, Fraser Valley, their respective Girl Guides of Canada areas and occasionally groups from Washington State.
  • Saturday is the main day of activities, usually culminating with a dance on the Saturday night. Awards for events are typically presented at Camp Closing on Sunday morning.
  • Groups attending are responsible for everything they need for a weekend of camping, aside from program. All groups are expected to come with Advisors and their own camp forms. Advisors are responsible for their own youth at all times.
  • Any major breaches of the BP&P are handled by sending the group home immediately (even if it’s at 2am and the parents have to drive out to pick them up), and a formal complaint is lodged with Scouts Canada by the group running the camp. Minor infractions are handled at camp between the Camp Chief and group(s) involved in the mischief.
  • Most of these camps are run by volunteer staff that are aged less than 30, with the majority of planning done by youth 18-25. RoVent is the exception to this; “Friends of RoVent” do a lot of the planning and execution of this event, but are continually looking for new members to run the camp and aim for a Rover to be the Camp Chief.

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Posted in Discussion, Fun and Games

My 2011 year in review

Posted on January 2, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Well, it’s been a long time coming since my last full article. Without much further ado, here’s my

2011 Scouting Year in Review

ie. I Didn’t Realize You Can Fit All Of This Into One Year

January

Ozmoot, Surf Moot and Australia

Simply amazing. Adventure, and to do so with old and new friends alike is the definition of Scouting. To see two well run events by Rovers, for Rovers, was empowering and exciting. The stories and lessons learned will continue to serve me for years to come.

Trainer 2

The weekend after getting back from Australia was the first of three weekends to learn how to be a level 2 trainer. Lots to learn, and really helps to focus the teaching. Still have to go as a trainer to more courses in order to get my third bead. Should get that done in 2012.

February

Focus course

I had the pleasure of training a third Focus course in 6 months. The fellow trainers who came out to assist me really stepped it up, given that I was out of town for the month prior. Couldn’t have done it without them. Oh, and the participants were awesome too.

Rovent

Wow! What a totally amazing, excellent discovery!

Applied to be DCC-Communications

I wanted to make the next step, and applied for a Council position. While I ultimately did not get the position, the opportunity taught me a great deal that can be applied to so much in my future life. Funny how that happens with Scouting.
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Posted in Fun and Games, History Lesson

Every survey of young knowledge workers – physicians in the Army Medical Corps, chemists in the research lab, accountants or engineers in the plant, nurses in the hospitals – produces the same results. The ones who are enthusiastic and who, in turn, have results to show for their work, are the ones whose abilities are being challenged and used. Those that are deeply frustrated all say, in one way or another: “My abilities are not being put to use.”

The young knowledge worker whose job is too small to challenge and test his abilities either leaves or declines rapidly into premature middle-age, soured, cynical, unproductive. Executives everywhere complain that many young people with fire in their bellies turn so soon into burned-out sticks. They have only themselves to blame: They quenched the fire by making the young man’s job too small.

-Peter Drucker, “The Effective Executive”

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Posted on December 27, 2011 by

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Posted on October 26, 2011 by

Return to Númenor – A PJ Journey Log

Posted on September 7, 2011 by | 1 Comment

Númenor is the legendary island located in the Sundering Seas to the west of Middle-Earth. Traveling by giant ten person voyageur canoes and then by hiking, the 1st Kimberly Scout Troop rose to the challenge before them to reach Númenor, 564 meters above sea level.


Monday morning they left PJ, their first test was on the bus ride; one of patience and willpower. The 99 verse song of the sirens would have gotten to lesser Scouts, but not these ones. They pushed through and championed on. A spot game of Frisbee during lunch (some of which was foraged) while waiting on the beach of Port Mellon between units brought the collective group together. The previous night’s travelers were heading our way with our future canoes, and the youth eagerly watched them make their way across the inlet.


Once loaded, Eric, our fearless OOS guide, taught us the draw and pry strokes, how to brace our paddles, how to stop (always important) and the importance of matching our strokes together. With final instructions from the safety boat, we were off!

Will our intrepid Scouts make it? Click to find out!

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Posted in Expedition

Roverlution – The Teaser

Posted on April 17, 2011 by | Leave a comment

Getting the Right Shit done. Right.

“By Rovering, I don’t mean aimless wandering, I mean finding your way by pleasant paths with a definite object in view”
-Baden Powell

“A Scout is active in Doing good, Not passive in being good.”
-Baden Powell

“The largest Beaver Colony in the world isn’t going to inspire anyone to stay in Scouting.”
-John Simpson, TalkScouts.ca

“Development, Development, Development, Development”
-Me, channeling Steve Ballmer

We all have dreams. We all have ideas. We all have things we want to do.

We all profess to want them, to see them become reality; yet rarely do they all.

As a Youth Development Movement, we should be at the forefront of creating highly motivated, creative, empowered, healthy, fulfilled, professional, and effective young adults; by giving them the experience and know-how to shape the world around them to manifest their dreams.

The ability to get things done underpins all successful endeavors. Unfortunately, this ability is not born natively. The most effective way is by being taught the right way how, getting hands on real life practice, and receiving proper feedback from trusted mentors/coaches. This is something Scouts Canada can excel at, and what the Rover program should be centred around.

The Roverlution is to take our current beloved organization to the point where it is recognized and revered internally & externally as THE organization to get ahead in life; teaching people the fundamental skill of getting things done by using their passions as the vehicle to practice with.

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Posted in Rover Round Table