Scouting Community
2021–2022 Scouts demonstrated a remarkable ability to adapt to change. Scouts reunited after a tough few years; reconnecting and making new friends, sharing stories, and getting back to normal Scouting. The Scouting Community this year focused and united like never before in unique challenges and favourite adventures.
Scouter Development Days
Attendees
1-3 yr Colony Scouters
1-3 yr Pack Scouters
The Program Support Team is GREAT, they have wonderful staff and volunteers, wonderful energy and they encourage enthusiasm in others, quick thinking, and a good problem solvers. My team and myself believe the level of engagement and alignment to be pretty much… Spot ON!
Award for Fortitude
Certificate of Commendation
Gallantry
Jack Cornwell Decoration
Medal of the Maple
Meritorious Conduct
Outstanding Service Medal
Scouters step up, and the 2021–2022 Scouting year was no exception. Scouts Canada is built on a foundation of outstanding and selfless volunteers. These leaders are determined to support the organization's mission and continue to find creative and innovative ways to support our youth and help them be better prepared for success in the world. At the end of the day, being a Scouter often means rolling up your sleeves and getting things done. As an organization, Scouts Canada owes its volunteers a massive debt of gratitude. Thank you so much for always stepping up to help our youth, being adaptable regardless of the situation, applying humour and compassion within your Scouting community, for being the kind of role model for our youth. The kind of people they would be proud to emulate. What you do truly makes a difference. While you won't always see the impact you've had in the moment, please know that one day, a youth you interacted with and supported will have that eureka moment “Ah! Now I understand what Akela meant that time…”. There is no Scouts Canada without you…
THANK YOU!
While we can't highlight all of the fantastic stories of our Scouting members being acknowledged for their award-winning efforts, we can show an example of someone putting others before themselves despite some of the most challenging experiences one could face.
The Jack Cornwell Decoration is awarded to a youth member based on exceptionally high character, devotion to duty, and specific acts of physical courage; or must have heroically undergone great suffering. In 2021–2022, Alyssa Lodge, from the 27th Guelph Group, was awarded the Jack Cornwell Decoration.
Alyssa has shown incredible resilience through a devastating time and turned a tragedy into something positive. In January 2021, Alyssa's family was involved in a terrible car accident that cost the lives of her 2 older siblings, Evan and Amanda. Alyssa spent several weeks recovering from various injuries. When she was released from the hospital to continue her recovery and rehabilitation, Alyssa decided that it was important to give back to the hospital that treated her family. She decided to raise funds by baking and selling cookies. Less than a year after her time at McMaster Children's Hospital, Alyssa visited the hospital to donate over $11,000. She is proud of what she has accomplished, knowing that it will help children that need it, just as she once did. Alyssa wanted to continue to help. The Lodge Family has been an important part of the 27th Guelph Scouting Family, and the Group was glad to have been able to rally around them during this terrible time, planning meetings around Alyssa's needs as she recovered. It is great to have Alyssa's smiles and laughs at Cub Pack meetings as she is running and playing again. Alyssa continues to recover emotionally and physically from the trauma of last January, but her determination to give back to the hospital is truly remarkable and deserves recognition. Bravo, Alyssa!
International Adventures
Scouting doesn't just happen from the Pacific to the Atlantic, within Canada's borders. Scouting is truly a worldwide movement. In 2021–2022, our Scouting youth and volunteers engaged with the world at large in a variety of ways. Over 600 Scouts Canada members participated in international events in the US, UK, Switzerland, Finland, Denmark, and Türkiye'. Canadian Scouters delivered presentations at the European and African Regional Conferences and contributed to various World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) operational framework projects. WOSM featured Scouts Canada's Event Playbook as a resource for other National Scouting Organizations. World Scouting recognized 25 young people for their outstanding service and contributions towards building peace and promoting sustainable development in their communities. One of the awarded Messengers of Peace Heroes was Scouts Canada's, Kayla Bernard. Kayla was recognized for her work supporting children and youth's mental health and well-being through art and play during the pandemic as just a few examples of Scouts Canada showing leadership beyond Canada and striving to make the world a better place.
HIGHLIGHTS
Over 600 Scouts Canada members participated in international events in the US, UK, Switzerland, Finland, Denmark, and Türkiye'.
Canadian Scouters delivered presentations at the European and African Regional Conferences and contributed to various WOSM operational framework projects.
WOSM featured Scouts Canada's Event Playbook as a resource for other National Scouting Organizations.
KAYLA BERNARD RECEIVED THE MESSENGER OF PEACE — HERO AWARD
The Messengers of Peace — Hero Award connects young Peacebuilders together in a global network and inspires them to play leadership roles and become active citizens in their communities. Since 2010, the Messengers of Peace initiative has involved nearly all 172 National Scout Organizations and empowered Scouts to lead more than 16 million community development projects delivering over 2.5 billion hours of service towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. We salute you, Kayla!
Kayla Bernard, Mi'kmaq from Sipekne'katik First Nation, a member of the 36th Halifax Scout Group and member of the Scouts Canada Board of Governors, received the Messenger of Peace — Hero Award for a project she created during the pandemic. Kayla's project was called “Heart in a Box.” She curated art supplies, things to paint and draw with, learn origami art, along with mindfulness resources, and shipped them to youth across Nova Scotia.
During the first lockdown, she knew she wanted to help her community but wasn't sure at first how. She considered the activities that help her support her own mental well-being. She wanted it accessible to young people and for free. She had initially planned to send out 40 boxes, however, due to the massive demand, Kayla shipped out over 1000! She did this in partnership with other young people in her community to ensure that what was included in the boxes was useful and appropriate. With the increased demand, she faced a challenge to meet it and didn't want to disappoint anyone and limit the boxes to the initial 40. Kayla reached out to businesses and government officials in her community to help fund the additional boxes. She was able to make the connection between these officials and businesses, and the youth of the province.
The Heart in a Box project has had a real impact on the community. It brought families together, with older siblings helping younger siblings with origami. In another instance, it helped someone new to their neighbourhood make friends when a neighbour saw her outside making friendship bracelets and started making them together. Parents found the mindfulness resources helpful at bedtime, helping their children manage their anxieties. This amazing project has been ongoing for over two years now. With members being able to meet in person again, Kayla is supporting young people in relearning the social skills that weren't used during the heart of the pandemic.
Staff
"I really value the fact that Scouts Canada genuinely cares about its employees' well-being by offering very flexible work arrangements as well as constantly asking for feedback on improvement initiatives. This shows that, as an organization, Scouts Canada strives for continuous growth and success for its members and employees. As a parent of young kids, I feel deeply connected to Scouts Canada's Mission and wish that more organizations would focus on creating more opportunities for the younger generation to succeed in our ever-changing world. Scouts Canada sure delivers on this goal!"
— Alisa Vilgan, Member Services
“Every day, I'm reminded of how lucky I am to work for an organization that brings me such joy and fulfillment! I continue to be in awe of the commitment and dedication our volunteers have to our Mission. I have grown, both personally and professionally, during my time at Scouts Canada and feel so proud that my work is making a difference in the lives of our youth members.”
— Kira Berger, Project Manager, Revenue Development
Staff Members
Adapting to a changing work environment
By Kris Joseph
The past couple of years, for many of us, can be defined by two words: resiliency and flexibility. I know that to be true for me. One minute I was in the office in Ottawa, making phone calls to advance new partnerships, water cooler conversations on football fantasy pools and rec league basketball, and getting to know new colleagues, and the next minute, bam, I'm in my home “office” navigating team video calls, a young child attempting to do school virtually and figuring out how to navigate the new life situation we found ourselves in. Pretty quickly, I felt what it can be like for our Field Services team to always be working remotely, with no office to ground you and support you. Working twice as hard to engage people in meaningful dialogue and creating those important connections that make Scouts Canada such a great organization.
My focus this past year was to stand up an Ontario version of the highly successful Grizzly Den program first created by the Chinook Scout Foundation. We brought Hydro One on board as the main financial supporter of the program. I had to engage the amazing Chinook Scout Foundation to learn all about their Grizzly Den program and, together with a team of engaged volunteers and staff across many departments, figure out how to upscale the program to meet the needs of our Ontario youth; all without being able to physically meet with anyone! Through an organizational wide dedication, we collectively engaged many youth and volunteers virtually, discussing the program, supporting Sections' amazing Adventure Applications, participating in the difficult task of evaluating them all and determining how much funding to provide to help support the next level adventure dreams of our Ontario youth. Ultimately, we were able to fund over 1100 youth participating in over 70 incredible adventures.
What started out as an obstacle turned into an opportunity. This new way of working allowed me to engage with so many more youth, volunteers and staff than I would likely have had we been working in a more traditional working environment. I feel like I made some incredible new connections, lowered some of the at-work silos, and created some flexibility that has really supported my family and allowed me to view Scouts Canada in a whole new way. I know this will not have been everyone's experience of the pandemic. However, I am grateful that it was mine.