In 2021–2022, our youth demonstrated resilience and leadership in their communities. By embarking on new adventures outdoors with their friends, youth discovered what they are capable of. By trying a variety of new activities, youth in Scouts got to find their thing, the passion that will light the spark to ignite their fire.
Over 4 weeks, Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Venturers and Rovers from across Canada participated in this great winter skills-building marathon. They needed teamwork, creativity, and ingenuity to tackle each week's challenge. Advancing their winter skills as they went, Groups not only worked towards completing their Level 1, 2 or 3 OAS badge requirements but also challenged themselves to earn the coveted Challenge Crest and the right to 'Claim the Flame'!
Congratulations to the 1st Airdrie Scout Group for winning the Claim the Flame challenge! Participating in all four of the weekly challenges, the Group captured pictures and shared their stories each week to showcase the fun ways in which youth approached each challenge and what they learned. They built an Olympic-themed relay race that included shelter building and snowshoeing (among other stations); crafted sit-upons with recycled materials to enjoy after a hike; assembled emergency winter first aid kits; and ate Bannock over the campfire while learning about its pre-colonial use in the communities of Indigenous peoples.
1st Airdrie brought a whole lot of Adventure to Claim the Flame, from Beavers to Cubs and Scouts!
Scouts in Canada went Around the World.
At a time when lockdowns were on and off again, Scouts got to explore and meet other Scouts Around the World. In this eight-week Challenge, Sections 'visited' eight different countries, developed new skills through fun challenges and supported their communities and the planet by leading exciting Scouts for Sustainability activities. With the help of a symbolic transporting compass, we imagined that our Scout Groups could ping around the globe to different destinations quickly. In each country, they faced a challenge or a fun activity to champion as a Section. Once completed, Sections collected a crest and eventually curated the full composite crest!
Shout out to the 1st CBS Scout Group from Newfoundland & Labrador Council for completing all eight challenges of the Around the World in 60 Days expedition, sharing in 16.5 hours of fun activities rooted in the Scouts for Sustainability program. Exploring Goal #4: Quality Education, #6: Clean Water and Sanitation, #14: Life Below Water and more, Beaver and Cub Scouts benefited their community and the planet while embarking on exciting adventures with friends.
The Grizzly Den is a competition that started in Chinook Council in partnership with the Chinook Foundation. Youth participants work together to plan and pitch their upcoming adventure, compete for funding to take their adventures to the next level, and receive mentorship and guidance from the Grizzlies (panel of judges) along the way.
This year, the Grizzly Den roared to life in Ontario thanks to generous support from our partner, Hydro One. Over 1100 Ontario youth across 70 Sections will have participated in safe, exciting and empowering adventures between June 2022 and May 2023. These experiences range from local hikes to ice climbing, multi-day canoe expeditions to overseas adventures. Youth, from Beavers all the way up to Rovers, brainstormed next-level adventures and pitched to “the Grizzlies,” a team of seasoned Scouters and others to seek funding for their ideas. Over 88% of applicants ended up receiving money towards their adventures.
The Grizzly Den program's goal is to provide extra funding to remove financial barriers and elevate the outdoor Scouting spirit to new levels through Epic Adventures.
“When Sea kayaking the Johnstone Strait, I was amazed by the sheer beauty it held. My favourite part about the beautiful landscape and wildlife in this area was, of course, the whales. This ranged all the way from paddling with humpback whales to watching orcas from the shore, both of which were great highlights from the trip and moments I won't forget.
After planning and fundraising for something as large as this, I came to realize that not only was the trip the adventure, but the whole experience was more than just the destination. Putting together such a large Scouting Adventure showed us that we were capable of great tasks; planning, fundraising, and doing the adventure brought so much more meaning to the trip for me, as well as my friends, and now that we've seen what we can do as a group, I believe we can continue to put together large adventures such as this one.”
The Paddling Back in Time adventure was as unique and exciting as planned. Thorough planning and pre-camp training helped everyone to be well prepared and able to enjoy the adventure with appropriate gear, skills, and safety precautions. In the three days, of embracing the nature and history of Brant, we had so much fun fishing, hiking, star gazing, campfire story telling and singing, Scouts Own meditating, and canoeing for four hours along the stunning Grand River.
The youth learned how to properly use axes, knives, fire, and stove; and put these skills into good use preparing firewood and cooking. Even now, we still talk about the mouth-watering meals that we had, like the chocolate cake and vegetable soup that were baked in paper box ovens and Dutch ovens, the bread on sticks and juicy steaks grilled over the campfire. The journey surprised us along the way as the wisdom of the Creator and His creations unfold!
It would be nearly impossible to find a Scouting Group not impacted by the pandemic; yet, the same can be said for the countless ways in which our youth, Scouters, parents, and Scouting Community stepped up to keep Scouting going while continuing to positively impact our local communities. The pandemic offered constant opportunities for our organization to help our youth be better prepared for success in the world. Whether that was figuring out what engaging Virtual Scouting looks like, how to safely meet in person, Planning-Doing-Reviewing epic outdoor adventures, or supporting our community members most struggling during the pandemic through fundraisers. There are many Scout Group success stories from coast to coast.
“We have great Scouters who provide a good program, and this followed through in 2021-2022. We met outdoors whenever it was possible, moving to weekends rather than weeknights when it was too dark for beavers and cubs in the evening to make it work. Through the pandemic, we had a max of 16 per group. It was also extremely helpful that Camp Impeesa is very close and was available for Group activities throughout the time we could not meet in our regular meeting locations.”
Under the leadership of Mark Hammer at 1st Ayr, the team of Scouters has truly exemplified what it means to be a team and how to come together in the face of adversity as they continued to respond to the ups and downs of the pandemic during the 2021/22 year. 1st Ayr's success was multifaceted — they were able to recruit 8 new volunteers, adjust their program delivery, locations, and time to meet the needs of the youth and their program, and truly work together as a team to ultimately increase their membership by 23% compared to their pre-pandemic membership. What was unique about 1st Ayr's journey is that they grew by so much in the 21/22 year that they had to not only split one but two sections — both the Colony and Pack. They were also the first Group in the Country to split sections during the 21/22 year. As a way to eliminate unnecessary competition or a feeling of being 'second fiddle,' the Group also decided to step away from the conventional naming of the additional sections as a 'B Colony' and a 'B Pack' and alternatively renamed all four of the junior sections to 'Lightning & Thunder, and 'Blue Jays & Snowy Owls' respectively. This, along with all the other wonderful things happening at 1st Ayr, has contributed to the sense of team regardless of what section they support.
This year the Scout Group celebrated its 15th Anniversary with amazing opportunities to participate in adventures larger than their local community, despite local restrictions. They achieved the “Top Trekker Prize” in the Around the World Challenge but also earned a ghost crest for our efforts to “Go for Cold” in the Claim the Flame Challenge.
Robert Wadden, a new Group Commissioner, has a lot of passion for Scouting, growing up within Scouting (his father was heavily involved) since before he was beaver age. He knew what it did for him and wants other youth to enjoy the same experience.
An example of supporting other Scout Groups comes from the 1st Sydney Group in Nova Scotia Council. Many Groups faced reduced numbers of youth, in large part to pandemic restrictions and health concerns, forcing the closure of several Groups. So, a call went out; one of those dedicated volunteers to answer was 1st Sydney's Group Commissioner, Robert Wadden. In 2020, the 1st Sydney Scout Group did not run because of the pandemic. Seeing there was a need to give youth back the opportunities for social interaction that the pandemic took from them, Robert put himself forward as the Group Commissioner to help get the Scout Group back on its feet. In his first year as Group Commissioner, Robert and his dedicated volunteer team, along with the youth of 1st Sydney, brought registered youth from Sydney River West Mount Scout Group into the fold. Along with the support of Sydney River West Mount's former Group Commissioner, Amy Griffiths, 1st Sydney successfully integrated all the youth and continued to offer engaging Scouting programming, making the new youth feel right at home. Faced with the challenge of having less than an ideal number of adult volunteers, Robert and his Scouters often took on double roles to ensure quality programming could continue while supporting the youth of Sydney. 1st Sydney stepped up!
