Welcome to ScoutScene! Scouts Canada’s National quarterly newsletter. In each edition, we’ll share updates on fundraising, national initiatives and highlight some of the great partnerships that help support Scouting youth across this great country.
Welcome to ScoutScene! Scouts Canada’s National quarterly newsletter. In each edition, we’ll share updates on fundraising, national initiatives and highlight some of the great partnerships that help support Scouting youth across this great country.
What a great year we have had in 2021-2022; the Board of Governors has been focused on progressing our strategic plan, which was launched this time last year and aims to engage more people in Scouts Canada’s Mission in different ways.
For an in-depth look at 2021-2022, have a look at the Annual Report. Celebrating the diversity and highlights of the many great Adventures and successes of 2021-2022.
The Dragon Trail Quest Challenge wrapped up just a few weeks ago, and it was a resounding success! Youth from coast to coast participated in four weekly challenges. The challenges had Scouts travel through an epic fantasy map collecting the “Forces of Nature” to send a grumpy dragon back to sleep for another 100 years. The Dragon Trail Quest was completed by mastering challenges based on Outdoor Adventure Skills, Sustainable Development Goals, and Personal Achievement Badges, and youth progressed their personal development in a fun and exciting way.
Congratulations to the 3rd Hairsine/Kirkness Parent Group (Northern Lights Council) for winning the Grand Prize of the Dragon Trail Quest!
Not only did the youth complete the Quest and triumph in lulling the Dragon back to sleep, but they went above and beyond by using multiple Forces of Nature each week.
Jr. Sections completed eight challenge activities while Sr. Sections embarked on four adventures.
From putting problem-solving skills into play with life-size Jenga to escape the Fairy Fortress to making magical potion necklaces and musical instruments using recycled materials, the youth had a blast. Roping in reinforcements to defeat the Dragon, younger Sections even baked a pizza to negotiate help from their Rover Scouts!
To qualify for the Grand Prize, Groups required a minimum of four completed challenges across multiple Sections, with fun lessons learned along their Quest. A Group was then randomly selected from a shortlist of winning candidates and won the draw!
As a prize, 3rd Hairsine/Kirkness Parent youth will enjoy a $2,500 gift to use toward their upcoming adventures. Stay tuned to hear what the youth planned and see highlights from their chosen activity.
Explore the Dragon Trail QuestOur journey begins with self-awareness as an organization, to identify where we truly stand. By sharing the process of our ongoing journey and demonstrating milestones, we not only increase Scouts Canada’s self-awareness by taking ownership of our actions and momentum, but we also build on the foundation that is helping us design our way forward to a desired future state.
As Scouts Canada continues to progress in our learning journey, we invite our community to reflect with us on our process and major effective actions thus far. Here is a look at our journey at a glance.
The goal of the Grizzly Den is to think big, real big! This wasn’t just a weekend camping adventure or park clean-up.
Thanks to Hydro One, Youth in Ontario were able to Roar their adventures to the next level where financial barriers were removed– we’re talking bucket list stuff!
Over 1100 Ontario youth across 70 Sections will have participated in safe, exciting, and empowering adventures between June 2022 and May 2023. These experiences ranged 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.
Fundraising for great Scouting Adventure is being made simpler thanks to the Future Entrepreneurs Program, generously funded by Desjardins.
30 Scouts Groups and counting across the country have already made custom webpages to help drive their financial success and have more great adventures.
Throughout the year, Scouts Canada has national fundraising campaigns: Scout Popcorn, Scout Seeds and Scout Coffee, but often Scouting Sections and Groups will need to undertake additional local fundraising activities in order to secure the funding they need for the great adventures they have planned.
Using the resources and materials provided through this program, Scouting groups can support their local fundraising efforts and enhance their Scouting experience, taking their adventures to the next level!
Bob has been involved in the Scouting movement “longer than I can count or remember,” and have been a Volunteer for over 35 years.
Read Bob’s Story to see how he supports Scouting and how the importance of a program like No One Left Behind has become even more vital to youth due to the pandemic.
If the pandemic has taught me anything, it is that people’s resilience, health, and wellbeing are put to the test in any stressful situation. The higher the stress level, the harder the test.
With your help, Scouts Canada is saying “YES” to this generation and allowing them to develop a stronger sense of who they are and what they like. Where many would say “no”, we say “YES”.
More than ever, kids today need the opportunity to boost their resilience and confidence and to make positive memories, like I have from my time as a Cub Scout.
When I was younger, my Leaders were my mentors who said “YES!” Those role models helped me discover my interests, helped me to discover the things that I’ve held dear all my life. If it wasn’t for Scouts, I would never have discovered my love of music and song, I still run and perform at Scouts campfires ever year.
…But I am jumping ahead. Let me introduce myself. My name is Bob Prentice, and I am a volunteer from Niagara Falls. I have been involved with Scouts Canada longer than I care to mention (or count) and, quite honestly, I wish people would view me as I used to view my old Leaders, as a friend and a mentor.
…Now, back to the campfires. The youth at these campfires are shy. During the pandemic, they haven’t had the opportunity to play, or simply share in conversation with one another. I work hard to empower youth to find their confidence and take centre stage, which in this case was the campfire pit.
You have no idea how rewarded I feel when I see a young Scout sing a silly song for the first time, or the immense pride of the newfound confidence kids experience when they do something they thought was ‘scary’ for the first time. They have a certain proud look in their eye.
The fun doesn’t stop there. We do a Campfire skit that gets youth working together to encourage each other to break out of their shyness, called “The Bacon Tree”. Each Scout, pretending to be soldiers, takes turns in the spotlight reporting back to their ‘troop leader’ about being defeated at the bacon tree… well it turns out they were being defeated because it was a “Ham Bush” / ambush… the humour has everyone involved laughing in fits, and not just the kids… I stand a bit taller and prouder in the growth and confidence that the campfire brings.
Like me, I’m sure you also likely have fond memories from your younger days, and like me you find great joy in passing along and supporting today’s kids.
Scouting is the perfect place to create this amazing long-term impact on our youth.
By letting kids make responsible choices, we show that we trust them. By helping them gain their confidence, we are letting them be their own unique individual. And by building up positives to buffer against all the negatives in the world, we are helping them to build stronger relationships with the people around them.
And this is where we need your help.
Not only do I need your affirmation for us to say “yes” to this amazing group of tomorrow’s leaders, but I need you to say “yes” to my request asking you for a donation to Scouts Canada.
All I hope to do is give them more freedom to explore …and create …and celebrate …and live up to their best selves.
The leadership, the programming, the adventures, the training and especially the Scouting Experience all need funding to continue this amazing legacy started over 100 years ago.
At this busy time of year, please take a moment to stop and enjoy the many “yes”es you have heard over your lifetime and take the time to pay it forward.
Thank you for your continued generosity.
Sincerely,
Bob Prentice
Volunteer
P.S. I am asking you to give a gift this time of the year, so we can continue Scouts Canada life-changing work. Whatever you can give, we are very grateful. Every dollar counts!
We might not be able to change the world on our own, but we can certainly make a positive difference when we work together.
Over the last few months, our friends at Chilly Moose have been supporting Scouting Groups in incorporating the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) into their weekly programming with a very special initiative.
We are excited to announce the Grand Prize Winners for the Chilly Moose x Scouts for Sustainability Contest.
Scouting Groups submitted their SDG-related activities to enter a chance to win amazing Chilly Moose gear for their youth and Scouters! We were very impressed with all the submissions received and amazed to see how our youth are teaming up to create a better world.
Thanks to all the youth and Scouters who shared their activities with us on the interactive map – and keep sharing your wonderful activities on our Take Action page. Together let’s team up for the planet and keep up the good work!
Youth participants learn about the impact of pollution and what steps they can take to protect their local water, then they can take action by painting yellow fish symbols with the words ‘Rain Only’ by storm drains and distributing informative fish-shaped brochures to nearby households reminding people that ‘Only Rain Goes Down the Drain.’ The Scouts painted over 60 storm drains in their town.
Applicable Goals:
“We are so excited to be a part of this partnership! Not only will we be continuing to provide fresh vegetables for the food bank, but also, this year, we will be working alongside ACSA's team that runs programs for young families - teaching them about gardening and other amazing outdoor skills. Our official garden launch will be on the weekend of Saturday, May 21st and Sunday, May 22nd - we'll be spending the day loading soil and seeding the garden. “
Applicable Goals:
Scouts Canada recently partnered with the Canadian Mental Health Association – British Columbia (CMHA-BC) to pilot, Confident Scouters, Thriving Kids (CSTK). This pilot project is a 16-hr interactive course, normally available through a doctor’s referral. Through our partnership with CMHA-BC, we have the privilege of piloting this course with select volunteers, with the scope of supporting youth in scouting. CSTK provides Scouters with knowledge and tools to help them support their youth to manage anxiety or behaviour challenges.
Over the course of eight weeks, 10 volunteers and 2 staff members participated in this pilot program, completing over 16 hours of coursework and online coaching. The results reported by our volunteers have been tremendous. The knowledge and tools they gained have already made a significant impact on their abilities to manage behaviours in the scout group setting.
The team will be reviewing the program at the end of January to discuss how we can bring this training and tools to youth and volunteers across Canada.
Big shout out to the volunteers and staff who participated in this pilot!
Scouts Canada is planting a better future in partnership with the Government of Canada. Through the 2 Billion Tree initiative, we continue to commit to the environmental sustainability of our properties across the country.
This spring, we begin to plant a better tomorrow.
Creating a legacy gift as part of will planning is a generous and thoughtful way to provide a lasting impact. Your legacy gift could help Scouts Canada create more exciting opportunities and new programs to help youth discover their true potential.
Learn More
When you partner with Scouts Canada, you demonstrate to Canadians, your community, and your customers a commitment to youth, families and the future of Canada. Directly connect with over 35K Canadian youth and their families with a proven media reach of over 200 million impressions annually.
Partnering together, Scouts Canada offers many sponsorship opportunities that directly impact youth in the areas of:
However, we’d also like to work with sponsors to create a program that meets their corporate social responsibility goals.
Learn More
Media inquiries, please contact Anissa Stambouli: anissa.stambouli@scouts.ca
Scouts Canada Charity Number: 107761694RR0028
