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Fall into Adventures!

It’s hard to believe that the summer is almost over, but that doesn’t mean the fun has to end. It‘s time for youth to discover their thing as we fall into new adventures!

Catch campfire cooking tips, see which Scouts Canada properties and camps are in the spotlight near you, discover the teaser for our NEW Dragon Trail Quest challenge and more! Make sure to visit the What’s New section — there’s a lot going on and you won’t want to miss a thing.

Please tell us what you think! Share your thoughts and ideas about this edition of the Woggle and if there’s anything you would like to see in future editions.

You can also complete the quick poll at the bottom of the newsletter to let us know how we’re doing.

Scouts Properties Spotlight

Six great Scouts Canada properties to check out this fall:

 

Scouts Canada Camp Tweedsmuir

Camp Tweedsmuir

British Columbia

Located on 40 acres of beautiful land just outside of Fruitvale, BC, Camp Tweedsmuir includes rustic cabins sleeping 80 youth and 20 adults, a winterized mess hall for 120, a full kitchen, and camping areas stretching across creeks in the wilderness sites. Other facilities in the camp consist of picnic tables, a large event barbecue, showers, a winterized washroom and cooking shelters.

Camp Tweedsmuir is perfect for those who enjoy outdoor activities such as archery, mountain biking, hiking, canoeing, showshoeing and fishing! 

Scouts Canada Camp Caillet

Camp Caillet

British Columbia

Located in Nanaimo on the east coast of Vancouver Island, Camp Caillet provides a safe and secure space which is fully fenced for Scouting and Guiding Groups to embark on multiple activities. This camp has a fully covered fire pit which sits up to 200 youth comfortably, while offering a professional kitchen, picnic shelter, and heated cabins for meeting and sleeping.

Camp Caillet is also made available to visitors with supplies of firewood, canoe rentals and lovely camping grounds; it is an ideal place for both Scouters and visitors to enjoy throughout the year! 

Scouts Canada Sunken Lake

Sunken Lake

Nova Scotia

Formed by a small melting isolated glacier, the camp is a part of geological history and has been in operation since 1920 by the Wolfville Boy Scouts.

Located on the highest part of the south mountain of the Annapolis Valley, the clear, spring-fed water allows for a perfect canoeing experience. Groups can book a spacious, main lodge with electricity, gas stove and eat-in kitchen or four medium sized cabins that can sleep up to 8.

Discover the beauty of Sunken Lake while enjoying day hikes and picturesque views!

Scouts Canada Yoho Scout Reserve

Yoho Scout Reserve

New Brunswick

Scout Reserve offers two all-season lodges with a lakefront beach and dock area, including a chapel and extensive nature trails. It is perfect for outdoor activities such as camping, canoeing, hiking, swimming and skiing!

The rustic Jensen Lodge comfortably accommodates smaller groups up to ten, while the newly constructed Bair Lodge is suitable for larger groups.

A wonderful camping location to explore and experience all year round! 

Scouts Canada Camp Amisk

Camp Amisk

Manitoba

Enjoy 25 acres of open green spaces at wilderness Camp Amisk! 

Forming a part of the La Barriere Park system, the camp is included in the nature trail network and the Parkland Mews Falconry and Birds of Prey Education program.

Perfect for all section camps on a year-round basis, choose from 10 tenting sites of various sizes accommodating from 10 to 250 campers.

This camp is perfect for conservation & environmental studies learning! 

Scouts Canada Barber Memorial

Barber Memorial

Ontario

If you're looking for a one stop property, Barber Memorial is a must!

Located near the Eramosa River, it is perfect for campfires, canoeing, hiking, geocaching, tobogganing and other sports activities. 

The main Cuscoro Lodge hosts up to 24 youth and includes a kitchen, toilets and water. Other options include 3 camping fields, 3 adirondacks, a picnic shelter and large field area that can accommodate up to 10 groups.

An ideal camping spot for Scouts of all ages!

View Camps

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Reconciliation

Our Ongoing Journey

As Scouts Canada continues to progress along our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Reconciliation journey, our commitments — creating the conditions for sustainable inclusion; equity and addressing the root causes of inequity — remain steadfast and our systemic audit process begins this fall.

Raven Reads — Sign Up, Sign Up, Sign Up!

Read Stories from First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Voices

Please use this form to submit your interest in a Scouts Canada & Raven Reads Reconciliation Box pre-order coming available for purchase September 2022.

Raven Reads Sign-Up Form

By providing a name and email address in the form, you will receive an email in advance of sales opening up to members to order and purchase for the 2022/23 Scouting year. These new resources co-created by Scouts Canada and Raven Reads contain books and educational materials to assist in leading discussions around reconciliation and Indigenous cultures in Canada. Each box will include:

  • Books
  • Poster
  • Bookmarks
  • Promotional item

Saddle-stitched booklet providing additional resources, suggested activities by age group and other activities that align with current Scouts Canada programming.

Different boxes are available for different age groups — which are aligned with the Scouting Section age groups. Make sure to sign up to receive an email when advance sales open in September! 

Dragon Trail Quest

The dreaded Dragon has woken from its hundred-year slumber and is wreaking havoc in all the land. Only the Cosmo Crest can lull the Dragon back to sleep!

To face each week’s challenge, youth must unlock the power of one of the Forces of Nature to overcome the task at hand, choosing from Wind, Water, Earth, Fire.

The Dragon Trail Quest will bring Sections on a five-week voyage, traversing the mystical lands of a fantastical world to face challenges as a team, discover their personal strengths and find a way to lull the Dragon back to sleep, saving the land.

Don’t miss out on Info Sessions to help Scouters navigate this Quest, along with fun Mug-Ups, kicking off this August!

 

Quest Events

Scouter's Guide

Planning for your Fall Programming

Welcome back to a new Scouting program year! This is the perfect time to get together with your fellow Scouters and put together a basic framework of what you want to do for the year. This includes any field trips, camp bookings, sleepovers or events that you want to attend. You should also have a couple of starter meetings ready for the first couple of weeks.

During those first few weeks is when you will get to know the new youth that have joined. It’s also when the youth in your Section will contribute their ideas for what they want to do over the next season, or even year.

Over the years, I have heard many times, “I’m not sure how to make my Section youth-led,” especially from Colony or Pack Scouters.

The truth is that youth-led looks different from Section to Section.

With Beaver Colonies, it can be as simple as asking Beavers what they enjoyed last year and what they want to do this year. My favourite thing to ask is, “What is one thing that you really want to do but your parents won’t let you?” This brings out all their wishes, and from there, you can help them narrow down the list to feasible options.

For Cubs Packs, they have more ideas of what Scouting can be and what they can do as a team, but they can still benefit from suggestions that offer options for them to choose from.

Scouts, Venturers and Rovers may decide in a more diplomatic way by either a vote (raise of hands), ‘dotmocrocy’ (putting dot stickers on an activity that they want to do and the majority wins) or any other way they want to decide.

These ideas are then taken away by the Scouter team and fleshed out and put into a plan for the year. You will be amazed how many great activity ideas there are to fill the seasons ahead.

While you may hear some outlandish ideas, don’t disregard them, these can be the most interesting and fun nights that you will have. For example in my Section, going to Hawaii was an idea that came up; we had a Hawaiian night and tasted Hawaiian traditional food, looked at where Hawaii was on a map, worked out how many cars / school busses it would take to reach Hawaii, and learned some traditional Hawaiian games and songs. We all came dressed in Hawaiian shirts, shorts and flipflops. We had a blast! If you look for opportunities to amplify the fun in each activity, you can’t go wrong.

Happy Planning!

Fall Top Tips

  1. Fall is a wonderful time to make sure that all your youth’s medical information is up to date. Stressing how important this is to their parents is crucial. There may come a time where you will need to call a doctor, or even ambulance, for one of your youth; having accurate information is important for the care that they receive.
  2. Get outside! Fall is a fantastic season for camps, hikes and generally being outside. The weather is usually mild enough—not too hot or too cold, and most of the bugs have left.
  3. Try an activity that your Section has never tried before. It could be sailing, geocaching or exploring a new area. This is the perfect time!
  4. Have you looked at the Activity Finder, or our Youth Leadership Training yet? Our Scouts for Sustainability program also offers great ideas, and there is still time to submit your Section’s activities to be eligible for winning prizes from Chilly Moose! These programs all complement what you are already doing with your Section, and they’re a fun way to earn more badges.
  5. Is your Section participating in the Duke of Edinburgh International Award (for ages 14-25)? If you aren’t already but are interested, contact kelly.logan@scouts.ca for more information on how easy it is to incorporate into the senior Section program. Participating youth also earn an internationally accepted award that looks great on college applications and resumes!

Safety Moment

LESSONS LEARED — Complacency Leads to Serious Swimming Scare

 

INCIDENT SUMMARY

A Scouting family has a backyard pool, at which they’ve hosted their children’s friends countless times over the years with no issue. When the idea was floated for a Cub Pack pool party at this home, it seemed like an easy and low-risk event. 

Following the safety process, the Section submitted an Adventure Application Form to their Group Commissioner, experienced with 15 years in Scouting. Without delving into the form’s details for a thorough evaluation, the Group Commissioner signed off on the form, approving the event even though not all safety Swimming Standards had been met. While the Scouter/youth ratio was maintained, there were neither two qualified lifeguards on deck, nor were all youth wearing personal floatation devices (PFDs).

At the pool party, three Scouters had eyes on the pool: one Scouter ensured the deep end was monitored, while the other two were evaluating the Cubs’ swimming skills. It was confirmed prior to the event that all Cubs in the Pack were qualified swimmers, except for one Cub.

The non-swimming Cub somehow made their way to the deep and of the pool and immediately sank to the bottom—nobody saw how they got there. Two Cubs noticed; one immediately called out to the Scouters while the other Cub pulled the non-swimming youth up to the side of the pool.

The Scouter who lifted the Cub from performed a quick assessment and recognized a lack of vital signs. They immediately began to perform CPR while the other Scouters brought the remaining youth into the house and called 9-1-1.

When the paramedics arrived, the Cub had regained consciousness but was transported to the hospital for overnight observation. While they were released the next day unharmed, this incident could have ended in a worse scenario—brain injury or even death.

This incident occurred due to complacency.

Listen to the audio:

FACTORS IDENTIFIED LEADING TO THE INCIDENT

  1. The Scouter responsible for planning the Section’s pool party was not familiar with the Scouting Swimming Standards; the requirement for two qualified lifeguards, or all youth wearing PFDs, was not reflected on the Adventure Application Form. 
  2. While familiar with the Swimming Standards, the Group Commissioner had not reviewed the form thoroughly enough to identify the missing information; had the gap been identified, they could have worked with the Scouter to address it.

CORRECTIVE ACTIONS FOR NEXT TIME

  1. Consistently follow the rules and standards for planning activities.
  2. Don’t let familiarity with an activity lead to complacency.
  3. Don’t let repetition lead to complacency in planning and proofing Adventure Application Forms; the planning is how we ensure the activity is safe.

Attention Scouters!

Do you have ideas to simplify the volunteer experience and share your Scouter knowledge?

Volunteer Life-Cycle Review is a Pillar 1 project that aims to determine updates needed to enhance your volunteer experience. By completing a holistic review of volunteer roles and lifecycles we can identify opportunities to simplify and reduce administrative burden while ensuring that volunteer and group support approaches are effective. In order to make meaningful objective changes we are seeking insight from new and seasoned Scouters in every Council.

To do this, we are building a contact list of Scouters called the Volunteer Reference Base.

We are looking for 3000 Section or Group Committee Scouters willing to:

  1. Commit to one or more in-depth surveys that will probe different aspects of being a Scouter.
  2. Respond to a series of spot / one-question surveys (these should take a few seconds each).
  3. Take part in discussion and focus groups over the next 6-8 months.

 

Join the Reference Base

Around the Campfire

Make a Whole Meal!

Next time you’re camping, challenge yourself to make an entire meal using a campfire! With a bit of creativity and the right materials, you can make a delicious meal, right on the fire.

Catch our Safe Scouting tips for campfire safety and safe grilling practices. 

 

Appetizer: Campfire Corn on the Cob

When in season, pick up some fresh corn still in the husk. Soak the corn (in the husk) in cold water for 30 minutes before you start cooking. This will make sure the corn cooks before the husks dry out and burn.

Drain the water and add the corn to a grill over the fire. Turn the corn every five minutes or so. They should be tender and ready to eat after 30 minutes.

What other veggies could you cook on the fire?

Main Course: Campfire Pizza

Ever thought of making pizza on a fire? Take your campfire cooking to the next level and try this tasty treat! Grab some dough, your favourite toppings, a cast iron skillet and a fire—you’re ready to go! But how do you make a pizza without an oven?

Prep your dough – either make it or grab pre-made dough from the grocery store. Grab enough dough to fill the bottom of your skillet and place it in the centre. Gently press the dough outwards to the edges of the pan to make the crust.

Place the dough pan over the fire, ideally on a grill. Once the bottom of the dough starts to turn golden brown, take the pan off the heat. Flip the dough over so the golden side is now facing up and the uncooked side is down. Add any toppings you want.

Once you’ve added your toppings, put your pizza back on the fire and cover it with a lid or aluminum foil. When the cheese is melted, remove the cover to let the pizza finish cooking. Once the crust looks like it’s cooked to your satisfaction, pull the pan off the heat, slice your pizza and dig in!

Dessert: Cooking in the Coals

A really easy way to use the last bit of a fire (the nice hot coals left behind by burning wood) is to wrap your food in tin foil and nestle it into the coals. The coals will heat up your food to perfection – just be careful and use tongs to take out your food! Here are a couple of ideas to get you started:

S’mores in a Cone: Rather than using graham crackers, use ice cream cones for your s’mores. Using sugar cones, mini marshmallows, chocolate chips and any other tasty morsels you can imagine, stuff your sugar cone with your s’more ingredients. Wrap the cone in tin foil so that it is completely covered. Carefully place the cone in the coals and wait for a few minutes. Use tongs to remove it, open it carefully and dig in!

Banana Boats: Adding a banana makes your dessert healthy, right? Nope! But it’s delicious. Start by laying out a piece of tinfoil. Then place a banana (with the peel on) onto the tin foil. With the help of an adult, use a sharp knife to cut the banana in half, keeping the bottom peel intact, so that it acts as a plate. Add some delicious chocolate or marshmallow fluff. Wrap in tinfoil and cook in the fire for a few minutes. The banana takes on a wonderful caramel flavour with chocolate or marshmallow running through it. Yum!

Canadian Outdoor Survival Guide

Book Review

Looking to get out and do more camping this year? Not sure where to start? A Scout is wise in the use of all resources — and we have a new resource for you! Duane S. Radford’s Canadian Outdoor Survival Guide offers unique and useful information on everything from basic camping to more advanced skills like navigation and foraging.

Radford is no stranger to the outdoors — he’s a past President of the Outdoor Writers of Canada, a former director of Alberta’s Fisheries Management branch, and a recipient of multiple prestigious awards, including the Alberta Order of the Bighorn Award, Alberta’s foremost conservation award. He has written numerous books and articles on the outdoors and is now sharing some of his best advice in this practical guide.

Radford mixes tips and tricks with anecdotes that draw in the reader and make lessons stick with you, long after you’ve put down the book. There’s something in there for everyone, even experienced campers. But don’t let that intimidate you — Radford devotes plenty of time to skills for new campers, including how to buy gear.

Radford makes no assumptions in his writing — he starts with the most basic information in a way that feels completely non-judgmental and works up to more advanced information in a way that feels seamless. He even includes information on specific outdoor activities including ATVs and motorized boats.

It can be intimidating to go outdoors for the first time — what do you need to know? There are so many resources out there it can be hard to figure out where to even begin. With Radford’s work, outdoorspeople, new and old, have a great place to start planning their next adventure.

Canadian Outdoor Survival Guide is available now for purchase.

#ScoutsDoStuff

See Scouting groups across the country embracing the summer weather and getting out to Scout! 

Tag @scoutscanada in your #ScoutsDoStuff pics for your chance to be featured in our next edition of The Woggle. 

Program Partners

Scouts Canada partners with numerous like-minded organizations, including those highlighted below.   

 

Project Learning Tree

Project Learning Tree Canada (PLT Canada) is a bilingual charity committed to fostering inclusive environmental education and growing a diverse and resilient Green Jobs workforce, using trees and forests as windows on the world.

Their environmental education resources are ideal for teachers and parents who want to encourage outdoor learning and take their nature curriculum outside. They include high-value work experiences and an industry-leading mentorship program, support youth across Canada on their green career pathways, including those in rural, Indigenous and urban communities.  

Check PLT Canada’s Forest Literacy Framework that translates the language of forests and sustainable forest management into concepts for everyone. The framework offers 100 forest concepts for Grades K-12, organized into four themes:

  • What is a forest?
  • Why do forests matter?
  • How do we sustain our forests?
  • What is our responsibility to forests?

Don’t miss our free eco-education worksheets and activities to connect the children in your life to the outdoors. Each worksheet asks questions to support critical thinking and provides one or more activities for you and the children to complete together. Subscribe to our Environmental Education newsletter for access to the worksheets.

PLT Canada is an initiative of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). 

CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency)

The CFIA and Invasive Pests

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) works hard to keep Canada's food safe, protect plants from pests and invasive species and respond to animal diseases. Protecting Canada's trees, forests and plants from invasive species can be a tough job when invasive insects, plants and other pests hitch a ride.

Pests Travel When We Do

Think of them as Canada's worst hitchhikers – they use our vehicles, trailers, soil, dirty footwear, furniture, camping equipment and more to spread from one region to another. Before you go somewhere, check for insect larvae, eggs, and adult insects like beetles and moths. Snails, worms, seeds and plants can be invasive, too.

If pests do spread, they can:

  • Destroy trees in our forests, affecting our air and water quality
  • Damage crops and other plants we eat as food
  • Deprive animals of their natural habitat

What can you do?

Check nearby trees and gardens. The Tree Check Form (from the Invasive Species Centre) provides a simple guide for what to look for and how to report your findings.

Try out some of our invasive species spotting activities in Scouts Canada’s Activity Finder: Heroes for Plant Health, In My Backyard, Camp Plant Hunt and Be An Entomologist.

Calendar Icon

Mark your Calendars

AUGUST 

August 15 — Early Registration for RETURNING youth opens

August 31 — Volunteer Membership renewal deadline

 

SEPTEMBER 

September 1 — Early Registration for NEW youth opens

September 10 — World Suicide Prevention Day

September 20–26 — Science Literacy Week

September 17 — World Clean Up Day

September 21 — World Tree Day

September 21 — UN International Day of Peace 

September 21–27 — Forest Week

September 30 — National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

 

OCTOBER 

October 1–31 — Cyber Security Awareness Month  

October 3 — Dragon Trail Quest Challenge Begins

October 4 — World Animal Day

October 11 — International Day of the Girl

October 14–16 — JOTA/JOTI 

October 18–24 — Waste Reduction Week

October 24 — United Nations Day

October 31 — Last week of Dragon Trail Quest Challenge

October 31 — Halloween 

 

NOVEMBER 

November 6 — Last day of Dragon Trail Quest Challenge. Completed activity submissions will be accepted until November 30th

November 7–11 — Veterans’ Week

November 8 — Indigenous Veterans’ Day

November 11 — Remembrance Day

November 16 — Next edition of The Woggle

 

Coming up in the Next Edition of The Woggle

All the details on the Forces of Nature Youth Challenge!

Great fall Campfire Cooking ideas!

Rev up your fall program with great Scouter sessions!

 

Ideas? Questions? Comments?

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Media inquiries, please contact Naina Trivedi: naina.trivedi@scouts.ca

Scouts Canada Charity Number: 107761694RR0028

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