Leaders for Scout rc e in z a g a h 2010 m a The February/M
Outdoor skills
Clockface g Orienteerin
Camping options
Greenfield and ready made locations compared
PROGRAMMES
Innovative ideas for improving skills
S R O V I V R U S T SCOU ts to win a place cou S r o f e c camp n a e r h u t Ac n e v d a lls’ at Bear Gry
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Your Scout Support Team Alasdair McBay – UK Adviser (Scout Section), Ed Wilson – Programme & Development Adviser
WELCOME INTRO
Practical support
Contact them at: programme@scout.org.uk Scout Support Team The Scout Association, Gilwell Park, Chingford, London E4 7QW; Tel. 0845 300 1818 Advertising Richard Ellacott richard.ellacott@thinkpublishing.co.uk Tel: 020 8962 1258
As promised in the last issue, we get 2010 off to a great start by re-invigorating Scouting Skills.
The West Coker Scout Group in Yeovil District, Somerset recently enjoyed the Big Cat Encounter at the Wildlife Heritage Foundation
Given that there are six supplements this year, I think it would be a great personal challenge if every leader in the Scout Section were to learn six new practical skills over the year and pass them on to the troop. This is exactly what lies at the core of the Scout Section programme and method and should transfer to our thinking on planning. One of the pieces this month concerns choosing a campsite and, even as I am writing this with snow outside, I am thinking of what adventures Scouting holds in 2010. Choosing sites and planning programmes for the summer camps is an ideal opportunity to get Scouts involved and showing that their ideas do have an impact on the life of the Troop. Last year I encouraged Scout Leaders to offer more opportunities for involving Scouts in planning so let’s build on that. As I’ve gone round the country – particularly at regional meetings, the support team and I have been looking at, and sharing good practice from, the Expedition Challenge. We continue to receive feedback from Scout Leaders who find this difficult to deliver and I hope that our advice has given ideas to Leaders to make this valuable and enjoyable opportunity available to more Scouts. The Chief Scout is organising ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity for Scouts – a Survival Camp in August and details are in the following pages. Finally, Ed Wilson, who has worked at Gilwell in the Scout Office supporting us in the Section for the past two years, is moving on to pastures new. We thank him for his excellent work and wish him every success in his new job.
Contents 4 Survival camp Chief Scout Bear Grylls is offering Scouts the chance to join him on a 24-hour adventure camp. All the detals are here
6 Outdoor Plus What you should look for in a campsite
8 Meeting sparklers Fun ideas for your meeting
10 Programmes on a plate This issue’s theme is Scouting skills
14 Clockface orienteering An exercise in improving your Scouts’ outdoor skills
16 Greenfield or ready made? Phil Santana-Reedy and Louise Henderson examine the various merits of different types of camping locations
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r a e B e k Be li be the first The Scout section will survival to experience a 24 hour out Bear adventure with Chief Sc be there? Grylls. Will your Scouts
W
hen young people come up and ask me ‘How do I learn the stuff you do on Born Survivor?’ I tell them to join the Scouts. There are hundreds of activities, and you get trained by the best. I went on to learn a lot of my survival skills in the special forces and I guess I continue to do so through my day job, but above all I’m keen to pass some of them on to Scouts face-to-face. That’s why I’m so pleased to be able to announce the first Chief Scout’s Survival Camp, to be held in an undisclosed island location in Wales at the end of July.
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Eight Scouts who have proven themselves by gaining the Chief Scout’s Gold Award by 31 July will join me for a 24 hour wilderness camp where we’ll get to have a wild adventure, and loads of fun. The successful applicants will have to go above and beyond to show that they’re up to the challenge. I’m looking for young people who I think will benefit the most from the camp. I’m relying on you, the Scout Leaders, to pass the information on to your Troop, and encourage the Scouts who could be eligible to finish their Gold Award in time, to complete the application. Good luck!
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Chief Scout’s Survival Camp
Chief Scout’s Survival Camp -
application form Name Date of Birth Address
................................................................................................................. ........... / ........... / ................................ ................................................................................................................. .................................................................................................................
Postcode
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Email address
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Contact telephone
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Troop and Scout Group name
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Scout Leader’s Name
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Scout District
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Parent/carer name
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Parent/guardian email address
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Parental consent
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What have you done for your Chief Scout’s Gold Award so far? (max 300 words; Please continue on a separate sheet if necessary)
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Terms and conditions Who can apply Any invested scout who was born after 01/08/1996, who has completed or will have completed their Chief Scout’s Gold Award by 31 July 2010 How to Apply There are two ways for Scouts to apply for a place on the camp. Either go online to www.scouts.org.uk/survivalcamp and complete the application form, or use this one in the supplement. If using this form, be sure to make copies for all the Scouts in your Troop who are eligible. In both cases, applicants are encouraged to include additional information to aid their application. This can be photos or reports of activities, or any other form of evidence. Any material you provide will be used online to promote the Chief Scout’s Awards to other Scouts,
and parental consent to use the material in print or online is assumed. How will you choose which Scouts go to the Survival Camp? All applications will be read by a team of volunteers. From all the applications received a shortlist will be made from which the eight successful Scouts will be selected. This final selection will be done by a panel that will include the Chief Scout and UK Chief Commissioner. Closing date for applications is 15 May Postal applications should be sent to: Chief Scout’s Survival Camp, Gilwell Park, Chingford, London, E4 7QW Full terms and conditions, plus some FAQs, are available online at www.scouts.org.uk/survivalcamp
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Find a Campsite How do you You’re taking your Scouts on a camping trip. you get decide on a site, what should you look for once important? there and just what is WASWAS and why is it
Checklist There are many recognised campsites run by The Scout Association, Counties, and Districts (see the ads in Scouting magazine) or you can look for a greenfield site. After deciding where you want to go and what you want to do, you should: • Check the maps of the area. If you know someone who has been there before, talk to them; they might be able to give you helpful information about what’s available in the area, best shops for food buying, etc. • If using public transport remember to check for distance from where you alight to where you are camping • Organise your equipment so that it is packed to be easy to carry • Arrange for heavy equipment to be brought to the site.
• Are there things to do – places to visit or activities like orienteering or canoeing? • Is there any potential danger nearby such as cliffs or fast-flowing rivers that you need to be aware of?
Essentials When choosing a campsite, check for the following: • A safe water supply. No dead sheep nearby please! • Is the site well drained and not on a slope? • Are there shops nearby? • Do you need firewood? Are wood fires allowed? • Is the site sheltered but with an open, nonclaustrophobic aspect? • Have you got permission to use the land if it is farmland? • Will you need to bring a toilet tent? • Is there something you can do to thank the owner for the use of the land?
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OUTDOOR PLUS
Look at Taking the Lead p27 and 28. You will find an activity that encourages Scouts to question and solutions that will allow them to play a more active leadership role. It’s not just a theoretical exercise - you can use it to help decide where you will hold your next Summer Camp, or weekend activity.
Memory tip Remember the mnemonic to help you remember the key features to consider when choosing a campsite:
WASWAS Stands for: ood (is firewood available?) ccess (how easy to get everyone and the kit on and off the site?) upplies (local shops for fresh food, doctor, hospital?) ater (where’s the drinking water?) spect (sheltered from prevailing wind, but not too enclosed - a nice open view) oil (well drained, easy to get pegs into)
W A
S W A S
As the weather in the UK is so changeable it’s a good idea to visualise the site in the worst possible conditions beforehand. Take some time to choose the best place. Avoid marshy ground which might become waterlogged (look for reeds). Look for a dry area that is slightly raised. Avoid areas with rocks and stones, ground which is very sandy or that has a lot of clay (poor drainage).
more info Download your copy of Scouts Taking the Lead at www.scouts.org.uk/ takingthelead
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Meeting sparklers
flexing Scouts’ artistic muscles Word games, greeting exercises and st ideas are all part of Andrew Corrie’s late
Do This and Add Something The Group lines up. The person on the right hand end starts by performing a simple task such as clapping their hands, bowing their head or touching their nose. As they do, they turn to the next person and say “do this and add something”. The second player repeats the action, and adds a new one, while the third copies the first two and adds something and so on. Anyone unable to perform all of the previous actions in the proper sequence goes to the head of the line and becomes the first player for the next game.
Don’t Say ‘I’ Give each person three small disks. Everyone moves around, introducing themselves to each other and asks questions that might make the other person use the word ‘I’. If anyone does say ‘I’ they must give a disk to the person asking the question. The aim of the activity is to collect as many disks as possible.
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Games and Activities
Face to Face Ask everyone to pair off and wait for your commands. Select one or more ‘its’ who will have no partners. To start, get all pairs to stand face-to-face. Then give commands for all to follow such as ‘back-to-back’, ‘elbow-to-elbow’, ‘thumb-to-thumb’, ‘toe-to-toe’. After a while announce ‘vis-à-vis’ which means all must find new partners and stand face to face with them. The ‘its’ also try to get partners. Players greet one another and the game continues. If used as a get-acquainted game, get players to shake hands and exchange names.
Knife/Nose Game Explain to the group that they are to do as you say, not as you do. Point to a knife and shout ‘Knife!’ or ‘Nose!’ Then point to your nose and shout either of the words. Change the speed of your commands. Anyone making a mistake is out.
Self Portraits Give each person a paper bag, large enough to go over their head, and a crayon or felt tip pen. Tell them to place the bags over their heads. Ask everyone to draw each item on their bag as you call it out; left eye, left ear, right eye, right ear, nose, mouth, etc. Tell half of the group to remove their bags and look at the others. Then get them to replace their bags and let the other half admire their artwork.
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Top 5 ideas from Programmes Online (December)
Ref
Activity name
Activity
Time
Zone/Method
In
52143
Sport Relief 2010 Sporting Heroes
Flag break
5 mins
N/A
50632
Sweet Rescue
Sco tec The Tho
52678
Malawian Fiesta
Debate
10 mins
39393
Human Dominoes
Outdoor and Adventure Themes
52145
Sport Relief 2010 Sport-o-thon
Wh mig adv soc ass
Fire lighting
30 mins
Outdoor and Adventure Activities outdoors
Arr foil out eno mu
The cost of a meal
30 mins
Community Team-building activities
Tak det of wil wo car
Pitch and strike
30 mins
Outdoor and Adventure Team-building activities
Mo the the exp
Seeing at night
30 mins
Outdoor and Adventure Team-building activities
Wh wit the use
Map reading
30 mins
Outdoor and Adventure Team-building activities
Arr the is t The com
Axe and saw
30 mins
Outdoor and Adventure Team-building activities
Giv som act
Flag down, prayers
5 mins
Beliefs and Attitudes Prayer, worship and reflection
Tha the sup
lls, This month’s theme is Scouting ski written by Tony Taylor
POP Programmes on a plate
February/March 2009 2010 10 Scouts June/July
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hod
Instructions Scouting skills are associated with outdoor activities like camping and survival techniques as well as socially useful abilities such as first aid, hygiene and budgeting. The best way to learn these skills is through activities that put them into practice. Those listed below can be used as a ‘circus’ of activities.
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What do we mean by ‘Scouting Skills’? From Baden-Powell’s first Scout camp we might think that camping, cooking and tracking is the answer. As Scouting evolved, adventurous activities like climbing, hiking and boating came to the fore. But in today’s society is being able to operate a satellite phone and carry out a health and safety risk assessment more important? Ask the Scouts what they think.
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Arrange the Scouts in pairs. Give each a box of two matches, a piece of aluminium foil about 50 cm square and a cup with around 100 ml of water in it. They must work outside to first collect materials for a fire and then light it. It must be kept alight long enough to boil the water in a container fashioned from the foil. Afterwards the fire must be extinguished and the ashes tidied away.
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Take the Scouts in pairs to your local supermarket. In the store they should produce a detailed menu, shopping list and costing for a breakfast and a main meal for a Patrol of six Scouts. As well as the food, they should also include all the peripheral items they will need such as drinks, matches, cooking oil and washing up liquid. As the Scouts won’t be buying anything, it would be a good idea to talk to the store manager before carrying out this activity as a training exercise. Modern tents with flexible frame poles can be pitched in good weather without the need for tent pegs. Give pairs of Scouts a modern two-man tent to erect and then strike indoors. For maximum benefit the pairing should be a novice with an experienced Scout.
What sort of lighting does your Troop use in camp at night? Provide pairs of Scouts with a range of lights, such as a gas lamp, candle, torch and wind-up lantern. Get them to assess each one for its ability to provide light outside at night, safety, ease of use and environmental impact.
Arrange the Scouts in pairs. Provide each with an Ordnance Survey Pathfinder map, the grid references for a start/finish point and three sites to visit en route. Their task is to plan a hike route, avoiding roads as much as possible, between the points. They should also describe the terrain and any landmarks they would encounter in completing the hike.
Give pairs of Scouts the opportunity to use a saw and a hand axe safely to prepare some firewood. You will need a collection of dead tree branches before starting this activity. The wood that is prepared can be used at a later camp.
Diversity dates coming soon April 2 Good Friday (Christian) 4 (19th Orthodox) Easter Day (Christian) 5 Ch’ing Ming/Festival of pure brightness (Chinese) 8 Hanamatsuri (Buddhist) 12 Yom Ha-Shoah (Jewish) 14 Vaisakha/Baisakhi (Sikh) 21 1st Day of Ridwan (Baha’i) 23 St George’s Day 25 Start of Save the Children week 26 Start of RSPCA week May National share a story month 2 Lag B’omer (Jewish) 3 Start of deaf awareness week 3 Start of Red Cross week (tbc) 8 World fair trade day 9 Start of Christian Aid week 13 Ascension Day (Christian) 19 20th Shavuot (Jewish) 23 Pentecost/Whitsuntide (Christian) 23 Anniversary of the declaration of the Bab (Baha’i) 27 Vesakha Puja/Wesak/Buddha Day (Buddhist) 29 Anniversary of the ascension of Baha’u’llah (Baha’i)
Thank you for the opportunity to learn new skills in our Scout Troop. Thank you for the experience and time that our Leaders provide to teach us. Thank you for the support that we get from our families.
For more great ideas visit www.scouts.org.uk/pol scouts.org.uk/pol 11
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Prize hike
Since the launch of the Garmin-sponsored Hiker badge, over 7000 of you have downloaded the resource pack and tackled the great outdoors with a Garmin GPS in hand.
T
he Hiker badge obviously involves some serious trekking but using Garmin GPS it becomes a walk in the park. Just to make the hike a bit more interesting Garmin has challenged you to geocache along the way! Geocaching is basically high-tech treasure hunting where you search for hidden boxes or ‘geocaches’ in the great outdoors. The geocaches can contain a variety of items including toys, coins, stickers and a log book for you to write in to say you’ve been
there. You can plan your hike around the location of the geocaches and race each other to make it a real event. To find a geocache near you visit www.geocaching.com Garmin GPS are available from all the main outdoor retailers but Blacks is kindly offering Scouts 10% off a Garmin eTrex H or GPS 60 handheld GPS and a free guide to GPS book worth £9.99 with the voucher below. Simply cut it out and take it to your nearest Blacks store to receive your discount and free gift.
If you’re keen on the outdoors you may want to get a Garmin Oregon or Dakota 20 GPS. Both have colour touchscreens and are compatible with Garmin GB Discoverer mapping, giving you an Ordnance Survey map inside your GPS! Visit www.garmingbdiscoverer.co.uk to find out more. The beauty of geocaching and hiking with a Garmin
GPS is that once you’ve bought the handset its costs nothing to enjoy the great outdoors so just get out there! more info Download the Hiker badge resource at www.scouts.org.uk/garmin
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PROMO
Ordnance Survey, great mapping for Scouts Ordnance Survey, Britain’s national mapping agency provides essentials to those who love the outdoors. From detailed maps to digital mapping products for gadget lovers
S
couts have used Ordnance Survey for years and detailed maps have helped many to learn about navigation. They are ideal for Scout Leaders, Scouts, and Cubs to use when camping, orienteering and hiking or for gaining the experience needed for the Scout Navigator Badge.
Top products for Scouts OS Explorer Map – perfect for walks, hikes, rides and rambles. Covering every part of England, Scotland and Wales with a 4cm to 1km (2.5 inches to 1 mile) scale. OS Landranger Map – your ideal planning partner for days out and holidays. This series covers Great Britain with 204 detailed maps. Each map provides all the
information required to know your local area in greater detail. Get active with the weatherproof versions.The maps in the OS Explorer map – Active and OS Landranger – Active ranges are ‘encapsulated’ or weatherproof maps. They contain the same information as the standard series but are covered in a lightweight protective plastic coating. http://leisure.ordnancesurvey.co.uk
Discover the natural wonders on your doorstep 2010 has been named the International Year of Biodiversity – but what does that actually mean?
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ention biodiversity to most people and they immediately think about rare animals like the giant panda, or threatened habitats like the
rainforests. In fact biodiversity includes all living things and all habitats, from humans right down to the smallest microbe, from the deepest countryside to your local park. It’s not just ‘exotic’ species that are in decline. Many creatures that we take for granted are under threat too, like the grass snake, the water vole, even the beautiful song thrush. But there are lots of ways in which Scouts can help to save the rich wildlife around us and become good
neighbours to nature. By getting out and about to discover some of the incredible wildlife on their doorstep, your Scouts will be well on the way to achieving their Naturalist badge, which is sponsored by Natural England.
more info You could plan a trip to your local national nature reserve –watch out for exciting events at www.naturalengland.org.uk/ millionchildren or get involved with Natural England’s Big Wildlife Garden www.bwg.naturalengland.org.uk
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Clockface orienteering e method of Andrew Corrie outlines an effectiv g skills improving your Scouts’ orienteerin
Basic training Orienteering usually covers a wide area of outdoor space but it doesn’t have to. Basic compass practice can be provided by ‘clockface orienteering’. All that is needed to set out a training area are: • a length of rope • an accurate compass • 15 tent pegs • an area about the size of a football pitch (or larger) - the area doesn’t need to be flat. Peg the end of the rope (or a tape measure) to the centre spot of the field. Set out the twelve ‘hour’ positions of a clock by inserting a tent peg into the ground at the other end of the rope as it is rotated on a series of compass bearings at 30° intervals up to 360°. The tent pegs (or other markers) should be inserted into the ground so that they’re not easily visible from a distance of more than, say, two yards. They should be identified by a letter, preferably in a random fashion, so that the sequence is not obvious to those taking part. In addition, two other marker pegs should be positioned at some known distance apart (such as 25 metres) so that the competitors can check the length of their pace prior to setting off on the course. This should preferably be located away from any of the pegs used to mark the playing circle.
Devise courses This layout can then be used to devise a number of orienteering courses, ranging from a simple shape to a complex zig-zag, by means of the “ready reckoner” table (fig. 3). This gives the distance and bearing between all possible pairs of points for a circle of radius 100 feet with twelve o’clock at due north from the centre. So a typical nine stage course could be devised as follows:
1. Take point 1 (1 o’clock) as the start 2. Draw each stage of the course on a circle (as in fig. 1) taking care to use stages of different lengths 3. Number each stage in sequence on this plan 4. Obtain the bearing and distance details from the appropriate squares from the clock face “readyreckoner” (fig 3) and insert these in the chart (fig 2) 5. List these route details in a single column, as instructions for each competing team, with a request that they should indicate the identification letter of each marker. These can be compared with the Leader’s original route lists to check that each team followed the correct sequence of marker points. The great benefit of the arrangement hinges on the use of the ‘ready-reckoner’ table since it enables the course details, and instructions, to be worked out in advance (provided the radius of the circle is known); whilst the clockface can, if necessary, be laid out later (immediately prior to a Troop meeting, for example). Prepare cards in advance for each route and hand them out. At each stage of the course the Scouts write in the letter on the marked peg. (There’s a completed card based on the route used in Fig 1) Fig 2 Stage 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Distance
Bearing
100’ 100’ 173’ 52’ 173’ 100’ 173’ 52’ 173’
210° 90° 240° 315° 30° 240° 150° 75° 0°
Letter K B G E A D L F I
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Practical Skills Intro
Clockface Ready Reckoner
Fig 1) A typical Clockface orienteering route
The chart shows the distance and bearing of points for a circle of radius 100 feet with 12 o’clock (XII in the chart) at due North from the centre. The upper figure in each square represents the distance (in feet) and the lower figure the bearing (in degrees) between the points - taking the horizontal rows as giving the starting point. For example, to find the data for a journey from 4 o’clock to 3 o’clock find the horizontal row marked IV and then the vertical row marked III in the chart - the figures in the square for which these intersect (i.e. a distance of 52ft on a bearing of 15°). For circles of other sizes the bearings would be the same and the distance would be in proportion to the circle radius; (for a circle of radius 75ft the distance from IV to III would be 52 X (75/100) = 39 ft).
Fig 3) Clockface Ready Reckoner scouts.org.uk/pol 15
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r o d l e i f n Gree ? e d a m y read many mping trip depends on ca ur yo r fo ion at loc y made and Choosing a suitable fferences between read di n ai m e th e in am ex factors. We greenfield sites
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CAMPING
P
hil Santana-Reedy, Group Scout Leader, 13th Stockport, tells us why he prefers ready made locations.
The Troop has 24 members and runs an active programme including a week-long summer camp on alternate years. Driving back this year I reflected on how much better it had been to camp on a managed site with facilities. If I told my Scouts that we were going to be on a field with just a tap, I don’t suppose they would react too badly. But mention that the toilets would be emptied in a pit they had dug, that fuel for cooking had to be sourced from a wood, and (worst of all) there was no tuck shop, they would probably have hot-footed it back home.
Time saver And then there’s the leader team. People are working longer and harder than ever. Where we once had regular leaders giving lots of time, they might only manage one or two evenings a month now. We‘ve also seen a big increase in safety requirements and procedures. A site that offers fully assessed facilities, where the service provider will also have done the initial
checks, dramatically cuts the time requirements for leaders. It also helps protect from the threat of litigation. In addition, many newer leaders haven’t experienced greenfield camping and are used to creating a camp programme using on-site facilities.
Instant gratification Even if we were a leader team with bags of time and experience and the permit to camp greenfield, would we be able to sell it? The change in time demands placed on people has been matched by a similar increase in expectations. Today’s children live in an environment of instant fun where the computer lights up or the X-Box kicks in at the flick of a switch. That transfers to Scouting. Our programme has altered to reflect societal change. We might like to think about offering greenfield as an alternative, but selling a concept of fun without visual proof just won’t cut it. We’re competing with a frenzy of information through a variety of media. Scouting is successful today because it has evolved. Our hard-pressed leaders need to provide adventure in a safe, constructed environment where the fun is
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Greenfield or Ready Made? >>
there for all to see and all they have to do is join in. That’s why our sites are developing more activities; to reflect the needs of today, not to recreate yesterday. Louise Henderson outlines the advantages of greenfield sites Did you read the letter in the October issue from Alan Leader? He pointed out that whilst Bear Grylls was suggesting interesting and exciting ideas, the chances of being able to try them at a Scout camp site were almost zero. Like any community Scout sites need rules. Without them they would deteriorate under the pressure of numbers and so wardens are rightly jealous of their facilities and protect them accordingly. There can be no doubt though, that the opportunity to dig holes (for whatever reason), put up a rope swing, dam the burn, climb trees and any number of other core activities are what will make a camp memorable for many Scouts.
So, where is this campsite with no rules? It is a greenfield site and has no toilet block, hot showers, shops and maybe even no running water. And what’s the big attraction? To turn up at an empty field with no-one else in sight, make it into a comfortable home for a week and walk away leaving nothing but your thanks has to be as close as it gets to living the Scout dream.
Evolving rules Once there are no neighbours and no worries about overuse, the rules can change from those imposed upon the Scouts to those that evolve from the Scouts. How much more meaningful those unwritten rules that grow from experience will be and it’s more likely that, on return to the ‘real’ world, participants will better appreciate some of the regulations that it holds. Official Scout sites are great and certainly have their place, but once you have tried a true greenfield camp you will never go back. Not even for the hot showers!
Freedom to discover Young people find their lives awash with regulations. Grown-ups feel the need to sanitise, protect and civilise them through a barrage of restrictions and directives. However, when at camp, we in Scouting have the opportunity to dispense with much of this excess constraint and allow them the freedom to discover for themselves the boundaries of reasonable behaviour both towards each other and their environment.
more info Which do you prefer? Greenfield or ready-made? Let us know at scout@scout.org.uk
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