Re: $ and Scouting
Gerald Demontgny (gdemontg@CCS.CARLETON.CA)
Fri, 11 Nov 1994 14:27:47 EST
I have been busy with my children for the last few days so have been
off the network. There have been so many issues that I wanted to
address. I found the discussion on Eagle ceremonies fascinating, but
was surprised by the sum of money required to conduct the presentation
ceremony, $300. While I do not want to be critical of another
country's Scouting program, and while I was relieved to read postings
which indicated that many of you pay for the reception and other costs
rather than putting them onto the family, I feel that the issue of
increasing costs is one that all of us need to examine, regardless of
our nationality. In Canada many Scouters I have talked to are
increasingly alarmed by our rising costs. This year our registration
in Aylmer Quebec is $50., of which $31. goes to Scouts Canada offices.
The cost of a uniform, from the Belt up, including the Cub Handbook
has been about $80. --Beret & Beret Badge, epaulets, woggle, national
necker, sash, belt & buckle--. In Canada like the United States and
most other countries I am sure we have a chronic unemployment rate of
about 10%, not counting those who are no longer eligible to receive
UI, and are on welfare. Additionally, from year to year at least 40%
and up to 50% of my pack live single parent, low income families. My
concern is that Scouting be accessible to every child. This year
alone our pack has subsidized no fewer than three children, last year
it was two. I know of a few other children who might want to be in
the Pack but whose parents are too proud to ask for support.
I realize that compared to other activities, notably hockey which is
big in Aylmer, the costs of Scouting are comparatively low. Yet, I
remain bothered by every increasing spiral of escalating costs. I
really wonder if we needed to have a new designer uniform. Certainly,
I appreciate the move to standardization across all sections --except
Beavers-- but could we achieve this more cheaply? I have heard talk
through the grapevine of some sections using a sweat shirt and scarf
for meetings. Has anyone out there heard of any groups who have moved
in this direction?
The second issue which caught my attention was the discussion of the
difference between pragmatists and purists. While I am generally
loath to accept national generalizations the postings on this issue
were certainly helpful. While I do not want to dismiss the importance
of earning the highest awards, Eagle Scout or Chief Scout Award, or
Queen's Venturer, and indeed last year our Scout Troop had no fewer
than three boys earn their Chief Scout Award, I believe that the
centre of our program must not be the badge but the boy --I know I
should have said youth, but it lacked alliteration. Yet, there is a
piece of me, dulled by the mists of time, that remembers what happened
to my interest in Scouting when our leader changed, and when the new
leader failed to encourage excellence and striving for one's personal
best. I guess, I feel that if pursuit of badges works for our
American cousins, good for them, for I am sure that the objective is
never just the focus on the end but the path and the tools ---the
relationship, the child, the leader-- which bring the youth to the
badge. Sorry for not citing the names of the contributors in the
pragmatist and purist debate, as once I enter the reply mode I do
not know how to insert their postings.
I also wanted to share with the net some resources. I work on the
same floor as a first Aid trainer with St. John Ambulance, who on
discovering that I was a Cub leader volunteered to conduct a day long
course for my Cubs. Her desire to limit the number to 10 will allow
us to offer the course to the sixers and seconds (we have 5 sixes).
This course will allow this group to finish off their first aid badge.
While many of us leaders have Standard First Aid, and one fellow with
my pack even has his Advanced, the fact that St. John Ambulance has a
program for youth, which is free, did I add that?-- is great.
I also wanted to brag a bit, and maybe share some great ideas for a
camp. On the Halloween weekend we had a weekend camp at Otter Lake in
Quebec. The facility is owned by Scouts Canada, comprised about 28?
acres, with a cabin which has about twenty-four bunks, and a woodshed,
as well as great tend sites in a flat hollow about thirty feet below
the cabin. To give credit where Credit is due, Bob Smith, our Baloo
developed the script. Essentially, the camp began with an
introduction to our two mascots, Jack (aka Jack-O-Lantern) and Stitch
--so named for the gruesome slash across his face, two orange
pumpkins. Saturday morning while all the cubs were busy washing up
their dishes after breakfast it was discovered that Jack was missing.
Poor Jack turned up behind the woodshed, in pieces. But there were
clues. Parts of a note. Bob brought along his polaroid, took
pictures and placed in marked evidence envelopes. So the plot
continued throughout the weekend. Pumpkin bits were used to mark
trails through the bush. To cut to the chase, as I want to write this
up for the leader magazine, the climax was the discovery of the note,
which threatened to leak some photo's to the press unless a sizable
sum of money was paid, $5,000,000.00 --slighly more than a scouter's
weekly salary--. Here was the interesting part, Bob had constructed
the plot in secret, none of the boys or adult leaders knew who had
terminated the earthly existence of the pumpkins. Bob had brought a
picture of yours truely, in his underwear fording a stream, taken
during our sping camp. This picture was also ripped into three pieces
and linked to a game. Of course as soon as the cubs who were with us
last year saw the stream, a couple of the quicker ones figured out the
culprit. Anyhow, while the plot centred on violence against
pumpkins, blackmail, and double dealing the Cubs seemed to enjoy the
plot and the weekend. We have used these stories to underscore the
importance of not accusing others of foul deeds --there is always a
considerable amount of chanting --Bagheera did it! Chil did it!-- as
the guilty suspect of the moment is subjected to interrogation. The
story also allowed us to help the children begin to appreciate the
importance of facts and evidence, as well as to appreciate that just
because something seems obvious --e.g., Baloo's fingerprint in red ink
on the pumpkin carving knife-- that it does not mean that the person
is guilty.
As an addition, because it was a Halloween camp, we told scarry
stories, yet eleven of the twenty-one children present chose to sleep
in tents rather than in the cabin. I don't know why but the kids beg
us to tell them ghost stories and other wierd tales.
On the theme of theme camps, we are planning our second camp for the
last week of November. It is going to be based on the Knights of the
Round table. Because these are Cubs, we will be staying in a heated cabin.
Any suggestions or experiences with a camp based on this or a similar
theme will be appreciated.
gdemontg@ccs.carleton.ca
3rd Aylmer B Pack, Chaudiere Area, National Capital Region
Aylmer Quebec --
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City |
