"It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold,
when it is summer in the light and winter in the shade."
– Charles Dickens
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Complete your Canadian Path Wood Badge I,
Paddle with the National Commissioner!
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Scouts Canada’s Mission is to help develop well-rounded youth, better prepared for success in the world. We aim to achieve this by providing high quality Scouting programs and relying on dedicated Scouters to facilitate them. Ensuring that our Scouters are equipped with the knowledge and skills to be successful is critical. Our Scouter development program, Wood Badge, makes these skills more accessible through the Scout Method.
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Scouts Canada refreshed the online Wood Badge I to ensure it focuses on the Canadian Path. All Scouters are encouraged to freshen their knowledge about the Canadian Path and ensure their skills and approached align with our program.
To encourage all Scouters to complete the new training, CEC is offering an incentive to all Scouters, whether they are new to Scouting or an experienced Scouter. Everyone who completes the Canadian Path Wood Badge I, as recorded in myscouts.ca between Aug 1/18 – May 31/19, will be entered into a draw to win the opportunity to spend an afternoon paddling with our National Commissioner, Tim Welch (date and place of the paddle to be determined).
Haven’t completed the new Canadian Path Wood Badge I? You still have time to log into the David Huestis Learning Centre and complete the training at your own pace or join the Face-to-Face Canadian Path Wood Badge I on March 23rd – see below for details.
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An Evening with
Mark Little – March 20
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Presentation by Mark Little,
Executive Director of Scouting Experience, Scouts Canada
Wednesday, March 20, 2019 at 7:30 pm
Keke, Blue Spring Scout Reserve,
14009 Sixth Line Nassagaweya,
Acton, ON L7J 2W8
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Mark Little, Executive Director of Scouting Experience, will be delivering a Key Note presentation to Scouters in Central Escarpment Council. The presentation is an "Unofficial Guide to the Larger Trends Impacting Scouting".
Mark will introduce several focus areas for consideration in the future (short and mid-term for Scouting):
Growth -
Regaining 2% market share,
Diversity
- through multiculturalism,
Environmental Stewardship
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Inclusion
- through awareness and acceptance (open-arms),
Alternative volunteerism
- focus on both Boomers & Millennials, but also micro / episodic and virtual volunteerism,
Focus on enabling the change
- deliver the Canadian Path with renewed focus on Positive Youth Development (PYD) and the application of the "CP System" as a whole.
Please take the time to come out to hear
Mark speak and take the opportunity to ask your questions.
All are welcome!
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New Scouter Development Model
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Did you see the announcement in the recent Woggle?
Scouts Canada is introducing a New Approach to Scouter Development.
We want to ensure that Scouters are equipped with the right knowledge and skills to facilitate great, safe Scouting adventures.
A new approach to training, called the
Scouter Development model
, aligns Volunteer development with the Scout Method and the Four Elements of The Canadian Path. This blended learning model includes key features frequently requested by our membership:
- Learning is fun! Volunteers are engaged as the drivers of their own development.
- Individuals are given credit for skills acquired outside of Scouting.
- Key elements of the Scout Method—such as peer mentoring, coaching and experiential learning—are used.
- Skills-based workshops — such as Indabas, ScoutCons and Scouter Summits — are recognized.
A key component of this new learning model is the
Scouter Development Map
, a competency framework that describes skills associated with each Scouting role. The Wood Badge I and Wood Badge II programs will be represented as subsets of skills on the Map and represent learning milestones for Scouters.
We want to ensure that Volunteers have plenty of time to engage in Scouter Development while maintaining our commitment to safety and program quality. Effective September 1, 2019, all Volunteers who meet Scouts Canada’s membership conditions will count towards the Scouter-Youth Ratio.
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As a young Scouter, it's not always easy to change the world of Scouting especially for youth, but occasionally, you make a breakthrough to a Beaver, Cub, Scout, Venturer or Rover. However, the lessons that we impart to the youth through volunteering is paramount to the mission of Scouts Canada and to the youth in our community.
What I've learned over the years of being a Scouter is that any of these youth will look up to you as being more experienced and having the knowledge, skills, and candor to teach them a thing or two about life. What's even more amazing is that they will follow you and look up to you as an adult but also more like a peer.
The most important lesson that I can teach the youth on a daily, weekly or annual basis is that when I fail, I rebound, take a step back and correct
course
. It's as easy as showing a Beaver that you stuck the glue to the wrong part of the craft or when you’re cooking bacon with the Cubs and you burn a piece but still eat it anyways. The importance of these life lessons and the small little failures that are managed are what sticks with the youth. What you do after the failure is even more important. Reviewing how you did against your plan and what you learned from that failure helps to achieve success next time.
If you ask a Scout what they like about the last season and what they're looking forward to next season I'm sure you'll get an “I don't know….”, but if you ask her a specific question like “What part of the last camp was great?” or “What food did you not like?” you can begin to engage in a conversation to get direct feedback. The s'mores that didn't have the right chocolate or the broccoli that wasn't cooked right; these conversations open the dialogue between you and the youth. By demonstrating that you’re receptive to making changes and ensuring that the youth are having a good time, they’re more likely to continue and stick with it.
So what's the moral of the story here? Make the plan, Execute the plan, and Review the plan. There are lots of tools and experience around our Council but the biggest piece I can suggest from my own development is to ask yourself how you are making sure the youth are engaged in decision making for the section. Are they breaking down to small teams and then bringing that feedback to a central point? How are you involved in getting the youth to be part of the plan, the execution and the review of each adventure their small teams take on?
Don’t forget that it’s not your adventure, it’s theirs, and you need to make sure you involve the youth at every step of the way. Remember, it’s their adventure, you’re just along for the ride!
Chris Hewitt
Area Commissioner, Wellington Area
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Find a reason to say thanks
Saying Thanks to a Scouts Canada volunteer for their outstanding contributions to Scouting is this easy:
- Any stakeholder to Scouting (volunteers, youth, parents, the community at large) can fill out a simple form to commend a Scouter for their outstanding act or service to Scouting.
- Scouters will receive a certificate every time they are commended by a stakeholder and it will be presented within the Scouter’s section or group.
- As Scouters accumulate commendations, they will become eligible for Outstanding Service Awards and will be recognized with a medal and uniform insignia for each award.
Find a reason to thank each Scouter in your group or section!
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Canadian Path Navigator
Did you see this invaluable tool in the Fall Woggle? The Canadian Path Navigator is an easy tool to help your Section assess its program. Discover where you are and how you can take your program to new heights!
The Navigator describes behaviours you will recognize in your Sections. Circle the ones that best represent your program. From that item, look at the next step’s behavior statement for a sense of how you can help your Section get more out of its program.
Check out this helpful resource and don’t forget to participate in the survey to collect your feedback on your experiences with the Canadian Path Navigator.
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Why Seasonal Assessments are important
With March Break ending you will be hearing your Area team or Group Commissioners reminding you to complete the Winter Seasonal Assessment. But why do we push so much for these seasonal assessments? Because we want you to continually discuss the program with the youth and parents and seek to improve it.
Review your adventures with the youth at the end of each season. These program cycle reviews are called seasonal assessments, and the goal is to facilitate a conversation amongst the youth. The conversation should centre on the goals they set at the beginning of the year or season but should also touch on what went well (or didn’t), how different activities helped them develop in the SPICES and how they worked together as a team. Regardless of whether the youth are on track to meet their goals, be sure to review the plan to make sure everyone is still happy with it. It’s okay to change the plan.
Remember to complete at least three of your Section’s seasonal assessments in a Scout year and receive the ‘Quality Section’ designation on MyScouts.ca.
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Summer is coming soon!
Now is the time to plan for great summer adventures!
I know it is hard to tell with the ice and snow still lingering across the Council, but in a few short months the summer season will be in full swing. Now's the time to start thinking about what summer adventures your Sections are going
to undertake. Don't wait too long — some of your favourite parks and camps are already getting booked up!
Inspire new Scouting events and trips with program resources from the
Scouts Canada Summer Adventure
web page. It's full of exciting outdoor possibilities for all Sections, in all parts of Canada.
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World Scout Jamboree
Hosted Hospitality
Did you know sections and groups across CEC will be playing host to Germany and UK Scouts who will be participating in The 24th World Scout Jamboree in July?
This is Hosted Hospitality, or HoHo for short. We are pleased to announce that 14 Jamboree Units of 40 people are available to be matched with Central Escarpment Council Scout Groups with arrival on Monday August 5, 2019 for a 3 Day Adventure! All Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Venturers and Rovers are invited to get involved.
To learn more, contact Chris Case, WJ2019 Hosted Hospitality Canada - Team Lead
chris.case@scouts.ca
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June 7th to 9th, 2019
Blue Springs Scout Reserve
(Blue Heron Side)
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Sections, Groups & Areas are planning some summer adventure options for your youth to consider. Current plans include Everton Summer Cub Camp, Composite Canoe Camps, Bike Hike and Haliburton Composite Camp. Contact your Area Commissioner for more details.
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Scouter Development Opportunities
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Face to Face: Wood Badge I Canadian Path Training
Date:
March 23, 2019
Address:
Maple Grove United Church, 346 Maplegrove Drive, Oakville, ON L6J 4V5
Registration:
8:30 am
Course:
Scouters - 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Group Committee - 9:00 am to 12:30 pm
Group Commissioners - 9:00 am to 5:30 pm
Cost:
$5.00
(includes lunch) - Pay at the door
Wonder what the new program changes are?
Wonder about the new MyScouts changes?
Wonder how to coach and mentor the youth in a Youth-led program?
Wonder how to administer the Group in the new Program?
Let’s get everyone trained with the new information!!!!
Scouters are required to complete role-specific training, called Wood Badge I, before August 31st of their first year in Scouting.
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Did you miss the CEC Scouter Summit and wished you could have gone?
All are invited to attend the Greater Toronto Council annual ScouterCon on Saturday April 13, 2019.
REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN
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DCC Communications
CEC is seeking a lead for our Communications Team. Do you know someone who would be suitable?
This candidate may be a seasoned professional or perhaps a young person launching his/her career who wants a chance to demonstrate his/her value.
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Burlington AC
Burlington Area is seeking a dynamic action-oriented volunteer for the position of Area Commissioner.
The successful candidate is to be committed to the Scouts Canada Five Focus Areas, Growth & Retention, Safety, Group Capacity, Volunteer Support Toolkit, and the Canadian Path.
Working closely with the Council Commissioner, Area Youth Commissioner, the Scouting Relationship Manager, and a team of volunteers, the Area Commissioner is responsible for supporting the Scouting Groups of Burlington Area.
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CEC Youth Recognition Ceremony
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Save the date!
The 2019 CEC Youth Recognition Ceremony will take place on
Sunday, May 26, 2019 at
Jean Vanier Catholic Secondary School
in Milton, ON.
Celebrating recipients of the Chief Scout, Queens Venturer and Canadian Rover Scout Awards. Stay tuned for forms and deadline to register for Recognition at this ceremony.
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Weekend of May 23-26, 2019 at
Woodland Trails Scout Camp
SCOPE/OLYMPIA is an International exchange program that brings together Canadian Scouts
from around the GTA and American Scouts from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for an extended
weekend of fun and friendship.
Open to 3rd year Cub Scouts, Scouts,
Venturer Scouts & Scouters.
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