Learning life skills through Scouts Canada

Times Reporter  

 

Learning basic survival skills, leadership skills and working with others in a group setting are all things everyone should learn. The 1st Strathmore Kinsmen Scouts Group has been in Strathmore for approximately 20 years, and they’re here to teach those skills. Scouts Canada is a national youth program.

“What they do is focus on being able to provide a safe, fun environment that’s not only goes to the extra curricular but it incorporates educational aspects to it, to allow them to build and develop and grow,” said Lonnie Lassu, group commissioner for the 1st Strathmore Scouts.

“Scouts ultimately develops them into leaders, effective leaders, whether it be as a father figure in the home or in the business place or however that might work.”

Scouts is a coed group. The only change made since going coed approximately 10 years ago is there must be a mix of female and male leaders to facilitate programs. 

Parents can enroll their kids into Scouts as early as five-years-old. The Beaver Colony is for kids ages five to seven.

“Because of their age and how they behave it’s obviously a very energetic and very quick moving program. At that age you’re trying to instill more about learning how to share, how to develop a little bit of discipline as far as taking direction and doing something with it,” said Lassu. 

“They do have a lot of fun, it’s a lot of crafts and a lot of games.”

Next the kids can move into the Cub Pack for ages eight to 10. Here the program changes a little. The kids start working towards their badges and start learning a number of different skills like building a fire, knot tying and sewing.

“There’s dozens of different activities where they work towards getting tested for that and then if they pass they get a badge,” said Lassu.

Next is the Scouts Troop for 11 to 14-year-olds. 

“Once you get into Scouts level the focus is a lot more on developing life skills and spending time outdoors and spending time in community service.”

Venturers are next for 14 to 17, and then the programs finish with the Rovers for ages 18 to 26. In Strathmore there is not a Rovers group but Lassu said they would be more than willing and happy to open up a program if there was interest in it. 

As with any organization volunteers are the base that helps keep things running.

“Every one of the sections, whether it’s Beavers, Cubs, Scouts or Venturers there’s always a section leader and any number of registered volunteer leaders,” said Lassu.

“The one difference is that with the Venturers, because of their age, because of some of the responsibility that they’re expected to have in the overall program as far as helping facilitate the Scouts.”

Venturers have an advisor who acts in a similar capacity as a section leader, but they are there more to provide guidance than to lead the group. 

“The Venturers are responsible for their own program. They come up with their own annual plan as far as what types of activities they are going to be involved with, what kind of extra curricular activities they are going to do, whether they are doing overnight camping or hiking, or planning to go to a world jamboree somewhere, whatever it might be,” said Lassu.

“They come up with their plan, they review that with the advisor who will give them some guidance if they think there are areas they need to think of.”

Lassu was not in Scouts when he was a child, but had always been interested in it. 

“My son as he has been growing up has been showing himself to be very much outdoors oriented as well and really enjoys spending time in group settings and working with other kids, so when he become of age (5) I put him into the Beavers program,” said Lassu. 

At the time 1st Strathmore Scouts was looking for more leaders so he volunteered and hasn’t looked back. 

There is an annual registration fee of $168. The fee goes to help support the Scouts Canada program in funding resources, material and training for volunteer leaders. A small portion also goes to the local resources for buying supplies for crafts or for an event that’s being held. 

“Our primary source of funding for our local program comes from fundraising. We do three bottle drives a year and popcorn sales every fall and those events probably bring in 90 per cent of our funding for each year to facilitate our programs and events,” said Lassu. 

If there is anything that requires an adult chaperone for more than a day, then there is a small fee that they would have to pay to be there, usually $25 to $30. Members are also welcome to invite their siblings along on camping trips or field trips for a nominal fee. 

All of the Scouts groups meet once a week on Tuesday nights. The Beavers are at the Civic Centre, Cubs in the quonset, and the rest are in the bunkhouse next to the quonset. 

Volunteers are always needed; Scouts Canada just asks that volunteers have an interest in seeing the program succeed and are able to contribute in a way the helps that children get involved and be able to enjoy the program in a safe manner.

To find out more about the Scouts, or to either sign up your child or yourself as a volunteer, find them on Facebook (1st Strathmore Scouts), on the Town of Strathmore website or call Lonnie Lassu at 403-934-9796.