Scout Environment Weeks 2008 –

“As a Scout, you are the guardian of the woods. A Scout never damages a tree by hacking it with his knife or axe. It does not take long to fell a tree, but it takes many years to grow one, so a Scout cuts down a tree for a good reason only – not just for the sake of using his axe. For every tree felled, two should be planted.” – Baden Powell

Scout Environment Weeks is a simple, yet highly effective concept to encourage Scouts to learn more about our environment and be active locally, whilst working towards some of the many environmental awards available in Scouts. To participate in Scout Environment Weeks with your local Scout Group there are three simple criteria:

• Must be conducted within the month of September.
• All participants must complete a minimum total of 4 hours which will contain education or training and a practical work component.
• All activities should be conducted within a 50km radius of your formation’s regular place of meeting.

A colourful Certificate of Appreciation is available for each Scout Group once a registered activity is completed. All forms should be sent to your Branch Commissioner for Environment via your Branch Scout Centre.

Welcome to Scout Environment Weeks 2008!

Scout Environment Weeks is a simple initiative that gives you and your youth members the opportunity to make a difference in your local environment and community.

Simply run a project within 50km of your meeting place in the month of September, let us know what you did and we’ll send you certificates to reward your efforts.

You will shortly be receiving a Scout Environment Weeks Kit (SEWing Kit), complete with all the resources and information you’ll need to get the most out of this initiative.

Questions? Comments? We’d love to hear them!

Contact details for your friendly Branch Commissioner for the Environment and myself are in the Kit and you are always welcome to contact us.

I look forward to working with you to make a big difference with small projects across Australia in September!

Yours in Scouting,

Gordon Young
National Adviser for the Environment
Scouts Australia

[1] Scout Environment Weeks, September 2008 [Scouts Australia]
[2] Scout Environment Weeks, September 2007 [Scouts Australia]

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Scouting, the “game with a purpose”

Some quotes to think about;

It is the Patrol System that makes the Troop, and all Scouting for that matter, a real co-operative matter.
— Robert Baden-Powell
Aids to Scoutmastership (1920)

If a man cannot make his point to keen boys in ten minutes, he ought to be shot!
— Robert Baden-Powell
The Scouter ( November 1928 )

The Scoutmaster guides the boy in the spirit of an older brother…. He has simply to be a boy-man, that is:
(1) He must have the boy spirit in him: and must be able to place himself in the right plane with his boys as a first step.
(2) He must realise the needs, outlooks and desires of the different ages of boy life.
(3) He must deal with the individual boy rather than with the mass.
(4) He then needs to promote a corporate spirit among his individuals to gain the best results.
…
With regard to the First point, the Scoutmaster has to be neither schoolmaster nor commanding o±cer, nor pastor, nor instructor. All that is needed is the capacity to enjoy the out-of-doors, to enter into the boys’ ambitions, and to and other men who will give them instruction in the desired directions, whether it be signalling or drawing, nature study or pioneering.
— Robert Baden-Powell
Aids to Scoutmastership (1920)

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Six Colours

In Baden-Powell’s “Wolf Cub’s Handbook” [1] he mentions Sixes being of the six colours representing the colour of Raksha’s cubs.

A Six, as you probably know, is made up of six boys under a Leader, and these always stick together for work or for play, and each Six is called after a Wolf by its colour – either the Black Wolves, the Brown Wolves, the White Wolves, The Grey Wolves, the Tawny Wolves or Red Wolves.
Each Cub wears on his arm a triangular badge of cloth the colour of his six.
— Sixth Bite, Wolf Cub’s Handbook

The name in brackets following the six is a possible jungle-name for the sixer of the six, based on an idea in Gilcraft’s “Wolf Cubs” [2]

1. Grey (Grey Brother) – Grey Brother, the oldest of Father Wolf and Raksha’s four cubs and their de facto leader, he and his brothers grow up with the adopted “man-cub” Mowgli and often hunt and fight alongside him.

“The stars are thin,” said Grey Brother, snuffing at the dawn wind. “Where shall we lair today? For, from now, we follow new trails.”
— “The Spring Running”, The Second Jungle Book

2. Black (Black Plume) –

3. Brown (Brown Tip) –

4. Tawny (Tawny Fur) –

5. Red (Red Fang) –

6. White (WhiteClaw) –

[1] Wolf Cub’s Handbook [The Dump]
[1] Wolf Cub’s by Gilcraft [The Dump]

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2008-Aug-24 : Nillumbik district Billy cart derby

Nillumbik district Billy cart derby 2008

This years theme is ‘The environment’

Cubs:

Gold coin donation per cub (money raised this year will go to a local environmental cause)
Scarves to be worn, no uniform.

No Helmet, no Participation

BYO Lunch – Sausage sizzle, tea, coffee, soup and cold drinks available

Cost:
A cost of $5 per cart, payable on the day to cover the cost of prizes etc

Each Cub to prepare a protest placard on any environmental theme they like. Doesn’t have to be serious.. for instance “Save Akelas” would be quite acceptable!

Decorating Billy carts and costumes are optional.

Enviro Carts 2008
When:
Sunday August 24th
Assembly at 10:30 am
Inspection 11:00 am
Speed Challenge 11:30
Scavenger Hunt 12:00
Lunch 12:15 (BYO but Lower Plenty will be running a sausage sizzle with Soup, Tea and Coffee)
Events 12:45
Presentation 3:30
Pick up time 4:00 pm (parents)

Location:-
Ferguson’s Paddock, Hurstbridge, Melways Reference 185 K7

Rules & Scoring

Fastest Billy cart:-
1 cub driving, others pushing. Will run it 3 carts at a time, times to be recorded. Will be a handicapped start to allow for sizes and Number of kids

Scavenger Hunt:-
Lollies thrown around area.1 cub driving, others pushing. Only driver allowed to pick up lollies. Driver cannot leave billycart. Check in lollies (1 pt per lolly) and then distribute them to team.

Best Placard-
Prize for the best placard. It is important that the work is that of the cubs, not the parents/leaders. It doesn’t have to be serious (but John L is banned from making suggestions!)

King of the paddock scored as follows:-
– 20 pts for Placard
– 20 pts max for scavenger hunt
– 20 Pts for locating the 6 Environmental Messages and recording on map
– 6 stations X 2 Laps:- (180 pts)
5 pts for behaviour
5 pts for enthusiasm
5 pts for activity

Leaders:

Could each Cub pack please provide an activity base for the day. If you are able to please let Alan know the gist of your activity prior to the day – this will help with setting things up on the day.

Try and come up with an environmental theme:-
– “Rocket launchers” become “Environmentally friendly space travel”
– “Skittles” can become “Knock over the green house gas emitters”
– Use recycled items
– build an “erosion protection system”
– Use only tank water

So leaders please think about the activity your group would like to run. Activities should be limited to 10 minutes and should be such that cubs don’t get frustrated if they don’t finish in time.

There will be a prize for the best Activity

For further details/suggestions please contact: Alan Cuthbertson

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UK Scouting magazine online

UK Scouting magazine is available to read online, with the current edition and back issues (Dec/Jan 2005 onwards) available as PDF files.

UK Scouting magazine’s Sectional supplements back issues (Dec/Jan 2005 onwards) are available to read online as PDF files.

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