What we do:
The Troop is the section for scouts aged between 11 and 16. Our aim of the Troop is to provide fun, challenging and interesting activities for our members and at the same time give them the skills and values they need to face the world tomorrow.
Life in the troop is a Journey. The troop age comes at a very critical time in
the development of the scout. It’s an age when the scout has to make and take
several decisions both at an academic level and a social and emotional level.
Our Members:
The Troop is split into several teams called Patrols. Each Patrol has a team-leader called a Patrol Leader (PL) and an Assistant Patrol Leader (APL). The Patrol Leaders are led by the Senior Patrol Leader (SPL). The Troop is run by the SPL and the Patrol Leader's Council (PLC) who are supported by the adult leaders: the Scout Leader (known as Skipper) and his Assistant Scout Leaders.
Our Meetings:
The Troop meets every Friday at 6.15 pm. The meeting starts at 6.30pm and finishes at 9.00pm. During the weekly meeting scouts have the chance to play games, get instructed on new scouting skills, earn badges, share ideas with the rest of the Troop and plan new activities for the Patrol.
Our Activities:
Camping, Hiking, Climbing, Canoeing, Parades,
Cycling, Sports, Model Building, Crafts, Abseiling, Helping the Community,
Meeting Friends, Archery, Horse riding, Expeditions, Snorkeling, Arts, Football,
Conservation, Fishing, Reading, Rifle Shooting, Boating, Diving, Paragliding,
Pioneering, Acting, Traveling, Mini-Golf, Rugby, Cooking, Meetings, Judo, Chess,
Obstacle Courses, Tree Planting, Parties, Mud Fight, Fencing, Judo, Windsurfing,
Singing, Tennis, Baseball, Off-roading, Rambling, Basketball, Music and much
much more...
Take a look at the Photo Gallery and see for yourself! If you have a taste for fun and adventure and you like a good challenge... and if you want to be part of a strong team of friends... you found the right place!!
Our Method:
In Aids to Scoutmastership, Baden-Powell wrote:
“The aim of the Scout training is to improve the standard of our future citizenship, especially in character and health; to replace self with service, to make the lads individually efficient, morally and physically, with the object of using that efficiency for service for their fellow-men.”
The six areas of development
are:
Character development is the dimension of personal identity and will It unifies all the other areas in a process of personal growth. Without the dimension of character, the person cannot be the actor of his/her own development.
Scouting takes all the dimensions of the human personality into account and, therefore, identifies several areas of growth on which the Scouting’s educational objectives are based. The areas of growth should not be considered separate elements, but as parts of a whole. These six dimensions have been presented on the same level as separate areas in order to make them easier to analyse. In fact, they are all interrelated and form a whole, the human personality.
Our Progamme:
Life in the troop is a Journey. The troop age comes at a very critical time in
the development of the scout. It’s an age when the scout has to make and take
several decisions both at an academic level and a social and emotional level.l.
Like in all Journeys the troop program is structured in such a way that the
scout prepares, undertakes and ends the journey. And what is the end of the
journey if not the start of a next one.
There are five pillars on which the scout program is structured, all building
block on each other for the scout to achieve a holistic non-formal education to
work in tandem with what the scout is achieving and accomplishing in his formal
part.
The main objective is to present a program which helps in the development of the
character of the scout. Through the scout method the scout develops in all areas
of growth (SPICES) which any educational format adheres too.
These objectives are also achieved by allowing the Scout to be involved in his
own training path. Being a member of a patrol gives the scout a chance to shape
his own path, what he prefers to achieve in that particular task and what to
actually do while attempting the task.
All of this depends on one of the pillars of the scout method which is the
patrol system. The Patrol System is based on the Patrol Leader’s Council where
the Patrol Leaders, with prior discussions with their Patrols through the Patrol
in Council, decide on what to do and how to do it under the guidance of the
Leaders.
A scout is part of the troop for four years. Upon starting his Link badge and
Tenderfoot at the age of 10 ¾ till age 11 the scout is alternating between the
pack and the troop to get use to how things work in the troop.
Within those 3 months the scouts will be able to achieve the Tender foot.
The other levels follow the same procedure. In all the levels there are no more
than 12 tasks. This is specifically designed to allow the scout to attempt one
task a month, which means the Scout will complete each level in one year. This
system is a target oriented system, which means, the Scout not only sets himself
a target for completion but also plans his path in advance.
Keeping with the ‘one a year’ target the age takes us to 15 where the scout will
start (three months prior) to bridge the gap with the venture unit, when upon
reaching age 15 the scout joins the Venture Unit.
The five levels are:
The Tenderfoot
Here the scout is prepared for the journey ahead. As the scout motto says “Be
prepared” this part is all about being prepared, but the question is: “Prepared
for what?” As scouts we have to be prepared for all that life throws at us, and
believe me, it throws a lot! At this critical age CHANGE is what we need to be
prepared for.
The Tenderfoot caters for 2 different kinds of participants both with their
distinct needs.
Cub to Scout:
You have those scouts who have progressed through the ranks and joined the troop
from the pack. This move is a massive change for the scout, from being the
oldest in his pack he is now the youngest in the troop. Even the way things work
can leave the scout perplexed about how to start this journey. The tenderfoot
bridges this change to facilitate the transition.
Here the scout has the responsibility to help make this bridge as easy to cross
as possible. Through collaboration with Skipper and Akela the scout chooses the
path he wants to undertake to arrive at the troop section.
The Cub Scout, 3 months prior to his move from the pack to the troop should,
together with the help of the respective leaders, draw up a schedule where he
can participate in some cub activities and some scout activities, thereby
adapting to the change that is coming through the change in section. Doing
this, will enable the Cub Scout to start taking on the responsibility to plan
his own journey.
Non-member to Scout:
The other kind of participant is the scout who joins from outside the movement.
This is still a change which one needs to ease into, and that is what the
tenderfoot tries to achieve; a launching pad for the new scout into this whole
new world of scouting.
During the Tenderfoot it is vital that the Scouts create a solid base for their
journey to start on a sound note.
At this level two main characters com into play, the Leader and the Patrol
Leader.
The Leader:
It is essential that the Leader understands that for the scout, change is not
easy, sometimes it’s scary. Statistics show us that the largest drop outs come
from this transition period.
The Patrol Leader:
The troop is built around the patrol system so the PL has to make sure that the
new scout is eased into the patrol (Patrol Spirit) and made feel part of
something bigger.
The Pathfinder
Just like in the movies, cartoons or video games, where the hero who embarks on
a journey starts off with little adventures and paths that eventually lead to
something bigger, the same happens in the troop section. Starting out as a
member of a patrol can be challenging, doing this alone is even more
challenging.
Scouts at this level build a foundation which is strong enough to support all
the levels that follow. Here the scout tests the water. Here the PL is a major
influence on the scout, as you will see further on the PL is the person who will
introduce the basics to the scout in 2 ways.
-
Through the PLC, where the PLs, after discussions with the Patrol (Patrol in
Council), plan the meeting for the whole troop.
-
By using these meetings to create activities and sessions where the PL
passes on his knowledge to help the members of his patrol to improve.
The Scout on the other hand has the
duty
to suggest to the patrol leader, who is representing him in the PLC, to plan the
programme which is suited to him.
But, where’s the Leader in all of this? What’s his role? The leader in the troop
is more of an aide, an aide to the Patrol Leader. Although the PLC is run by the
SPL and the Patrol Leaders, the Leader needs to keep them on the path of the
journey. The leader is also there to support the scout going through the
Pathfinder and to explain to him the importance of the basics that will help him
further on, during his journey.
From this level onwards the program offers the scout a chance to tackle several
areas of development. All the skills help the scout develop himself in one way
or another, from skills, to the character of the scout, by which the scout can
let loose his imagination to better himself.
The Explorer
At some point during any journey one stops, looks back and thinks on what he has
achieved so far. Reflecting on the path you took so far, you will find success,
failures and question marks. However, as the saying goes, ‘experience is what
you get when you don’t get what you want’. So this level is all about learning
from our past to achieve something better.
Here the scout is faced with a more ‘hands on’ approach and a greater say in how
he continues his journey. While in the pathfinder the main area was a social
atmosphere by which the scout feels comfortable in his own patrol, here we take
that a step further and create a social awareness not just within the patrol but
also within the whole group. A mixture of different tasks tackle several areas
which we all want our scouts to develop. From a physical, social and spiritual
side the character tasks help the scout to delve deeper into understanding
himself and others.
Here the onus of the responsibility starts to shift from the PL to the scout as
now he is more mature to decide for himself how to use all that he has learnt to
better himself.
The Pioneer
There comes a time in any journey where one thinks that as he has arrived so far
there is nothing more to see, nothing new to learn, that the rest of the journey
will be a repeat of what has happened so far. Then just around the corner, we
are proved wrong.
The shift of responsibility in this level is massive. Here the scout undertaking
the pioneer has to be creative in using all he has learned so far and adept that
into a concrete path to achieve the pioneer. Here one not only uses his
knowledge to further develop himself but also uses that knowledge to start other
on the right path in their journey. Leadership qualities are developed which not
only further strengthen the patrol system but help in the next journey with the
venture unit. Most the task in this level deal with creativity, on how to
achieve the desired outcome by what you have learned so far. Also as in previous
levels an emphasis is put on the character development both as a social member
of a wider community and also in the passing on of knowledge to the younger
members in your patrol.
The Voyager
Once a journey has reached it’s final destination is it the end? NO! When one
journey finishes another one starts. The aim of this final step in the troop
program is to gather all the experience from our current journey and use it to
make the next one even better.
Here the scout has total liberty not only on how to decide on his path but also
on how to pass through it. The entire task allows the scout to think and prepare
himself on how to achieve the task. All the tasks in this level, demand a great
sense of character development as now the scout is mature enough to take
responsibility for his actions and pass on what he has learned to the troop. All
the tasks focus on the scout to develop his leadership skills both in preparing
for activities by analysing the risk and time involved but also by running it.
The activities in question need to be evaluated afterwards to see what went well
and what could be improved.
Beside these kinds of activities, several tasks focus on the character of the
scout, just like in previous steps in the programme, these tasks are aimed at
complementing the development that the scout is receiving outside scouting to
mould a character for a better person in the community.
This level also serves as a bridge to the next step, the Venture Unit.
Conclusion
The scout program is structured in such a way that a scout can travel along his
desired path and that is where the leader plays the largest role. His main duty
is to help the scout understand his path and that whichever path is taken the
scout arrives at the end with an amount of experience that has helped him grow
in character.
How to Join:
This is an easy one! Just come along to one of our meetings and ask for Skipper. You will be introduced to the other Leaders and they will help you find the patrol you would like to be with. There is no cost involved in doing this.
A new member normally spends a month or two with us before we invest him as a scout. This is so that the new member has enough time to make sure that he knows what we are all about and that he wants to join us.
Try it! You have nothing to lose! (and a lot to gain...)
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