Turning 18 meant that I was no longer an Explorer Scout (It
also meant that I was legally an adult, WOW!). However, I wasn’t ready to give
up on my Scouting adventures just yet. Becoming a leader allowed me to give
something back to the Scout group that provided me with so many
fantastic, once in a life time opportunities which helped shape me into the
person I am today.
All grown up!
I started off as an Assistant Beaver Scout Leader, so this
includes kids aged 5-8. I had a great time with the Beavers and it
was amazing being able to assist in their scouting journeys. However, it didn’t
take me long to recognise that I really missed all the great adventures of
regularly hiking, abseiling, climbing and camping. Which is when I decided to
join the Explorer Scout Section.
Being a younger leader, not long out of Explorers myself was
a distinct advantage to me and the Scouts. I had a good understanding of what
they liked and disliked which allowed me to effectively contribute when
planning weekly programmes and activities. When I was in Scouts and Explorers,
one thing which the majority of us really disliked was what we called the
‘boring stuff’ this included learning knots and lashings, navigation and
basically all the useful things like first aid. Now that I am older, I really
appreciate that my leaders drummed all these useful skills into our heads over
the years. But at the time, I just always wanted to play games and get out and
do some fun activities. So, with this in mind, whenever I am planning the
weekly programme and things which the explorers may find boring are include, I
always try and make it a little bit more fun for them by turning it into a game
or even a relay race between the patrols- one thing us Scouts love is a bit of
competition.
I am still learning so much being an Assistant Explorer
Scout Leader and hope to continue to learn and grow. It is such a worthwhile
experience, even though it can be hard work. After all, the Explorers do need
‘responsible’ adults to accompany them on all their amazing and fun adventures-
bonus!
The Queen Scout Award is the highest award you can achieve in
Scouting. I heard so much about the award over the years of being a Scout
and I promised myself that one day I would achieve the award myself. It is a
very difficult award to achieve and requires a lot of commitment and dedication.
Around 500 Scouts in the UK achieve their QSA and are invited to Windsor Castle
to celebrate their achievement. Working towards the award was very challenging
however the overall experience was very rewarding and I am very proud that I achieved
such a distinguished award.
Presented my QSA Award
Windsor Castle
There are a number of requirements of the QSA including the completion
of a number of activities, a minimum of 18 nights camping within Scouting and the
completion of 5 challenges. These challenges include a skill, physical
activity, service, expedition and residential. Personally I found the
completion of these challenges the most difficult part as it required a lot of
time and commitment, however it was very rewarding and was good fun. It even
kept me fit as I set myself regular challenges at the gym for a period of 12
months for my physical challenge. The challenge I found most enjoyable was the
expedition. For this, I completed a 5 day sailing trip with Ocean Youth Trust.
This was a fantastic experience as it allowed me to learn new skills and
develop my team working skills as I was working closely with others. We set
sail from Oban and originally planned to sail to Ireland, however the weather
wasn’t great so we just sailed around Scotland instead which was still
fantastic. We even stopped off at Tobermory for a few hours which was great to
see, it is possibly the prettiest port in Scotland with all its lovely
colourful houses. I was just so excited to say I have been to Balamory.
OYT Sailing Trip
I was so excited to head to Windsor to celebrate my achievement.
The parade was amazing and is an experience I will always remember. We marched
around into Windsor Castle, where we were met and greeted by the Duke of Kent,
Bear Grylls and Wayne Bullpit the UK Chief Commissioner. My time at Windsor was
even more special as my best friend Linzi and a few other friends from my group
and district had also achieved the award. This meant we were able to celebrate our
achievement together.
If you have been following my blog, you have probably
gathered by now that I love a bit of adventure- well, what scout doesn’t? I
have been lucky enough to take part in a large amount of activities that I
probably never would have even dreamed of partaking in if it wasn’t for scouts. Thinking
back, the list of activities seems endless but my favourites include: kayaking,
canoeing, climbing, abseiling, coasteering, sailing and archery.
Hillwalking
Abseiling
I have been to lots of great places to participate in these
activities and have such great memories. One thing I am grateful to my Scout
leaders for, is introducing to me all these amazing activities. A few of them
are now hobbies of mine. For example, kayaking. I LOVE kayaking! I hope to get
my own kayak very soon (when I’m no longer a poor student) so I can just go out
whenever I want.
One activity which stands out for me is coasteering. I have
did this twice in Guernsey. It was a terrifying, adrenaline rushing activity
that I am thrilled to say I have took part in. We would start off on the beach
and then swim out in the FREEZING cold sea. The instructors would play a few
games with us to try and warm everyone up. We then climbed over some rocks and
crawled through some caves. Then came the scary part. We climbed up the side of
cliffs and would jump in to the water. Although it was so much fun, when you
get up to the top and look over, it always seems so much higher than it is. I
remember hesitating every time I looked over, and kept running back from the
edge. Eventually I gathered up the courage and shut my eyes and leaped off the
edge. After that, I couldn’t stop. It was such a great adrenaline rush and was
so much fun.
Coasteering
Although I am lucky enough to have participated in so many
great activities, there are still a few that I am determined to tick off my
bucket list, including white water rafting. Hopefully I will be able to tick
that one off my list this summer after our adventure filled summer camp to
Switzerland! There are several more activities on my list such as sky diving,
bungee jumping etc. Of course, I will do that in my own time and not in a
Scouting situation (I’m pretty sure jumping out of a plane with Scouts is
frowned upon).
It has almost became a tradition for my Scout group to go to
Guernsey for Summer Camp. It is a great place with so great places to visit, exciting
activities to take part in and there is usually great weather in the summer so
that is always a bonus. I have now been twice, once as an Explorer Scout and
once as a Leader. I really enjoyed both, but I think my first experience as an
Explorer Scout was probably the best for me as I was only 14 so it was all new
and exciting for me.
I can remember the whole trip so vividly, even though it was
nearly 8 years ago. We took part in some great activities, visited nearby
islands, learned about history and just explored the beautiful island of
Guernsey. It was also my birthday when we were out there and I was so excited.
My leaders got me a card everyone had signed, a lovely birthday cake and we all
went bowling. I had such a great night.
Happy memories in Guernsey
(My friend Linzi and
I on my 15th birthday in Guernsey, looking ever so cool!)
There was so many high points of this trip including
learning about the history through visiting military museums and many of the
bunkers around the island. We also participated in many activities such as
coasteering, surfing and fishing. Surfing was a particular highlight for me. It
was something I had never tried before and I was so excited to give it a go. Although
it was so fun, it was really difficult. I managed to stand up once- for a whole
2 seconds before I fell back in (it still counts). For those 2 seconds, I was
surfing those waves like a professional surfer.
Another thing I really enjoyed was when we visited the
remote little island of Sark. Sark is a 50 minute boat ride from Guernsey. It
is a very traditional island with only 600 inhabitants. There is no cars on the
island so the modes of transport include horses and bikes. When we arrived on
the island we walked around for a while taking in the beautiful sights. We then
took a tour of the highland on a horse and carriage ride. It was really
interesting to hear about the way of life on the island and it was great to see
the wonderful sights. There was also a beautiful sandy beach on Sark. I clearly
remember the tiring trek to the beach (there was what felt like 1 million stairs)
but the stunning secluded beach was worth it. Overall, it was a fantastic and
unique experience.
Horse and carriage in Sark
Guernsey was a great place for a summer camp, there was so
much to learn and experience. I would highly recommend it to other Scout groups
who are looking for a summer camp destination.
We
were finally here. I was so excited! I had expected the campsite to be big but
it was quite unbelievable. It was HUGE! When we arrived there weren’t many unit
campsites built up yet and it still felt massive. The campsite was split into 4
towns: Summer, Winter, Autumn and Spring. Within each town there was numerous
sub-camps which were named after cities, rivers and provinces in Sweden. My
unit were in Svedala sub-camp in Autumn town. Each town had their own big
attraction. For example, Winter actually had their own mini ice skating rink
and Autumn had a mini theme park built entirely from wood and timber, it was
amazing.
Once
we got over the complete shock and excitement, we were shown to our campsite and
started to set up camp. This was very important to us as this was going to be our
home for the next 10 nights- it had to be perfect. We also decided that we
wanted to have the tallest gateway in Autumn- not that I am biased or anything,
but we definitely did.
Our gateway
That
night we had the opening ceremony. All of the forty thousand scouts gathered together
in a big field to celebrate the start of the 22nd World Scout
Jamboree. The ceremony included the official handover from Great Britain to
Sweden. This was done because the 21st WSJ was held in the UK so it
was passed over to Sweden. The handover was very exciting as it involved Bear
Grylls abseiling down from the stage. The ceremony also included a performance
of the Jamboree song- “Changing the World.” Each Jamboree has its very own
song, and ours was very catchy. My favourite part of the night was the
procession of the flags. There was one flag representing each country present
at the Jamboree. It was amazing to see the amount of different places everyone
had travelled from, to be together for such a great event.
Opening ceremony- Procession of the flags
There
was always lots going on. There were planned activities almost every day and we
constantly had something to do. If I’m being totally honest, the activities
where never really that great but it didn’t matter. The best part was making
new friends and learning about different cultures. My favourite days were the
days we had our own free time. We would always spend these days just wandering
about, going to the many different cafes available and just talking to new
people.
There
was so many highlights of the Jamboree for me, I couldn’t pick just one. The
overall experience was just phenomenal. It was always really funny when we
walked about the camp in our kilts as lots of people would always stop us and
ask to take pictures with us. It was kind of like being a celebrity- I won’t
lie, we loved it! One Chinese Scout actually offered to trade me her whole
uniform and various other items for my kilt.
Happy Memories
This picture perfectly sums up the Jamboree experience for me. I was always laughing and having a great time.
Meeting Bear Grylls
Presenting Bear with our Neckie
Oh and did I mention Bear Grylls came to visit us at our campsite? Yes, that actually did happen :)!
One
day in particular that I really enjoyed was a day in which each unit would prepare
a stall with various foods and items which effectively portrayed their own countries’
culture. For this day my unit had lots of Scottish flags draped across our
campsite with all things tartan surrounding the table. Of course we had some Irn-bru
for people to sample because after all, what’s more Scottish than Irn-bru. On
this day, Linzi, Marie-Claire and I were roped into performing some traditional
Highland dancing- very embarrassing. We would take turns manning our Scottish
stall so when we had a break we had the opportunity to wander about and visit
different stalls. It was great to see what each unit had come up with. My
favourite stall was definitely one of the Italian stalls, purely because they
had pizza!
Highland Dancing
The
closing ceremony was another fantastic night. Although it was emotional because
it was our last night at the Jamboree, I had a great and memorable night. The
famous Rock band Europe performed live and the King of Sweden even joined us.
Overall,
the 22nd World Scout Jamboree was a fantastic experience which I will
remember for the rest of my life. It really was a once in a life time
opportunity and I am so thankful to have experienced it.
The World Scout
Jamboree is a once in a lifetime opportunity which takes place every four
years. It is an incredible event which welcomes tens of thousands of Scouts
from all around the world to camp together for 10 days. In 2011, I was lucky
enough to attend the 22nd WSJ in Sweden.
There was over 40,000 Scouts from 146 different countries, which made this
Jamboree the largest in the history of Scouting. The Jamboree truly was a
spectacular, life-changing event which I will remember for the rest of my life.
A
Jamboree is a much sought after event as they only take place every 4 years.
This meant that there was a tough selection process as only a limited number of
people from each district could attend. The selection process took place 2
years before the event to allow plenty of time to fundraise, prepare and get to
know the people within your unit well. My unit was called the Saltire Unit and
was made up of Scouts from all over Scotland including Greenock, Dumfries, Kilmarnock
and Langholm. We had regular meeting nights and camps so the unit had plenty of
opportunities to get to know each other and make friends before the Jamboree. I
always really enjoyed these events as they always got me very excited for our
big adventure. There was a lot of fundraising involved in the lead up but this
was expected for such a large event and was all part of the experience.
A
few days before the Jamboree we were paired up with Scouts from Vanuatu, The
Solomon Islands and Tonga. They flew to Scotland prior to the Jamboree which
gave us all the opportunity to get to know them before flying out to Sweden. It
was an honour to have been able to share the experience with them. They
certainly added to the overall experience for me as they allowed me to
appreciate and learn about their culture and way of life.
All
the UK Scouts received the same equipment for heading to the Jamboree. This
included a large holdall, a bag pack, a fleece and all the tents which we would
use in Sweden were also the same. So it was very easy to identify UK Scouts as we
all looked exactly the same. It was even easier to spot, a Scottish Scout- all
the matching equipment but with a kilt on as well. So looking all lovely and
identical, we were ready to head to the 22nd World Scout Jamboree.
The Saltire Unit
Before
we headed to Sweden, all the UK Contingents went to Denmark for 2 days first.
This was amazing! We were put up in hotels just filled with Scouts and we took
part in some great activities. One of the best parts of Denmark was going to
Tivoli. This is a great big amusement park with plenty of fun and terrifying
rides. I remember dragging my friend Linzi on all the really scary rides- she
did not thank me for that. The last night was a lot of fun as Alphabeat performed
for all the Scouts. It was a great night and got us all even more excited for
heading to Sweden.
Tivoli
The
next morning we were packed and ready to head to Sweden…….
Blair Atholl is an International Jamborette which welcomes
over 1,000 scouts and leaders from all over the world to Perthshire, Scotland
for a 10 day camp. It takes place every 2 years and allows scouts from all
different backgrounds to make new friends, learn about different cultures and
take part in different activities and challenges.
In 2008, I was one of the lucky scouts who was selected to
attend the International Jamborette. I had heard so much about Blair Atholl
from a few of the older scouts who had been before, so I was very excited to
experience it for myself.
Upon arriving at the camp, all the Scottish scouts were shown
to their sub camps where they would be staying for the next 10 days. There was
6 sub camps- MacLean, Robertson, Stewart, MacDonald, Murray and Morrison. Each
sub camp had an ‘Uncle’ or an ‘Aunt’, who had the role of camp chief along with
several assistant aunts and uncles who would all act as leaders and friends for
the participants during their time at Blair Atholl. The sub camp my patrol and
I were in was MacLean (The best!) with Aunt Eva. We had to
build our own little camp site within MacLean camp, preparing for the arrival
of our overseas patrol the next morning.
MacLean Sub Camp
(The little orange tent you can see, was mine and Linzi's)
We were paired up with a patrol of
boys from Maryland, America. It was great to be able to share the experience
with them as it allowed us to learn about their own scouting experiences and how
it was different from ours. We had a lot of fun sharing our Scottish culture,
food and drinks with them. One of the boys enjoyed Irn-Bru a
little bit too much- he would drink a 2 litre bottle every day which was evidenced
by the permanent orange lip he had for the duration of the camp.
The Jamborrette was just like a home from home. It had
everything you could have wanted (apart from a bed of course). The ‘Kastle’ was
a large marquee which was the central hub of the camp. It was home to the
Kastle Kafe; Kastle Kurrency- the onsite bank; Kastle Kashbash- the camp shop;
and even a theatre. It was just like a little village.
Each night there was always exciting things happening at the
Kastle, whether it was a disco, a ceilidh or a talent show, there was always
something going on to bring all the participants together. My favourite night
was definitely the night of the ceilidh. I have hilarious memories of being swung
around the marquee dancing the Gay Gordons.
My friend Linzi and I were encouraged
to perform highland dancing at the talent show- and when I say encouraged, I
mean forced into it (I was not overly enthusiastic about getting up on that
stage and dancing in front of hundreds of people). But looking back, I am glad I
did it. It was one of those terrifying albeit fun moments that I will always
remember. In case you are wondering, we didn't win the talent show. We really weren't that great, but hey, everyone loves a trier.
Highland Dancing
(As you can see, I look very embarrassed and was just praying I didn't fall)
There was a wide range of activities for the scouts to take
part in including gorge walking, mountain biking, go-karting, swimming,
ready-steady-cook, and all terrain boarding. I remember taking part in the all-terrain
boarding activity very clearly, purely because I was terrible at it. I spent
most of that day falling on my bum. Although some of the activities were really
fun and exciting, the best part of the whole experience for me, was during our free time when we were able to wander about the camp and meet lots of new people. It was great to learn about different
cultures and make new friends from all around the world. I met people from
America, Canada, Gibraltar and Japan and it was great to have shared my
experience with them.
On the last night, all of the scouts gathered together in
one big group for one last time. The most memorable part of that night for me
was the fact that the whole Jamborette sat together and sang some typical scout
songs. One of the songs I vividly remember singing just because it was so
catchy and fun was called- Start wearing purple. Even as I am typing this, I am
singing the song out loud: “Start wearing
purple, wearing purple na na na na na, start wearing purple, be a scout”. Yes,
that will be stuck in my head for hours now. The other song that I clearly
remember was called ‘The Blair Atholl Song’. For me, this was a more emotional song
as it allowed me to think about my time at Blair Atholl.
Whilst writing this post, I have surprised myself with how
much I remember so vividly about my experience at Blair Atholl considering it
was 8 years ago, however, I will cherish these memories as it was a fantastic experience
that I am lucky to have took part in.
