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2nd Whitby Fire Venturers
WHITBY, ONTARIO, CANADA

Scouts Canada and World Scouting
Chief Scout's Award Project
By Kyle Attanasio

What is scouting? I think that scouting is something that helps youth get to know themselves better. Scouting is like an education for life. Scouting complements the school and the family, filling the needs that aren't met by either. Scouting develops self-knowledge, the need to explore, to discover, to want to know.

It is a movement for youth on the move. Evolving and adapting everywhere according to local conditions, serving according to local needs. It is also an international organization with branches in more than 216 countries and territories. It is a growing process that hasn't stopped growing since its founding in 1907. Today there are more than 25 million members - boys and girls. Scouting has doubled its membership in the past twenty years and the majority of the growth is taking place in developing countries.

The great thing about it is that scouting is open to all, regardless of race or creed, in accordance with the purpose, principles and the method conceived by its founder Robert Baden-Powell. Through recreation, Scouting achieves its purpose to help young people develop physically, intellectually, socially and spiritually.

It isn't just a challenge for the youth but it is also a challenge for adults. A chance to help young people and a way to improve the understanding between generations. In their service, adult leaders get valuable training and experience, adding to their personal development. It is also a voluntary choice for both scouts and leaders to join Scouting.

Scouting doesn't and must not represent any political party or organization. Nevertheless, Scouts are encouraged to make a constructive contribution to their community, society and country. 

By making the personal commitment to a simple code of living: the scout Promise and Law. Scouts learn as they obey actively participating with one another. By working in their small groups, they develop leadership, group skills, and individual responsibility.

The progressive activities based on the interests of the youth really help stimulate the programs. Activities in contact with nature, a rich learning environment where simplicity, creativity, and discovery come together to provide adventure and challenge.

Scouting helps develop a spiritual dimension which helps the youth have a commitment to seek the spiritual value of life beyond the material world. It also carries over into a social dimension by participating in the development of society, respecting the dignity of others and the integrity of the natural world. Promoting local, national and international peace, understanding and co-operation. Finally, there is also a personal aspect which in my mind develops a sense of personal responsibility and stimulating the desire for responsible self-expression.

Scouts are involved in a vast number of issues facing the communities where they live. Scouts work with others in the community to achieve mutual objectives. They work with friends, neighbours, community leaders and other organizations. Many work on projects of bilateral co-operation between Scouts in developing and industrialized countries.

Scouts are involved in many things such as…

  • Child health 
  • Drug abuse prevention
  • Clean water and sanitation
  • Appropriate technology
  • Low-cost housing 
  • Literacy
  • Peace education
  • Life skills training
  • Children at risk
  • Integration of the handicapped
  • Family life education
  • Rights of children
  • Food production and agriculture
  • Environmental conservation and education 
  • Renewable energies
  • Reforestation 
  • Job skills training
  • Youth unemployment
  • Immigrant communities
  • Education about development issues
There are five levels of Scouting you can get involved with. Here are some examples: Beavers: The Beaver program emphasizes having fun while encouraging children to feel good about themselves, their friends and family, God and nature. Beavers helps children learn basic social skills and gain self-confidence. The Beaver program promotes activities that encourage children to:
  • Find examples of their own spiritual beliefs
  • Experience and express love and joy
  • Be healthy and have good feelings about themselves
  • Develop a sense of belonging and sharing in small group activities
  • Develop a sense of co-operation through non-competitive activities
  • The Beaver program is built around a lively variety of games, crafts, music, storytelling, playacting, spiritual fellowship and the outdoors. Beaver activities stress co-operation and teamwork, and can involve the whole family.


The outdoors is an essential part of the Beaver program. Weekend events, picnics, short nature hikes and family based camping opportunities round out the Beaver experience.

Cubs: Cubbing is built around a lively variety of games, crafts, music, storytelling, playacting, spiritual fellowship and the outdoors. The cub program focuses around six activity areas: The Natural World, Outdoors, Creative Expression, Healthy Living, Home and Community, and Canada and the World. Individual interests and skills are recognized through simple awards.

The outdoors is an essential part of the Cub program. Weekend events, hikes and overnight camping opportunities round out the Cubbing experience.

Scouts: The Scout program emphasizes having fun while encouraging youth to feel good about themselves, their friends and family, God, and the environment. The Scout program helps youth expand their leadership skills and gain self confidence. The scout program focuses on seven activity areas: Athletics, Outdoors, Home and Family, Personal Development, Science and Technology, Culture and Society, and Environment.

Scouting promotes activities that encourage youth to:

  • Develop self-reliance
  • Pursue hobbies and personal interests
  • Develop self-discipline and the skills of working co-operatively with others
  • Cooperate in setting and achieving small group and personal goals
  • Practice leadership skills
  • Relate with adults
  • Be of service to others
  • Camp, explore the outdoors, and develop good conservation practices
The Scout program is designed around a lively variety of activities based on personal and group interests. Scouts emphasizes outdoor and environmental activities, citizenship and community service, leadership, and personal development. Individual interests and skills are recognized through an awards system.

 The Outdoors is an essential part of the Scout program. Weekend events, extended hikes, no trace camping and seasonal sports opportunities round out the Scout experience. Developing an active, healthy lifestyle is the prime goal.

Venturers: The Venturer program emphasizes having fun while encouraging young teens to feel good about themselves, their friends and family, God, and the environment. Venturers helps teens advance their leadership skills and gain self-confidence.

Venturers promotes activities that encourage teens to:

  • Show that they care and live according to their personal values and religious beliefs.
  • Develop and use the skills of communicating, solving problems and making decisions
  • Explore vocational opportunities
  • Participate in a variety of social, cultural and spiritual activities
  • Work cooperatively in adult-like settings
  • Participate in challenging physical and outdoor activities
  • Become aware of and respond to needs of the community and the environment


The Venturer program is built around a lively variety of activities based on personal and group interests. Venturing emphasizes outdoor and environmental activities, citizenship and community service, leadership and personal development, and career exploration. Individual interests and skills are recognized through an awards system.

The outdoors is an essential part of the Venturer program. Weekend events, extended hikes, no trace camping and seasonal sports opportunities round out the Venturer experience. Developing an active, healthy lifestyle is the prime goal. As well, Venturing helps teens learn new knowledge and skills that can lead to a satisfying career.

Rovers: The outdoors is an essential part of the Rover program. Rovers often participate in adventurous activities like mountain climbing, white water rafting, or para-sailing.
Rovers also help their local communities by running service activities such as food drives, park clean-ups, and tree plantings.
Rovers develop and manage their own program under the mentorship of a respected advisor.

As you can see, Scouting is a very large and very fun organization. There are many other organizations that it takes to help with the process.

WOSM: The World Organization of the Scouting Movement is an international, non-governmental organization composed of recognized national Scout organizations. Its governing body is the World Conference, which meets every three years, and its executive is the World Committee composed of elected volunteers. 

World Scouting Bureau: The World Scouting Bureau is the secretariat of the Movement. It serves national Scout organizations from its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and its six regional offices in Geneva, Brussels, Cairo, Manila, Nairobi, Santiago de Chile, and Yalta-Gurzuf.

The World Scouting Bureau's services are funded by fees from National Scout organizations, based on their membership and adjusted according to their 
country's per capita income. Other funding comes from contributions and grants from foundations, corporations, agencies and individuals. Significant support is received from the World Scouting Foundation.

Canadian Scout Brotherhood Fund: The Brotherhood Fund is Canadian Scouting's primary financial means of supporting projects in World Scouting's Community Development Program in countries where the need is demonstrated.

Community development is a process by which individuals and groups within a community work to improve the quality of life for themselves and their community at large. In these projects helped by Scouting organizations, groups of Scouts in needy countries identify and carry out projects to improve their lives.

Brotherhood Fund grants help in many ways. For example: The World Scouting community moved fast in 1998 when Nicaragua and Honduras were devastated by Hurricane Mitch. The Brotherhood Fund assisted these efforts with a contribution of $20000.

A short time later, parts of Colombia were destroyed by an earthquake. Once again the Brotherhood Fund provided a grant of $10000 to the Colombian Scout Association to aid its work in providing direct relief to the earthquake victims. 

Where does the money come from you ask? About 15% of all revenue generated by Scoutrees for Canada goes into the Brotherhood Fund. In this annual project, Canadian Scouts obtain financial pledges from people in their communities to sponser them in planting millions of tree seedlings.

Individuals, Scout groups, Scouter's Clubs, training courses and local Scout Councils make direct donations to the Brotherhood Fund from their own resources or from organized fund-raising projects.

You can get involved in the Brotherhood Fund by learning about life in other countries. As a group, get involved with your district, regional or provincial council in accepting responsibility for a project in a Third World Country. Get involved in a fund-raising project to contribute to the Brotherhood Fund. Read the Canadian Leader magazine for further news about World Scouting development.

World Jamborees: The purpose of the world jamboree is to provide a dramatic demonstration of Scouting's ability to develop world brotherhood, a spirit of friendship, and source of understanding among young people. Jamborees provide the opportunity for each Scout tom catch the spirit and transmit it to fellow Scouts throughout the world. At world jamborees, scouts and scouters from around the world come together and live, work, and play in an atmosphere that overcomes barriers of language and differences in custom, race and religion. Thus, a new generation of understanding is reborn in an arena of youth with common high ideals.

World Scout Foundation: The World Scout Foundation helps the growth and development of Scouting worldwide by providing financial support for the WOSM. It does this by permanently investing capital donations from individuals, foundations, corporations, governments, and from members of the Scout Movement who want to help young people learn positive values and become tomorrow's leaders. The Foundation also seeks non-capital donations to support specific World Scouting projects.

Canada's Role: Canada is one of the larger countries in the Scouting movement because it has two organizations. It also is a part of the pan-american region. It takes part in many other organizations such as Scoutrees for Canada and contributes towards environmental developing projects on third world countries. Canada is an asset to the world and World Scouting. Canada also offers a co-ed program which allows members of both sexes to enjoy scouting. If you would like to get involved in Scouting, call your district commissioner for more information. 
 

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Updated November 25, 1999