(Photo: Supplied 3rd Grande Prairie Scouts Facebook group)

By Abby Zieverink

3rd Grande Prairie Venturer Scouts

Grande Prairie Venturer Scouts leverage skills during pandemic

Aug 28, 2021 | 6:00 AM

The 3rd Grande Prairie Venturer Scout Group decided to find the silver lining during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, by working together.

Venturer Advisor Jon Anderson says the group of six Venturer Scouts, between the ages of 15 and 17, met weekly, and outdoors in-person when it was safe to do so.

“It was certainly a challenge to run the program through the pandemic. The good thing was it challenged our creativity and brought us to lots of new ideas. We tried a lot of new things, and found ways to have (fun),” said Anderson.

“Everybody learned pretty fast that it’s pretty lonely sitting in your home by yourself. It just takes a little bit of courage and a notion of trying new things.”

One thing that the group wanted to try during the pandemic was to meet with their pen pal scout group in England. Anderson says they were able to virtually meet face-to-face for the first time.

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“That’s one of my favourite stories,” he said. “When we got used to the idea of Zoom, we took a chance and invited them to a call, and everybody was thrilled… (It) makes the world pretty small.”

Anderson says the group also took their digital skills to help teach the younger scout groups how to meet virtually and work as a team.

“Our older youth, our Venturers, they were a lot more comfortable digitally and so, we used their creativity and digital courage to pioneer some things, and they got used to the meetings and some of the things we could do,” explained Anderson.

“Then, they shared that with the younger groups so they could make it their own, and you kind of pave the road for the rest of the kids.”

Anderson says the key principal for scouts is that it is youth-led. With that, he says each youth took turns planning and leading the meetings every week, guiding the group in a variety of activities and skills such as designing a movie or trivia night, and some traditional Scout learning.

“One of the youths taught us how to make homemade gas fire stoves, which are small portable woodstoves that are used in the outdoors,” added Anderson.

“We did a cooking competition, which was kind of funny, everybody standing in their own kitchens doing their own thing. We still did some traditional scouting kind of learning.”

Anderson says their skills and lessons they took out of the pandemic will continue to be applied to their group going forward.

“Just leverage this idea that we share this world, and getting to know each other doesn’t need to be a hard thing… no matter where you live.”

Registration for Scouts Canada opens to new members starting September 15th, which can be completed here.