11/23/2008

November Campout -- Another Activity

We had a great camping trip this weekend. The Varsity Team that that has been integrated with us for the last several months cut the cord this time and we went to two separate locations. I think this was a good step for both groups. While we're both a bit smaller, we each had to take some steps to stand on our own. I can't speak for the Varsity Scouts, but the Boy Scouts certainly rose to the challenge.

In addition to enjoying the beautiful scenery at Maple Lake (and some good food -- mmmm, scotch egs make a great breakfast), we also worked on a pair of unity building activities as part of my woodbadge ticket.

The first one was a group sharing thing, as we sat around the campfire I asked each person to share a favorite scout memory. While I was interested in the answers, my bigger desire was to get everyone talking and opening up a bit about scouting and things they each enjoyed.

A bit later, we went around the fire again. This time, each scout was asked to talk about a point of the Scout Law and what it meant to him. We went around the fire a couple of times to complete all twelve points. It was interesting to hear them talk about some pretty deep topics. Neal, my Assistant Scoutmaster, and I asked leading questions when the discussion seemed to flounder. I think it was a good experience for all of us.

We also did a physical exercise. We had each boy sit in a circle, facing outwards. Then they linked elbows and stood up. It took a bit of work for them to get organised and standing, but they did it.

As we drove down and out of Payson canyon, we held a short self assessment on our recent activities, and set some goal for improvement in December. This is a great way to close out a camping trip.