THE EXPEDITIONER
Volume 2 Issue 2
July 2012
PARTICIPANTS CONTROLLING THE REIGNS ‘A mighty feeling,’ that’s how one participant from the Garrison Secondary School group describes his experience commanding a horse. He, along with others from the group, has been regularly attending training sessions at the Sandy Turf stables in St. Philip over the last few months. For those who have decided to give horseback riding a try, there has been much more to learn than the right way to sit Here the dukers lead for other young riders in the saddle or how to trot a horse. (Cont’d Pg 7)
Mrs. June Corbin, the long standing Secretary/ Treasurer of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Barbados, officially retired from her post at the end of the June. All associated with the Award would like to express deep gratitude to June as she sets off on a new chapter in her life. June, who started with the Programme when the office was still located at No. 10 The Garrison, was the only member of staff for many years. In the time that she worked with the Award she quickly came to be a ready source of information and has aided in its development however she could. June will continue to be a part of the Award family as she will be assisting with preparations for 2013 CASC Barbados and other areas where her knowledge might be needed To participants, she was the lady who gave out backpacks and records. For parents, she was the voice on the phone who answered queries. To the Expedition Panel she was the person who collected the route cards on their behalf. For group leaders, she was a resource to assist in getting group activities completed. For the Council she was the person who took the minutes. For all of us, June was and will continue to be a pillar in the success of the Award in Barbados. June has expressed her deep appreciation to the many friends and colleagues, who made her time with the Award so fulfilling and enjoyable. We wish June a happy retirement and say ‘Thank you’ once again for the many years of dedicated service.
Annual General Meeting (July 24)
All are asked to note that the Annual General meeting of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Barbados will be held on Tuesday July 24, 2012 at 5:30 pm at the Main Guard.
Sign up for cake decorating course
Interested persons are reminded that the cake decorating class that is being offered by Gina Barrow. Costs for the course will only be for materials and equipment. Contact the office for further details.
Be a volunteer (July 21)
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award will be working with the Barbados Chamber of Commerce get sign up info on Page 3.
A NEW CHAPTER BEGINS
UPCOMING EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
BYDC Youth Festival (August 11)
Be sure to be a part of the BYDC Youth festival on Saturday August 11, at Ilaro Court.
Send in your photos
Help to develop the Facebook page; get details on Page 6
Bring a fren and come (Aug 25)
It’s here again and afternoon out with fellow dukers. Mark you calendar and end your summer with a bang. The (BGAA) once wants you to bring a fren’ and come to King George V Memorial Park on Saturday August 25th. The circuit hike will get started at 3:00 pm and should end at approximately 6:00 pm. So get your hiking shoes ready to end summer with a bang.
New leaders Orientation Workshop
New leaders are invited to take part in an orientation Saturday September 22, 2012.
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THE EXPEDITIONER
GLOBAL GARBAGE FOCUS Efforts are underway to make the world a cleaner place and the Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN) is part of the movement. On Saturday April 21, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) Barbados teamed up with CYEN for the launch of the Let’s Do it Barbados Cleanup 2012 on Global Youth Service Day (GYSD). Coming together in Independence Square in Bridgetown, participants of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Barbados, Barbados Boy Scouts and members of the Barbados Youth Development Council (BYDC) got together with the CYEN to share experiences and learn about the global waste situation. The ‘Let’s Do It Barbados Cleanup’ is part of a global effort called ‘Let’s Do it World Cleanup’. It aims to educate and mobilise young people across the world to take a greater interest in their community. The campaign is designed to highlight the need to maintain a healthy environment and condemn illegal dumping. As part of its efforts, the CYEN has started to map illegal dumping sites around the island to create a Garbage Map, which is part of a worldwide project. Ricardo Marshall of the Solid Waste Management Unit. addressed the gathering and pushed the young people to dedicate themselves to the area of environmental management. In addition to passing out flyers about the cleanup project, ‘dukers’ who attended the launch were also part of a video recording. Each country that is part of the ‘Let’s Do it World Cleanup’ is tasked with sending in a video that depicts the work that they are doing. In the case of Barbados, the concept used was a garbage toss. Attendees collected large bags of refuse which were tossed into the air symbolising the effort to rid the city and the rest of Barbados of unwanted waste. (Not to worry all garbage was disposed of in the correct way after the event.) Global Youth service Day (GYSD) was started in 1988 and usually takes place in the month of April. Across the world children and youth groups are encouraged to spend some time giving back to their communities. There were more than 4000 projects conducted in over one hundred countries. In addition to projects in Barbados, Caribbean participation included St. Lucia, Jamaica and Dominica. The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Barbados is looking forward to working more closely with the CYEN and BYDC on a number of projects.
Captions: (Top right): Springer Memorial participants khadija Brewster and Adriana Clarke passing out literature about the Let’s Do it Barbados Cleanup. (Center left) Scouts were also in attendance at the launch. (Bottom Right) Ricardo Marshall of the Solid Waste Management Unit as he addressed the gathering.
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THE EXPEDITIONER BCCI TEAMS UP THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH’S AWARD The Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) is embarking on a major project to breathe new life into the capital city Bridgetown. The Revitalisation of Bridgetown Initiative (TRBI) is set to transform the city into a place of more than shopping, but regular recreation. In order to see the project through to completion the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Barbados has been asked to assist as a partner for the project. Participants of the Award will have the opportunity to complete service hours through working with the TRBI projects. Amongst these is the very exciting Bridgetown Alive. Barbadians and visitors have come to look forward to Bridgetown Alive which features entertainment in the streets and shopping deals through out the city. It is expected that the next one will be held on Saturday July 21st and participants can sign up to be volunteers for the many different scheduled activities. All participants who are desirous of being part of the Bridgetown Alive on July 21 are asked to sign up with the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award office by Wednesday July 18, 2012.
WHAT TO DO AFTER THE HIKE- CLEANING YOUR BOOTS
Don’t leave your boots looking like this.
The hike is finally over and your only thought is going to bed. But there are some little things you need to do once the hike is over. Definitely on the list of ‘Must-dos’ is cleaning your shoes; if not the same day, then get to doing it quickly after.
Once you’ve got them off your feet, take a look at your shoes to see which sections which are dirtiest. If you walked through muddy areas then the soles of the shoes are likely to have bits of dirt caked on. But it’s not just the bottom of the shoes which will be dirty but also along the sides and the top of the shoes. Remove the laces from the shoes, they too should be cleaned. A quick run through soap and water should be helpful. Set them out to dry and move on to the main job of cleaning the shoes. Getting dry dirt off your shoes is essential to make them clean. The bottom of the shoes can be dipped in water to soak away the dirt. Be careful not to get water into your shoes. Rub the top and sides of the shoes with a cloth or brush to scrub the dirt away. Some people choose to knock the shoes to remove dried dirt as well. A damp cloth can be used to give the shoes a final wipe before the job is complete. The inside of your shoes must also be checked; small Don’t forget the laces stones or insects can get into them. You don’t want some creature crawling up your leg as you set out for your next venture. Bits of leaves and any dirt or stones should be taken out. You should also feel the inside of your shoes for anything that might be stuck in the lining. But be careful not to cut or bruise your fingers. The bottom of you boots must be cleaned as well
Once your shoes are cleaned and dried, store them away so that they are ready for your next adventure.
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THE EXPEDITIONER
On the Trails
Every ‘duker’ knows that there is no better feeling than to see that final checkpoint and know that you are at the end of the hike. ‘On the trails’ is a new section dedicated to the Adventurous Journey. So see who’s been out there making tracks in the last few months. More pictures can be found at www.facebook.com/deabarbados.
Captions: (clockwise): 1.
Group leader from The Lodge School, Nya Greenidge marching on to the final checkpoint.
2.
The group makes one final check of the map.
3.
Onward to the St. Alban’s Church these two did not look back
4.
Kay gives a quick wave before heading on.
Gold Preliminary Harrison College t with equipment school started ou om fr k ea br ay lid ipants from the Easter ho gs for gold partic ba g in ep sle of from home checks and rolling four nights away d an ys da ve Fi group. at the Southpoint Harrison College they set up camp as p ou gr e th r were in store fo Lighthouse. oup marched up eling weary the gr fe ly te ni fi de d d Five days later an owing that they ha ing triumphant kn el fe ch ur Ch ns to St. Alba made it.
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THE EXPEDITIONER
onze qualifying hike Harrison College Br me members of the bronze award so ing ish fin to e ut ro En ul eyes of re under the watchf we p ou gr ge lle Co n the Harriso 2012 to April 1, ekend of March 31, we e th er ov or ss se as dra School out from the Alexan d te ar st ps ou gr o 2012. Tw trekked out to the rday, March 31 and tu Sa of ing rn mo e th ese two popped up between th ls hil of ts Lo ol. ho Alleyne Sc y over and around, had to find their wa points and the groups y was out of . After the first da em th of all to ed em what se ne School with ttled in at the Alley the way the group se of feet, the spite the weariness de y da xt ne e Th . et tired fe eckpoint and parthsheba, the final ch groups set out to Ba ents were waiting. m right) ort backpacks. (Botto A novel way to transp ht) rig p (To ns: tio Cap ng to bed. al map check before goi This group makes a fin Applon Parris) (photos compliments
Captions (anticlockwise) 1.
Members of the Garrison group examine a mural at the Grantley Adams Memorial School
2.
Group leader Karen Bryan giving some pointers on using the map to one of the participants.
3.
Three of the hikers Hackleton’s Cliff.
heading
off
towards
Garrison Secondary Group Bronze Preliminary Who remembers their first hike? Surely every single ‘duker’ does. The nine participants of the Garrison Secondary group who assembled at the Alleyne School on the night of Friday June 22 will never forget that moment when they strolled into the Grantley Adams Memorial School two days later, on Sunday June 24 around 11 am. This was the first time out for most of the group and they should all be congratulated on an excellent job of covering the required distance. Next up it’s the qualifying venture, hope you’ve started the planning.
THE EXPEDITIONER
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SEND IN YOUR PICS… GET FEATURED
YOUR PHOTO HERE
We’ve got timeline! If you don’t know what that is, then go checkout Facebook. The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Barbados is on Facebook and we need your pictures. Starting July 29, send in pictures of what you and your group are doing and your photo could be selected as the cover photo of the week. The pictures sent in should depict activities that fit with the different sections of the Award: Service, Physical recreation, Skill and Adventurous Journey. Images should not be lewd or obscene in any way. Pictures must be submitted by 9:00 pm each Saturday. They should be sent via email to the Operations Manager at dofebarbados.ops@gmail.com. The subject of the email should state ‘Facebook cover photo’ and the accompanying message ought to include the name(s) of the person(s) submitting, the group, age, award level or post and a short description of the image. All who send images are asked to note that selected and unselected photos will be stored by the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Barbados and may be used for the future promotion of the Award. Entrants must not infringe on the privacy rights, copyright or any rights of any person. The best image will be chosen to be the featured cover photo for the week. So get snapping and send us your photos. The first selected image will be used for the week starting Monday August 6, 2012. By submitting your photo you confirm that you have all rights necessary to grant permission for use of the photo, including from all subjects in the photo and the person who took the photo. Make sure to send in your photos and check out the page at www.facebook.com/deabarbados.
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THE EXPEDITIONER
Continued from Page 1 The participants have been able to learn quite a bit about the care of the animals. They have experienced washing and grooming the large animals. Time is also spent assisting other young riders by leading the horses while others ride as well. In doing so, the youngsters get even more up close with horses and are sure to gain an even better appreciation of how big and powerful a horse truly is. Alviron Jessamy admitted that getting started with the riding training was a bit shaky, even though it wasn’t his first time on the horse. According to Miranda Hunte riding is not as easy as some might think. She noted that riding is a form of exercise for both the rider and the horse. “It teaches you good posture and builds muscles in the arms,” she stated. So far it’s been great fun for the young riders who are working towards completing the bronze award.
Captions: (Top right) Alwyne Benjamin leading for another rider. (Right) Miranda was quite at home with the animals. (Bottom right) Assistant group leader Lee Edwards acting as leader. (Bottom) Alviron Jessamy getting ready to ride.
THE EXPEDITIONER
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From service work to exciting hikes
Bajan ‘dukers’ have been very busy.