“See things from the boy’s point of view”
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- Robert Baden Powell
Lord Baden-Powell movement, Guiding. In 1912, BP married Olave Soames and had three children (Peter, Heather and Betty).
If Scouting is about fulfilling your potential then Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell (or BP) certainly fulfilled his.
Feb 21—Founder’s Day Celebration (NHQ)
PHOTOS of the Month
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Chief Scout of the World BP wrote no less than 32 books, the earnings from which helped to pay for his Scouting travels. As with all his successors, he received no salary as Chief Scout. He received various honorary degrees and the freedom of a number of cities, along with 28 foreign orders and decorations and 19 foreign Scout awards.
Quality Scouting Assessment Launch National Youth Council Launch Website Launch
Feb 29—Deadline for submission of adult nominees for awards Mar 5—Cub Scout Leaders’ Meeting—Chaguanas District Fancy Sailors from Penal Adventurers
Mar 19-20—ADC Training
“Life without adventure would be deadly dull.” BP, or ‘Stephe’ as he was known as a child, was born in Paddington, London, on 22 February 1857. He was the eighth of 10 children of the Reverend Baden-Powell, a professor at Oxford University. BP preferred the outdoors to the classroom and spent much of his time sketching wildlife in the woods around his school. His irrepressible personality infuriated and impressed his teachers in equal measure. After school, he went into the army, where he led a distinguished career through posts in countries including India, Afghanistan, Malta and various parts of Africa. The most famous event in BP’s military career was the defence of Mafeking against the Boers in 1899, after which he became a Major-General at the age of only 43. BP retired from the army in 1910 at the age of 53, on the advice of King Edward VII, who suggested he could provide more valuable service to his country by developing Scouting and its sister
In 1938, suffering ill-health, BP returned to Africa to live in semi-retirement in Nyeri, Kenya, where he died on 8 January 1941 at the age of 83. He is buried in a simple grave at Nyeri within sight of Mount Kenya. On his headstone are the words, 'Robert Baden-Powell, Chief Scout of the World' alongside Scout and Guide emblems. He was later commemorated in Westminster Abbey, London. BP is remembered on Founder’s Day, which is celebrated on his birthday (22 February) each year. To this day Scouts continue to enjoy activities in the outdoors and live out BP’s ideas. As the great man once said, ‘life without adventure would be deadly dull.’
Carnival Extravaganza The annual Calypso/Carnival Extravaganza was held on Saturday 23 January, 2016 at the grounds of the National Headquarters in St. Ann’s. It was a fantastic event with the districts of Diego Martin, Morvant/Laventille, Penal, Point Fortin and Port of Spain showing off their creativity and talent. From 10:00am to 4:00pm, Cub Scouts, Scouts and Venture Scouts competed for prizes in the categories of Ole Mas, Individuals, Calypso and Costumed Bands. The results were as follows:
Diego Martin Cub Scouts Masquerading Ole Mas
1st
18th Port of Spain - Jungle Story
2nd
6th Point Fortin - We Cutting Back
3rd
1st Paramin - Bois
Individuals
1st
Zayne Regis - 18th Port of Spain
Calypso
1st
Yasmin Britto - “Trinidad Today”
Costumed Bands
1st
Masquerade (Diego Martin)
2nd
Fancy Sailors (Penal)
3rd
Trini To De Bone
4th
Birds of Paradise (Penal)
Young Midnight Robber Produced through the kind support of
throughout the camp. We arrived at the campsite two days before the training officially began. On welcoming participants on our second day, it quickly became evident that during the course there would be language barriers that would make communication more difficult but we would later learn that Scouting is the universal language that unites us all.
Scouting Around the World
ACTIVITY
On the 26th of December 2015, I embarked on a journey with a fellow Scout leader, Patrick Welch, to Inter-American Leadership Training held in Muxbal, Guatemala to represent our country of Trinidad and Tobago. Little did we know that this journey would change our lives forever.
Inter-American Leadership Training is a programme designed to train Scout leaders of the InterAmerican Scout Region. Its objective simply revolves around making the world a better place by creating leaders who could take up leadership roles in their National Scout Organisations and have them equipped to carry out a Messengers of Peace project. We had the chance to work with over 60 scouts from different countries of our region for this the third training of its kind. Held at Campo Escuela de San Jorge in Muxbal, it was a week full of workshops, conferences, forums and the development of the global programme of Messengers of Peace.
A: The PUNCH line
- Siddeeq Shakoor
Q: What’s the best part of a boxer’s joke?
I was placed on to the Yellow Team which included eight leaders like me and one Team Advisor who would oversee us. Our team advisor was from Peru and the members of the team included participants from Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina, Dominican Republic, Venezuela and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. We would participate in most activities as a team, similar to the patrol system, with a different team leader being elected from amongst us each day. One of the most anticipated nights was International Night and the New Year’s Eve Celebration. Each country was given a booth to mount a national display and some countries got to do a song or dance from their county. Participants wore clothing representing their country and their local foods. The Trinidad and Tobago booth was amongst the best as we had a great variety of items to give away including maps of T&T, pens, bookmarks, bags, fliers and pamphlets and more, which all finished quickly. I wore a red kurta and a turban to symbolize my East Indian culture and heritage in Trinidad and Tobago and gave out Kurma and Channa to everyone. I also displayed 1st Naparima College Sea Scout merchandise and our 60th anniversary magazine. All the Scouts who viewed the magazine enjoyed the glimpse into what Scouting is like at 1st Naps.
World Scouting’s Messengers of Peace Initiative, launched by the World Scout Committee in 2011, aims to inspire the millions of Scouts who are doing amazing things in their local communities to tell the world about it, and thus inspire other Scouts to do even more. Any Scout project that brings a positive change in a community – its health, environment, social circumstances, safety or addresses conflict – is a Messengers of Peace project.
On our last day, my team, Team Yellow, revealed our Messenger of Peace project ‘Food for Tomorrow’ that addresses the world problem of hunger. We decided that in each of our countries we would collect donations of food or money to purchase food, which we would distribute to those in need. We worked as a team to develop the project and presented it. We vowed to remain connected and continue to work together to see the project develop in our respective countries.
Before we left Trinidad, both Patrick and I received national scarves, which we felt proud to wear
We started the course as strangers and we ended it
as family – a true representation of what Scouting is like. It was by far the best experience of my life. Notwithstanding all the knowledge we gained, one truly valuable aspect of ILT is the formation of lasting friendships and bonds that was developed with people from different countries that could be used to link different National Scouting Organisations and help unite the region at large. I intend to use the knowledge and experience that I gained from ILT to develop Scouting in my country, the Caribbean and hopefully in the Inter-American
Outdoor Skill Training:
Compass and Map Reading
First Aid for hikes
Backpacking
Learn about nature: Plants and Animals
Leave No Trace Principles
Participate in outdoor fitness programme
CORNER
Inter-American Leadership Training
Scout Skills: Dig a Dakota Fire Hole By T. Edward Nickens Native Americans used a Dakota fire hole to hide cooking fires from their enemies. Turns out that these small pits also consume less wood while burning hotter than open fires. Plus, they excel in windy conditions and provide a great platform for cooking. The fire hole works by drawing fresh air into the combustion chamber. Hot air rises from the hole, creating a draft that draws air through the vent and into the base of the fire. The cycle is self--sustaining, and digging the vent on the upwind side of the fire hole helps suck up the breeze like the air scoop on the Bandit’s Trans Am. Here’s how to dig one.
1. Dig the fire chamber. Excavate a pit 1 foot in diameter and 1 foot deep. Now widen the base of the chamber a few inches so it has a juglike shape. This lets you burn larger pieces of wood.
Region. I now stand prepared and excited to use my training to the best of my ability. ILT has trained me in leadership and being a Messenger of Peace to make the world a better place but it also gave me the best week of my life. Now I am here in Trinidad ready to better the community, the country and to help create a better world.
2. Dig the air tunnel. Start a foot away from the edge of the chamber, on the upwind side, and carve out a molelike tunnel 5 or 6 inches in diameter, angling down toward the base of the fire chamber. 3. Build your fire in the chamber and top the hole with a grate or green saplings stout enough to hold a pot over the flames.
Illustration by Robert L. Prince