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Scouts, energy companies create career plan

Part of being prepared, the Scouts motto, is getting young people ready for their careers and lives.
A01-Local-Badge-Trading
Scout Aleem Premji considers a trade of badges at the Scouts Canada Jamboree at Camp Woods near Sylvan Lake. Badge trading is one of the more popular activities at the week-long event.

Part of being prepared, the Scouts motto, is getting young people ready for their careers and lives.

Scouts Canada, in partnership with Imperial Oil Foundation and ExxonMobil Canada, is developing a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) pilot program with that aim.

Calgarian Andrew Price, Scouts Canada Chief Commissioner and board chair, said about 25 to 30 troops will be involved in the pilot program that will start in the winter of 2014, with the program being available to all scouts by fall 2014.

“Scouts has always been about the development of well-rounded youth,” said Price, adding they’ve had elements of STEM buried in their programming.

“We’ve realized it is important to help the leaders to be a little more focused and give them some nuggets of activity ideas and ways they can get kids interested in all the aspects of what we’re trying to do.”

Price made the announcement during the Scouts Canadian Jamboree 2013, taking place at Camp Woods near Sylvan Lake.

Imperial Oil and ExxonMobil will donate $1 million for the program over the next five years.

“One of our core development pillars is the core intellectual pillar,” said Price.

“It’s also a really good fit because it is leveraged across what we do.”

He pointed to some of the outdoor activities such as building rope bridges or even catapults as some of the possibilities with this program.

Demonstrations were set up after the announcement of the program.

Some Scouts had the opportunity to try out a robotic four-wheel remote control car. They attached the robot to a computer and programmed it to do certain functions. After it was programmed the robot was removed from the computer and performed the functions.

Price said the average troop will receive a package of STEM-based activities.

“It will be age appropriate activity cards that will help leaders deliver STEM activities locally,” said Price. “From our Beaver Scouts who are five to seven all the way up to our Rovers who are 17 to 26.

“We’re an organization that is about helping to equip young people to be prepared for success in the world and giving them an opportunity to try some of these things,” said Price.

About 6,000 Scouts and another 1,500 volunteers from across Canada have pitched their tents at Camp Woods for the week with troops from all over the country suddenly becoming neighbours.

“There is a huge buzz and having this many kids out having a great time is awesome,” said Price.

At the jamboree, the Scouts have the chance to be involved in all sorts of activities including canoeing, sailing, a low-ropes course, zip-lining, archery, stilt-walking, rock climbing, raft building, snorkeling, hiking and many more activities.

Price said the role of scouting is still very relevant and important in the development of young people.

“We need good citizens and the cool thing about Scouts is that we’re global, we’re the largest youth movement in the world, we’re in all but about four countries and that gives a great platform for the young people that are in this scouting movement to be good global citizens,” said Price.

“It is a really powerful way that young people can be involved at a young age in things that are important to them and are important to society.”

mcrawford@www.reddeeradvocate.com