Photo By Sandra Wilson | Alex Warring instructs his son, a member of Cub Scout Pack 325 at SHAPE, on archery...... read more read more
PELT, Belgium — Families from across the Benelux gathered for the Charlemagne district Boy Scouts of America (BSA) camporee in Pelt, Belgium, from Oct. 7 to 9, to learn citizenship and outdoor skills in the local forest.
The event included three Scout troops from USAG Benelux-Brussels and SHAPE in Belgium, and USAG Benelux-Brunssum, the Netherlands.
“It’s great for the Families,” said Brian Grafton, Pack 457 Cub Master at USAG Benelux-Brussels. “They can now come to one place.”
Grafton attended the camporee with both his son and daughter. He, himself, spent childhood as a Scout, eventually achieving the highest rank of Eagle Scout.
He stated his desire is for his children to enjoy Scouts in a similar fashion, as a Family.
In the past, girls were not officially included in BSA activities... However, in 2019, BSA renamed its flagship program Scouts BSA in order to be more inclusive.
This policy change has led to a new type of Family scouting where everyone is allowed to participate.
“I love everything about Scouts,” said nine-year-old Martha Payne, a member of Webelos Troop 457 at USAG Benelux-Brussels. “I like that we’re outdoors. I like seeing my friends and camping at night.”
The camporee provided all Scouts a chance to develop discipline and skills.
After the Scouts pitched their tents and settled in Friday evening, Reveille woke the campground Saturday morning for an official flag ceremony to kick off the camporee.
“Kids start leading right off the bat,” said Colin Steed, Pack 325 Council Chair at SHAPE.
Participating Scouts were responsible for setting up and tearing down the campsite, as well as tidying up throughout the weekend.
Activities throughout the day included making meals, learning skills in archery and pocketknife safety and building hiking endurance.
At the evening campfire, Scouts used their creativity to perform a group song and skit.
“The scouting curriculum forces kids outside and is increasingly focused on sustainability,” said Erik Iliff, Pack 100 Cub Master at USAG Benelux-Brunssum. “The more we can have kids outside playing and having personal interaction, the better. We very intentionally want kids to not be on [their electronic] devices.”
According to Iliff, portable devices and phones are not allowed at in-person Scout meetings because they are a designated time for interaction between kids.
During COVID-19 lockdowns, BSA went virtual and Iliff said much of the valued personal interaction of Scouting was lost.
“Virtual meetings were challenging and very hard to maintain,” said Iliff.
He stated attendance numbers dwindled during the pandemic, and Families anxiously awaited returning to in-person gatherings.
The weekend camporee was the biggest event for the district post-pandemic, and provided a way for Families to spend time together, learn skills and express creativity.
“It’s just good clean fun,” said Iliff. “We want to take ourselves seriously when it’s time to be serious. But sometimes it’s time to not be serious, and you want to joke around and let kids be kids.”
| Date Taken: | 10.08.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 10.18.2022 06:42 |
| Story ID: | 431527 |
| Location: | PELT, LIMBURG (VLG), BE |
| Web Views: | 31 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Benelux Family scouting camporee emphasizes community, outdoor skills, by Sandra Wilson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
