So normally at this time of the month (last day of July) I sit down to write an article for the September newsletters about Girl Guides. Honestly though, I got zip, nada, nothing right now. At this time of the year, all of the units are shut down for the summer.
But.
I can write about something else somewhat related. My son is a Venturer Scout (“Boy Scout”), so youth ages 15-18, in the 193 Edgemont group, which has kids not only from Edgemont, but Hidden Valley and other neighbouring communities. For the past year and a half their group (11 youth and 4 leaders) has been fundraising like crazy for a trip they are currently on in the Netherlands. They are at the Haarlem Jamborette International Camp for 10 days; there are 3500 participants at this international camp.
The leaders have been nicely posting photos and events on a private Facebook page as they go, so we parents can see what grand and wonderful adventures they have been on.
Now, an article written by someone about the trip who is actually there would be ideal, but they are so busy they simply don’t have time to write an article to make this particular deadline. So, I will give you a sneak peek at this once-in-a-lifetime trip, thanks to their FB posts. And perhaps they can write a more first-person article in October.
For the first few days, they stayed in Haarlem at a Scout Hut and toured Amsterdam, taking in sights such as the Anne Frank House, Van Gogh museum and doing some windmill tours. The temperatures were record setting: 35°C when they got there!
The camp started on July 28, with cooler temperatures, which is really fortunate because now they are sleeping in tents. Highlights from camp so far include: a visit to a military museum, a railway museum, but perhaps the best out-trip they’ve taken so far is the Tour of Honour to the Vimy Ridge memorial in France. What an amazing and impactful stop this one is—seeing actual trenches, walls and walls of names. I’m sure this will stick with them for a long time.
Soon they will be making the journey home again. I did ask my son what his favourite part of the trip was, and he said he didn’t have one, it has all been so much fun.
This is what makes Scouting and Guiding worth it for so many youth. Not only the camps and field trips, but the opportunities to travel abroad as they get older opens up for them. The Girl Guides in Hidden Valley for example are also madly fundraising for a couple of international trips next year to England.
So, in conclusion, if you have kids who are at least 5 years old, consider enrolling them in Scouts or Guides this fall. It’s not very expensive, and as they get older, the program gives them so many opportunities.
