By Romy Stephens
Scouting may be renowned for its practical nature, but the team at Upwey Scouts have been working hard to keep children virtually engaged during Covid-19.
From Joey Scouts (ages 5-7) right through to Venturer Scouts (15-17), the 1st Upwey Scouts Group has continued investitures from home and online activities throughout the year.
Scouts have engaged in activities such as cooking, drawing, arts and crafts, dress ups and much more.
They then gather over Zoom meetings to discuss their activities and what they learned.
An example of one activity, that was conducted in week four of the Scout group’s program, was a ‘defeat the dragon’ quest.
Scouts first did a fitness routine to get fit enough to defeat the dragon. They then designed a trap for the dragon before finally studying and creating a diagram of the dragon.
Upwey Scouts Group Leader Eric Staff said it had been a particularly challenging year for scouting, with those involved missing important social contact and being with their peers.
But Mr Staff said the group leaders had put in a huge effort to create engaging activities that could easily be completed at home.
“The type of activities we typically do certainly build up teamwork and leadership and they are hard to do online…The camaraderie of it all is something we are missing,” he said.“The physical component has been put aside and it’s really about learning by doing. The leaders have tried to put together programs that are interesting and can be done at home and shown to the group online.
“We’re still out there and scouting will continue on. We’re facing some adversity but we’re looking to stay together and support each other as best we can.”
Mr Staff said Scouts have still been able to earn their badges throughout the year, as a result of activities still being conducted.
He said the group leaders “should be congratulated for the effort they have put in” throughout the year.
“It’s a big pivot and they’ve put in lots of extra hours…Being a volunteer organisation, it takes a lot of effort to plan and make sure everything goes to plan, they’ve had to do that quite a lot.
“It’s their time they are putting in and I want to thank them for it.”
For more information on the 1st Upwey Scouts Group, visit upweyscouts.asn.au.
