Tonight we invested seven youth; five had come up from Cubs. And we had a couple of potential new Adult Kaiārahi joining us too! We can never have too many adult helpers… 😉

Body armour was big at Keas tonight and so was the mess at the end of the session! Great fun was had by all. The swing remains ever popular.

Last weekend (20-22 May), four of our more experienced youth attended a youth leadership course held at Brookfield Camp in Wainuiomata. Scouts from around the lower north island region came together to learn about working in teams and team leadership.

Newly learnt skills are put to the test in a series of practical activities designed to test skills (like explanation, demonstration, communication, review etc.) and to just generally reinforce what is required (when working together in a team) to achieve a common goal.

A bonus was they got to meet two members of the Scouts Aotearoa Board including the National Commissioner who overseas the programme and is responsible for inspiring and motivating volunteers, as well as representing their interests at the governance level in all policy-related discussions.

Isaac, a new Scout, produced this great artwork inspired by the harbour and the south coast and the challenges these marine environments face. Scouts Aotearoa has introduced a Better World achievement pathway which sits alongside the Adventure Skill and Capstone Awards.

The Better World Framework is designed to help youth make a difference to their community and environment. Isaac is working towards the Oceans badge. The programme has three parts;

• Experience: Learn about an issue that is interesting to you. Find out about how it affects people, and what you can do to help.
• Act: Participate in, Assist with, or Lead a project that helps with the issue you’ve been learning about. Remember to Plan, Do, and Review every part of your project.
• Share: Share what you have done with others, and let them know how they can get involved.

We are already in the third week of term 2!? Tonight the Cubs got busy with their first construction project – insect hotels. A wide range of interior decors were created – so even the fussiest bug could find a home to suit them! Surprisingly, no fingers were harmed by hammers either?