Cubbing in South Africa

As I prepare for our first cub camp this weekend. I thought it was about time that I posted on the Cub Scout experience here in South Africa.

While the principles (Jungle Book) and organization (sixes) of Cubbing are the same as in Canada, the design of the program is quite different.

In South Africa, Cub Scouts is a co-ed group for children ages 7 - 11.  Only cubs 8 years and older can go to camps.

Since we arrived here, Scouting South Africa has republished their Cub Trail into a series of 8 books or manuals.  I will describe each in detail a bit further down.

Cub Scouts in South Africa uses sixes just like in Canada, however, the youth are also divided by year groups which are called advancement stages.  They are Caracal (7),  Cheetah (8), Leopard (9) and Lion (10).   After a cub turns 10 they begin to prepare for their transition to Scouts at age 11 and can work towards their Leaping Wolf Badge and their Link Badge.  The series of books outline the requirements for advancement and interest badges, along with information about the program and Scouting in general.

The Cub Trail books are as follows:

Welcome and Membership badge
Interest badges
Follow the Caracal Trail
Follow the Cheetah Trail
Follow the Leopard Trail
Follow the Lion Trail
Leaping Wolf Badge
Link Badge

The welcome and membership book outlines the basics of the program and the requirements of becoming a Cub Scout.  In Canada we would call these Cub Scouts Tenderpads, but I have not heard a specific term used here.  The book introduces new youth to "pack calls".  Such as, "PACK" means silence.  "PACK-PACK-PACK" means gather in a parade circle.  In the parade circle the pack stands either at "ALERT"(feet together hands at sides) or "AT EASE" (feet apart hands behind the back).

Cubs are not permitted to be in full uniform or participate in the Grand Howl until they have completed their membership badge.  The must know the cub law, promise and motto.  Demonstrate the left handshake and Cub Scout salute.  They must understand the Grand Howl and know when it is used.  Lastly, they must know the stories of BP and Mowgli's brothers.  Once a cub has completed the 7 requirements he is ready for his investiture.  Scouting occurs year round in our group.  Youth join, usually one at a time, throughout the year. This is  unlike what I experienced in Canada where the Scouting year started in September and large groups of new participants would join.  So, investiture here happens when a new Cub is ready rather than at a larger beginning of the year ceremony as we generally did in Canada. 

The Interest Badges book covers a range of badges and their requirements that are outside of the Cub Trail advancement badges.  The badges are: Aircraft, Aquanaut, Artist, Athlete, Birds, Boating, Chess, Citizen, Civil Emergency, Collector, Computer, Conservation, Cooking, Craftsman, Cycling, Drawing, Engineer, Entertaining, Family Camping, First Aid and Health, Fishing, Food for Life, Flying Models, Gardening, Geologist, Handcraft, Home craft, Landscaping, Linguist, Machines, Masks, Model Boats, Naturalist, Nature Craft, Outdoors man, Pets, Photography, Projects, Recycling, Religion and Life, Repairs, Scholar, Secret Codes, Showman, Signalling, Singing, Skies, Sportsman, Swimmer, Traveller, Working Toys, World Friendship, and the World Conservation badge. 

Each badge has a set of requirements, just like in Canada.  Some are complete all, some are complete a set number of a suggested list.  Badges can be completed at home or at meetings, just like in Canada.

Here is where the program becomes different. 

Follow the Caracal, Cheetah, Leopard, Lion Trail books.  Each Cub takes roughly the same trail each year, but each year the trail changes, just a little bit, and becomes more challenging.  At all times the activities are age appropriate and encourage a Cub to Do Their Best.  At the Caracal stage there is lots of explanation, references to the Jungle Book and easier tasks.  For example, one trail requirement is called Living with Nature.  Each book describes the natural world and has different requirements. 

A Caracal must know the Outdoor Code. They must go for a nature ramble and listen to and identify sounds and natural objects.  Then they make an item using natural materials.

A Cheetah needs to choose a living creature and research it or, describe the uses of trees and take care of a tree for one month.  They also need to make a poster telling others about the Outdoor Code.

A Leopard must build a bird-feeder and observe the birds that visit for 2 weeks or, care for an animal or living creature for one month.  They also must find out about a plant or creature which lives in either fresh or salt water.

A Lion, who by this time knows a great deal about Living with Nature, is required to find out about 2 endangered species in South Africa and tell the pack about them.

Stops along the trail include fires, knots, first aid, safety, creativity, recycling and sensations, among others.  Each follows the same principals, but increases the challenge based on the Cub Scouts age.

The Leaping Wolf Badge book is an extra challenge for the cubs.  It can only be awarded in the final year and can be done in conjunction with the Lion badge.  The book incorporates some of the trail activities with some of the interest badges.  I would equate it to that of the six star award in Canada.

The Link Badge book is sort of like a welcome and membership to Scouts.  It talks about the Scout Promise, Law and Motto.  It reviews the Scout sign as well as some outdoor skills (axeman ship and knotting) and requires a visit to the troop.  A cub is awarded the link badge at the going up ceremony.

So, that's how the program goes.  I'm still trying to work my way around this different way of doing things and every once and a while I inject some good old Canadian fun, like last week, when I had the kids doing a relay race.  They had to race down a course to a recycled water bottle,  unscrew the lid and dump the 6 marbles inside into a metal cake pan. Then they were instructed to pick them up one at a time, put them back in the bottle and screw the lid back on.  Not such a hard relay until you add the  Canadian twist and make them wear winter gloves.  They loved it so much they made me promise we'd do it again some time. 

A Scout is a Scout (In Canada and Port Elizabeth at least) - Part 1

Back at home in Canada we were a scouting family.  Dh was a cub scout leader and I was a beaver scout leader.  All three of the kids were involved.  I always said that beaver scout meetings were the best hour of my week.  It wasn't just talk, I really meant it.  I cried at my last meeting, I was going to miss them all so much.  The photo that they gave me is on display in the living room here in PE.  The bear that I made at our Build a Bear meeting is dressed in her scouting uniform and sits by the photo, safely guarding the heart that each young beaver gave a squeeze to before she was stitched up.  I drink from the Tim's mug that two of my beavers got me every morning. I am a scouter to the core.

When I found out that we were moving, one of the first things that I did was google Scouts South Africa.    After a few emails back and forth, my Canadian email address became non-functional and the Akela for the PE group was moving back to England so we never did touch base in person and arrange our first visit. 

I enrolled dd in Teddies,  with the South African Girl Guide Association  (South African Scouting does not have a beaver scout age program) and she has been twice now, but it's not really my thing, too quiet, not enough action at that age.  I missed Scouting. 

Now, in Canada, if some random Scouters from another country had shown up at a meeting we would have shaken thier left hand and welcomed them in.  So, I decided to see if a scout is a scout no matter where you are.  I found out the location of the pack meeting place on the internet and ds #1 and #2 and I all donned our neckers and woggles, I threw the crests that I had purchased at our local scout shop in my pocket and off we went to find a cub pack. 

Within minutes of arriving the boys were playing octopus on the grass out front of the Scout Hall and I was ushered into the hall being regaled with stories from an "old" scouter who had been to the 15th World Jamboree in Calgary, Alberta in 1983.  Being there was like putting on a cozy sweater. I mentioned to the "old" scouter that I brought a surprise for the cubs and if he would mind if I could distribute them some time during the meeting.  Of course that was just fine.

After opening we were asked to introduce ourselves and I was thrilled to be able to keep my Scouting name from Canada.  So I remain Scouter Rainbow. Yeh!

The uniforms here in South Africa are brown short sleeved shirts, similar to the current Scouts Canada uniform, and the shorts are the same khaki brown.   The badges that are earned are sewn on the left sleeve and the right sleeve has a coloured triangle sewn on it to depict the six that the youth belong to.  The program is managed in 4 age based (7-10) years.  Each year has a different animal associated with it.  I don't recall the exact animals at the moment, but I will do subsequent posts on the programming when we get to experience it. 

South African Scouting is co-ed, just like in Canada.  The pack was roughly 1/3 girls and the 2 kim's that were helping at the meeting were girls as well.  They were terrific in thier roles.

A cub is a cub holds true as well.  They were inquisitive, thoughtful and obviously enjoyed being there, and it took 10+ min. to get them settled for opening, and the "old" Scouter sighed in frustration once they finally settled just like we do it Canada.  "Old" scouter was leading the meeting and he promised that if they had a good meeting there may be a surprise at the end. 

After a meeting full of games and badge work, there were final thoughts and "old" scouter said someone had lost a woggle and that there was a prize for whoever found it.  Those of you who know me know I'm a bit of a goof.  Well, I found the woggle.  I started jumping up and down in calling "Oh, Oh, Oh, I found it do I get a  prize.", knowing full well that there was no prize coming.  Needless to say, I got some pretty strange looks from the leadership team and the cubs.  In hind sight, I should have tempered my enthusiasm a bit until they got to know me, but even if you can teach this old Scouter a new trick or two, the personality is here to stay.

Then I brought out my surprise.  Well not really a surprise to a Scouter, it was crests from Canada for their campfire blankets.    I put them in a bag and DS #1 very proudly held them up and let each cub choose one at random.  They were a hit.  I took some Scouting in Canada ones with the maple leaf, Fleur De Lis, and the 5 sections in Canadian Scouting,  some Burlington area and Ontario ones,  but the favorite ones by far were the winter cubbing ones.  They all had a wolf and snow in some configuration or other.  I had questions about snow and what all the symbols on the Scouting in Canada one meant.  I'm sure there will be more questions in the weeks to come.  We are quite the novelty everywhere we go at the moment. 

We are excited to go back and learn what South African Scouting is all about.  At a first glance it's mostly like home,  which means BP got it right and it is the biggest (and the best) international youth organization around.

Next Post - Sightseeing in PE - Mommy Style