The birth of a movement

Baden-Powell (pronounced Pole) with some of the 20 boys at an experimental camp on Brownsea Island near Poole, Dorset UK 1907.

It was that camp which provided the basis for modern day scouting.

Post 600

Today we mark what is the 600th post on Scouting and Me which began back in 2018 in conjunction with a Tumblr because in the throws of issues with tumblr itself, losing an account I realized I was blogging a fair bit around scouting and felt what would be the replacement for that tumblr should have a focus just on Scouting.

Part of  that idea was to plan posts better so I could look at scouting as it was during my youth and part was looking at scouting in today's world which while being different many of the skills and character building needed remain the same, as for that matter do the children and young people.

But then there is another bit which is looking at a age dysphoric eternal boy's needs,  what the resumption of scouting related activities can do meet my needs, helping me to be more independent, be involved in and form interests in things, making a life with a sense of purpose.

That without going into things that belong elsewhere can be a problem where adult roles may be beyond you but you are officially too old for youth sections even if you may have more supervisory needs than those over 12.

So it was initially with company I picked up from where my life had been parked and started to go out exploring in terrain that with my physical disabilities is challenging sometimes requiring to pulled with two or three others to go forward standing up over step hills or like last year over rocks becoming more resilient and toughened up.

Then lockdown struck which cut out meeting up and exploring  at the same time as being expected to stay home was as with a good number of others taking its toil on my outlook, I decided to plan periods around the regulations I could manage by myself to do that taking notes.

Thus the "and me" side of the blog grew because if children and young people in scouting could and were adapting to lockdown then so could I setting challenges that could be done which helped with the mental health issues around lockdown and also moved me along towards what with my limitations I could actually do and feel I now had a goal in life.

We all hope many of the restrictions we've had can be lifted for good and that being together outdoors  can resume so I can work on some more challenging things with support as in its own way for children and young people in scouting it can too.

Days can be spent again together under sunlight and nights under the stars.

Having got our tent erected in a secluded spot, we've got our fire going quite nicely.

That looking towards the future is really what I am looking forward to as we move past this post seeing that eternal boy grow in character and confidence.

The Faith Walk at Gilwell Park

 At Gilwell Park, the activity centre and camp site for all scouts, near Chingford, London, there are five buildings that represent the five major world faiths, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism and provide places of worship for scouts in attendance.

Often groups of scouts go on walk around all five buildings, visiting, learning about other faiths and what they mean, reflecting upon them and how religion shapes our lives around the world.

It is also to remember that when we take our pledge often we do so on the honour of our god or other important source of enduring values that underpin our commitment to ourselves, our pack and others in what we do.

The Buddha found inside the Sala was a gift from the Thai government and is over 1000 years old. 

Thai ambassadors to the United Kingdom often visit the sala, as it is their responsibility to care for it.

The Jewish Synagogue

The Islamic Mosque

St Georges Day 2021

Today is St. Georges Day which was always marked at Boarding School by raising the flag of St George but St George is big in scouting.

St George is the Patron Saint of scouting and was chosen by Baden-Powell (the Father of Scouting) for a very good reason. St George was picked because of the story that shows him overcoming adversity in the shape of a dragon or more accurately, religious persecution. Baden-Powell said at the time:

“All Scouts should know his story! St George was typical of what a Scout should be… faced by difficulty or danger, however great, even in the shape of a dragon – he did not avoid it or fear it but went at it with all the power he could muster.”

This is, of course, what Cubs and Scouts aspire to – facing problems, analysing, improvising and finally overcoming them to succeed.

SAINT GEORGE AND SCOUTING FOR BOYS

In Scouting for Boys, Baden-Powell wrote of chivalry and the knights of old. He tried to show Scouts a new path to chivalry and honor. Saint George was the Patron Saint of England, and of the Knights of the Garter, the oldest order of chivalry in Europe. They were familiar subjects to most English boys when B-P was writing. Here is what he wrote:

ST. GEORGE

They (the knights of the Round Table) had as their patron saint St. George, because he was the only one of all the saints who was a horseman. He is the Patron Saint of cavalry from which the word Chivalry is derived, and the special saint of England.

He is also the Patron Saint of Boy Scouts everywhere. Therefore, all Scouts should know his story.

This is the story of St. George.

St. George was born in Cappadocia in the year AD 303. He enlisted as a cavalry soldier when he was seventeen, and soon became renowned for his bravery.

On one occasion he came to a city named Selem, near which lived a dragon who had to be fed daily with one of the citizens, drawn by lot.

The day St. George came there, the lot had fallen upon the king's daughter, Cleolinda. St. George resolved that she should not die, and so he went out and attacked the dragon, who lived in a swamp close by, and killed him.

When he was faced by a difficulty or danger, however great it appeared 4even in the shape of a dragon” he did not avoid it or fear it, but went at it with all the power he could put into himself and his horse. Although inadequately armed for such an encounter, having merely a spear, he charged in, did his best, and finally succeeded in overcoming a difficulty which nobody had dared to tackle.

That is exactly the way in which a Scout should face a difficulty or danger, no matter how great or terrifying it may appear to him or how ill-equipped he may be for the struggle.

He should go at it boldly and confidently, using every power that he can to try to overcome it, and the probability is that he will succeed.

Normally there would be a parade but while we are slowly making our way out of the restrictions due to the Covid pandemic such activities sadly cannot be undertaken.

It is being marked in a number of ways such as having virtual Awards celebrations, taking time out to stop and think about this year, the online pack meetings.

Some will be doing arts and crafts activities like making your own dragon and swords (from cardboard) and possibly putting it all together to act out the story together.

The other thing people will be doing and the thing I'll be be doing is renewing My Promise.

The Cub Scout Promise

I promise that I will do my best to do my duty to God and to the Queen, to help other people and to keep the Cub Scout Law.

And

Cub Scouts always do their best 

Think of others before themselves 

And do a good turn every day.

The Cub Scout law

Picture credits: the Scouting Association.

Settled

We're in a drier period while the temperatures have been moderate with cold starts soon getting around the eight to ten degrees mark by late morning which lent itself for going into the fields.

While out I spotted this distanced group of cows sunbathing, spending a fair bit of time just watching them, very much 'in the moment' feeling carefree.

To me a benefit of being out is while you do take some precautions, it is to literally leave everything else including those things that you may find troubling behind.

The smallholding

When people think of spaces for growing crops or raising animals they tend to think about farms but in some areas like mine you might rent a small plot a 'smallholding' for a period instead.

Whilst out I came past one such smallholding  used for livestock normally but was greeted by this male horse and a companion which was nice to see as I've always loved horses.

They did have pure livestock though and so I saw this pig and a few others in a separate area foraging which isn't something I had seen there before because usually it's poultry they keep. 

Just being in the sunshine spending time with them was so lovely and therapeutic during this lockdown. 

Late spring blossoms

 

Blossoms have always fascinated me and in the last few days I noticed a few more out as the weather is improving and this was one I really liked  taken along the way to a field using the close focusing end of the telezoom.

Absolutely no additional processing used.