The Scouts Canada program is up and running again in Sundre.
There are two active age groups, including Beavers, aged five to seven, and Cubs, aged eight to 10, with eight kids in each group.
Officials of Sundre's Family and Community Support Services championed the return of the program, which started up in September.
A lack of volunteers forced the closure of the program in town numerous years ago.
“The program is going really well. Scouts has been in Sundre before and it was run by a family for many years, and they did an excellent job, but they got tired and they got burnt out,” said group commissioner Jaime Marr.
“We're feeling it out. This year was sort of our feeler-out year to see if it was even going to be a go. And if we continue to get parents' support and community buy-in, then I think that we will be able to keep it going.”
The groups meet every Monday evening where they play games and make crafts. The program includes participation in outdoor activities, such as camping, rafting, hiking, tying knots, cooking and learning bush survival skills.
The Cubs had their first overnight campout in October at the Bergen Hall. The Beavers attended the campfire but were too young to stay overnight.
More campouts are planned for the season, which runs until June. The group is currently working on creating its own badge and plans on attending the annual Canadian Scout Jamboree, where Scouts from across the country gather for one weekend.
In October, Sundre's Scouts sold popcorn to fundraise for the program. And with the help of donations from local businesses, the group has been able to purchase uniforms for the members.
The goal is to provide a low-cost youth activity for the community, said Marr.
Registration in the program costs $168 with all that money going to the Calgary office for the general program, she said.
“Our club is really trying to have no costs. So through fundraising we want to be able to provide the uniform, any badges, any cost for any outings. We want to try to have that all paid for,” she said.
The group currently has a head leader, a few assistant leaders and is looking for more volunteers. For every six children in the program, one trained, security-cleared adult volunteer is required to supervise.
“Scouting, what that offers is, you're educating youth. But part of the whole mandate or vision of Scouts is to participate in the community and assist the community,” she explained.
“So part of our training is going to be actively engaging the community and helping the community in some of the stuff that they're doing.”
The program was for males only in the past, but is now open to both males and females.
“Right now I see a huge value in the Scouting program in that it is teaching children how to become involved in their community and care for their community,” she said.
The Scouts plan to help out with local food drives, community cleanups and Santa's Anonymous.
“These kids are going to be shown the varying degrees of need in a community and then hopefully they learn to appreciate and sort of yearn to become more involved in the community,” she said. “And they in turn will start volunteering as adults and as teenagers and then give back that way.”
Scouts Canada offers programs throughout the country and has been around for more than 100 years. There are five categories for ages five to 26 -- Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Venturers and Rovers.
For more information, visit www.scouts.ca
