The Scout section, often known as the Troop section, is for youth aged 11-14. The Troop is split into Patrols, which are small groups with a Patrol Leader and Assistant Patrol Leader. Through learning outdoor skills, Scouts learn the value of friendship, discipline and teamwork in a fun and educational environment. For example, at camp, the Scouts work together to learn and practice skills such as tenting, knots, knife and axe safety, fire-lighting, backwoods cooking, shelter-building, and many others.
As well as camping, the Troop actively participates in service events such as the local Remembrance Day Parade going from the Grandview Park Cenotaph to Legion Hall 179 along Commercial Drive, or the Lunar New Year parade in Chinatown.
However, not every outing they do is always serious! The Troop is given opportunities to plan their own outings and events to enjoy, an example being Apex Adventure Plex, an outing to Richmond where the Scouts went and enjoyed a large gym of trampolines, structures, nets, and bubble soccer.
An average meeting for the Troop section would consist of half an hour of setting up a flagpole, followed by half an hour of section-specific work, where the youth are separated into their year groups and work on learning new skills and collecting badges. After that, we usually have an activity or challenge that requires teamwork, and we end off the meeting with a game.
For those who wish to go above and beyond, the Top Section Award of the Scout section is the Chief Scout’s Award (CSA). The award requires a total of 18 levels of outdoor skill badges, 30 hours of volunteer work both in or out of the Scouts program, as well as a small service project. We are proud to have many Scouts who are able to achieve this award.
