A group of six Venturer Scouts (age 14-17) and a Rover Scout (age 18) from North Grenville Scouting will be heading to Scotland this summer for a one of a kind adventure. From July 18-31, the group of local Scouts will join two other groups from Ottawa and Aylmer to attend the Scottish International Patrol Jamborette in the village of Blair Atholl. The group will comprise a total of 21 youth and leaders from the three different areas.
North Grenville Group Commissioner Jennifer Mitchell provided a background on the exciting adventure. “A small group of North Grenville Venturers attended the 2018 Jamborette for the first time, and after the 2020 event was cancelled due to COVID-19, we were keen to offer this experience once again for a new group of Venturer Scouts,” she said. “By world Scout jamboree standards, it is unique as it hosts 500 Scottish scouts and 500 scouting youth from 14 countries. The youth camps are divided into six sub-camps and then split into patrols of six Scottish youth and six overseas scouts who operate as one unit for 10 days of traditional-style camping. Cooking is done by the combined patrol over wood fires. Dining shelters will be constructed in each patrol site with pioneering timber.”
Jennifer described some of the many different activities which the youth can participate in during the Jamborette. These include hiking or biking in the Highlands, sailing or canoeing on Loch Rannoch, pioneering, cooking, crafts, mountain boarding, fencing and more. “One of the highlights is the Country Fair which takes place on the middle Saturday of camp,” said Jennifer. “Each contingent has a booth at the Fair, cooking and presenting something representative of their country or region. Our contingent will be making maple fritters with maple syrup to offer up to visitors. We will proudly be bringing with us a little bit of home from the On The Bend Sugar Shack at the Kemptville Campus Agroforestry Centre.”
The maple syrup which will be used to make the maple fritters was donated by Frank Heerkens of On the Bend Sugar Shack, and bottled by Karen Bedard. Jennifer calls it a “wonderful donation” and expressed much gratitude of the local support for the North Grenville Scouts. When asked why the donation was made, Karen answered, “Frank, like his friend and colleague, Peter Wensink, former operator of the Kemptville Campus operation, firmly believes in the education of the maple forest, the syrup production and the quality of Ontario Maple Syrup. To provide encouragement and the opportunity for North Grenville youth to take an interest in, learn about, and share this local North Grenville commodity with other youth around the world is but a small statement of support for those local youth who will perhaps take on leadership roles in maintaining these assets in the future.”
More information on North Grenville Scouting can be found on their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/NGScouting/.
