Scouts
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Scouts' Winter Camp 09.12.09
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The Perse Scout troop arrived at Stonewall Park in October for their annual winter camp and were sent...
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5th Cambridge Scout Troop
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There are currently 119 boys in the Scout troop aged between 11 and 14. They are split into 17 patrols each of which has a clear hierarchy and a role for each individual. These 17 patrols are arranged into 4 sections – Earth, Air, Fire and Water – with a senior patrol of Year 10 boys in charge of each. A fifth patrol known as the Stags are responsible for the entire troop and plan and run the activities wherever possible. It is likely that due to our current waiting list and the school’s expansion that we will need to add a fifth section in September 2010 in order to accommodate a further 30 students.
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The troop meets every Friday evening in term time from 5.30pm until 7.30pm although we often extend this to allow for more involved activities. Winter Camp takes place during the first half of the Michaelmas half term and is used as a training camp for all the new Scouts. We then run a Winter Mountaineering trip for the Year 9 and 10 boys in the Lake District at the end of the Michaelmas term.
At Easter there is a Sailing Trip on the Norfolk Broads which currently requires a fleet of 14 yachts and cruisers. The main camp is over the first two weeks of the summer holidays. As well as being involved in a number of adventurous activities, hikes and games, the boys will plan, purchase and prepare all of their meals during this time.
A number of Perse Teaching staff assist in the running of troop on a regular basis. We are also fortunate to have the support of several parents, ex-Scouts and other volunteers.
Troop Ethos
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Boy Scouts first started when groups of boys banded together in the 1900s to practice techniques they read about in Scouting for Boys by Robert Baden-Powell, who at the time was a hero for his involvement in the siege of Mafeking. As 'Scouting' became more popular, Baden-Powell organised a camp for several patrols on Brownsea Island. The Scout Association is now the biggest youth movement in the world with members in all but 7 countries in the world.
The reason we have such a large and active troop is due largely to our practice of giving responsibility and leadership opportunities to the boys at a young age. Because of this they feel quite rightly that the 5th Cambridge is their Scout group and not just another activity laid on for them. They are responsible for organising and running the programme and for the atmosphere they create. The job of the leaders is to encourage and support these activities and to make sure they are run safely. The whole system relies on the principle of trust and when the boys are invested into the troop they promise, in front of the whole troop, to be trustworthy.
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