215 Strathcona Scouts

What a way to wrap up the year! Camp Wildcat was the perfect finale—simple, fun, and full of adventure. The Cubs dove right in: ⛺️ Tents: Set up and taken down like pros. 🛠️ Skills: Lashing, shelter building, fire lighting, and mastering mess kit clean-up (parents, you’re welcome! 😉🧼). 🏃‍♂️ A big part of why the Cubs love this camp is the free, unstructured time they get to just play. Not once did we hear a Cub say “I’m bored!” We loved watching them find their friends (and make new ones) to explore the outdoors. During their free time, the kids let their imaginations run wild: 🪵Building tree forts 🏸Playing badminton and hanging out on the slackline 🃏Playing card games 🏃‍♂️Teaming up for a game with the Scouts 🔥Trying their hand at old-school friction fire tools (completely Scouter-supervised, of course! ) A huge shout-out to our Scout volunteers for running games, prepping meals, and helping with activities. The absolute highlight of the weekend? The Campfire run entirely by these Scouts! From the moment they lit the flame to the very final wrap-up, they kept the Cubs completely engaged, laughing, and having the best time. Outstanding job on running your very first campfire! 🪵🎶 We couldn’t have asked for a better end to the Scouting year. Enjoy the summer, Cubs, and keep exploring! ☀️👋 @scoutscanada @chinookscouting #ItStartsWithScouts #CubScouts #ScoutSkills #CampfireVibes #LetThemBeKids

Community spirit in action! 🎨✨ Some of our Scouts had a blast volunteering at the West Springs School Fun Fair, and what a rewarding experience it was.

From managing three busy craft stations to helping young creators bring their ideas to life, our youth truly stepped up. We were so proud to see them plan, prepare, and lead with such patience and kindness, ensuring every student felt supported and included throughout the night.

Big thanks to the school for the opportunity (and the laminated instructions were a huge help!). It was a busy, meaningful day, and seeing the high participation and all those happy faces made it worth every second. 🛠️👏

Giving back to our community is ingrained in Scouting, and our incredible Howlers did just that for their final Seeonee Project!

These Cubs chose to raise money for one of their absolute favorite places: Camp Valaqua. At our year-end BBQ, they hit the ground running, selling awesome 3D-printed items and slingshots. Thanks to their hard work, they raised a grand total of $330 and happily donated every single cent to the camp! 💰⛺️

Originally, the team was supposed to head out and help Camp Valaqua with an outdoor clean-up day. Mother Nature had other plans, though, and we got completely rained out! 🌧️❌

But like in all Scouting adventures, we didn’t let a little rain stop us. We pivoted and focused our Howlers’ energy on a new mission closer to home: Camp Wildcat!

With Camp Wildcat coming up this weekend for all of our Cubs, the Howlers stepped up to get the recreation site in tip-top shape.

Our Howlers rolled up their sleeves and absolutely crushed the clean-up:
Swept the site clean 🧹
Collected and carried heavy logs 🪵
Cut back overgrown weeds and trees 🌿
Shoveled out the firepit for future campfires 🔥

Because of their hard work, the site is officially ready for an amazing weekend. Great job, Howlers! You made a real difference and showed us all what hard work looks like. 👏👏



ScoutingCares

⛺️ 2 Nights. 21 Kilometres. 33 Scouts. 7 Scouters. Pure Grit. ⛺️ This past weekend, our Scouts took on the rugged wilderness of Ware Creek for an unforgettable 2-night backpacking expedition. To say they were tested is an understatement! From the moment they hit the trail, perseverance and resilience were in full swing. Here’s a snapshot of how our Scouts conquered the weekend: 🥾 The Trek: About 21 km total with 500m of elevation gain... plus an extra 3 km bonus loop for a few stray Scouts who got some “extra” navigation practice! 🗺️ 🌧️ The Terrain: Muddy, mushy, boggy trails courtesy of recent rainfalls, plus two successful cold creek crossings. 🌲 True Wilderness: Zero amenities. We even had to clear our first night’s campsite of logging slash just to pitch our tents. 🍳 Life Skills: Every patrol stepped up with map reading, meal planning, and cooking their own backcountry meals. 🪵 Highlights from the Trail: Shoutout to Scouter Dave: The ultimate MVP who carried hot dog wieners on Day 1 and full s’mores supplies on Day 2 for all 33 hungry campers! 🌭🍫 Campfire Vibes: Edwin led an absolute banger of a campfire that kept spirits high after a grueling day on our feet. 🔥 📈 A Steep Learning Curve For several of our newest Scouts, this was their very first time backpacking. They faced a massive learning curve, conquered their fears, and pushed themselves farther than they ever thought they could. Meanwhile, our experienced Scouts showed incredible growth, stepping up as mentors and leaders when the trail got tough. We couldn’t be prouder of this crew. They left the woods a little muddier, a lot more tired, but infinitely stronger. 💪🌲 @scoutscanada @chinookscouting #Adventure #WildernessCamping #Scouts #GetOutside #ScouterDaveMVP

3, 2, 1... BLAST OFF! 🚀

For homework last week, the Cubs were challenged to follow instructions and build their own bottle rockets. Tuesday and Wednesday night, it was time to test them out!

The Cubs absolutely crushed the challenge. Not only did they fly high, but we also got treated to some hilarious rocket acrobatics along the way. 🌀😂

So proud of their hard work and creativity!

The 215 Strathcona Rovers spent last weekend (May 23-24) volunteering as the garbage and recycling crew for the Serbian Festival just outside of Calgary.

But it wasn’t just about keeping the grounds clean! Our crew got to dive headfirst into Serbian culture—learning traditional dances, exploring new customs, and fueling up on some absolutely incredible roasted meats and desserts. 🍖🍰

Huge thank you to the festival organizers for having us. We love supporting our community and expanding our horizons! 🌍❤️

Swipe to see what community spirit looks like! ➡️ Our Scouts recently put out a call for food donations to support the Calgary Food Bank . After handing out flyers across the neighborhood, they went back out for pickup day—and we are absolutely blown away by the results.

Because of your immense generosity, the Scouts collected a massive 652 kg (1437 lbs) of food! 🚨💪

Every single tin, box, and bag is going straight to Calgarians who need it most. A huge thank you to everyone in West Springs who donated and supported our youth in making a real difference. 🙏🙏🙏❤️

🔥 What an incredible way to celebrate an amazing year! 🌲✨ This past weekend, the 215 Strathcona Scout family gathered for our annual year-end BBQ, and it was the perfect celebration of community, growth, and adventure. The day was packed with high-energy games, plenty of laughter, sunshine, delicious burgers and tasty desserts (potluck style!). But the real highlights were the moments of celebration: 🏕️Going Up! 🌊 We held our traditional Swim-Up ceremony, officially sending our youths off as they move up to their next scouting sections. We can’t wait to see you conquer new challenges! 🏕️Top Honors! 🏅 A massive congratulations to the outstanding youths who earned their Top Section Awards. Your hard work, leadership, and determination are incredibly inspiring. 🏕️Scouter Salute! ⚜️ A huge shoutout and thank you to our phenomenal Scouters. Your endless dedication, time, and heart make all of this possible. Thank you to all the families who came out to support and celebrate with us. Many of our sections still have plenty of adventures for the next month before officially wrapping up this scouting year. Keep an eye out for plenty of photos. ❤️ @scoutscanada @chinookscouting #ItStartsWithScouts #ScoutsDoStuff #SwimUpCeremony #ThankYouScouters #AdventureBeginsHere

“A Scout is brave...” and our Cubs proved it this week! 🪵⚜️

We had an unforgettable meeting with Lady Buggy , who shared her passion for all things insects. It was incredible to see the kids step out of their comfort zones, showing zero fear while holding various bugs—and discovering along the way just how cute a millipede’s face can be! 🐛✨

The ultimate test of courage came when Alice the tarantula made her grand appearance. Safe to say, both the Cubs and the Scouters passed with flying colors by giving her a warm welcome (and a turn to hang out on our hands)! 🕷️🎓

Thank you Georgia ! We all had such a fun night.

Leadership was in fine form with our Scouts last week. Our 4th year Scouts took on the challenge of planning and leading a hike. The rest of the Scouts were tasked with packing their bags to prepare for an upcoming hike-in camp. The Scouts took on Nose Hill and visited the stone labyrinth, the medicine wheel and also the turtle rock rubbing stone. Great leadership, Scouts!! 🧭