By Siauw Yu Chuan
“Here, then, is Scouting in a nutshell: … A purposeful game, but a game just the same, a game that develops character by practice, that trains for citizenship--through experience in the out-of-doors” A quote from Baden Powell “Aids to Scoutmastership”.
"Scouting is a Game with a Purpose." Last Saturday, the scouts gathered for a day of games which put both their scouting skills and patrol spirit to the test. The scouts set out on a round Bishan treasure hunt, patrol challenges and ended off the day with our traditional 野战.
A treasure hunt is a test of creativity and wittiness. Being street smart is an important characteristic of a scout. To not only be self-aware but also sensitive to our surroundings. A true test of one’s observation skills.
Our patrol challenges include a set of 4 challenges ranging from commando crawl to sourgrape. A test of strength and unity of a patrol to overcome various obstacles and challenges. Lastly, our traditional 野战 ended the day with high spirits.
There is a lesson to every game in scouting, in fact scouting itself is designed as a miniature game of life. To subconsciously teach youths many life skills at a young age that will prepare them for the many life challenges ahead. The boys must learn to play the game of scouting, a game that develops character, resilience and team spirit. But most importantly this game guides our scouts to understand themselves and their obstacle.
所谓，“知彼知己者，百战不殆；不知彼而知己，一胜一负；不知彼，不知己，每战必殆。” 上战场时，要了解自己的长处和短处，要注意敌人的思想和举动，这样才能战胜生活中的个个挑战。