Undisrupted - Haze I: VOJ
Written by Kang Yi Hun, Edited by Cayden Ng
With the year end examinations finally over, the weekly 集合 were about to resume since the SLC in early September, with the first 集合 held on 10 October. However, this excitement is short-lived with the arrival of a disruption - the haze.
The haze condition was far from ideal for holding outdoor activities, with the 24h - PSI reaching as high as 180. As a result, this session had to be held in the school hall. Although the ventures had planned out many exciting activities for the term, most of the activities would have to be replaced as they cannot be done indoors. So, our plans for this 集合 has to be replaced at the last minute.
Yet, scout activities are usually outdoors. From orienteering to pioneering, scouting activities require lots of space, making scout sessions difficult to be conducted indoors. The ventures faced a tough challenge: how to plan activities that are both purposeful, yet completely held indoors?
For this 集合, we had Venture Obstacle Journey (VOJ). Our stations include building makeshift shelters, pioneering, squarelash relays, CASEVAC, Kim’s Game, and even abseiling. Many of the stations faced the hurdle of limited space, such as our pioneering activity which was restricted to a maximum of 两层. But instead of focusing on these restrictions, we explored other ways to make these stations longer, fun, and feasible in indoor environments. We added a twist for many stations. For example, squarelash relays now have to be done behind the back, without looking at the squarelash and going entirely by feel. For CASEVAC, we restricted both the casualty and rescuer from going above 0.5m while giving the scenario of a burning building, showing how the skills taught in scouts can have real life applications.
We also decided to teach the scouts a new skill, abseiling. Of course, safety is our number one priority, so we used the staircase next to the hall. Using just 3 nylon ropes, a figure of 8 descender, and a carabiner, the scouts descended a flight of stairs with control and precision.
Although this haze has brought disruptions to our scout sessions, this 集合 has shown our troop’s resilience and adaptability in unpredictable and uncontrollable situations. May our troop face every obstacle with strength and an undiminishing spirit!
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