MANUAL

CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 15
1
Check out “How should you review
the past season?” Scouters' Tip
at Canadianpath.ca.
Review 1
The Expedition Team should discuss the activity. How did it go? Was there anything
unexpected? Did anything get missed in the planning? Did everyone have fun?
At the next Base Camp, the Company as a whole should review the activity. Was it
successful? What were some funny stories? Is it something the Company should
do again?
It’s important to note that the review phase isn’t about dwelling on failures, laying
blame or pointing out problems. It’s more about reflecting on the experience and
sharing that reflection with others in the Company.
The review process should follow a progression. Questions shouldn’t dwell only on
surface level fact-finding inquiries. Conversely, the review process should not be
exclusively abstract. Balance is key. Work from the “What?” to the “So what?” and
the “Now what?” Remember that reflecting on the SPICES is an important part of
any review.
Scouters—It’s All about Situational Leadership
A Volunteer in the Venturer Scout Section is called a Company Scouter.
The Company Scouter actively supports and advises the members of the Company
as they follow the Plan-Do-Review cycle, try new things and plan activities. The
Company Scouter’s responsibility, first and foremost, is to provide a safe and
supportive environment in which the Venturer Scouts are set up for success in
planning, doing and reviewing their own program.
A Company Scouter guides the Venturer Scouts as they ascend on their Solo Climbs. A
Company Scouter supports the constant development of each Venturer Scout in each
of the SPICES, and challenges the Venturer Scout to step up to challenges, try new
things and continuously strive to become better.
A Company Scouter guides the Venturer Company as a participant in the Company
Leadership Team. The Company Scouter’s role relies heavily on an understanding
of and implementation of situational guidance. The Scouters must constantly be
observing and assessing the needs, the competencies and the commitment of the
Venturer Scouts, and adapting their coaching accordingly.
Sometimes, a Scouter needs to be directly involved in decisions and activities; other
times, the Scouter needs to be a coach, and occasionally the Scouter will stand back
quietly and ensure everything comes together.
Being a Scouter with Venturer Scouts presents some interesting challenges. It’s
critical to create lots of opportunities for the Venturer Scouts to figure out what they
want to do and how to go about it. They will need a lot of support in learning to set
appropriate goals for themselves. They may also need help learning to review the
goals they set for themselves.
So how does a Scouter handle this situation?
In the beginning, new Venturer Scouts are relatively inexperienced at making
decisions. They may need quite a bit of coaching. You may handle the situation with
questions to help the Venturer Scouts figure out what they want to do, and how they
want to do it; you may suggest different ways of going about an experience in order
for the youth to see the parameters within which they need to make decisions. This
might be considered a process of collaborative or joint decision making.
The Venturer Scouts may need to develop technical skills. You may begin by
demonstrating the skill, pointing out separate elements of what’s required, yet making
it clear there could be other ways of achieving the same objective. Then you become
more of a cheerleader as the Venturer Scouts experiment with the skill themselves.
You might know that some of the older, more experienced Venturer Scouts already
have a skill. Instead of doing the demonstrating yourself, you might call upon those
who already possess the skill to help others learn what’s involved.
The point is this: there is no single way to interact with Venturer Scouts in your role
as Scouter. How you choose to be of help to the youth depends on what they already
know and whether some in the group have enough experience to take charge.
If new Venturer Scouts don’t know how to plan, then you help out, or you find a youth
who can provide useful input.
All the while, you’re watching for individuals who are not engaged or included in
what’s going on. You want to be sure everybody is participating in a way that’s
appropriate for their knowledge and skill level.
Some Venturers may not be familiar with doing an in-depth review. You, as Scouter, may
have to take the lead by asking questions that focus on what the youth have learned.
You can’t let Venturer Scouts flounder, but on the other hand you don’t want to solve
their problems for them too quickly.
If you can be patient and watchful, the Venturers might just find a way to overcome
their own obstacles.
218 SCOUTER MANUAL—A SCOUTER’S GUIDE TO THE CANADIAN PATH SCOUTER MANUAL—A SCOUTER’S GUIDE TO THE CANADIAN PATH 219