You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
CHAPTER 6<br />
CHAPTER 6<br />
OUTDOOR ADVENTURE SKILLS<br />
Regardless of how big or small the<br />
adventures might seem, Scouts feel<br />
a sense of accomplishment and<br />
pride for having completed them<br />
and they have a great time doing<br />
them. More important, Scouts will<br />
develop in each of the SPICES<br />
by participating in a variety<br />
of adventures.<br />
Young people join Scouts to have adventures. These adventures can be hiking in a<br />
local conservation area, sailing a boat across a lake, exploring their local community,<br />
or planning and executing a multiday trip across Baffin Island.<br />
As part of The Canadian Path, Scouts Canada has developed a comprehensive<br />
Outdoor Adventure Skills 1 (OAS) program. Each Outdoor Adventure Skills pathway is<br />
divided into nine stages with a badge awarded for each stage. However, the purpose<br />
of the Outdoor Adventure Skills Program 2 is not the badge. Rather, the Outdoor<br />
Adventure Skills should be seen as tools to support the Plan-Do-Review cycle.<br />
When planning an outdoor activity, Scouts can consider the competencies they<br />
currently have as well as new competencies they will need to acquire to take part in<br />
the planned activity. A quick check with the Outdoor Adventure Skills will help<br />
them plan.<br />
As part of the planning, Scouts may decide to include specific skills into the activity.<br />
They may also prepare for the adventure by working on the skills in advance. During<br />
the outing, Scouts may reference specific Outdoor Adventure Skills and decide to<br />
develop other competencies that were not part of their original plan. It’s entirely likely<br />
that an individual Scout will explore more than one set of skills at more than one<br />
stage during an outing.<br />
When Scouts complete their adventure, they should review their experience by asking<br />
themselves, “What knowledge and skills do I have now that I did not have before?”<br />
They then can assess their new knowledge and skills against the appropriate Outdoor<br />
Adventure Skills competencies. When a list of competencies for a given Outdoor<br />
Adventure Skill has been completed, the Scouts are eligible for the badge associated<br />
with that stage of the particular Outdoor Adventure Skill.<br />
1<br />
Check out “Scouts Canada's Outdoor<br />
Adventure Skills” on our YouTube channel.<br />
2<br />
Check out “Introduction to the Outdoor<br />
Adventure Skills” at Canadianpath.ca.<br />
The Outdoor Adventure Skills are designed as a progression to encourage Scouts to<br />
systematically increase their competency in the outdoor adventure pathways that<br />
interest them. This program is part of each Section’s Top Award.<br />
The Outdoor Adventure Skills program provides plenty of opportunity to incorporate<br />
SPICES for supporting Scouts’ personal development in addition to the development<br />
of outdoor skills.<br />
Outdoor adventures start long before the actual activity begins. Not only do the<br />
Scouts have to plan, but in order to safely and successfully complete any outdoor<br />
adventure, they need to be competent in various outdoor adventure pathways.<br />
Some of these pathway skills are general and are needed for all types of outdoor<br />
activity. Others are specialized and may only be used for specific types of adventures.<br />
80 SCOUTER <strong>MANUAL</strong>—A SCOUTER’S GUIDE TO THE CANADIAN PATH SCOUTER <strong>MANUAL</strong>—A SCOUTER’S GUIDE TO THE CANADIAN PATH 81
Change language