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‘Be prepared’ includes, for the first time, online meetings for Tri-City Scouts

4th Port Coquitlam district Scouts, Cubs and Beavers, and their leaders, will be holding regular meetings at regular times during the COVID-19 pandemic — but virtually, via Zoom
Craig Hodge
Group commissioner for the North Port Coquitlam Scouts, Cubs and Beavers, Craig Hodge, conducts an online planning session to take the groups' meetings into the virtual realm.

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In the spirit of Scouting’s motto to “Be prepared,” local Scouts, Cubs and Beavers are getting ready to start holding virtual meetings in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Craig Hodge, a group commissioner in the 4th Port Coquitlam district, that includes North PoCo and Burke Mountain, said the 90 kids and 30 parent volunteers in his area are familiarizing themselves with the Zoom online platform that will facilitate the meetings so gatherings can commence without missing a beat.

“We need to try to resemble normalcy as much as we can,” said Hodge, who’s also a Coquitlam city councillor. “We want to maintain a connection.”

Keeping the kids and leaders engaged is particularly important in these trying times of self-isolation, he added, saying, “This is a new challenge, everyone has to adapt.”

Hodge said the kids will be expected to wear their uniforms during their virtual meetings, which will be scheduled at the same time they would otherwise get together in person, and everything else will function as it would normally: Members will be given tasks to complete and they’ll learn lessons on leadership and self-development.

One of the first lessons will cover safety on the internet and social media.

Hodge said one of the guiding principles of Scouting is to give kids the tools and support but leave the actual problem-solving to them.

“It’s all geared around self-development,” he said.

As the Scouts, Cubs and Beavers work their way through lessons and demonstrate they’ve completed assigned tasks, they’ll also be able to earn badges while still having fun.

Hodge said one of the plans in the works is to stage a virtual version of the traditional Cub car race event that challenges Cub Scouts to build a simple wooden vehicle to race down a track. The cars would be built to specifications at home, then collected by a troop leader for a streaming webcast that the kids can then view at home. Others include a home-based scavenger hunt that could be completed by the younger Beavers and a Scouting version of the TV game show Jeopardy.

“We’re going to try to do as much as we can,” Hodge said. “This is, in itself, a learning experience.”

But a challenge still to be worked out is fundraising so groups can attend functions like jamborees and camps. The North Port Coquitlam group is also hoping to send some members to a camp in the United Kingdom next summer. Hodge said it’s difficult to organize bottle drives and other opportunities like the annual May Day parade and associated festivities have also been cancelled to ensure public safety.

He added he’s confident the entire Scouting movement will emerge stronger when the fear has subsided and life returns to normal.

“We’re learning how to be prepared,” he said. “It’s a benefit to our community.”

Read more of our COVID-19 coverage here.

4/1: Story updated with new information