Giving back to their community is not a new concept for the Cubs of the 1st Bergvliet Waingunga Pack. They regularly give back through termly clean-up projects, Leaping Wolf initiatives, and more recently as part of SCOUTS SA’s Mandela Day campaign.
“We saw the call for Jars of Hope from SCOUTS SA and decided to join so our Cubs could give back to people in need in our community. Where the call was for 17 Jars of Hope, our Pack exceeded this goal by packing over 30 Jars of Hope*! They were donated a local organisation called ‘Cope with Hope’”, says Assistant Pack Scouter Logan Dart excitedly.
“In addition to the Jars of Hope, two of our Cubs who are working on their Leaping Wolf decided to make their Personal Challenge a service project. So, our Cubs and parents also brought along dog treats and blankets for DARG to support one of our Cubs, as well as books and toys in support of the local SOS Children’s Village as part of the second Leaping Wolf initiative”, she adds.
Service projects are part and parcel of the Cub Advancement programme. We asked Logan how important these types of projects are. “They are very important as children learn to give back. I think the service projects we do as a Pack are making an impact as our Cubs are deciding on their own to help others. Three of our Cubs working on their Leaping Wolf have chosen on their own to do service projects, one is helping animals, another is supporting children, and more recently a Leaping Wolf assisted the NSRI. Activities like ‘Jars of Hope’ contribute to that. It encourages them to want to give back and they are physically putting in their own time and effort and are also getting their friends at school to help.
It gives me a sense of pride knowing that we encourage this type of thing and gives us hope that one day as they move on in Scouts and in their lives, that they will take this service further and do good turns wherever they go. We do these regular clean-ups and service projects as a Pack and I feel the more we make it a habit to give back, the more we can build a spirit of service within the Cubs themselves.”