A Principal’s perspective on Scouting
For Mr. Colin Adams, the Principal of Hazeldene Primary School in Michell’s Plain in the Western Cape, Scouting is about more than teaching children how to tie knots. It is about helping learners build confidence, develop discipline, take responsibility and discover their own potential.
“Hazeldene Primary School opened its doors in 1982 and has been part of the community for more than four decades. While the school initially mainly served learners from Portlands and surrounding areas, today the school welcomes learners from across the wider Mitchell’s Plain area, as well as Khayelitsha and Philippi”, explain Mr. Adams.
Mr. Adams has been leading Hazeldene Primary since January 2024 as Principal, but his connection with education in the community stretches back much further. “I started teaching at Hazeldene Primary School in 1987 and was appointed permanently from January 1990,” he explains.
“Academically our school is performing above average, while our cultural and sporting programmes contribute to building learner confidence and self-esteem. Having the Scouts at our school helps learners develop their skills, restore dignity, and improve discipline.
These changes can be seen not only during Scouting activities, but also in the way learners approach their everyday school lives. The Scout programmes teaches our learners different approaches to problem-solving. The practical learning approach allows them to put skills into practice. These executions then also compliment learning areas such as History, Geography, and Natural Science. There is a noticeable change in confidence within the learners participating in the Scouting programme. They have started to express themselves more confidently,” he says.
For Mr. Adams, seeing learners become more confident in their ability to participate, communicate and take responsibility is an important measure of development. “That confidence shows itself in and outside of the classroom. The Scouts are learning to make themselves available to lead in class, they assist their peers and help keep the school grounds clean. Generally, we have noticed a significant improvement in presentation of tasks and their ability to respond confidently during lessons.”
Sometimes the impact of a programme is best demonstrated through the progress of an individual learner. One such Scout is Reese Marcus. “Reese knows his knots, displays good leadership qualities and works well in a team. He also knows how to open and close the flag,” explains Mr. Adams proudly.
Mr. Adams with SiS Mentor Lynnden Buttress
These everyday actions demonstrate that leadership is not simply about being given a position or a title. When young people develop the belief that they can solve problems, work with others and take on responsibility, it influences the way they approach opportunities later in life. With learners growing up in communities where families face economic challenges, and negative influences are easy to find, how important are programmes like Scouting? “The Scouting-in-Schools programme builds confidence and self-belief, and those attributes are important for entrepreneurs.”
As Mr. Adam’s observations demonstrate, for the learners at Hazeldene Primary, Scouting is helping them build more than skills. It is helping them build confidence, self-belief and the foundations for a brighter future.
The Scouting-in-Schools Programme is a partnership between SCOUTS South Africa’s Western Cape Region, YearBeyond and National Youth Service, with the support of the Western Cape Government. The programme enables SCOUTS SA to recruit and train unemployed youth and place them into a first employment and personal development programme whilst at the same time running Scout programmes for Grade 4-6 learners under resourced in low- and no-fee public schools, with no financial cost to the school or learners. The programme creates an employment opportunity with the benefit of equipping learners with life skills, fostering a love for nature, and promoting positive and active citizenship.
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