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stouffvme suntribune saturday aug 25 2007 1 3 staff photomike barrett scoutings appeal is universal south lake simcoe area commissioner donna hazlett said noting i like the fact we welcome everyone and we accommodate peoples differences york region has nearly 3000 beavers wolf cubs scouts venturers and rovers going coed embracing change part of york scouts effort to remain relevant by chris traber staff writer one world one promise insofar as organizational man tras go scouts canada has one of the best mainly because the mem bership endeavours to live up to it fresh from 100th anniversary celebrations earlier this month scouts canada is a brand synony mous with preparedness commu nity service duty and honour add fun learning and adventure of the 102000 canadian scout- ingyouth and adult volunteer mem bers 2951 reside in york region where the cultural and gender diver sity of the evolving scout movement is proudly evident york headwaters area commis sioner philip tsang is head scout for southern york region a network consultant by profes sion he joined as a nineyear old student in his native hong kong after arriving in york he joined the 1st unionville group along with his sevenyearold son scouting he said is as global as it is progressive with 25 million mem bers in 216 countries and territories the movement embraces change gone for decades is the stereo typical image of uniformed troops segregated by gender today the levels and programs are coed formal uniforms exist but tshirts are the fashion traditional skills and activities are offered for ages five to 26 along with environ mental responsibility programs in fact a climate change crest has j m 1 5 jasmine and justin chan markham siblings enjoy activities offered in beaver cub groups been developed to encourage youth to study greenhouse gasreducing activities including an ageappro priate home energy audit scouting in york dates back eight decades south lake simcoe area commissioner donna hazlett said as the scout head for the northern part of the region ms hazlett has been involved since 1988 when her son joined beavers scoutings appeal is universal she said i like the fact we welcome every one and we accommodate peoples differences she said mr tsang a markham resident agrees were a culturally diverse commu nity and almost 50 per cent of our york headwaters scouts are chinese he said we are starting buddhist jewish tamil and greek groups scouting is a family affair for the gambles of aurora including our family and my brothers and sisters weve been involved for more than 40 years said robert gamble a longtime cub beaver and scout leader and now a venturers advisor a member since he was a youth mr gamble is convinced scouting is one of the best activities available for children i cant think of anything that offers the variety he said sports are a one shot activity with scout ing theres a multitude of activities involving the community fundrais- ing and the environment scouting also teaches leader ship and camping skills and respect for nature his son kenton 13 started as a beaver at age seven the dr g w williams secondary school student said he enjoys the diverse appeal friends responsibility andinde- pendence is a big part kenton said i like the different places we visit and the activities that are organized this weekend were at an extreme survival camp in algonquin park ditto for markham brother and sister justin and jasmine chan six and nine respectively my favourites are crafts and games said justin a 3rd unionville leaver i like making toys and ani mals with paper jasmine a cub in the same group is in her fifth year as a scout member i really like the challenge she said i like all the activities some times we have to build things we cant do by ourselves so we ask for help that builds teamwork mom crystal chan whose hus band eugene is a scout leader believes scoutingis acharacter builder they get so excited about their wednesday night meetings she said they never miss them its good training beavers offers good social life and its amazing for jas mine we go on family camp trips and she does all the work from cooking and starting the fire her aunts and uncles are so impressed share your scouting memories at www yorkregionnews com scoutinghtml membership has declined 10 per cent since last year mr tsang said parents and kids are busy peo ple ms chan noted they have full schedules and work and school loads getting volunteers is also an issue theres a lot of competition for time like soccer baseball and hockey mr tsang said for more information contact mr tsang 4167128713 ms hazlett 9058984556 or check out wwwscoutsca the fast facts happy birthday scouts canada celebrated the 100th anniversary of scouting last month with a jamboree north of montreal scouting was started in england in 1907 by lord badenpowellsincethen it has spread to 216 countries and has more than 28 million members including 78000 canadian scouts and 24000 adult volunteers the canadian story scouting came here in 1908 since 1914 every governor general has been the chief scout for canada scouting became coed in 1993 scouting in york region york is divided into north and south around bloomington road the south has 1423 youth and 453 vol unteers in 28 groups including residents of participation house a home for chal lenged adults the oldest group is the 2nd markham troop established in 1957 while the larg est is 3rd unionville with 171 members northern york has 825 members and 250 volunteersthe oldest group is in mt albert which celebrated its 80th birthday last year iconic author and historian the late pierre berton helped the 2nd kleinburg group acquire an old train station for its meeting hall in the 1980s core programs beavers aged 5 to 7 focus on fun and cooperative learning wolf cubs ages 8 to 10focus on working toward individual and group goals scouts ages 11 to 13 prepare for adult hood through personal development teamwork and leadership skills venturers ages 14to 17encourages personal development and achievement through increased responsibility and rovers ages 18 to 26 challenge young adults to be active in their communities and develop social issue awareness and spiritual development famous local scouts former markham mayor don cousens and his successor frank scarpitti regional councillor tony wong york regional police chief armand la barge former richmond hill mayor bill bell