Getting involved with Scouts and Girl Guides | Youthink
Image credit:  Youthink | Congratulations to the 2010 Richard C.C. Tse Scout/Guide Award winners: Jaclyn Chiu (left), Chris Yeung (middle) and Nicole Xie (right)

Getting Involved in Scouts and Girl Guides

by Youthink Jan 5, 2011
“Some of the most valuable lessons I have learned that would help me in the future would be learning to take initiative, learning to be independent and that sometimes we need to step out of our comfort zones for the best experiences.”
–Nicole Xie, 8th Vancouver Girl Guide Unit

For over 100 years Scouts Canada has carried their mission, “To contribute to the education of young people, through a value system based on the Scout Promise and Law, to help build a better world where people are self-fulfilled as individuals and play a constructive role in society,” and Girl Guides of Canada have not wavered from their goal, which is to “enable girls to be confident, resourceful and courageous and to make a difference in the world.” Both of these established organizations have enriched the bodies, minds and souls of youth over the years.
 
For three youth in particular, Nicole Xie, Jaclyn Chiu and Chris Yeung, they have gained a lot from these organizations, and all their commitment and hard work were recognized recently.

Winning the Award
Nicole, a Girl Guide, and Jaclyn and Chris, both of whom are Scouts, were honoured with the Richard C.C. Tse Scout/Guide Award at the annual fundraiser gala for the 42nd Canadian B-P Guild (Zhong Hua), which is the East Vancouver based chapter of the Canadian Fellowship of Baden-Powell Guild and an organization made up of mostly former, and some current members of Scout and Guide associations. This award has three categories, with Nicole receiving the Outstanding award, Chris receiving the Excellence award and Jaclyn receiving the Exceptional award.
 
With many accomplishments, a ton of leadership experience and extensive volunteer work under their belts, these three recipients were deserving winners and received scholarship money, a personal plaque and had their names engraved on the larger plague along with past winners. “I take great pride in achieving this prestigious award. To be recognized for the service to scouting and to the community is a bonus that volunteers usually don't receive,” says Chris when asked what it meant to win the award.
 
Getting Involved
A former student at McMath Secondary in Richmond, a UBC grad and now a sales consultant at the Mobilicity Richmond Corporate Store, Chris has been involved in scouts for 10 years and has a friend to thank for helping him get involved. “I saw a local scout group at my elementary school in Hong Kong but I was too young to join. Later when I immigrated to Canada, a friend bought me to the local scout group for a tour. After I moved to Richmond, I finally joined up with a scout group,” Chris recalls.
 
The story was somewhat similar for Nicole, a grade 12 student at St. Patrick Regional Secondary in Vancouver, as she was also introduced to the opportunity. “I joined Girl Guides when I was 8. My classmate's sister was in Girl Guides and his mom told my mom about it.”
 
But for many youth getting involved in Scouts or Girl Guides was always the plan. “I began scouting in Hong Kong as a cub for only a few months just before coming to Canada. I have always wanted to become a Girl Guide in my all-girls primary school in Hong Kong but it was hard to be chosen as part of it. Coincidentally, I had an opportunity to take part in scouting in my clubhouse, and that's how I got involved in scouting,” says Jaclyn, who has been a scout for over seven years and is currently a grade 12 student at Steveston-London Secondary in Richmond.
 
Community Service
One of the great things about Scouts and Girl Guides is that it encourages service in the community to benefit others, but realize at the same time that youth also gain a lot through volunteering. “I think the greatest enjoyment from community service is knowing that I contributed my share to society and made good use of my time and abilities,” says Chris. Without question, the joy of volunteering is also alive and well in Nicole’s life. “I love volunteering and giving a hand whenever I can and it makes me really happy when I see others smile because of what I have done to help them.”
 
Busy Schedule
With Chris working and Nicole and Jaclyn taking on the final year of high school, one would imagine that juggling Scouts/Guides with all their other responsibilities would be impossible. However, the keys according to Jaclyn is to plan ahead and to stay organized. “Everything in the end revolves around time management, prioritizing and planning. As a grade 12 student, busy with all the entrance admission to universities, I am glad I have completed all the required courses in the previous years when I still had time to do other volunteering and work. Although I spent less time with my friends during [the] school week, [I had] long weekends and holidays to balance my life out.”
 
All About Balance
It seems only appropriate that the concept of “balance” is such a key part in Jaclyn’s life because it appears having balance is crucial to being a great Scout and Girl Guide. It is the balance between serving and respecting the history of your organization, serving and appreciating your group, serving your community and serving yourself so that you can grow in body, mind and soul.
 
When asked what winning the Richard C.C. Tse Scout/Guide Award meant to her, Nicole’s response perfectly captures this balance: “I'm really honoured to have won the award and it’s really encouraging to know that there are people who recognize and support us in everything we do. I’m thankful to all my past guiders who have helped make Girl Guides a memorable part of my life and I want to continue to do the same and give back to the sisterhood.”

Congratulations to Nicole, Chris and Jaclyn on their achievements and a salute goes out to them and all those involved in Scouts and Girl Guides for the great work they do!

 

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