Editor’s note: Scout Week was celebrated earlier this month, with Beavers, Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts involved in a host of activities and community events. The week culminated with family and friends gathering around a campfire, enjoying traditional Caymanian games and entertainment. Weekender spoke with Scout Leader Chris Clarke to learn how Scouting has shaped his life.
Chris Clarke has always looked back on his scouting days fondly. As a Boy Scout, he recalls fun-filled activities, camping trips, meeting new people and traveling.
It’s an experience he now hopes to pass on to a new generation of Scouts as a Scout leader.
“Scouting teaches discipline and respect,” says Clarke, who was first introduced to the association at age 15 by his mathematics teacher. “It keeps your mind occupied and focused. When I was a Boy Scout, I could not wait to attend Scout meetings and see what was planned for the day. Many friendships were formed through those years and also today as a Scout leader.”
Scouting was first introduced in Cayman in the late 1920s by the Rev. Ed Beale, a Presbyterian minister. The Scout program currently provides a wide range of activities to boys ages 6 to 20.
Clarke believes that being a Scout has had a positive impact on his life, noting that it taught him how to dress appropriately, have respect for elders and to be on time. It also instilled strong leadership skills and an understanding of nature and the outdoors.
Clarke says Scouting has a great deal to offer youngsters today, including an opportunity to experience the world away from technology.
“They can do a lot more than stay home and play video games or chat on phones,” he says. Camping, for example, provides a valuable educational experience and an outdoor adventure.
“Camping really challenges the mind and body, but it is also good fun,” he says. “Sometimes people think camping is easy but it’s not that easy – you have to be prepared to rough it out.”
Clarke recalls that one of his most memorable experiences during his Scouting days was attending a Jamboree camping trip to Portland, Jamaica.
Assigned as camp quartermaster on the trip, Clarke had his share of toughing it out. “I had to make sure everyone was fed, tents were up to standard, that the campsite was secure and the rations sealed tight,” he recalls. “But somehow ants found a way into the food – and my bed. The Scout motto ‘Be Prepared’ stayed with me all these years.”
For information about the Scouting program in Cayman, call 949-1515.
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