Trinidad and Tobago Scouts move camp to Guyana

This year, for the first time, the Scout Association of Trinidad and Tobago moved its annual national camp out of the country, taking 21 scouts to Guyana.

Jorrel Bisnath, the camp contingent leader and deputy national scout commissioner in charge of training and adult resources explained the core element of the scouting programme was having young people outdoors. There they work in small groups to perform tasks, face challenges and experience adventure.

This year the local Scout Association approached the Scout Association of Guyana, which invited the TT association to join in its Incident Exhibition. The TT association also asked for an extended camp so the members of both could camp, interact and engage together.

The national camp took place from August 8-16 and engaged 21 scouts ages 11-19, six scout leaders and one volunteer parent, a doctor.

“It’s a new initiative. In the past we would have done national camps in our country, but we are looking now to provide opportunities for young people to travel and explore.

“We also wanted our young people to get a chance to visit another country and understand how scout practices in TT translate across cultures and environments.”

The three-day exhibition took place on a private retreat with thick, forested areas in Dora. There they were given exercises, certain imagined situations and challenges they had to deal with and overcome.

Bisnath explained they were divided into groups of three and, among other things, their members had to carry their rations, prepare their own meals, build campsites, navigate and complete the exercises.

For example, in one scenario one of their members was injured and the other two had to determine ways to transport that person. Another was a flash flood in which they had to find higher ground for themselves and their equipment in 15 minutes.

He recalled on the first night of the exhibition, both sets of scouts had to walk through the forest at night, find kindling and light a fire as a team, even though most of the area was damp and muddy because rain had fallen earlier that day.

He said it was a shock for the TT scouts to see the Guyanese scouts cutting down small trees or saplings.

“It was a first for our scouts, because we don’t do that in Trinidad, because of the safety issues we are presented with here, as well as our limited forest resources. It was eye-opening for them. It was a different kind of engagement.”

In addition to the exhibition, the TT scouts toured the cities of Georgetown and Linden, and the Essequibo River. The TT Ministry of Foreign Affairs also assisted by arranging for the scouts to fly in a 14-seater military plane to visit Kaieteur Falls.

They also paid a courtesy call to the TT High Commission in Guyana. The commissioner spoke to them on the economics of Guyana and the business realities there.

He said many of the scouts were very curious about setting up businesses in Guyana and its social realities, which was eye-opening for him, because he did not know they were interested in such topics.

“This group was a mix of scouts from across the country from different social and economic backgrounds. Some of them may never get the chance to travel and experience things like this. And even the ones who may be from the higher economic strata may not get the opportunity to visit the locations we did.

“They were able to mix with the scouts from Guyana and understand their economic situation, make friends and links, and understand how the traditions the scouts have translate.

“In the end, what they were able to experience was a lot more I thought they would have taken away from it. I believe it will have an impact on their mindset when they return to their communities and scouting groups.”

Bisnath added that they had practical application of life skills like teamwork, leadership and time management, and got a deeper understanding of the importance of working together as a region.

Aroon Phillip, a 16-year-old Venture Scout and student of Naparima College, San Fernando, agreed.

A scout for five years, this was his first overseas trip with the association.

For him, the best part of the trip was the visit to the waterfall, which he described as an incredible experience.

He said it was also great to experience new things and learn about the culture in Guyana. He especially enjoyed the memorials, statues and historical buildings and found it “refreshing” to see how much the Guyanese appreciated their history.

“It was different, which is what we went for. We learned a lot and I think, overall, we’re better off having done it.

“It taught me to be more appreciative (of things) about Trinidad, one of them being clean tap water.

"I also learned not to be afraid to be more patriotic or represent Trinidad more openly.”

In his three-person group Phillip assigned responsibilities and ensured the other members were completing their tasks on time while completing his own.

He said the Guyanese scouts were friendly and accommodating. They did more intensive building and pioneering exercises, while TT scouts did more hiking and trekking. He added that Guyanese scouting procedures were more fun and he was able to do more firelighting and rope work, which he always enjoyed.

“I think Scouts is an all-round good thing to be a part of. And being able to interact with the youths of today and having some kind of impact on the future by doing that, is something I’m interested in.”

Venture Scout Denille Wilson, 18, from D’Abadie, had been a scout since the age of six, and she enjoyed interacting with the Guyanese scouts and seeing their perspective on scouting.

“It was fun. I saw new angles to scouting, as everybody has their own tips and techniques to things. I think the TT scouts could incorporate some of them.”

She said some of the exercises were difficult, but believed some, like improvising rafts and stretchers, were necessary in case of emergencies.

But she most enjoyed the GPS session presented by representatives of an environmental group. They showed the scouts how they used GPS to map their position while monitoring animal behaviour so they could mark which parts of the forest different wildlife frequented.

She also enjoyed meeting new people, making new friends and the bike tour of Georgetown with the many historical buildings and stories behind them.