When will we meet?
- In order to use the secret garden space, we need 2 Willingdon staff members present.
- Willingdon closes at 4:00 on Saturdays and they prefer Saturdays to Sundays
- We will be meeting at Willingdon on Saturdays from 2:00-3:30 pm
- We almost certainly will need 2 beaver/cub groups (too many for a single group)
- Troop will meet every second week, the other two groups will alternate on the other weeks
What does a safe meeting look like?
- No one attends who is sick
- In order to attend, every parent must present a signed, printed Willingdon Church waiver form and attest to the person collecting attendance that they can answer "No" to the three pertinent questions
- If just the youth is staying, Name should be the name of the youth
- If the parent is staying, then we will need 2 waiver forms - one where Name is the parent, the other will be the name of the youth
- If a youth gets sick mid-meeting, there is a procedure as per safe-scouting - parent MUST pick them up
- Maximum of 16 youth, less is better - this is our cohort - we'll call it an adventure team
- Total maximum of 50 people as per provincial guidelines, including youth, scouters, and any parents that stick around
- The youth who are present are organized into between 1 and 3 lodges/lairs/patrols (I'll call them patrols)
- The patrol is the bubble
- While we will strive to ensure that social distancing happens, youth within the patrol will likely have some interaction
- No sharing of equipment between patrols (that would break the bubble), and limited sharing within a patrol
- Scouters strive to maintain social distance from youth (don't break the bubble) except in emergencies
- The standard says this:
As with all safety and risk controls, they work as a system, no one barrier or control is designed to be used alone. If we design program as much as practical, screen for symptoms, use good hygiene practices, we will reduce the risk to acceptable levels within risk tolerance. Support the youth with what they need, if you feel uncomfortable wear a mask, gloves or ask someone else to help.
From <https://www.scouts.ca/news-and-events/covid-19/covid-19-faq.html>
- No games that require one patrol to work with another - that would potentially break the bubble
- Masks are optional
- Having a mask is highly recommended for scouters, in case they need to assist a youth
- Please note, if masks are worn THEY DO NOT ELIMINATE THE NEED FOR SOCIAL DISTANCING!!!
- Social Distancing, Social Isolation, Testing and Contact Tracing are the gold standard of protection and have worked everywhere that they've been applied, masks are not a substitute for these measures
- Before joining the meeting, there will be an identified Pre-Screening individual and location
- Line up, socially distanced
- Parents must hand in their Willingdon Church waivers for their youth - one per youth
- Parents must also affirm to the attendance taker that they can answer No to all 3 key questions on the Waiver
- Then, youth will wash or hand sanitize and join the meeting
- If no one is there to do this, then only scouters can enter the secret garden (for setup)
- Hand washing:
- When they arrive at meeting and before they go home
- Before eating and drinking
- After using the toilet
- After sneezing or coughing into hands or tissue
- Whenever hands are visibly dirty
- Each Adventure Team will have their own hand sanitizer pump
- I'm trying to get wipes
- What will we NOT do:
- Overnight camping
- Under Scouts Canada Stage 2:
- Beavers not allowed at all
- Cubs only in exceptional circumstances
- Scouts under very stringent rules
- 1 person per tent
- No more than 2 cooking together
- etc…
- Under Provincial Health Authority Rules:
- Currently does not allow it
- Scout handshake is out - we can use the cub or scout salute or sign instead
- No snacks - youth will need to bring their own snacks - water bottle will be mandatory
- We will skip dues to avoid handling of cash
- Campfire time will be skipped - our health officers have noted that singing and prolonged shouting can create aerosolized droplets so Scouts Canada has recommended we not sing at this time
- Grand howl or any other opening/closing: No running together. Suggested that the circle or horseshoe or riverbanks be setup with hula-hoops - the group has purchased 16 hula-hoops
- These will be sanitized that the beginning and end of each meeting
- Youth Showing Symptoms
- Note that lots of kids get runny noses in cold weather
- I have seen some adults get runny noses in cold weather
- Scouts Canada has pointed out that some youth have allergies and asthma
- Here is what the standard says:
We should assume the parent has no ill meaning and take them at their word carry on as normal, maintain good hand hygiene, cleaning and physical distancing.
From <https://www.scouts.ca/news-and-events/covid-19/covid-19-faq.html>
- In short, common sense will need to be applied
- We will require two phone numbers for each youth, and both numbers must be available to their best ability to pick up a youth in case they start to develop symptoms
- Parents will be told "If in doubt, keep your youth home"
- Things to bring:
- Mandatory:
- Water bottle
- Backpack
- Rain-gear if bad weather - if it's bad enough we may fall back to a virtual meeting and do some planning
- Optional:
- Mask
- Snack
- Folding chair (not for a hike or bike ramble)
- Rope
- Note: In order to have ANY in-person meetings, whether youth are present or not, they must be OUTDOORS, and this form MUST BE FILLED OUT by the scouter in charge and submitted to me for approval:
- https://www.scouts.ca/resources/bpp/consultation/pandemic-program-and-activity-modifications.html
- No such requirement for a virtual meeting - I can help set up any required meetings
- Sanitation Supervisor - the role of Parent Volunteers:
- Ask pre-screening questions
- Take attendance (includes scouters and any parents who choose to stick around and not just answer the questions and leave)
- Give attendance sheet to scouter-in-charge at end of meeting
- Ensure everyone uses hand sanitizer or washes at the wash station
- Clean the hula-hoops or any other group equipment
- Make sure someone sanitizes high-touch locations (port-a-potty door handle, lid and seat, wash station)
- You can deputize a scouter or scout-aged youth
- Supplies will be made available
- Don't allow anyone into the area until at least 2 scouters are present - 2 deep rule
- Swimming up, going up - we will be moving white tails to pack, and howlers to troop and will have an appropriate ceremony to recognize their progression
What does each section need to do:
- Before the first meeting - determine who is in which Adventure group (if more than one) and divide patrols
- At first meeting, recognize youth coming up into the section
- Determine sign-up mechanism if only one Adventure group but more than 16 members
- Regular section leadership meetings - virtual or in-person outdoors
- Clarity about roles
Supporting information from Scouts Canada:
- https://www.scouts.ca/news-and-events/covid-19/welcome-back-resources.html
- https://scoutsca.s3.amazonaws.com/2020/06/safe-section-meetings-standard.pdf
- https://www.scouts.ca/news-and-events/covid-19/covid-19-faq.html
SAFE SCOUTING DURING COVID-19 TOOLS
It takes a lot of planning to create fun and safe meetings, with a little extra during these unprecedented times. These additional resources have been developed for Scouters by Scouts Canada to help you prepare safe meetings that meet our current Standards.
Cleaning and Disinfecting for Meetings
Scouting Activity Attendance Log
Self-Assessment Screening Checklist
Scouter Communication Template
