Mobile Safety
As we start the Communications Badge, our first meeting was on Mobile Phones. I hope that the Scouts found it useful and informative. Below are the notes that I prepared regarding Mobile Phone Safety.
It’s worth knowing that as many as 10,000 mobile phones are stolen every month. Two thirds of the victims are aged between 13 and 16 (the next common group are people who have their phones stolen from cars).
1. Don’t flash your mobile about.
Even a “cheap” mobile phone is worth money. Phone companies heavily discount phones and make their money back when people use their network to send and receive calls, texts, emails etc (Do you really think it only costs £40 to make your phone?). Additionally, phones can do so much more now than ever before, so having your phone stolen could mean more to you than just a piece of electronics. So simply, keep it hidden away.
2. Think where you are when you make/receive your call.
This follows quite neatly from the previous tip. If you have to get your phone out think – does this put me at risk? It may cost you something, but consider the bluetooth headset – at least you’re not showing what your phone is. Alternatively, if you are somewhere risky, allow the phone to go to Voicemail.
3. Use the Keypad Lock
This will prevent you from accidently pressing keys – and either deleting your contacts or phoning your friend Alan Armstrong at 3 in the morning. Some phones can be set so you have to enter a PIN code before it will unlock – and if your phone has that function, use it – it makes it less useful to thieves.
4. Find your mobile IMEI Number
This code is unique to your phone. You can get it by typing * # 0 6 # (no spaces) on most phones. You might also find it under the battery. If you should lose your phone, your network provider can then block usage (this will then render the phone useless, even if the thieves swap the SIM card).
5. Register your phone at www.immobilise.com
This is a free service offered by the police. Should you lose your phone / or have it stolen it will enable them to return it to you if they retrieve it. The web sit will also give you the numbers for your phone network, so you can phone them to get the phone blocked.
6. Don’t put your phone in the same bag as your coke bottle.
This is more of an “if you can avoid” rather than don’t. It is sometimes possible to get a phone working after it has suffered some water damage (but you need to act quickly). However, coke and fizzy drinks will leave a sticky goo on the phones making it next to impossible to sort out. There are water stickers in the phone which change colour if they get wet, so the companies can tell why it “suddenly stopped working”.
7. don’t let strangers use your phone.
Sounds simple, but people do fall for this.
8. Mark your phone with a UV pen
Some families have an Ultra Violet (UV) pen to mark their personal property. If you have one, mark the phone and the battery.
Pathfinder Weekend
Our largest camp for sometime… 15 Scouts headed up to Lees Wood for a walking weekend. When I arrived, the site was already buzzing with Scouts from all over the District pitching tents on the difficult soil of Lees Wood, but all in very good spirits. Shortly the tents were up and the Scouts were being scouts. Hot dogs were cooked and with hot chocolate the evening passed quickly (for the leaders, the 17th Harrow had cooked a really nice stew!)
It was a slightly cold night, but Saturday morning came quick enough and the Scouts cooked their breakfasts. Each camp patrol had decided their own menus for the weekend and had gone shopping for it, making this quite interesting to watch as they endeavoured to cook for themselves, with the leaders just offering guidance rather than taking over.
After breakfast – and washing up – the Scouts made their lunches and prepared to leave. Ash’s group of older Scouts were walking from the campsite to Chalfont & Latimer, Ivor’s group were walking from Heronsgate to Lees Wood and David’s group were walking the reverse of Ash’s route – Chalfont & Latimer to Lees Wood. Alan (the driver for the day) walked with David until we met up with Ash then walked back to the bus.
The walk was quite pleasant and interesting. In David’s group, James “Dragons breath” Zoel manage to trip over his shoelaces (twice!) quite early on in the walk; this gave him quite a sore, grazed knee to deal with. As David’s group was walking along the Chess Valley Walk they heard a loud splashing sound – a small herd of longhorn cows were running alongside them along the River! David and Ash’s group met up and decided it was a suitable occasion for lunch. After lunch, we carried on with a short pause at Sarratt for a Coke and a comfort break.
Ivor’s group took a little longer to return to site – their navigation had led them to walk a large circle early on rather than following the route!
Once all were back on site, the evening meal was cooked. Later James “Dragon Breath” Zoel demonstrated his ability to keep a fire going; Oskar entertained us with imitations of many of Doctor Who’s cyber enemies; and Jamie demonstrated what happens if you put too much pine leaves on an open fire (slow burn, then whoomf!)
Sunday morning was at a much slower pace. The Scouts cooked their breakfasts, washed up and the leaders took the vehicles up to Phasels Wood. Today we would walk as a single group with 3 map readers to confirm directions, turns etc. Unfortunately the previous day’s efforts had depleted any energy and map reading skills – and as Leaders we found ourselves walking quite slowly (average speed of 2km/h!) and waiting near footpath junctions as the Scouts wandered off in the wrong direction. Luckily the weather was really nice for the time of year, so it wasn’t too bad. At Phasels we got in the bus and car and headed back.
On return to Lees Wood we found that Bruce had already dropped the Scouts tents for them, so there wasn’t much else to do (the other Troops had also long gone, so it was just the leaders tents to sort out. We loaded the Scout trailer (I loaded my bicycle trailer!) and we all headed for home.
It had been a weekend of two long, challenging hikes but the scouts had completed it. It had been a walk with a purpose – all those attended had planned the menu and the walks; they had then successfully shopped and cooked and completed the routes without any major hitches. It was an achievement that they should be proud of.
The role of the Patrol Leader and the Assistant Patrol Leader
Unlike other sections in the Scout Movement, the roles of the Patrol Leader (PL) and his Assistant (APL) are key to a successful Patrol. The badges that these Scouts wear are not handed out just because a young person reaches a certain age. This article discusses what it means to be a PL (or an APL) and the duties that a good PL should be doing on a weekly basis.
So let’s start with the Assistant Patrol Leader. As the name suggests, this person will help the Patrol Leader in running the patrol. At camp, this may be working with a small team to put up a patrol tent, whilst the Patrol Leader works with the others to set up the kitchen. They need to have a reasonable idea of how to get a team to work – and also of Scouting; like the PL they need to demonstrate to the rest of the Patrol what it means to be a good Scout. In some cases, the APL will have to stand in for the Patrol Leader, so this isn’t a role for someone who likes to keep to themselves, or can’t work with others!
The APL is not expected to be “as good” as the PL – part of the job of the APL is to learn how to be a good PL – but they still should be of good stock that is keen to learn and develop.
The Patrol Leader (PL) is the front person in any Patrol. They have quite a difficult job to do – often getting the Patrol to do less “fun” jobs. Their list of duties include:
- motivating their Patrol to getting jobs done
- make sure that tasks are being completed properly and completely
- listening to the Scout Leaders and passing on instructions clearly and completely
- explaining to the Scout Leaders why their Patrols haven’t completed their tasks
- looking after the new Scouts and show what it is to be a good Scout
- they have to be someone that the Patrol can go to if they have a problem – and helping their patrol learn new skills
- encouraging the Patrol to attend camps and activities
- ensuring that the Patrol is smartly turned out for inspection
- making sure that any challenges are completed on time.
Quite a list!
One major factor in deciding who makes a good PL or APL is their involvement in the Troop. The Patrol system doesn’t just happen on a Friday night, it is used throughout all the Scout activities including camps – so the good PL and APL will ensure that they attend most (if not all!) the activities that are organised by the Troop!
