AMHERST, N.S. – Scouts Canada teaches youth how to navigate in the wilderness, and also teaches them how to navigate in large groups of people.
“Every person is different,” MacKenzie Sears said.
“They all come from different family backgrounds and have different personalities, and some have disabilities, so you never know what you’re going to get,” she added. “It’s always so rewarding to figure out how to deal with different people and the different aspects of their lives.”
The 17-year-old recently learned how to navigate among 45,000 scouts at the 2019 World Scout Jamboree in West Virginia which ran from July 22 to Aug. 2.
“One thing that really stood out was how kind and polite everybody was. There were all these people from all over the world and everybody was so kind to each other.”
The jamboree began with a visit to Washington, D.C.
“We had a lot of free time to explore Washington,” Sears said. “They set up different activities, like The Amazing Race and dances and other fun things for people to do. It was amazing.”
In West Virginia she kayaked, rocked-climbed, and went white-water rafting.
“We also worked on some sustainability projects, worked on badge training, and did neckerchief trading with people from different countries and people from throughout Canada.”
She’s been in Scouts Canada for 11 years and loves the program.
“I started scouting when I was six-years-old, and I’d seen my scouters going out of their way constantly to help people,” Sears said. “That really impacted me, and I wanted to be the person that helped people when they needed help.”
Sears is a scout with the 1st Cumberland scout program based out of Amherst and is currently Area Youth Commissioner for all of Cumberland County, which includes scout programs in Amherst, Fenwick, Springhill and Parrsboro.
On Sept. 1, Scouts Canada will no longer recognize scouting areas, such as Cumberland County, and will, instead, focus on scouting groups.
“My position as Area Youth Commissioner will no longer exist, and I will take over as the Youth Group Commissioner in the 1st Cumberland group, but I will still keep in contact with those other groups within Cumberland County and help them out whenever I can.”
She likes the idea of eliminating scouting areas.
“People were sometimes more focused on areas than groups, and some groups were struggling because of that.”
Sears received the Medal of Maple from Scouts Canada at a ceremony held at Dalhousie University in May of 2019.
The Medal of Maple is “designed to honour those youth who have contributed to the Scouting Movement and the spirit of Scouting through community service, extraordinary Scouting participation, and a solid system of personal values.”
Sears enters Grade 12 at Amherst Regional High School this year and is currently a Venture Scout. She will continue to be a scout for many years to come.
“Three or four years from now I can see myself being a Rover, which is the next level up from Ventures. That goes until age 26, and then after that I see myself becoming a leader,” Sears said. “While I’m a Rover I’d like to help volunteer with one of the groups wherever I am at that point in my life.”
