Do you dread climbing high-rise buildings? Or crossing a course of obstacles? Well... the adventure seeking youngsters who participated in a three-day camp hosted by Patel Scouts and Guides from February 3 on the premises of Bharath Scouts and Guides headquarters, Kamarajar Salai, were all game as they waded through muddy waters and tried their luck with archery and other activities.
Scouts and guides from six city schools — Holy Family Convent MHSS, Sacred Heart MHSS, Rosary MHSS, Immaculate Heart of Mary’s MHSS, Eve Matriculation HSS and Hindu Senior Secondary School — took part in the camp.
A Spree of Stunts
At the warm-up session more than 200 eager participants unravelled the history of scouting with inspiring stories about the founder, Lord Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell.
Following this, the adrenaline junkies geared up for the action packed games and sports that unfolded on the open grounds.
The patrol groups joined in the fun and tested their sportsmanship in a series of adventure sports from rock climbing, tunnel crossing, valley crossing, shooting, monkey bridge, to the self-explanatory ‘Tarzan’ rides and archery.
Conquering Fears
P Sherine, a participant who reluctantly gave valley crossing a shot, confided, “It was thrilling to be part of this mid-air ride. I never thought I’d have the guts to do it. I think I’ll try it one more time.” While participating in the challenging tasks helped the students conquer their fears and inhibitions, the children also learnt the value of team work.
“At first I was scared but now I think I’ve learnt to be prepared to face the obstacles in future. Also I made a lot of new friends,” said a visibly excited Ganesh, a student of Hindu Senior Secondary School, who was part of a patrol comprising scouts from different city schools.
According to K L Ramesh, one of the founder-members of the 37-year-old Patel Scout Group, the games were fine-tuned to capture the essence of scouting activities. “Exposure to camping will help them in personality development and independent living,” he added.
The camp came to a conclusion with a valedictory function on February 5.