NEWS RELEASE
SOUTH PORCUPINE KIWANIS SCOUTS
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After three years of planning and fundraising, the 1st South Porcupine Kiwanis Scout Group, which draws its membership from all of Timmins, has successfully returned from a large Jamboree (Scout Camp) in the forests of Evo, which is about two hours north of Helsinki in Finland.
The Finland Jamboree is held every six years and although most of the attendees are Finnish Scouts, the Jamboree also welcomes international scouts. This year there were approximately 13,500 people in attendance; of that, roughly 800 people were from countries other than Finland. It was no surprise that next to the Finnish people, Canada had the largest contingent at the Jamboree with about 240 people. Three members from the Cochrane Scout Group joined together with the 12 members from the South Porcupine scouting group to form Canada Patrol #12.
During the day at camp, the youth attended different themed activity valleys such as Life Valley, Battle Valley, Eureka Valley, Action Valley and Future Valley; activities were focused on life skills, fun, STEM, communication and sustainability. In the evening there were dances, concerts, sing-a-longs and cultural activities. Brook Sullivan, a scout from Cochrane, celebrated her 13th birthday while on the trip. The Finnish group we were paired up with generously made cards and got a few small gifts for her and Brook was treated to a birthday cake and “Happy Birthday” sung not only in English but also Finnish. Two of our youth also joined with a scout from Niagara region to compete in a triathlon while they were at camp and did a fantastic job!
The Suomalainens (Finnish people) put on a great camp, they even took extra special care of the adult volunteers at camp by having a couple of 18+ areas and activities for the leaders/scouters to take a few moments and recharge with things such as a leader only café, live music, hammocks to lounge by a lake, hair washing, sauna, a dunk tank, and some carnival games, to mention a few.
Prior to arriving in Helsinki, and making our way to the Jamboree, the group stopped in Iceland for a quick two days of sightseeing and experiencing the most they could in the short time they were there. Stops included: the Bridge Between Continents, Stampar Lava Fields, the black sand beach of Reynisfjara, Seljalandfoss Waterfall, Skogafoss Waterfall, Gullfoss Waterfall, the Haukadalur Geothermal Field and the Strokkur Geysir. The group also spent time relaxing at the Secret Lagoon which is Iceland’s oldest swimming pool made in 1891 in a geothermal area Fludoir and spent a few hours exploring the capital city of Reykjavik.
We wanted to thank our sponsor, Timmins Kiwanis Club, for their amazing and generous help throughout the years and especially for this trip. We would also like to thank the Royal Canadian Legion Ladies Auxiliary Branch 287 of South Porcupine for their generous donation as well as everyone that supported all our fundraising activities in the last few years! We could not have done this amazing trip without all your help!
While Covid presented some challenging times to Scouting over the last couple of years we are now seeing enrollment numbers increasing. Scouting is for everyone, boys and girls, Beavers (ages 5-7), Cubs (ages 8-10), Scouts (ages 11-14), Venturers (ages 15-17), Rovers (ages 18-26) and adult volunteers. Finland has it right when they say, “Scouting is a great hobby for adults!”
Registration for new youth members will open Sept. 1. We are also seeking adult volunteers to join our team; if you have any questions, please email [email protected] or find us on Facebook by searching South Porcupine Kiwanis Scouts.
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