The Scouts organization in Prince George is in desperate need of adult volunteers or “Scouters”, as there are 35 children on the waitlist to join the club.
Alex Longo, Regional Manager for Cascadia Council of Scouts Canada, says scouter volunteers are more important than ever as the pandemic has placed a strain on the organizations’ available help.
“The pandemic was a real big hit for us because all of our scout programs are run by volunteers and with the uncertainty especially in that first year that we had and with volunteers having various reasons why they couldn’t continue or why they didn’t feel safe to continue, we lost over half of our volunteers and two-thirds of our membership of youth all across Canada,” she explained.
Longo says scouting events have returned to in-person in BC, and the main reason the organization continues to deal with a shortage of volunteers is because past volunteers have shifted their priorities.
“They’re maybe not trying to do so much. We are trying to attract other outdoorsy and people who enjoy working with youth to join us as a volunteer because it’s really rewarding. We have volunteers who’ve been with us for 30+ years and they stick with it through thick and thin through all the changes and challenges and that’s because it had such an incredible impact on their lives,” Longo added.
She says volunteers get the chance to watch kids grow to become strong and resilient individuals, which can be a very rewarding experience.
“They (Scouters) join the movement because they want to spend time with their children in their leisure time that they have together outside of work so that’s the main draw is the quality family time that they get. Also, the community, you’re working with other like-minded adults who enjoy being in the outdoors, who enjoy being with kids and they form bonds and friendships that last many years.”
Each week Scouters are responsible for either planning or supervising an event for their group, and currently, the Prince George organization is looking for 4-8 more people to fill these roles.
More specifically, the organization is looking for volunteers for their “Colony” group, which caters to youth aged 5-7.
“This one we prefer to have more Scouters on hand than typical just because having 20 five-year-olds running around can be really daunting,” Longo explained.
Anyone interested in applying to become a Scouter can do so on the Scouts Canada website.
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