Over the past two weeks, a contingent of scouts from the island of St. Kitts were in Anguilla. The thirty-two males and one female are all students of the Verchild’s High School, and they were led by Pastor Clive Saunders, Senior Pastor of the Unique Touch Christian Centre Ministries in St. Kitts.
During their stay in Anguilla, the scouts boarded at the Omololu International School site where they were provided with ample and convenient accommodation.
The group engaged themselves in community services while on island, including a cleanup effort involving the collection of garbage from the roadsides of The Farrington area up to Sandy Hill and along the Sandy Hill Beach.
In addition, some of the scouts were able to participate in a course of training in canine dog behaviour and operations, sponsored by Sheriff Security Services. This course came complete with a test that was undertaken by the participating scouts.
“I have been voluntarily engaged in scout leadership for the past twenty-five years,” Pastor Saunders said. “I have trained quite a number of young men and young women in the skills of scouting, preparing them to take on more constructive and meaningful roles in society.”
He said he particularly places emphasis on training the youngsters in being prepared to handle just about every facet of life, in sync with the scout’s motto, “Be Prepared”, which was coined by the founder of scouting, Robert Baden-Powell in 1907.
He noted that the camp had gotten off to a somewhat rocky start due to an altercation between some of the scouts and a couple locals. “However, it worked out well,” he said. “We were able to manage this hurdle and overcome it, and those who were involved willingly apologized to us. Our training on being prepared boded well for the scouts in this instance, as they were in a position to ‘be prepared’ to handle such conflict.”
When asked how the scouts evaluated their visit to the island, the Pastor said: “The group is extremely enthusiastic about their activities here. They were excited about the cleanup drive, and they are even more enthused about their canine training.”
“Apart from this,” he said, “they do enjoy their in-house chores as well. This gives them an opportunity to serve each other. They are divided into groups which take turns to cook, clean and wash. It’s like regular camp life for them, and they enjoy it. Some of them even pose as security officers for the compound especially during certain periods of the night. It is a learning experience for them all.”
Mr. Saunders noted that this is not the first time he has been directing a camp in Anguilla. He said he has been in charge of scout camps here several times before. What makes it even more convenient for him, he observed, is that he has very close relatives who reside on the island. He has also conducted annual camps in St. Martin, Tortola and Antigua.
Mr. Saunders wishes to thank everyone who contributed to this year’s camp. In particular, he expressed gratitude to the Principal and Staff of the Omololu International School, Mrs. Maxine Herbert-Duggins of Best Buy, Mr. Kyle Hodge of Tropical Treats, Tropical Distributors and the Anguilla Scouts Association among others.
