Hi Guides!
For the first 集合 in Term 2, we were fortunately able to do Pioneering, to show a wider variety of activities that we do in Guides to the Year 1s. The Year 1s and 2s did Pioneering Lash Training before building a Kitchen Table. On the other hand, the Year 3s went for their PLTC Pre-Camp Lecture, followed by Mass Change and Inspection.
Pioneering Lash Training
Each Year 1 paired up with their Year 2 senior, and the Year 2s demonstrated how to tie a square lash, and tripod or A-架 lash on spars. It allows the Year 2s to recap on their basic lashes on spars, and for Year 1s to learn how Pioneering Lashes are different from the Gadgeting Lashes. The lash training session also helped the juniors identify their areas of improvement on their lashes, and work towards tying tighter lashes in the future.
Reflection from a y1:
On Friday, we had a fun but tiring Pioneering session! Since it was the first time we did Pioneering, I learnt that not all the 木s are kept at 团部. It was my first time going to the Backstore and I realised there was so much more 木 that were bigger and heavier to carry. I was also quite thankful that the Backstore was slightly easier to get to from the school’s media resource library than 团部. My friends and I found it difficult to carry some of the 木 as they were quite heavy. As these spars are quite long, we needed to have teamwork and good communication skills when carrying them. If one person was walking faster than the other, the second person would have to communicate with the first if she found the pace too fast. After carrying all the logistics, we proceeded to do Pioneering Lash Training. I learnt that the standard lashes like Square Lash, were tied slightly differently when using spars. We had to tie around the 木 4 times instead of 3. We were also required to start the lash using a Timber Hitch and not the Clove Hitch. I also noticed that we did not use the 白绳 to tie the 木, but instead using brown coloured 麻绳. Lastly, to ensure our safety, I learnt that we should wear helmets when we touch the spars. All in all, I felt that the Pioneering Lash Training was very enriching and I managed to learn something new!
Reflection from a y2:
Through pioneering lash training, I learned valuable skills such as how to teach effectively. In the beginning, I simply told my juniors what to do and what to look out for. However, I found that that was not very effective as they forgot the steps after a while. This was when I recalled how my seniors taught me how to tie a tripod. They explained the principle behind the steps before teaching me what to look out for which I realised helped me remember the procedure much better. After I did the same to my juniors, they also remembered it relatively well. Besides learning how to teach, I think our teamwork and faith in one another was honed as well. For example, we have to trust that each of us will play our part well. The person in charge to 顶 the 木 has to ensure that the 木s are aligned at all times to ensure the stability of the tripod when opened, and the tripod will not 飞脚. The one supporting the spars also has to help coordinate when to open and close the gap for easy tying. I, who was tying the lash, found myself relying on the person supporting the spars quite a fair bit as the rope kept getting entangled, and I am very grateful at how well she supported me during the process. In total, Pioneering lash training helped me learn how to teach, foster stronger bonds with my juniors, and made me realise what areas we need to work on more.
Kitchen Table
Building the Kitchen Table, a standard structure in Guides, introduces the Y1s to pioneering and the Kitchen Table and allows the Y2s to recap on their basic skills and structure as they guide their Y1s along. This activity also serves as an opportunity for the Y2s to hone their soft skills through leadership and communication since they do not have the Y3s to rely on.
Reflection from a y1:
On Friday, we were tasked to build a Kitchen Table. For me, we tried Pioneering once before, but I still found this experience challenging. This activity allowed me to learn the basic Pioneering skills and bond with my patrol mates. One thing I feel we could have improved on was our time management. We 过时-ed by a lot when collecting our logistics as we did not make use of our manpower properly and we were quite slow when choosing the 木. When we built the Kitchen Table, I learnt that the two main supports of the structure was the two tripods. As such, we had to ensure that our lashes were tight, by coordinating. One person had to 顶 the spars while the other person tied. Through the Kitchen Table activity, I also learnt a new lash called the super square lash which was used to tie two 木 together to make the chair. I also learnt that we made used of the table boards to make the table of the structure, instead of tying more 木. Even though we did not manage to finish the structure, I was still able to gain valuable lessons through this eye opener experience. I hope that in the future, we can have other opportunities to do Pioneering.
Reflection from a y2:
During our first 集合 in Term 2, we built a Kitchen Table. Firstly, we had to collect the logistics needed, such as spars. We faced some challenges as there was a shortage of spars. Since the Year 3s were not with us, it was our first time doing pioneering without them. It was hard collecting the logistics as we took a long time organising them and transporting them back to MRL. Hence, we took a long time to collect all our logistics and 过时. We could have collected the logistics faster if we were more organised and worked together as a 团 and not just caring about our own logistics. After we collected everything, we started building the Kitchen Table. It was our second time building a Kitchen Table, and we were all very excited. For the Year 1s, it was their first time doing pioneering as a 团. Overall, we managed to build the structure quite well. We were all very proud as we were the only patrol to complete the structure. Although it was not perfect, we felt that it was good considering that we do not do pioneering often. We took some patrol pictures sitting on the benches of our Kitchen Table. It was an amazing and fun experience to do Pioneering together.
Mass Change
Mass Change aims to train the Y3s’ sense of urgency and discipline as well as allow them to practice mass change before PLTC. The shortened time duration trains them to ask for time extension in time when necessary.
Reflection from a y3:
On last Friday's 集合, we were tasked to report to the auditorium to attend the Patrol Leader Training Camp briefing, and as it was a formal event, we had to report in our 全制. We were also asked to prepare our PE attire on a hanger the night before. Hence, my patrolmates and I thought that we may be doing Mass Change. After the Patrol Leader Training Camp briefing, we were tasked to change into our PE attire in 6 minutes. We had to specifically use the PAC toilet. When we were broken off, we rushed upstairs quickly, and started changing out of our 全制. I had to balance multiple articles of clothing such as my spectacles, changing out of my 全制, putting on my pe attire, organizing my 全制 on my hanger and rushing back to GSL level 1, all under 6 minutes. It was challenging and pressuring to change in such a short time but we managed to 报时 quite often and it allowed us to take note of the time better. I made sure to maintain a sense of urgency and be as efficient as possible, and ensure that my 全制 did not touch the ground. With the help of those who had changed out quicker and went back earlier to ask for time extensions, we had not 过时'ed and I am grateful for their help. I feel that this was a valuable learning opportunity for me as I managed to improve on my speed of carrying out tasks, working under pressure and coordinating my actions, as well as to familiarise myself once again with Mass Change as we had not been able to do so for a long time.
Inspection
Inspection allows the Year 3s to improve on their sense of urgency, communication and coordination. In the first 2 rounds of Inspection, the ICs were assigned to allow different people to step up to complete the layout given. For the remaining rounds, no ICs were assigned which was a great opportunity for Year 3s to step up and take on the challenge of coming up with a standardised layout themselves.
Reflection from a y3:
The Inspection activity was a great experience for me. From this activity, I learned to adapt to changes, and how to work more efficiently as a patrol and a batch. During one of the Inspections, we suddenly had to move from our current location to a different location upstairs. It was very haphazard at first because we all did not expect it or experienced it before. However, we managed to quickly bundle up the poncho and rearrange the Inspection layout at the new location. After that, during the next Inspection, we were suddenly told to move back to the original location. As we had previously relocated during the Inspection earlier, we were not caught off-guard and managed to return to the original location swiftly. This would not have been possible without the coordinated effort of everyone in the patrol helping. Additionally, as we felt that we needed to be faster in packing up the layout, my patrol decided to allocate each person to do one job, such as packing the 麻绳 into the plastic bag, putting aside some logistics and wrapping up the rest to pack into the 配备. As for the Inspection layout, when we were unsure of something, we could ask the patrol next to us to clarify when the IC was busy. Hence, we learnt to work together more closely as a batch. For most of the Inspections, we were not able to complete it on time as we could not hear the ICs properly. When someone asked a question, they would clarify it with that patrol instead of telling the whole batch. We could have avoided 过时-ing if the ICs had clarified the question with the whole batch instead. When we did not have enough time, we should have asked for time extension instead of 集合-ing when the time was up.
We hope that the Year 1s managed to learn some basic Pioneering lashes and explored how to build a Kitchen Table. All in all, we hope that everyone managed to learn something new from this 集合.
Published by:
Pok Jing
53 届 Secretary
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