Year One CCA Orientation, 7 January 2022

 Hi Guides! 

To start this year off, we collaborated with the Scouts to prepare for this year’s Year 1 CCA Exhibition! This year, we had Orientation Preparation for 3 days to make sure everything was up to standard. Here are the following Committees where our fellow Guides are involved: Pioneering, Gadgeting, Games, Decoration, Souvenir, Presentation. 

 

We 集合 at 7.00am for flag raising and to finish up preparation work. Afterwards, the first shift of ushering started at 8.30am. 

 

Pioneering: 

For pioneering comm, they planned and executed building the Pioneering Ship structure to showcase our creativity in Pioneering.

 

Reflection from a Year 2 in Pioneering:

This was my first time helping to prepare for a CCA orientation so I was not very sure what to expect. When I found out we were building a ship I was pretty excited, but I did not know if we could finish it in three days. It seemed like a good challenge nonetheless.

We first got to work on the frames and the masts, tying a lot of diagonal lashes, measuring and retying. I found it hard to maintain tension in my lashes and had to retie most of them. Over the three days, I got much better at it. Pulling at the 麻绳 so hard for hours was not easy, but it was satisfying when I found that the lashes were tight. I also helped with the ladder, which was made up of square lashes which I was much more familiar with.Our ICs were very good with making sure everything got done properly and smoothly. However, I also found myself standing around and not doing anything useful sometimes, so I should have stepped up more and asked my ICs what I could do to help instead. When we finally assembled everything, the structure started to look more like a ship. We decorated the masts and put them and the ladder up. Then we put the floorboards on the top so someone could climb onto it and secured them with clove hitches. But this was actually quite difficult because we had to pull the string from between the boards and the 木. On the day of the CCA orientation the ship was fully decorated, and I was surprised to see how professional it looked and felt like our efforts had paid off. I would definitely have considered joining Guides if I saw that as a year 1. Overall it was very fun to work together with everyone to build.

 

Reflection from a Year 3 in Pioneering:

For Orientation preparation this year, I was in the Pioneering Committee and the role I played was a senior to the year 2s as well as a junior to the year 4s. During this year’s OP, I felt that I had another chance to contribute to the CCA as Pioneering structures would be a main part that attracts juniors to join the CCA. I got to experience what would be expected from us next year if we were to be leading a committee. From this experience, I also got a chance to practice my pioneering skills so that other pioneering structures that I would build in CCA would be up to standard and stable. I did not know that pioneering could be used to build such creative structures such as the ship we built this year so this was also an eye-opening experience for me. However, I feel that I can also improve on the tightness of my lashes as we had to 重抽 the lashes many times, which we would not have needed to if the lashes were already tight in the first place. Another thing that I can improve on is also my sense of urgency and the time I use to tie my lashes. Because we did not tie the lashes quick enough and also because we had to 重抽 many times, we were behind schedule most of the time. Hence I think that I could improve mainly on my lashes. Lastly, I think that this year’s OP was very fun and enriching, as well as tiring. However, since I was in the pioneering committee for two years already, I hope to be able to join another committee next year so that I can get to experience different opportunities in my Guiding journey.

 

 

Gadgeting: 

For Gadgeting comm, they built some of the standard structures which represented the memorable experience we have in Guides. Some of the creative gadgets, like the Ferris Wheel, also reflect our PLTC journey. 

 

Reflection from a Year 2 in Gadgeting:

For this year's orientation preparation, I felt that it was fulfilling as I learnt how to build many new structures and met many new people from Scouts as well. For my group, we built a dustbin and a shoe rack. Although we did not manage to perfect and complete the structure, I definitely learnt a lot about the design and the Gadget poles used to make the structure. These activities have allowed me to familiarise myself with different lashes and structure. Even though I was only there for one session, I had fun and also hoped that the y1s had fun looking at the unique structures we made. I found the OP session quite enjoyable and interesting and I felt that the y1s would definitely be intrigued by our structures! However, we did face some challenges along the way, which included not having enough Gadget poles or taking the wrong length of Gadget poles. We overcame it along the way and learnt many new skills. The session might not have been the easiest but we all enjoyed it and learnt many new hard and soft skills, etc. We got to practise tying our lashes and also learnt about teamwork and communication as we had to work with Scouts we had never met before. I also learned to be more patient since the structure was slanted and we had to keep readjusting it and making sure that it was straight. The seniors were also kind to us and constantly gave us helpful feedback. They set a good example for us and I really admired that. I hope that next year’s OP would be better than this year and I hope I could participate more as I was not available for most sessions. Most importantly I hope that next year’s OP will be as successful as this year’s!

 

Reflection from a Year 3 in Gadgeting:

Orientation preparation 2022 was fairly familiar in some aspects and yet a brand new experience we could learn new hard and soft skills from. As this is the second year I was assigned to the Gadgeting comm, there were certain procedures I knew before, and the prior experience proved useful to leading my Year Two juniors to complete structures. However, the creative structure my group was assigned to this year was vastly different from what we were familiar with and it took us four to five attempts of trial and error to finally complete the presentable structure. We were assigned to build the dustbin, but as the dustbin is a rectangular structure, unlike the tripod or quadpod, measurements had to be very precise in order for the structure to be stable and look like a box. We eventually learnt this through carbon-copying the frames and assigning Gadget poles of the correct length to ensure there is sufficient Gadget poles of sufficient length for the whole structure to prevent adjusting and 重抽-ing repeatedly. This taught me much patience and resilience, to look into past mistakes in order to improve and become closer to success. Apart from that, the seniors were also very helpful to us, especially since our group lacked manpower. This inspired me to become a senior in the future who is able to teach my juniors and allow them to grow without spoon-feeding but at the same time providing adequate support, resources, and planning. Furthermore, one area for improvement that I could work on would be stepping up and giving clear instructions to juniors so they would not feel lost. This way, we can work faster as a team and prevent over-running as a way of cooperating with our seniors as well. Nevertheless, OP’22 was an overall enjoyable experience and I look forward to next year’s OP. I hope we will be able to plan and carry out an OP as successful as this year’s.

 

 

Games: 

For the Games comm, they designed some innovative games which definitely made the year 1s fascinated about how we apply our lashes into building something impressive. 

 

Reflection from a Year 2 in Games:

Orientation Preparation’22 was fun and exciting as it was my first time working together with the Scouts and having the Young Adults as mentors. During OP, I helped out with the building of the Games’ structures, and the game booth. The process was enjoyable but tiring at the same time. The seniors had high expectations of us as all of us wanted OP’22 to be a success. Throughout OP, I remembered vividly that we had to tie a lot of square lashes as well as diagonal lashes on our structures. I felt that this was indeed a good chance for me to improve on my lashing skills. We also did lash training midway through OP as our lashes were not up to standard and not tight. The seniors were extremely patient with us and they taught us new techniques to tighten our lashes such as 抽-ing tighter, wrapping the 麻绳 or 白绳 around our hands and pulling tightly, and holding tensions to ensure the 麻绳 or 白绳 does not get loosened. I believe that I have benefitted a lot from OP experience. These benefits include learning new techniques to tighten my lashes, developing new friendships with my peers in Guides and learning soft skills like teamwork and communication. However, there are always two sides to a coin. Although I have gained new insights and benefits from OP, I felt that there were also multiple things that I could improve on. In future, I want to improve on tying my lashes tighter as well as speaking out more and taking the initiative to do the next thing. I also learnt that I should 报时 more and when I 报时, I have to be more confident and 报时 louder for the whole 团 or patrol to hear. I hope that next year’s OP will be a success and that all of us will step up more and have a more positive attitude in helping out with OP.

 

Reflection from a Year 3 in Games:

In this years' Orientation Preparation, I was mainly grouped with the Year 2s and had to teach some of them the basic lashes when trying to tie the catapult or the Basketball games in the Games Comm. It felt different as we were no longer the youngest taking part in OP. Hence, being the older batch we have to be there to guide the Year 2s. There has been a significant improvement from my standards last year but I can still definitely improve on them. I feel like I have tried my best to 抽 some of my lashes and have become more confident after the lash training with the Young Adults. I have definitely benefited from this year's OP as I have learnt how to tighten the lashes on the spars for pioneering and received some tips from the Young Adults. Other than that, I have also benefited as I learnt what it felt like to have to teach the Year 2s more and it gave me a sense of what becoming 领导层 would be like. I feel like I can still improve on my lashes, especially my A-架, tripod and quadpod lashes, on both Gadgeting poles and spars.To do so, I could borrow 木 from 团部 more often then bring them home to practice. I also was reminded multiple times by the Year 4s and hence I have learnt to 报时 more often, and I feel that can try to improve on this point. I should not wait for the constant reminders and can 报时 more on my own, taking initiative to remind my patrol mates if they forget. I am definitely excited for the next OP at the end of this year as it means that we could have more collaborations between the Scouts and Guides. However, I am equally worried as it means that we would have to plan and supervise the entirety of OP as we would be the ICs for the next OP. I feel like most of my batch is still not as confident and ready to be given such a huge responsibility, especially since this is what we would be showing to the Year 1s next year. All in all, I feel that this year’s OP has been very rewarding as a whole.

 

 

Decoration: 

The Decoration comm was in charge of making the structures look aesthetically pleasing to attract their interest to our structures. The committee was mainly in-charge of designing the respective signboards and the welcome board. 

 

Reflection from a Year 2 in Decoration:

In Decoration comm, I helped to decorate the boards by painting and writing on it and also helped to make crepe paper flowers. I think two things I have benefited from Orientation Preparation is teamwork and clear communication. I think they are very important as it helps us to complete our roles efficiently and correctly. At first, because of some misunderstanding, we accidentally painted the patrol flowers in the wrong colour. In the end, we had to redraw them and paste the drawings of each flower on top of the initial work that we have done. It wasted quite some time doing the same thing twice and we could have done more things and helped out more if it was not for that mistake. Hence, we learnt that clear communication is very important. Teamwork is also necessary in Decoration comm as we need to split the roles accordingly so as to finish our job in the least amount of time but at the same time do a good work on our part. I learnt how to bond better with my batchmates and made friends with them. I think I can improve on doing a better job in my role, like for example, learning techniques on how to paint properly so that the board could look more presentable and more appealing. I would want to be better at drawing so I could help to draw the flowers and help the seniors. I could also work on efficiency and be able to finish my work faster so I could lend a helping hand to those who are rushing their boards. I hope that next year’s OP can be as fun and as enjoyable as this year as I definitely loved the experience and I look forward to OPs that has to come!

 

Reflection from a Year 3 in Decoration:

This year, for Orientation Preparation, I was put in Decoration comm. I played more of a follower role, as I am not the best at art. For day 1, I mainly did the folding of crepe flowers, and helped paint the banner that was on the pioneering ship. For day 2, I helped with the drawing of the various components of the signboards, as well as the waterproofing of them. On the last day, I helped with the final assembly of the display signs. With this experience, I managed to learn more on how the preparation of the decorations was made for CCA exhibition. I also learned how the decorations were done. It also was an eye opening experience for me as I managed to learn to be better at art and how certain types of art were done. For example, before the activity, I did not know how to fold a crepe flower or how to decorate a plastic board. However, after Orientation Preparation, I now know how to. I also have a better understanding of the process and the steps that are taken. However, I think I can also improve in quite a few areas as well. For instance, the sense of urgency. For the drawing of the letters on the signboard, I took a long time to draw them out. Moreover, when tying the tripod, the middle 木 was not tight enough and had to be retied. I feel that the slow pace of working could be because we did not 报时 enough, and for the lash, I could have held tension better. I also need to work on my artistic skills, as I am not good at drawing or sketching, which would contribute to the slow progress made. Finally, for next years orientation, I hope that we would be able to do an equally good job as the year before. 

 

Souvenir: 

For Souvenir comm, they made souvenirs such as goodie bags to give out to the Year 1s which would get them excited about our CCA. They also designed pamphlets to help the Year 1s learn more about Guides, so that they can make an informed decision about whether to join the CCA.

 

Reflection from a Year 2 in Souvenir:

During Orientation Preparation, I felt that we all had to work together as everyone had to pack the goodie bags as a team. I feel that being in Souvenir comm has allowed me and my comm members to strengthen our friendship. I also managed to get to know the other Guides and Scouts whom I might not have met before. I feel that OP has also taught me that teamwork is important for us to be able to complete our tasks on time but with standard. We managed to work together and split the workload equally amongst each other. I feel that we can improve on 报时 to allow us to better manage our time and not 过时. We also need to ask for a time extension when we need it. Even though we were not constant with our 报时, the seniors were patient and did not scold us but instead reminded us. I feel that we can also speak more in our groups while doing the work to allow us to know each other better as we were too quiet. I am excited for next year's OP as I would like to know more of the other Scouts and Guides as we rarely spend time together doing anything. I think that this is a good opportunity to make more friends beyond our patrol and beyond our CCA. I think OP is also a good chance to allow us to play our part as seniors to welcome the Year 1s to our CCA. OP was also an eye opener as we do not usually do the stuff we do in OP during normal CCA sessions. For example, we had to wrap books and pack goodie bags. We also learnt how to make key chains for the Year 1s.

 

 

Reflection from a Year 3 in Souvenir: 

Being in the Souvenir comm was really fun as I got to work with people from different patrols and even the Scouts as we usually do not have CCA with the Scouts. I was really happy that other people in Souvenir worked really fast because we finished everything on time and sometimes even earlier than planned. I am glad the seniors continuously managed to find something for us to do because when it was day 2 we were running out of stuff to do since we finished a lot on day 1. I also learnt a lot through Souvenir comm as I now know how to use 白绳 to make nice keychains and I learnt how to make bookmarks using ribbons and paper. It was undoubtedly fun to be in Souvenir comm because I had an opportunity to draw designs on paper bags, pack them as well as wrap books. Another thing i learnt in souvenir comm is using different ways to fit objects into bags as we had some trouble storing the souvenirs after making them. However, the seniors managed to find ways to fit them into the small bags we had which was very smart of them. I am also really glad we managed to finish everything up before day 3 was over. The seniors led us to other committees to help out, but unfortunately the other committees had sufficient manpower.

In my opinion, it was still a very fruitful day. One thing that we can improve on is that we should 计时 more often. Because we did not 计时, we often 过时 and also forgot to ask for time extension. Other than that, we could have also socialised with other people from different patrols and the Scouts too. In a nutshell, being in OP was a fun experience for all and I hope to contribute next year too.

 

 

Presentation: 

The presentation committee was tasked to share more details about our CCA for the year 1s to consider. They help to provide more information about what we do during our CCA, our CCA dates, etc. 

 

Reflection from a Year 4 in Presentation:

Being in Presentation comm was a great opportunity. It was a chance for me to improve my presentation skills, for me to be able to bring forward my point to the audience better, and for me to be more confident. Even though I felt that I messed up the presentation a lot of times, I felt it was a great learning opportunity. From the presentations, I was able to tell that when I mess up my script, I would panic, and this would lead to me forgetting my script, and not being able to be confident. I hope that I will be able to overcome this weakness, and not be scared of making mistakes. I was rather sad that we were not able to practise during OP, as I wanted to make sure I was able to present without worries, but I was happy to be able to present at least once to the seniors, to receive feedback. I am very happy to be in Presentation comm.

 

We hope that everyone had fun preparing for this CCA exhibition, and in turn fostered stronger bonds between the Scouts and Guides. We also hope that more Year 1s would be interested in joining our Guiding family!

 

Published by:

Pok Jing 

53届 Secretary

Annual Training Camp Day 3, 20 December 2021

 Hello Guides! 

Today is the last day of our Annual Training Camp. Fortunately, we had the opportunity to conduct ATC Day 3 physically. For today’s activity, we built a Kitchen Table, Bridge, conducted lash training as well as Creative Gadgeting. 

1. Kitchen Table

As our last pioneering session was a few months ago, building a Kitchen Table was a good chance for our juniors to brush up on their pioneering skills. It also helped them recall how to tie a standard structure. Through this activity, the Year 2s had the opportunity to step up and lead their Year 1s in tying the structure. The storyline for Kitchen Table is as follows: “It’s your first day at Hogwarts and it’s now time for lunch. But you realised that your seniors had a food fight and destroyed all the tables in the lunch hall. Your next lesson is starting in 1 hour and you need to think of a solution fast to settle your lunch before the next lesson.”   

Reflection from a Year 1: 

For ATC today, one of the activities we did was Pioneering. We built a kitchen table with our ATC patrols. We all were able to bond better with our batchmates and seniors that we would have never interacted with if not for ATC. Although we have built a kitchen table before, it was a whole different experience building a kitchen table with people whom we barely knew as we were not able to bond over the zoom sessions we had for the previous 2 ATC sessions in November. However, after a while we were able to get to know each other a little better and be more comfortable with each other. Thus, we were able to build the kitchen table with minimal miscommunications. I have learnt both soft and hard skills from building the kitchen table. Some of the soft skills I learnt were how to communicate better with people I barely know. I learnt how to have better time management as we had to build a kitchen table under limited time which was set by the seniors. We also learnt many hard skills such as how to tie many of the more common lashes that are used in pioneering. Although I already learnt the lashes through building the kitchen table before, however, since it was quite a long time before we last had a physical 集合, I was a little rusty and forgot some of the lashes that were used for pioneering. However the seniors were very helpful and taught us how to tie the lashes as they have more experience in tying the lashes. At the end of the building the kitchen table we all felt very accomplished as after about an hour of tying, lifting and building we were finally able to finish building the Kitchen Table.

 

Reflection from a Year 2: 

On our last day of ATC, we were required to build a kitchen table. We used 红木 to make two tripods for the kitchen table. The lashes for the tripod had to be tied tightly as a matter of safety precautions. Hence, we tied the lashes as tight as possible to prevent having to 重抽 and this helps us save time. Once that was done and the tripods were up, we went on to continue the rest of the structure. As a senior to the Year 1s, we had to teach them how to tie the Timber Hitch. As we have not done pioneering in a long time, the Year 1s have not gotten that much practice in tying pioneering structures and need revision on things such as the Timber Hitch. We also tried to ensure that our lashes were up to standard even though we have not had physical CCA in quite awhile. I feel that our lashes could have been tighter, and we will improve in this aspect. At the start, we had a mix up with another patrol on the logistics collected, so we had to spend some time retrieving more logistics from the back store. We ended up starting the structure later than the other patrols, and hence we were unable to complete our structure. We were only almost done with it despite the time extensions given to us. Since we started building the structure late, we should have had a better sense of urgency while building the structure. The rate that the lashes were tied could have been improved a lot. Thus, in future 集合s, I will be more careful while collecting logistics so other patrols logistics will not get mixed up with ours and prevent us from wasting time. I am also thankful to be able to brush up on my lash skills through building this kitchen table.

2. Bridge

Next, we built a bridge as part of creative pioneering. Since our juniors hardly get a chance to build creative pioneering structures, this was a good opportunity to apply their knowledge of shearing and bridge flexing. The storyline for the Bridge is as follows: “Today, you all will be given a chance to go to Hogwarts through the secret passage at the train station. At Hogwarts, you face a challenge. You have to cross a rapid river by building a bridge.”

Reflection from a Year 1: 

During ATC on 20 December,  one activity we did was Pioneering. We got to work with people we usually would not work with if it was not for ATC. Some areas we felt could have been improved was more constant and louder 报时, along with having a much greater sense of urgency as none of us managed to complete the bridge within the given time. We could also have taken more initiative such as asking our seniors what to do once we completed what we were currently doing and had nothing to do, what 木 to collect or if there is insufficient 木 when everyone was collecting the logistics. In addition, we could have been much faster when collecting the logistics as we took around 30 minutes which was well over the given time and some of the logistics got mixed up between the patrols. Although we should have been able to complete the structure, we were unable to do so as we were slightly unfamiliar with how to tie our lashes, as well as some basic pioneering knowledge. This included not knowing how to find the 头 and the 脚 of the 木. However, it was a good opportunity for us to revise our lashes and pioneering skills. We managed to learn from some of the mistakes that we had made, such as tying the lashes with one more round than we needed to as we were using spars instead of Gadgeting, and the way we were supposed to tie the 顶脚s. We also learnt that the lashes should be tied quickly and tightly as it has to support the weight of the people standing on it and also be tied within the limited time given. Overall, this activity helped us to correct our mistakes and to practise tying our lashes more tightly and correctly.

Reflection from a Year 2: 

Our pioneering bridge was not very successful for a few reasons. Firstly, during the collection of logistics, we were very slow. There was also a different understanding of the number of 深蓝木 that we needed within the 团. As some originally thought that we only needed two, we found that there were too little 深蓝木 towards the end. We spent quite a lot of time trying to collect the remaining 木, also because they were quite heavy and each pair could only carry two at once. There was also a problem with the total collection of logistics as they were very messily arranged at MRL. As we could not see what each patrol had and were missing, we had to keep counting towards the end as we tried to find out what we left out. As for my patrol, we had many struggles with building one of the quadpods. It was tied quite slowly as we mistakenly chose a 绳 with many knots which made it very difficult to tie between the 木. For our first attempt, we found that there was a 飞脚 when we tried to 起 it. This was likely because when we trying to 抽, we did not 定 properly and the 木 was not straight. Hence, we wasted a lot of time redoing the quadpod till it could stand. By the time we managed it, over 30 minutes had passed which was unacceptable. Another issue was that the 定脚s of the other quadpod was tied wrongly. The 定脚 for the cross 木 was not higher than the rest and would have been a problem had we arrived at connecting the quadpod. In the end, we unfortunately could not finish our structure both due to the quadpod problems and also as our general sense of urgency was not very present. I also believe that quite a few of our lashes were quite loose and we had rooms for improvement.

3. Lash Training

Afterwards, we conducted lash training. This activity aims to help our juniors recap some of the basic lashes and perfect their lashes before they move on to Gadgeting. The juniors were taught the importance of tight lashes tied within the standard timing. 

Reflection from a Year 1: 

Last week's lash training allowed us to recap the standard timings and practice tying the different lashes. The seniors also gave us feedback for every lash that we tied, which was very helpful as after hearing their advice, we could realise our mistakes and improve in the future. While we had to ensure that we could tie our lashes as fast as possible, we also had to take note of the tightness and neatness of our lashes. Therefore, with the seniors' feedback, we could understand where there was room for improvement and pay more attention so that our lashes would be up to standard. Other than making sure that our lashes were tied well, the lash training session also reminded us of the standard timings for tying the different lashes. As it had been a long time since the last physical CCA session, some of us would have forgotten the information. But the lash training session reminded us of this important information that is a crucial part of many activities that require tying. The lash training session was especially useful for future gadgeting activities as it would help us finish our structure much faster and allow it to be up to par. This is because lash training helps us to familiarize ourselves with the basic types of lashes - the square lash, diagonal lash and A架. By knowing how to tie them properly and quickly, it would greatly improve the end result of the structures that we build. Even small things such as overlapping and 鸟绳 would affect the overall aesthetics of our structures. Hence, in order for our structures to be ideal, we have to ensure that we are able to complete the structure as well as do it to the best of our ability.  Overall, we felt that the lash training session was extremely beneficial for us in many different aspects.

Reflection from a Year 2: 

For today’s ATC, I really enjoyed the lash training activity. We revised the standard lashes: square lash, diagonal lash and A-架. It was very enriching as we not only were able to revise on our lashes, but also practice to tie the lashes tight within the standard timing. From the lash training activity, I also realised what my strengths and weaknesses were in tying lashes. I realised that I was good at tying the lashes neatly, and I managed to tie the square lash and diagonal lash tightly and neatly within the standard timing. However, for the  A-架 lash, I struggled to balance tying within the standard time and ensuring that the lash is tight. This activity hence allowed me to practice and improve on my weakness in tying lashes. After knowing what I had to improve on for each lash, I practiced tying the lashes and I feel that my lashes have improved a bit by the end of the activity. I was able to tie the lashes tighter and faster compared to the first time I tied each different type of lash at the start of the lash training activity. The lash training activity was also really enjoyable because the seniors were very kind and encouraging. When the lash we tied was not very tight, they kindly gave and showed us tips on how to pull the 白绳 to make the lash tighter. The seniors also gave us words of encouragement when we were tying the lashes, which boosted our morale. I really liked the lash training activity, as it not only helped us to revise on our lashes and practice tying tight lashes within the standard timing, but also allowed us to find our strengths and weaknesses in tying the different lashes which helped us to work on and improve our weaker areas of tying the lashes, and also gave us the opportunity to bond with our seniors.

4. Creative Gadgeting (Ferris Wheel) 

This activity serves as an opportunity for our juniors to challenge themselves with a creative structure that they do not have much experience with. This can help them recap and hone their gadgeting skills, especially considering how we have not had physical CCA sessions for quite a while. Besides, our juniors had the chance to work with different gadgeting mechanisms to enable a certain part of the structure to move, like in this case, a PVC pipe is incorporated into the ferris wheel to enable the wheel to spin. 

Reflection from a Year 1:

Monday, 20 December was our first and last day of physical ATC. One of the activities we did was building a creative gadgeting structure. Since only one person could see the drawing of the structure, good communication and teamwork was key. I personally think that our communication was quite good and we managed to build the structure correctly. However, some of our weaknesses were that we did not assign our manpower well and we did not constantly 报时 until being told to do so by our seniors. This resulted in a slower building. Other than that, our lashes could be improved as well, to be tied faster and tighter.  Some of the 木 was able to move and the structure was not very stable. We had to retie some of our lashes and wasted some time doing so. Another thing that we could improve on would be to look at the bigger picture. Sometimes, we were too focused on tying lashes and forgot to look at the structure as a whole. The Year 2s communicated well with the Year 1s to make sure we understood the instructions and that we knew what to do. We could also improve on our sense of urgency and that way, we could work a lot faster and use the extra time to check the lashes and retie them to ensure all the lashes are tight and increase the stability of the structure. There were some people not doing anything while others were tying lashes and I feel that we could have taken the initiative to ask what we could help with. We also did our best to make sure to 照顾好人，照顾好东西. In the end, our ferris wheel could spin well and it was a success. Overall, I feel that our creative structure segment was good and was a good opportunity to brush up on our lashes.

Reflection from a Year 2: 

When we were doing creative gadgeting, the structure was a modified baggage rack which had a ferris wheel like structure at the top. The structure was similar to a baggage rack with netting on the bottom and a ferris wheel structure attached to a PVC pipe that is on a 木 on the top of the two tripods.  As I was the assigned Patrol Leader of my patrol for my activity, I had to see what the structure was like and afterwards I had to tell my patrolmates what it was like. I feel like i had to work on my observational skills as i did not see whether the 木 was placed on the tripod and i ended up not knowing what to do and had to have the seniors help me. The Year 1s were also very confused as to what to do as they were unfamiliar with the lashes after being in physical 集合s after so long. With this, as Year 2s, we had more opportunities to step up and lead the Year 1s. I also felt that I could have tasked my patrolmates to do more things. We could not finish the structure on time as there were many things to be done within the timing. The netting and 定脚s took us the most time too. Our patrol had to overcome the challenge of not having enough  中长木 and we had to find a way to fix the problem. At first i did not know what to do and wasted a lot of time going around to other patrols to ask if they had extra 长木s but in the end, we used a 中长木 to put on the top of the tripods and it worked fine. Overall I felt that everyone could have done a better job but the structure was still fun to build as it was different from the usual standard structures.

We hope that everyone managed to learn something from the activities planned and revised on their lashes. In addition, we hope this year's ATC was a fruitful and enjoyable one.

 

 

Published by:

Pok Jing 

53届 Secretary

Annual Training Camp Day 2, 16 November 2021

 Hello Guides! 

Welcome to the Annual Training Camp (ATC) Day 2! For today’s activity, our juniors did Creative Pioneering and Inspection. 

1. Creative Pioneering

For Creative Pioneering, we started off with a briefing by the counsellors to cover the basics of pioneering. The juniors were reminded of ways to prevent a bridge from flexing, such as adding diagonals in contact with the bridge deck to connect it to the frame. Moving on to the activity, the juniors were told to modify the shelter they had designed previously.

 The storyline follows: Your patrol has wandered off to a faraway land in search of the scroll. However, you soon realise that a flood was imminent and that your original shelter was not high enough to protect everyone in your patrol from the flood of 80 cm high. Hence, the modified shelter has to meet the following requirements: The shelter needs to be elevated, high enough to be able to fit everyone standing up, and spacious to be able to move around. In total, by giving our trainees an opportunity to think on their feet, this activity aims to promote the importance of adaptability and communication. 

Reflection from a Y1:

I think that the Creative Pioneering Activity was a meaningful activity as we had to contribute our ideas and discuss as a patrol. I feel that it has helped me with building my confidence as I was in a group where I do not know anyone except for 1 person. I had to contribute to the discussion, so I learnt to speak up and talk to people who I do not know well. I think it also helped to develop the leadership abilities of some of us as we had to lead the patrol during the discussion. Although some of us were shy at the start, we became more and more confident and voiced out suggestions on how to improve the design of the shelter to allow everyone to be able to fit into the shelter. Everyone had a part to play in the discussion as we had to see who was the tallest and the tent had to be able to accommodate the tallest person in our patrol. At first no one volunteered to lead but then a senior stepped up and asked about everyone's height. I feel that it was good that someone took the initiative to start the discussion and managed to get everyone to participate after. It was a good experience overall and we were quite productive. Hence, we managed to finish the task within the amount of time given to us to complete. It is good that we managed to finish everything on time as this shows that we were focused.

Reflection from a Y2: 

On ATC Day 2, the first activity was to utilise a different set of logistics to re-create the shelter we had previously constructed. This time, we had to account for the shelter’s spaciousness and height, which had to fit everyone standing up and have a 80 cm elevation. Once we started the activity, we noticed there were considerably less spars per colour. Our first thought was to utilise a greater variety of spars as our first shelter consisted of 白木，青木 and 黄木. Clearly, we did not have as many of these three colours, thus we changed out the horizontals with 深蓝木，红木 and 黑木. Not only did we decrease the 白木，青木 and 黄木 used, we also hit the target for “spaciousness”. As we faced troubles changing out the spars, we realised that the A-架s acting as a roof above the structure is redundant if we could find a replacement. After much consideration, we decided to make use of the unlimited floorboards as the rooftop. This would solve the problem of the canvas sheet collecting water above our heads as well as decrease the amount of redundant spars used. Our seniors have also pointed out that our structure was unstable, advising us to add 顶脚s on all four sides of the shelter, giving it a box-like shape. One problem we faced in this discussion would be the silence in the breakout room. Although it was not our first time meeting over Zoom, the tension was heavy as we waited for someone to speak up first. This took away three minutes, which is something that should never happen again. In future 集合s and discussions, I should take the initiative to speak up so as to get started as soon as possible.

 

2. Inspection

For this year’s ATC, we had to carry out Inspection differently due to the pandemic, compared to the previous years. Instead of using the usual logistics from our 团部，we carried out Inspection with Satay Sticks as well as Drawing of Inspection Layouts on paper according to the instructions given. For the first round, one volunteer would be describing the layout to the rest of the patrol. Meanwhile, the rest of the patrol will have to lay out the Satay Sticks accordingly to form the layout. For the second round, one volunteer will be given a drawing of the Inspection Layout and she will be describing the layout shown. Meanwhile, the rest of the patrol will have to draw out the layout on a blank piece of paper based on the description of the layout given.

Reflection from a Y1: 

The Inspection we did on Tuesday benefited us in several ways. Firstly, it helped to improve our communication skills. By being tasked to describe the positions of all the different items to our patrol mates, we learnt how to give clearer instructions to them, for example, telling them whether the items were placed horizontally or vertically. This allowed us to be able to express ourselves better, which in turn would let others understand us well. Secondly, it served as a reminder for us to ask questions whenever we had doubts. When listening to the instructions given by our patrol mates, some of us faced obstacles, therefore we had to clarify our doubts to get the most accurate result possible. Lastly, the inspection allowed us to have a greater sense of urgency. During the Inspection, we had to try and complete the layouts within the allocated time frame. We had to keep track of the time and 报时 often to ensure that we did not 过时. In addition, we were required to ask for time extensions in advance if we felt like we needed more time to complete the activity. This meant that we had to work efficiently and not waste any of our time. Overall, the Inspection was an enjoyable learning experience which has allowed us to hone our communication skills and familiarize ourselves with Guides’ practices.

Reflection from a Y2: 

During ATC Day 2, we had an Inspection Activity where there were two different segments. The first segment was about using our satay sticks to form different shapes of different sizes and the second segment required us to draw out a few inspection layouts. Both of these segments required our cooperation with our patrol mates and also good listening skills. Since we were in our ATC patrols with numerous people who we are not familiar with, this activity allowed us to step out of our comfort zones and clarify our doubts with the person who was providing the instructions for the whole patrol to ensure that our layout was accurate. The activity also allowed some of us to take on leadership roles and confidently lead our patrol mates to complete the Inspection. Some of us also learnt to become more detailed when giving instructions and answering questions from the Year 1s and Year 2s. Due to our lack of physical 集合s, some of us may not remember how to carry out an Inspection appropriately, so through this Inspection via Zoom, we could also recap on some of our Guides knowledge such as the common items used during Inspection, including the First Aid Kit, the rubber mallet and the 白绳. Additionally, we used different symbols and shapes as circles and rectangles to represent different items. This activity was definitely enriching as it not only allowed us to bond as an ATC patrol, but also helped us hone our communication and leadership skills. Hence, I do look forward to similar Inspection activities in the future 集合s and hope that I can continue to work well with my seniors, batchmates and juniors. 

(attached are some of the Inspection layouts shown to the volunteers) 

We hope that everyone had fun for today’s ATC Day 2 and managed to recap on the basics of Pioneering!

Published by:

Pok Jing 

53届 Secretary