Welcome Parents!
By enrolling your child in Scouting, you are opening the door for them to explore a vast range of new experiences, opportunities, adventures, and friendships. This page contains information and links to resources you may find helpful.
• Core Programs
• Beavers (ages 5 - 7)
• Cubs (ages 8 - 10)
• Scouts (ages 11 - 14)
• Venturers (ages 14 - 17)
• Rovers (ages 18 - 26)
• Short-Term Programs
• SCOUTSabout (ages 5 - 10)
• Extreme Adventure (ages 14 - 17)
• Summer Camps
• Schools and Scouting (Grades 4 - 7)
• Core Program Registration - Fees & Forms
• Financial Assistance Program - Forms & FAQ's
• All About Uniforms
• Become A Leader/Volunteer!
• Frequently Asked Questions
For our Core programs, youth are divided into five age categories called sections. Each section is part of a group (there are more than 225 Chinook Council Scouting groups located in southern Alberta) and each group falls within one of our 12 service areas. The Chinook Council is comprised of representatives from each area.
The Core Scouting programs typcially run from September to June.
Fun and friendship are the cornerstones of the Beaver program. Through adventurous outdoor activities, creative play, music and cooperative games, Beavers enjoy time with current friends and make new ones. With their motto of "Sharing, Sharing Sharing", Beavers learn how to get along with a group, and develop the confidence to be themsleves.
Beavers share many outdoor adventures with their friends in the Colony. Nature walks, short hikes, tree planting, and family sleepovers give Beavers a taste of outdoor fun. Through these activities, Beavers develop and appreciation and a sense of caring for the environment. Beavers are a vital part of the community, country, and world in which they live. Visits to parks, power plants, and fire and police stations thrill young Beavers and illustrate the many important facets of their community.
Click here to view the program standards for Beavers.
Challenging hikes, weekend camps, and an introduction to water activities, like canoeing or kayaking, are just a few of the fun outdoor adventures that Cubs enjoy. Through the Cub motto of "Do Your Best", Cubs are encouraged to try new and more challanging activities. Learning important first aid skills, paddling a canoe for the first time, or leading a game at camp will open the door for Cubs to try other adventures they never thought possible.
Cubs also experience an exciting variety of other activities: games and sports, model-building, music, story-telling, and play-acting. The Cub badge program focuses around six activity areas: The Natural World, Outdoors, Creative Expression, Healthy Living, Home and Community and Canada and the World. Like Beavers, Cubs enjoy all their adventures with their friends in the Pack.
Click here to view the program standards for Cubs.
Enjoying mountain biking, rock-climbing, canoeing, kayaking, extended hikes, and lots of camping...these are just a few of the adventures tackled as a Scout. Scouts enjoy outdoor adventures a part of a team, working together with other young people to accomplish thrilling challanges. Scouts develop responsibility and leadership skills through their motto of "Be Prepared". Whether running activities, organizing camps, or connecting with other youth across Alberta or Canada through youth forums, the Scout program emphazises having fun while encouraging youth to feel good about themselves, their friends and family, and the environment.
Scouts meet in a group called a Troop, which is further divided into smaller groups called Patrols. Each Scout learns the Promise and Law which helps guide their personal development.
Click here to view the program standards for Scouts.
The outdoors is an essesntial part of the Venturer program. Weekend events, extended hikes, no trace camping, and other opportunities round out the Venturer experience and align with their motto of "Challenge". Developing and active, healthy lifestyle among members of the Company is the primary goal.
As well, Venturing helps teens aquire new knowledge and skills that can lead to a satisfying career. What do you want to do? Maybe you'd like to be a chef, an engineer, or a paramedic. In Venturers, you can try on different exciting career options to see what's right for you.
Click here to view the program standards for Venturers.
The motto of "Service" plays and essential role in the Rover program. Helping their local communities, Rovers run service activities such as food drives, park clean-ups, and tree plantings. Rovers also participate in adventurous activities like mountain climibing or white water rafting.
Rovers meet in a group called a Crew, where they develop and manage their own program under the mentorship of a respected advisor. Rovers also act in leadership roles with younger Scouting sections.
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Registration for Short-Term programs is ongoing. For further information about the Short-Term porgrams available in your area, and how to register, please contact Mike Bingley at the Calgary Service Centre, or email chinook@scouts.ca.
The SCOUTSabout program offers everything our core Scouting programs offer, but is organized in three-month modules. Available to boys and girls aged 5 - 10, SCOUTSabout is run after school in schools and community centres, and occasionally, during school breaks and summer vacation.
The focus of SCOUTSabout is on structred play and learning without the traditional aspects of uniform, ceremony, and badge programs. After taking one module, particpants often sign up for a second module or decide to join a Core program, because they've had so much fun!
For further information regarding the SCOUTSabout program, or to register, please contact Mike Bingley at the Calgary Service Centre.
The Extreme Adventure program offers young men and women the opportunity to plan and participate in one or more of a vareitery of short-term adventure based activities. The types and duration of adventures are limited only by the imagination and skills of the participants and Leaders. Some typical adventures include:
• hiking expeditions along historic trails
• cycling tours
• extended water-based trips
• adventure racing (canoeing, kayaking)
• inter-provincial and international travel
• snowshoeing
• attending major events, such as, jamobrees
• long-term camping excursions
• travelling to other countries to participate in humanitarian projects
A significant aspect of any expedition is the planning, logistics and training required to acquire the skills necessary for the adventure. Depending on the activity, skills may need be developed in first aid, canoeing, kayaking, map and compass reading, or a variety of other outdoor-related skills, prior to the actural event. In fact, the training is part of the adventure and a lasting legacy of the expereince. There is an emphasis on working in teams and developing group skills, which are transferable to all other aspects of the youth's life.
For further information regarding the Extreme Adventure program, or to register, please contact Mike Bingley at the Calgary Service Centre.
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Overall, registration for Core programs is handled at the local group level. Each group typcially holds two registration events, one in the spring for retuning and new members, and one in the fall focused primarily on new members and late registrants.
Registration for a Core program can still occur even if the registration events are missed. The Group Locator Tool can be used to find a group in your area.
Chinook Council Core Program Fees:
• 2011 - 2012 Program Fees
As in past years, discounts on program fees are available for early registration. As part of our committment to fiscal responsibility at all levels of Scouting, only those groups that have submitted their previous year's financial statments will be eligible for early registration discouts. Please check with your group to confirm if they are eligible for early registration discouts.
All fees are due at the time registration forms are submitted. Forms will not be accepted without full payment. If a fee deadline passes betweeen when a form is signed/submitted and when payment is received, the highest fee will apply.
Youth Registration Forms:
• 2011 - 2012 Youth Registration Form
Please note, only registration forms for the current year will be accepted.
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"My mom said that she couldn't afford to put me in Scouting. But she didn't know about the Financial Assistance Program."
The Financial Assistance Program is available to all families, children, and youth who want to particpate in the Scouting movement in southern Alberta, but are unable to do so due to financial reasons.
Our current Financial Assistance Program eveolved from the Rees Fund, created several years ago through a gift to the Calgary Scout Foundation in memory of Mrs. Helen Rees. The Financial Assistance Program now covers the cost of a youth's registration, uniform, books, and soome activity fees. It is administered by the Chinook Council for Scouting members in our south-central Alberta region.
Funding is availalbe for Core programs as well as Summer Camp programs. Assistance through the Financial Assistance Program should not be considered a source of long-term support, but rather temporary support.
Application Forms:
• Financial Assistance Application Form - Core Program Registration
• Financial Assistance Application Form - Summer Camps
Financial Assistance - Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: What guidelines are used to determine eligibility for financial assistance?
A: We use Statistic Canada's Low-Income Cut-Off (LICO) guidelines to assess eligibility.
Q: Can an application be submitted directly to the Chinook Council, or does it need to be submitted through the group?
A: The application can be submitted direclty to the Chinook Council for assessement but the Group Commissioner will be advised of the financial details for accounting purposes.
Q: Will my information be kept confidential?
A: Yes. All infrormation received is confidential and is not shared with any other individuals, groups, or organizations. We will not require any copies of hosehold inforamtion, but may request that relevant documents be produced for confirmation purposes only.
Q: What if the household income is greater than the guidelines allow?
A: Each application will be considered on an individual basis. We recognize that a family can be experiencing financial difficulty due to job loss, illness impacting household income, low earnings, and other reasons.
Q: Where can I get more information about the Financial Assistance Program?
A: Further inforamtion is available from the Calgary Service Centre. Please contact us either by phone at 403-283-4993, or 1-888-726-8876 (toll free in southern Alberta), or via email at chinook@scouts.ca.
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Uniforms are a distinct and defining aspect of Scouting. All uniform items are available at both the Calgary and Lethbridge Scout Shops, or you can order items online at www.scoutshop.ca
Beavers & Cubs:
• Beaver & Cub Uniform Info
• Beaver Uniform Diagram
• Cub Uniform Diagram
Scouts, Venturers & Rovers:
• Scout, Venturer, & Rover Uniform Info
• Scout Uniform Diagram
• Venturer Uniform Diagram
• Rover Uniform Diagram
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Want to join Scouting with your child? Become a Leader! We're always looking for parents and community members who are interested in getting involved and supporting our programs as volunteer Section Leaders, Assistant Leaders, or in some other capacity. To become a volunteer in Scouting, you must complete an adult application form as well as a police record check. Please visit our For Scouters page for more information.
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Q: Is Scouting only for boys?
A: No. Girls and young women make up 18% of our membership across Canada.
Q: Is Scouting found only in Canada?
A: No. Scouting is active in more than 216 countries and territories with more than 28 million member worldwide.
Q: Can you join Scouting at any age?
A: If youth are between the ages of 5 and 26, there is a Scouting program available to them. There is no pre-requisite program - in other words, you do not have to have been a Cub to become a Scout. We welcome late starters! If you are above the age of 26 and would like to get involved with Scouting as a volunteer, please visit our For Scouters page.
Q: Do Scouting programs run year round?
A: Generally, Scouting sections run their programs in alignment with the school year, that is, from September to June.
Q: Can you join a core program part way through the year?
A: Yes. You can register and join a program any time through the year. Discounts on programs fees are provided if you register early. There is also a pro-rated half-year program fee for those who register after January 1st.
Q: How much does it cost to join a Scouting program?
A: Scouting membership represents outstanding value. With weekly activities including hiking, camping, canoeing, archery, and climbing, there are few other organiziations who can offer so much for so little. Typically, a year's Scouting costs less than a month of ballet or piano lessons. Please see the Core Program Registration section for more information.
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• Financial Assistance Application Form - Activities