Throughout a youth members Scouting journey they are faced with a large variety of challenges. While each challenge is unique, it allows each youth member to grow and develop through a variety of opportunities and different experiences which contributes to a broad education.
Some youth members are happy to go with the flow and just participate and enjoy their Scouting journey with their friends.
Others become motivated and driven to not only achieve through experiential learning but to push themselves to be the best they can be. This is one such story...
A Cub who at a very young age set a very large, but realistic goal ... 3 years later that goal was achieved ... resulting in that Cub achieving every Level 1 & Level 2 Cub Scout Achievement Badge ... 68 in total. An extremely rare Scouting achievement. Enjoy his journey as he explains his achievement in his own words ......
Hello, I am a Cub Scout at the 1st Ballan Cub Pack in Victoria.
I am the Sixer of Black Six. I have been in cubs for around 3½ years now. After I earnt my Joey Promise Challenge Award, I came up to Cubs. I was amazed by how many badges there were in Cubs.
During my first year of cubs, I watched all of the older Cubs earn lots of badges, on their way to their Grey Wolf Award. My first achievement badges were Level 1 & 2 Swimming.
The thing that everybody wanted to go to was Cuboree. I went to Cuboree at Gilwell Pack, we went with 6th Melbourne and I had the best time there!
After Cuboree I came up with a challenging goal, to earn all the Achievement Badges (Level 1 & 2.) There are 34 badges in each level, I wanted to earn all 68 badges, then I went to my Akela, who is my Dad, and l said …
Is it possible to earn all 68 achievement badges.
Yes it is, but you have to have time to earn all 68 badges, and you have plenty of time.
said Akela. So I thought about it for about one day ….
I said yes to my personal challenge.
The next Cub night Akela told the leaders, then he told the whole Cub Pack, about my personal challenge. With my dad being the Akela he could help me along the way, but he couldn't sign off any of my badges. So Rikki Tikki Tavi, Chil and another parent helped me to achieve my goal.
Sometimes when I handed in my badge work, I get presented with a badge that night, but other times I’d have to do more work to get the badge.
For the past 3½ years my Yellow Cub Book and I have been everywhere.
Level 2 Information Technology Achievement Badge - Scouting Leaflet
Throughout our journey we have been everywhere together. We have navigated the streets of Brisbane with Grandpa, to achieve my Traveller Badges. We photographed Wombats in Wilson's Prom and Ancient Temples in Japan for my Photography Badges. We have made clay sculptures with the Cubs, to earn my Mask & Sculptures Badges. We built Lego and solar kits to earn my, Engineer Badges.
Along with reading books for my Literature Badges, I also achieved my Lester Literature Badge.
I have also ridden over 250km, canoed in Lake Catani at Mt Buffalo, the Glenelg River, Tidal River at Wilsons Prom and at Anglesea, in Canberra I went to a Cub Pack and performed magic tricks in front of their pack, I sailed at the Scout and Guide Sailing Centre in Sandringham as well as in Mornington and Ballarat.
While canoeing down the Glenelg River I looked at birds and animals, I wrote letters to my penpal in England, and I got to meet him and his family, while travelling in England with my family.
As a family we are Camp Hosts at Mt Buffalo National Park, at Easter every year and I have worked on many badges with the Park Rangers. Those were some things I did for some badges.
I really enjoyed achieving all of these different kinds of badges, learning so many different things along the way and having lots of fun.
My journey doesn't just involve earning Achievement Badges. Along the way I have earnt, most of the Special Interest Badges including helping raise over, $2,000 with my Pack for the K.I.D.S Foundation in Ballarat to achieve our Messenger of Peace Award, my Bronze, Silver and Gold Boomerangs and the Their Service Our Heritage Badges.
I was presented with my Grey Wolf Award – the highest Cub Award – by our State Cub Scout Commissioner, District Commissioner and District Cub Scout Leader.
My journey at Cubs has taken me everywhere from adventures with my friends to overseas, including a Scout Group in Singapore where they do Scouts at School on a Saturday, sleeping in a hammock with my family on Brownsea Island, enjoying a fun night with Scouts all over the World in Kandersteg, Switzerland at the Kandersteg International Scout Centre and visiting Úlfljótsvatn Scout Centre the Northernmost National Scout Center in the World in Iceland.
I challenge all Cubs to do their best at anything, and achieve as many badges as they can.
Thank you to my Cub Pack, the Ranges at Mt Buffalo & Wilson's Prom, my penpal, my family and a big thank you to the 1st Ballan Leaders that helped me along the way.
Now I look forward to my journey as a Scout.
