Back in the day there were two movements, the Boy Scouts and the Girl Guides, but these day's it appears as though they've amalgamated into the Scouting Movement. Personally, I have mixed feelings about this one - on the one hand it's the politically correct thing, but on the other hand, I'm sure merging the genders creates a whole host of other problems - especially at camps! When boys and girls had separate organisations boys could be boys, and girls girls, without the complications that puberty brings. That said, I'm fairly confident that for the most part the Scouts would have it no other way. ;)
The Scouts had build the structure in this photo to provide a high-point for a zip-line. If you look carefully, you'll see a growing queue of kids waiting to get dressed in a harness and climb the ladder to the top. I watched for a while as the most responsible of the Scouts, manning the top of the structure, carefully attached each kid's harness to the structure as they reached the top. He did his job with surprising focus - he reminded me of a friend that had been involved in the High-Angle Rescue team a few years ago. Nicholas always took climbing and safety extremely seriously.
I can't say that I didn't wish that I was just a little smaller and able to join the queue of kids. It looked such fun! :)
Did you know that the Scouting Movement was started in 1907 in the UK by Robert Baden-Powell (as a result of his military service in South Africa) and that he and his sister, Agnes Baden-Powell, started the Girl Guide movement two years later?