The 14th Caribbean Cuboree was held in Guyana from Sunday to Friday at the Scout Association of Guyana’s (SAG) Headquarters on Woolford Avenue. Stabroek News spoke to the Camp Chief, leaders and the cubs who participated and they shared their experiences about the camp.
Aleksandra Polesek, scout member,
‘I am from Poland. I invited myself to participate in the Cuboree because in my association back in Poland; I work in the international department and we hope to develop some more collaborations between the different regions and so the Cuboree was the biggest event in the Caribbean so we decided we would like someone to watch and plan for us. It is very nice and I like it and I do believe that the Cub scouts is the group we have to invest in. In a sense, we gain experience from the members of the association and people from all over the world. We learn from each other and learn how to respect each other. It’s an investment in the future. For me it was a new experience in every part because it is my first time in the Caribbean and things are done differently but when you are with a scout it is like home wherever you go. I saw new things that I am going to take back.’
Zaida Joaquin, Camp Chief,
‘The Cuboree is going fine. The children are having great fun and enjoying themselves but most of all it is to see how they are bonding with others from other countries and that’s what the Cuboree is about, to share friendship and have lasting memories and they are doing that well. The only negative is the accident that we had, that had put a little damper on the events. We had no events on the Tuesday and people were crying but I think they are okay now, they have bounced back but we are proceeding with the activities and they are all enjoying. The experience is good for them and for us as an association, having so many people and having to cater for their needs and of their well-being in Guyana. We have been able to manage with the support from the Government and some corporate sponsorships.’
Joshua Ward, Trinidad, 10,
I am enjoying it. It is very good. I have learned about talking to other people from other countries. I haven’t learned much about the Guyanese culture. I enjoyed the activities such as the activities at the National Park that we had today [Friday]. I met a lot of friends from a lot of countries.’
Aneesa Jaikarran – Trinidad, 11,
‘It is a great experience for me because I have never met so many children before. I learnt about cooperating with others, sharing and helping out. We did a lot of stuff and I can’t remember most of it but we had a lot of fun. We had a lot of discipline because some time we get up half past six and sometime earlier and lights out by ten. First time I came to Guyana and I am looking forward to going to do the same thing in other countries.’
Jaudi Lewis, Trinidad, 11,
‘It was a fun experience because I never really travelled before to go in another country and it’s a lot of other countries here and you seeing children from other different countries and you learn a lot of languages and we are having a lot of fun. I met a lot of friends and have been interacting with a lot of people. It has taught me a lot of discipline and my relatives expect me to have fun and I am having fun right now.’
Junior Bess, Contingent Leader for Trinidad and Tobago,
‘They get to learn different activities and the scout movement is really teaching the boys out of the school classroom experience and teaching them to be better citizens for tomorrow. It’s what we do in everyday life but in a more fun way for them to grasp. This is the 14th Cuboree, these kids are really having fun. They are getting to meet a lot of more children, meet new friends and learn new languages. They go through how to pack their bags, how to clean their shoes, how to make up their beds, we have had camps before and they had to qualify there first to get here and out of about 300 only 43 qualified to come here and they are enjoying themselves. We do have a programme and it starts at 5:30 in the morning and then we go through our programmes and bed time is at 10 and leaders go and have a meeting and see what we did right and wrong and how we could better it.’
Claudia Wilfred, Suriname, Assistant Contingent Leader,
‘From the day we arrived till today I think the children had a great time. They enjoyed themselves and I think they had a wonderful time. If we look at the programme from Sunday to Today every day they had another activity, they learned about the different cultures, the presentation from the other countries. They went on excursions. They went all over the City and all of those things they see. We went to the ice cream industry, Sterling where they made butter. They learned so much about Guyana and the other countries. They made friends with other children from various countries.’
Jamar Burnet, Suriname, 10,
‘You learn how to not to be bad and you learn good things. We just been to a sports festival and we played games yesterday [Wednesday]. We were singing and dancing and all these things and having fun. I met a lot of friends so far, one of Trinidad, one from St. Martin, one from Guyana and other places. Guyana is not the same as in Suriname, I see new things and I learn new things, things I have never seen before.’
Hamani Paul, Guyanese, 10,
‘The important thing about being a Cub is that you get to learn more life skills and we learn to be prepared at all times in case of any problems. We learned a lot of knots and survival skills. We learned how to do first aid.
We got to make a lot of new friends, learn about the different languages and about the different countries. Also got to trade badges with the new friends and we also got to teach a boy how to play cricket which was really fun. I enjoyed it very much.’
Dexter Baynes, St Vincent and the Grenadines, 8,
‘I enjoyed the camp and I learned a lot about the different cultures of the other scouts. We walked plenty and we played a lot of games. I don’t like cricket I like football and we played football. We made a lot of friends. I have friends now from St. Lucia, Anguilla, Guyana, Jamaica and Antigua. I went around Georgetown and we went to the zoo and we see wild pigs and snake. I love the food in Guyana especially Macaroni Pie.’
Jordon Benjamin, Dominica, 10,
‘I learnt a lot at the camp, like you always have to take care of your stuff and to look out while walking on the road because there can be a vehicle coming towards you. I made a lot of friends from different countries. I got to play cricket and I got to march and do a lot of fun activities.
I enjoyed the camp a lot and I was happy to come to another country. This is the first time that I used my passport. I was five-year-old when I started going to camps.
Tavon Boyce, Barbados, 10,
‘Well it’s kind of educational, learning new things and being away from my family. It is fun and enjoyable and I get to learn about the country and its history. I get to meet new friends, not a lot, only about 10. It is enjoyable, fun and everyone was very friendly. I was able to visit a lot of places.
We got to play a lot of games and still do work, still do tours and still go on hike. You learn a lot of discipline from being a cub.’’
