22/06/2017
If anyone is able to assist in sponsorship for a springbok service project, please read the below proposal from Simon van Riel 😊 and let us remember our fourth scout law.
Dear ​ Naruna family
I am working towards my Springbok badge – the top award for Scouts in South Africa. I am seeking sponsorship for my community service project – a plan to run a maths enrichment camp for grade 8 pupils from Tafelsig Secondary School ​ from the 13th to the 16th of July​ . The total cost of the camp will be R10 000 to cover food, transport, accommodation and other equipment.
I shall be running a camp based on scouting principles for around 15 grade 8 students from Tafelsig Secondary school. This camp will feature a programme of revision of the maths syllabus and some aspects of scouting that they will find useful in life, including First Aid and cooking.
Around 10 scouts from my troop (1st Naruna and Constantia) will be staffing the camp. These scouts will range in age from 11 to 17 and they will each be involved either in catering or assisting with the programme.
I have received approval from a regional level in scouts to organise this camp. For more information, please contact my co-ordinator, Nigel Forshaw ([email protected]), or my troop scouter, Ian Kellerman ([email protected]).
Mathematics is a very important part of the CAPS curriculum and, indeed, any education system. It is required in order to do science, as well as to get into many university/artisan courses. It is also necessary in day-to-day life, for example when compiling a budget, buying groceries, making food, measuring and equating sizes of clothing, planning journeys, etc.
Unfortunately, at disadvantaged schools, like Tafelsig Secondary School, the students tend to struggle with mathematics. Their headmaster, Mr Clarence Rogers, informed me that they were struggling with certain parts of the syllabus and asked me if I could help them.
Another problem I have noticed is the way maths is presented. Schools tend to motivate students to do well in maths by telling them it is required for them to pass the year and matric. When maths is shown in a negative light, like this, students approach it by trying to cram maths into their head, or giving up. The alternative is to present maths as an exciting and stimulating subject. Maths should be taught as an end, rather than a means to an end.
Ultimately, the two classic objections students tend to have against maths are: 1) They will never use it in their lives, and 2) They find it tedious and difficult. To help remove these misconceptions, the students should be given practical examples of how maths can help them in their lives and they should encounter maths in conjunction with fun, so that, hopefully, they can associate maths and fun together.
Just to clarify why I think I will be able to help students with their maths, here is a little bit about my history with maths. Maths is a passion for me. I watch videos about maths in my spare time, to help me relax or to stimulate my brain. I take especial fancy to unsolved problems, topology, number theory, fractals and any maths that doesn’t allow infinity to get in the way. Another hobby of mine is memorising pi, to which I reached 200 decimal places. With regards to school, my marks in both maths and AP maths are consistently around 95 percent per term. Because of this, I have signed up to do maths tutoring at school. I also have a lot of experience in maths outside of school. I take part in as many Olympiads as I can, and generally make it to the final round. I have also made the Western Province maths B-side for my age group for two years in a row. In fact, I love maths so much that I want to study it when I leave school, not as a path to engineering or physics, but for the sake of eventually studying maths as my profession.
The camp I will be running will feature a few sessions where I will be explaining/revising maths concepts, however the main focus of maths in this camp will be practical use and fun. Participants will compete in teams in competitions, races and games that will use parts of the maths concepts they have learnt. In addition, they will complete practical activities, such as cooking. These will require them to make some calculations, such as converting serving sizes.
Being in Scouts has helped me a lot in my development and has taught me many skills. One of the things I have noticed is that, while there are some skills I have picked up that are quite specific to scouting/being outdoors, I have also learnt many skills and lessons that I find immensely useful. Basic First Aid, for example, while not used often, can save lives and be extremely useful in many situations.
Other skills Scouts teaches are not given in lessons, but through experience. For example, leadership and teamwork, as well as social skills come out of the patrol system and determination and critical thinking come from completing patrol challenges.
Finally, there is a third kind of lesson one can gain from Scouts, and it is often overlooked. In the scouting programme, themes such as conservation, environmental awareness and anti-bullying often feature. Examples of lessons that are covered include peer pressure, being water-wise and global warming.
On the camp which I shall be running, these lessons and themes will feature very heavily. Bases will be run by members of the programme staff covering lessons such as water-wise, first aid and cooking. The participants will also be given practical scenarios, such as a first aid incident and a cooking challenge, while having a lot of fun.
I would like to ask that you consider sponsoring this camp. As mentioned above, the total cost will be around R10 000. Any contribution towards this will be gratefully accepted.
Kind regards
Simon Van Riel
Patrol Leader: 1st Naruna and Constantia Scout Troop
079 274 9238
[email protected]
