Sent to all active Scouters in Nova Scotia Council
Hello Scouter Greetings!!

I would first like to welcome you back to the Nova Scouter Newsletter! The Nova Scouter has been a publication offered on and off for decades here in Nova Scotia. The earliest one that I have is one that was circulated in the early 1980's, however I am sure that the newsletter is older than that. This newsletter is meant to create an avenue for communications from the council regarding updates, but also to act as a resource to help support all of our scouters across the province.

It is our hope that this will better help to ensure that all of our members stay up to date and that we can use this as a way to highlight groups doing well and share best practices. If there is anything that you want to see in the next issue either as a one-off article, or as a permanent part of this newsletter please let me know at [email protected]!

Yours in Scouting,
Justin Chenier
Council Communications Lead
Unlocking the Full Potential of Our New Website
We've put together a short demo video that illustrates how to navigate the newly redesigned Council website that was launched this past summer. This video also highlights some useful pages that have been added to the new site. We want this to be a great resource for our scouters so if there are any features that you would like to see added please feel free to email me at [email protected].
Communications Engagement Session
Last month, a survey was circulated to capture scouter feedback on communications currently, and the potential of where we can take communication from here. The above video was actually put together to address some of this early feedback, so thank you very much!

In follow-up to the survey, we will be hosting an engagement session to go over a quick summary of the feedback received. Through this session we hope to validate this feedback and also gain additional insights into the best way forward in terms of communication. The session will be held February 21, 2021 at 7pm via Microsoft Teams. To get the link to join this engagement session please RSVP below.
Virtual Scout Week 2021: Pre-Register Today!
Save the date! Scouts Canada will be hosting a virtual Scout Week from February 22 – 26. Lots of fun and opportunities to engage with other Scouts and Scouters from across the country. Don’t miss it. This is a perfect opportunity to sign up unregistered members by getting them to come to the event AND to attract new members by giving them a taste of Scouting even during the pandemic.

Look for announcements on the newly revamped News & Events section of Scouts.ca along with registration information for the various activities
1st St. Mary's Group: 0% Decline, 100% Opportunity
The 2021 Scouting year has had a very unique start for us all with new challenges to overcome. Despite these challenges, 1st St. Mary's Group has already achieved last year's registration numbers through the recruitment of three new scouters and addition of a Scout Troop. We spoke with Group Commissioner Sean Ashe to learn more.

"Some of the things we have done to keep membership numbers up are; posting full page ads in our community newsletter which allowed us to recruit two new Scouters and their children to the program. This also allows us to keep the community engaged with what’s going on within the group. We have also been posting on our Facebook page. Our group is from rural Nova Scotia which affords us the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors regularly. Some of the activities we have done outdoors this Scouting season include; flashlight hikes, playing mantracker and we hope to introduce the group to snowshoeing. Our local school has been generous enough to allow us the use of both of their gymnasiums which has allowed us to keep the sections separate. Our community has been supportive both financially and with the use of their facilities.
Once restrictions ease and gathering limits increase, we plan to do a bring a friend night. Our school is our community sponsor and in the past have allowed us to distribute Bring a Friend cards to every child in the Beaver and Cubs age group."

- Sean Ashe, 1st St. Mary's Group Commissioner
An Update from your Council Voting Representatives
On the day of the Annual General Meeting of Scouts Canada last November Council Voting Representatives (CVR) met virtually with the Board of Governors. The opportunity to engage board members was well received and proved to be productive. Over the course of the meeting there were 4 sessions held concurrently; Diversity and Inclusion, Volunteer Engagement, Properties and Finance.  Notable highlights from these sessions are outlined on nsc.scouts.ca, click the button below to learn more.
Council Voting Representatives Virtual Info Session
The CVR's will be holding a live information session via Microsoft Teams to discuss the engagement sessions held at the National AGM and gather information so that they can better represent the views and opinions of the members of Nova Scotia Council. This session will take place March 7, 2021 at 7pm. If you would like to attend please RSVP below and a link to the meeting will be sent to you 48 hours before the event.