Written by Eli Chan
The Dream of 180 has become our Reality
The 180th at 180 Gala Dinner.
We dreamed about the possibility of having 350 guests at this gala. It seemed such a long shot, especially when the event was only a month away! But through this experience, my planning team and I learned how to reach success – by setting ourselves a feasible goal that will help us turn our dream into reality. We wanted 350 guests at our dinner, we worked together and got a turnout of 360+.
Much alike how the 180th Pacific Coast Scout Group wanted to be the largest Rover Crew in Canada. This year, we celebrated our success in achieving our key milestone of reaching 180 members.
Our journey to 180 members has not been an easy one- it all started with Scouter John Chow and a few young rovers who dreamed about a youth-led rover program that emphasized on personal development and leadership skills. They then founded the 180th Pacific Coast Scout Group. It took some time for the rovers to realize the potential contribution that the group can provide for Scouts Canada and the community as leaders, or as scouters. Through telling our friends to join the scouting movement as leaders for tomorrow, our group has grown 30% annually, and this year – 20% – to 180 members.
With our growth in size, the Group has definitely encountered challenges in keeping the program alive and engaging for all our senior and younger rovers. Throughout this year as the President, and perhaps in future years to come, I hope to help the Group overcome these obstacles. But I cannot do this alone. During that gala night, I asked for champions for change. I asked for more leaders in the Group to work together with me in stepping on that accelerator pedal. I wanted the Group’s commitment in driving our mission forward together. This is because I know we can do it.
We had quite a number of VIPs in our audience at our momentous gala that night, including our National Commissioner John Estrella, National Youth Commissioner Caitlyn Piton, and our very own Council Commissioner from the Pacific Coast Council Brandon Ma. We had the honour of having them speak to us on their roles for Scouts Canada, their outlook on the organization, and what the 180th can do to continuing contribute towards the success of Scouts Canada.
The gala also gave us the platform to showcase all our successes in the crew so far, known to us as our big wins and small wins. Our emcees, Karen Tse and Barton Lui, talked to the audience with passion and excellence as they led them through our journey to 180 in our program. They highlighted some of their success stories, and talked about all the big and small wins that the group has achieved that contributed to Scouts Canada and the rest of the community.
One huge win that we had in the past 12 months was our International Service Project to Malaysia and Singapore, which was brilliantly presented by one of our Rovers, Sandra Lee. A strong impact that we had made in the Sarawak council in Malaysia was our community service project where we planted more than 600 mangrove trees in partnership with the local Scouts. We also made a donation, and even to this day we are continuing to work with the local Scout council in planting around 5000 more seedlings over the next 3 years.
The gala was indeed a successful event. It was the largest event ever held by the 180th, and I had the pleasure to be the project manager in leading the team and to make sure this gala dinner exceeded all expectations. The food was good, the music was good, and the guests were good and satisfied by the end of the night. These supporters of ours truly helped us get to where we stand today. Thank you to all of the scouters, parents, friends, and family who showed their support at our gala dinner and throughout our journey. We encourage everyone to stay connected with us and continue being a part of our journey ahead. We are all leaders in our lives and we are leaders in our community.
“Only those who attempt the absurd can achieve the impossible.” – Albert Einstein
The 180th’s journey is ours to take.
