01 Raffles Scout Group

01 Raffles Scout Group (01) is a premier scouting group in Singapore, made up of members from Raffles Institution and its alumni. It is located in the scout district of Toa Payoh, and has established itself as one of the most outstanding scouting groups in Singapore, producing many President's Scout awardees.
Emblem
The group's emblem consists of a Gryphon leaping towards a Fleur-de-lis, which has flames and rays projecting from it. The Gryphon's head symbolises the values of alertness and far-sightedness, while its body represents endurance and might. The rising flames on the emblem are akin to the high aims and ideals of the Scout Movement, while the warmth of brotherhood and friendship is represented by the hot rays. The leaping Gryphon symbolises the Group's endeavour towards the attainment of these ideals.
History
01 was founded in 1934, while its affiliated school school, Raffles Institution, was still in its Bras Basah campus. It was originally named the 32nd Singapore Scout Troop. In the same year, Chief Scout and founder of the Scouting Movement, Lord Baden-Powell visited the group. Since then, it has won numerous awards and prizes, such as the Sands Cup and Sir Arthur Young's Cup in 1934.
In 1965, after administrative changes in the Singapore Scout Association, the scout group changed its named to the 2101 Raffles Scout Group, and the national scout uniform replaced the previous grey and blue uniform.
The group is known for its feat in 1977, when a group of scouts rewrote the record for making it up and down Guning Tahan, a mountain in Malaysia. They did it in 4 days, 8 hours and 19 minutes. More recently, the group has held Overseas Service Learning Trips to Khao Lak, Thailand and Siem Reap, Cambodia in 2007 and 2009 respectively. Additionally, in 2009, the group celebrated its 75th anniversary with a campfire in Sarimbun Scout Camp.
To date, the group has a history of winning numerous accolades and awards, such as consistently achieving gold bandings in the Frank Cooper Sands Awards in both the Scout and Venture sections. It also performs well in many competitions organized by the Singapore Scout Association, such as the Scout Lore Quest.
In addition, the group has been actively involved in the community, doing many small- and large-scale community projects. It pioneered A Very Special Walk, organized in conjunction with Pathlight School, a school for autistic children in Singapore, in 2005. This event was one of many given wide media coverage by the Singaporean press by the group. In 2005 Dr. Ng Eng Hen, Minister for Manpower and Second Minister for Defense attended as the guest of honour. Furthermore, in 2006 the Minister of Education and Second Minister of Finance Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam attended as the guest of honour.
Structure
01 consists of members from Raffles Institution, ranging from Secondary One to those in their the first year of Junior College. The Scout Unit has six patrols, named after various birds: Kestrel, Eagle, Hawk, Owl, Falcon and Kingfisher. These consist of members from Secondary One to Three, and are each headed by a Patrol Leader and an Assistant Patrol Leader. In addition to the Scout Unit, there is also the Venture Unit, consisting of Secondary Four members who are Venture Scouts. The Venture Scouts are led by the Venture Executive Committee. Lastly, the Group is run by its Junior College seniors, known as the Group Council.
In addition, the group has a large group of alumni who are still involved in the group. They serve in differing capacities, such as Adult Leaders or just informal advisors. Currently, the group also has 5 teachers who help to administrate it. They serve as the Group Scout Leaders and Assistant Group Scout Leaders.
Activities
01, being a co-curricular activity in Raffles Institution, conducts activities for its members on a regular basis. They are held on Monday and Wednesday, with the occasional Saturday morning training. In addition to this, there are regular camps held during every holiday break. They are:
*The Overnight Camp (in February)
*The Scout Unit Training Camp (during the March Holidays)
*Annual Camp (during the June Holidays)
*The Group Training Camp (during the November Holidays)
Being a Scout Group, 01 also holds an annual Campfire. However, given changing times, this has been renamed the Annual Show instead. 01 has also been known for introducing new innovations and trends during its campfires, such as the incorporation of video as a form of story telling. However, in 2009, the group held a traditional campfire during its 75th anniversary at Sarimbun Scout Camp.
Facilities
The group has a den, located in the same building as its brother scout group, the 02 Raffles Scout Group. It occupies the ground floor of the building and also stores its equipment in a storage room near the school field. In addition, it also has access to an internal pole shed, located near the den, and an external one in the campus of Braddell-Westlake Secondary School.
The group typically conducts its activities in the Raffles Institution campus, making use of the Gym Hall Atrium and the Raffles Green, amongst other locations. Other activities have been conducted in the now-empty campus of Braddell-Westlake Secondary School, while its camps have been held in external venues such as primary school campuses. In addition, the group has often camped at public parks such as East Coast Park and West Coast Park.

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