What is Sea Scouts like in Puerto Rico? Our host Jennifer held a Zoom call with a Sea Scout Ship in Puerto Rico to discuss their activities and adventures.
This entire interview is in Spanish. Here is a translation of the transcript in English:
Jenifer: Hi, everyone. Hello everyone. Welcome to the Lookout podcast Reef Point Check. For today's episode we have Sea Scouts of Puerto Rico. We have Ship 192 here, which is from the Puerto Rico council and I am so excited to have them here. Please introduce yourselves.
Alicia: Hello everyone, my name is Alicia. My position on the Ship is shieldman, secretary. She left them with my other classmates to introduce themselves.
Carlos: Hello, my name is Carlos.
Rosario: My name is Rosario and I am the Boatswain's Mate of the Crew.
Speaker 5: My name [unintelligible 00:00:43] and I'm Boatswain's Mate of the program.
Janet: Hello, good night everyone, greetings. My name is Janet, I am the leader of the Ship and Crew 192 in Puerto Rico.
Speaker 7: Good evening, my name is [unintelligible 00:00:55] and we are working with the Boatswain’s Mate.
Joana: My name is Joana and I am the Yeoman.
Speaker 9: My name is [inaudible 00:01:05], my position is webmaster of Ship 192.
Jenifer: Can you give us a map of your boat, can you give us information about who you are and what have you done being part of the Sea Scouts?
Janet: Yes. Hello, we have been around, now in 2021 we will celebrate 11 years of being founded. Our Skipper is called Gume, our group was founded by a leader called Xiomara Torres, currently she is not in our group because she belongs to other units. We have maintained the group, we are already-- Some young people, we were like 10 or 11 in the group, but many of them with the situations that began to study at the university, others working, have had to-- Many continue their path as adults and not all because of their studies and that can be kept in the group.
Currently we are some six or eight young people and with the pandemic and that here despite everything we have remained active, holding virtual meetings, we have tried to keep moving forward. I understand that despite everything we have been able to advance a lot in the group.
Jenifer: Thank you very much. Obviously, as you know, COVID has impacted us all. How have you had to change the way you meet or the way you do activities due to COVID restrictions?
Alicia: We are currently using Google Hangouts. This semester from January onwards we have been meeting on Mondays, and the semester we would meet on Tuesdays, if I'm not mistaken.
Jenifer: Right now they are not meeting in person, right?
Alicia: No, only what we have had like this-- That we met in person was in December for the delivery and advancement and patches, but from there on out we have not met in person. We are trying to see if we can, making arrangements to see if it can meet in person but we have not yet had an answer on that.
Jenifer: Thank you. Now speaking more about you in Puerto Rico and the Sea Scouts in the United States, do you think there is a difference between the Scouts in Puerto Rico and the Sea Scouts in the United States?
Alicia: Yes, there are definitely differences because I find that in the United States they have more availability of things, there are more groups, the groups are larger because we are about 12 young members and in the United States they have the facility to be more big. There are many more groups because in Puerto Rico there are only two, that helps you, but in Puerto Rico it does not benefit us here, it is good for you, but for us that part that there are not so many groups is not so good.
Speaker 9: Here in Puerto Rico we currently only have two ships, which is the 192 that is ours and the 27, therefore, we do not have many colleagues with whom we can advance the ranks.
Jenifer: Do you want to h