What is Scouting?
Purpose of Scouting
The purpose of the Scout Movement is to contribute to the education of young people in achieving their full physical, intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual potentials as individuals, as responsible citizens and as members of their local, national and international communities.
Child Safe Scouting
The safety and wellbeing of the children in our care is our number one concern and priority. As a thriving, modern organisation, we strive to be vigilant in identifying and eradicating child abuse. Our policy is to report allegations of child abuse to police, and other child protection authorities.
If any such allegations are made, we report the allegations to the police and stand down any Leaders in respect of whom such allegations are made
Scouts requires all adults applying to join the Association to satisfy Working with Children Check (WWCC) arrangements, consent to a Police and Character Check as well as undertake a suitability interview by our Group Committee.
All approved adult Leaders then receive comprehensive and ongoing training in dealing with children and the various aspects of Scouting. All Leaders must sign a document under which they agree to abide by a Code of Conduct, which incorporates important principles of Child Protection.
The Scout Method
The Scout Method is ‘how’ we do Scouting.
SPICES
These are the areas of personal growth that we try to develop in our youths and plan programs for personal progression to achieve their own individual pathways at their own pace.
At the same time, our youths enjoy programs that are adventurous, challenging, fun and inclusive!
Promise and Law
From as young as five years old, our youth members are introduced to our values at the first step in the Scouting journey, learning to live by the Scout Promise and the Scout Law in everything they do.
Lord Baden-Powell, Founder of Scouts
Scouting was founded by Lord Robert Baden-Powell in 1907. He was a British soldier who served for many years in India. He tried out his ideas of training soldiers in “Scouting”, teaching them how to develop experience in stalking and fending for themselves and to be observant of all signs that would give them an advantage as soldiers.
As a soldier, Baden-Powell rose to public prominence during the war against the Boers in Africa at the end of the 1800s. Most noteworthy was his leadership of the defending force in the siege of the South African town of Mafeking. Baden-Powell returned to England as a national hero in 1899 having successfully defended the town against the Boers.
While he formulated his ideas over many years, Scouting acknowledges the 1st of August 1907 as the date when the Movement was founded.
Scouting soon spread throughout the world, with Scout Groups starting in Australia in 1908.
From its English origins Scouting struck an enthusiastic chord among boys in so many countries that it is now coordinated globally by the World Organisation of the Scout Movement (WOSM). From its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the WOSM provides unity amongst the 155 national Scouting organisations (representing a Scout membership of over 28 million).