Weekly Activities
Weekly activities are the backbone of the Scouting experience. Each week, a Section will meet together and participate in planning, activities, friendship-building – and have a load of fun along the way.
Every Scout Group is different, and each age-group (called a Section) is different. Each Section organises different activities that are tailored to the ages and interests of the youth members. Some nights a Scout Unit might have some fun cooking up ANZAC biscuits, on another night they might spend time making potato batteries, or building catapults, or going for a day-hike. In every activity, the goal is that it be adventurous, fun, challenging and inclusive. After every activity, the participants spend some time reflecting on what went well and what could be improved for next time.
Adventurous Activities
Adventurous Activities are a key component of Scouting. Our program includes a range of activities such as cycling, camping, bushwalking, archery, and paddling. The Adventurous Activities (AA) team regularly hold events throughout the year which are an extension of what happens at a regular Scouting night. We also provide opportunities for Venturer Scouts and Rover Scouts to join the AA team and gain nationally recognised qualification. You can find out more about the teams here.
Special Events
All year round, our Scouting calendar is full of fun events that Scouts can participate in that are over and above regular nights. There are adventure camps with outdoor activities like kayaking, climbing, and tree-top walks. There are special days for sections – like Cubilee for Cub Scouts where lots of fun is packed into a day of activities. There are also national and international travel opportunities for Scouts, Venturer Scouts, and Rover Scouts, where other Scouts gather from across Australia and the world. While we keep costs as low as possible, even with subsidies and fundraising efforts, each of these events is an additional cost to regular Scouting. It’s important to remember that there is no obligation to attend any event and that children can get the full benefits of Scouting simply from participating in weekly Scouting activities. Events are simply the (adrenaline-filled!) cherry on top!
Our Program
Scouting offers Australian youth a program that contributes to their personal growth, offers leadership development opportunities, develops resilience, and prepares them for the challenges and opportunities in a 21st century global community.
This Scouting experience occurs through the Youth Program. The Youth Program is the totality of what young people do in Scouting (the activities), how it is done (the Scout Method), and why it is done (the Purpose). Activities are seen as the means, rather than a goal, that create opportunities for each young person to develop skills and attitudes and acquire knowledge.
The Activity Selection Process
Every Scout group offers activities, and they will differ from group-to-group. However, all groups follow the same process for how activities are chosen. We call this Plan > Do > Review>. This means better activities, more fun, and each Section or small team gets to choose and get involved in organising its own adventures. It helps ensure everyone has a fun, challenging, adventurous and inclusive time in Scouting.
Plan >
In this stage, groups decide what they will do, who will lead the activity, what skills are needed, and whether experts are needed to assist. It is an important stage, and it might be tempting to rush through it – which might become a learning in the Review> stage!
Do >
Here is where the fun happens! Its also where Scouts learn to work as a team, test out new skills, and tweak the plan if needed. It is where our value of Inclusivity shines, as ensuring everyone is involved in the activity is a core value.
Review >
While it might be tempting to skip past this stage, experienced Scouts recognise its value in the activities process. It’s where we reflect on what we noticed while participating, what we enjoyed, what we didn’t, what went right and what could go better next time. It’s where we show gratitude to the roles everyone played and ask questions of each other.
The Scout Method
The Scout Method has eight elements that support the development of young people. The Scout Method is unique to Scouting and Scouting is unique because of this Method, and the way in which it educates and develops young people. The Scout Method is the same across all Sections and around the world, providing for continuous development.
This means supporting an active exploration of each member’s commitment and responsibility to their community and the wider world. It means being dedicated to being of service, and positive and visible members of the community.
This means learning through practical experiences and activities on a regular basis. Scouting events, regular weekly nights and Patrol activities should not be a classroom, even though education is occurring.
We see the outdoors as the primary and most effective setting for learning and encourage a two-way relationship between the individual and the natural world. We spend a significant portion of our time outdoors, exposed to nature.
The Promise and Law underpin all activities and interactions. They provide for bonding, camaraderie and self-reflection. Promise and Law help individuals understand their place in their community and the world.
The Patrol System provides a way to develop interpersonal and leadership skills in young people, through teamwork, responsibility and belonging. Virtually all Scouting activities occur in Patrols, which helps people to reach goals and overcome obstacles.
The Symbolic Framework is a structure of themes and symbols that facilitate awareness and development during an individual’s personal journey. It helps to visually and symbolically link all aspects of Scouting across each Section.
Personal Progression means challenging the individual to do their best through a wide range of experiences. Everyone is individually encouraged and supported to strive to reach their best possible goals.
‘Youth Leading, Adults Supporting’ reinforces that Scouting is a youth movement, guided by adults. As youth progress through Scouting, the Sections become increasingly self-managing with ample opportunities for youth members to develop as unique individuals as their strengths and weaknesses allow.
The Purpose
The Purpose of the Scout Movement is to contribute to the development 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.
We remember the developmental areas mentioned in the Purpose using the acronym “SPICES”. These are the outcomes we aim to achieve through Scouting.
Social development refers to belonging to a group, one’s relationships with others, and understanding differences between people in small groups of peers, as well issues of diversity and inclusion in larger communities.
Physical development refers to one’s understanding of their body, including active care for health, wellbeing, and the pursuit of physical skills and fitness.
Intellectual development refers to one’s ability to think, plan, innovate, review and be creative, applying information, knowledge, and skills in new and different circumstances.
Character development refers to the pursuit of personal best. It includes positive attitude, responsibility, respect, and making an effort beyond what benefits the self. It encapsulates personal growth in the five other SPICES.
Emotional development refers to the need for understanding of one’s own emotions and the emotions of others. It includes awareness of how a person is feeling, expressing emotions in a positive manner, as well as respecting and supporting the emotional needs of others.
Spiritual development refers to the development of a person’s beliefs regarding their purpose in life, connection to others, place in the world around them, while respecting the spiritual choices of others.