1^st BALLINA SCOUT GROUP
 

GUIDELINES TO SCOUTING

 Welcome to 1st Ballina Scout Group.

We look forward to a long and happy association with you and your child. 

The scout movement is by far the worlds largest youth organization, now for both boys and girls. There are five sections that consist of:

• Joey Scout – aged   6 yrs – 7.5yrs

• Cub Scout – aged    7.5 yrs – 10.5yrs

• Scouts – aged          10.5 yrs – 14.5yrs

• Venturers – aged     14.5 yrs – 18yrs

• Rovers – aged          18 yrs – 26yrs

We have assembled this information for you so that you will know what lies ahead - what you may expect of us and what we will expect of you. We have tried to make this guide as comprehensive as possible, but if there is anything you are unsure about, please feel free to ask one of the Leaders. 

About Scouting?

Scouting as a movement for boys was started by Lord Robert Baden-Powell after he returned from the epic siege of Mafeking in the early years of the last century to find the youth playing games which they were basing on his handbook for army scouts. 

He was persuaded to rewrite the book, renamed "Scouting for boys", and the Scouting Movement was begun. Later he used the jungle stories of Rudyard Kipling as a basis for the Wolf Cubs (now known as Cub Scouts) specially adapted for the needs and abilities of younger boys. 

Scouting has spread right around the world and is currently active in over 216 countries with more than 32,000,000 members.

The Scout Promise has three fundamental parts

• Duty to your God

• Duty to one’s self

• Duty to other people

If your family beliefs preclude your child from participating In any religious or patriotic activities e.g. saying a prayer or saluting the flag, then now is the time to bow out. However, we are not affiliated with any particular religion, nor is membership of a church a pre-requisite of joining the Movement.

Through our programs, we seek to encourage, in young people, attitudes which will stand them in good stead throughout the rest of their lives, such as initiative, self-reliance, responsibility, respect and consideration for others, while taking into consideration the level of development of the age group and of individuals. 

What is a Scout Group?

Each Scouting section is under the control of a leader who is helped by assistant leaders. These leaders and their groups are as follows,

·   Joey Scout Leader – Mob

• Cub Scout Leader – Pack

• Scout Leader - Troop

·  Venturer Leader - Unit 

The Joey Scouts and Cub Scout sections  also have Parent Helpers. The Group as a whole is managed and guided by a person known as the Group Leader. 

At this time Ballina Scout Group consists of Joeys, Cubs and Scouts. 

Joining

Before your child can participate in any Scout meetings you will need to complete an "Application for Youth Membership" form (Y1), this gives automatic insurance cover for your child whilst they are a New Chum. You will also be required to complete a prohibited Employment Declaration (M5) Form. This form can be explained to you by a leader. Your child will then be able to participate in our Scout Group. For the first six weeks he or she will be known as a ''New Chum''. 

After the initial six weeks, the Group, together with your child must decide definitely whether or not he or she wants to be a Joey Scout/Cub Scout/Scout. At this time the Group Leader and Section Leaders will discuss a date for Investiture. On Investiture all fees will be required to be paid. 

Fees 

NSW Branch Fees - $20.00

Registration Fee - $ 80.00

1^st Ballina Group Fee - $20.00

This group fee provides badges, woggle, scarf, cub/scout book and dilly bag for your child.

Ongoing fees see financial.  

Uniform

From the night he or she is invested, your child will be expected to wear full uniform unless advised otherwise. 

Uniforms are available from Murwillumbah Disposal Store, 6 Wharf Street, Murwillumbah Ph 6672 3809     or

the Snowgum store, PO Box 1343, Clayton South VIC 3169 – Phone: 03 9535 9140 or

Fax: 03 9543 8766 or

email: mail.order@snowgum.com.au ,or order online: www.snowgum.com.au  

Uniform consists of a Navy Blue Shirt with respective colour panels for different sections. For both male and females navy blue shorts, trousers, culottes and blue/black socks can be worn. Enclosed shoes are to be worn for all scouting activities. Hats are not required as

part of the official uniform but will be required for

all outdoor activities (no peaked caps allowed). 

Financial

A Scout Group is entirely Self-Funded. The expenses of a Scout Group are various. A somewhat major cost is the purchasing of badges. certificates etc., (badges are presented as soon as they are earned and there is no call for parents to purchase their child's badges). 

The Group must also meet the cost of maintaining camping equipment in first class, safe condition as well as paying for and maintaining the Scout Hall itself. Naturally we have electricity, insurance and the like to pay.

There are also Leader training costs that are met by the Group. 

As well as the general Group running costs, there is the cost of providing new equipment and resources such as tents, ropes, cooking gear, games equipment etc. 

The purchase of these capital items is the subject of fundraising. There is also ongoing fundraising for Cub-o-rama and Jamboree activities. So every Section will be helping our Group raise the necessary funds to continue the successful running of our Scout Group. 

With these ongoing costs it is reasonable to expect that all families become involved in fundraising activities throughout the year.  

Each member of the Movement is registered with Scouts Australia, NSW Branch and is covered by insurance upon payment of the necessary fees. 

Ongoing weekly fees subscriptions (subs) per child - $5.00. 

As you can see, the only ongoing fixed expense to yourself is that of the weekly subscription which is paid whether your child attends the meeting or not. 

Naturally with Scouting being fundamentally an outdoors-based programme there will be from time to time pack holidays, camps, hikes etc; normally over 2 or 3 days, which your child will no doubt want to attend. The cost of these activities is an extra expense to yourself but you can be sure that we carefully aim to keep the price of such activities to a minimum. 

Community Involvement

Scouting is a community affair. Scout Groups are formed and maintained by the community because parents believe in the benefits and teachings that Scouting has to offer and want to make it available to their children, and rightly so. 

Throughout all Sections of the Movement, the Aim is to encourage the physical, mental, social and spiritual development of our young people so that they may take a constructive place in society as responsible citizens. 

We achieve this through: 

·         Actively participating in community events.

·         Commitment to a code of living expressed in the Promise and Law.

·         Providing of a wide range of attractive, constructive and challenging activities, including opportunities for adventure and exploration both indoors and outdoors.

·         The provision of opportunities for leadership responsibility and initiative.

·         Learning by doing.

·         An award scheme that encourages participation in a full range of activities and provides recognition of individual and group achievements.

·         ABOVE ALL TO HAVE FUN. 

Parent Involvement

The most important aspect of parent involvement is the encouragement you give to your child, The boys and girls who get the most out of Scouting are those who put the most into it, All children have times when they need a gentle push, and certainly times when they need some help. This is where you come in.

If your child wants to do some test-passing or earn a badge, please go through the requirements and check that he or she has the knowledge needed and that all aspects of the test are covered. If your child hasn't done anything for a while. you may need to offer some extra encouragement to get started. The pride on their faces when they come to the front of the parade to receive their badges makes the effort well worthwhile. 

Scouting is a voluntary organisation, and we do rely heavily on parent support. If you are not prepared to give this support, perhaps you should reconsider your decision to have your child join.

The support given will depend on the individual

circumstances of each family.  Areas in which regular help is needed are, 

ü       Transport: Occasionally transporting the children to various activities included in our programme. 

ü       Cleaning/Maintenance of the Scout Hall: It is important that the place in which our children gather be maintained in a clean hygienic fashion. Naturally the Youth Members are expected to clean up their own mess, but once a month, families are rostered to give the place a ''good clean'' by sweeping and mopping the floors and cleaning the toilets. 

ü       Parent Roster: There are occasions when the Leaders can do with an extra pair of hands, eyes and ears. This is mainly needed when a Leader is working on their own. lf we call for a little extra help, it is good to know that there are parents willing to assist. 

ü       Joining the Parent Support Group: This is not an onerous task - the really hard work of building the Scout Hall and providing major resources has already been done by past committees It really only involves one meeting a term and helping to manage and maintain the resources of our Group as well as the occasional social activity. It is expected that every family will be represented on the committee for at least one term (normally two years) during their child's Scouting career. Don't leave it until your child is almost ready to leave. 

ü       Becoming a Uniformed Leader: Leadership is not for everyone, but if it interests you, please speak to any one of the Leaders. They will tell you that they get just as much fun out of it as the kids, and a very real sense of achievement as well as doing something worthwhile for our youth and the community.

Remember, there is no such thing as a professional Scout Leader. Most Leaders used to be just a mum or dad like you, but the Scout Association provides wonderful training that turns laymen into Leaders - and without Leaders we wouldn't have a Scout Group for your child to join!  

Becoming a Joey, Cub or Scout leader or associate leader for 1st Ballina Scout Group has many benefits.  These include decreased fees and subs, uniforms provided, training fees met, if all training completed a TAFE certificate III in leadership is obtained. Leaders get to enjoy outdoor activities and general community involvement of yourself and the scout group.  SO CONSIDER THIS, YOU'RE ALWAYS WELCOME. 

Your Expectations

Now, what's in it for you and your child? You can reasonably expect that your son or daughter will be in the hands of capable and caring Leaders who have a commitment to providing a stimulating and interesting program

1st BALLINA Scout Group

The following is a list of the Sections of our Group, their meeting nights and their Section Leaders. 

Mob (Joey Scouts) - Tuesday's from 5:30pm to 6:30pm

Mob Leader: Debbie McGregor  (Millemurra)

Pack (Cub Scouts) - Tuesday's from 6.30pm to 8.00pm

Pack Leader: David Moore-Evans (Akela)

Note: The Cub Scout Leader is called Akela

Troop (Scouts) - Wednesdays from 6.30pm to 8.30pm

Scout Leader:  Scott Davis 

.

Associate Leader Rodney Balkin

Group Leader: Ian Hale

Phone:  0416 253 545

Scout mobile phone (Please note this is a group phone and is held by different committee members ) 0400 143 082   

The Scout Hall is located at Canal Road, Ballina (opposite the RSL Bowling Club)

 Postal address P.O. Box 72,  Ballina   NSW   2478

If you have any queries or problems, either now or anytime during your future association with 1^st Ballina Scout Group, please discuss them with the relevant Section Leader or with the Group Leader.