Last year Angus joined Cub Scouts. This was followed shortly thereafter by Patrick joining Scouts and Karen volunteering to become a Scout Leader. And finally this year, Owen also joined the ranks of the Cub Scouts. 1st Upwey was booming!
About 5 years ago the 1st Upwey Scout group (Cub Scouts and Scouts) was in trouble and almost closed the doors. Fast forward 5 years and it's the biggest group in the Dandenong Ranges with waiting lists (unless you bring a leader). This is fantastic news and speaks volumes about those involved over that period.
The kids get so much out of it and get to use the resources that such a large organisation has. Patrick has done canoeing, welding and blacksmithing at weekend camps this year, all the while enjoying the outdoors and being with some mates. How cool is that.
Angus and Owen have participated in the family camp as well as night hikes, bike hikes and outings to places like Tree Adventures in Belgrave.
None of this could happen without leaders and a committee. The Cub Scouts currently enjoy 5 leaders while Scouts have 3. And given that the movement is now co-ed at all levels, it's great that there are 3 female leaders across the group (including Karen). And it's also great to see that such a great organisation with a rich history is alive and thriving.
January 2013 is Australian Jamboree and it is being held in Maryborough, Qld. Karen and Patrick are both going along with 2 other leaders and 14 other scouts from our troop. 10 days with 12000-15000 scouts and leaders from across the country doing all sorts of activities sounds awesome. I'm sure they'll have a ball.
Historically, some scouts hang around until jamboree and are then lost to girls, part time jobs, cars etc. This happens in all sports and interest groups with kids at that age. The disappointing thing is that Venturers and Rovers exist for youth of that age to continue in and keep building on what they've already learnt and maintain those peer groups and networks as they grow and mature. But with so few (in the past) making that progression, many groups don't have there own Venturers Unit or Rover group. In our area, Venturers and Rovers are largely a district gathering.
At Upwey we have a number of Scouts that will hit the end of their scout age over the next 12-18 months and there are moves afoot to see if we can setup (resurrect) our own Venturer unit. And I've thrown my hat in the ring. I'm sure it will be a big learning curve, but with my amazing wife by my side to guide me with my training I'm sure I'll be able to do it and that we'll be able to juggle our many family commitments.
So anybody reading this out there I'd encourage you to encourage your kids to give it a go. And if you like a bit of adventure yourself, you could do a lot worse than dip your toe in the scouting waters.
From my experiences so far it's a great organisation with loads of support and great people.
If you've got a question, leave a comment.
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