The most important aspect of parent involvement is the encouragement you give to your child. The young people who get the most out of Scouting are those who put the most into it. All children have times when they need encouragement, and certainly times when they need some help.

This is where you come in.

Scouts SA is a fully voluntary organisation. The Leaders all have full daytime commitments like yourself. Other than the time at the meeting nights, they all spend many hours preparing for the various activities, keeping up with training requirements and many other activities behind the scenes.

The support given will depend on the individual circumstances of each family. Areas in which regular help is needed are:

Transport

Occasionally transporting the children to various activities included in our program.

Working Bees

The Scout Hall and surrounding property need regular maintenance to ensure the facility is kept in good repair and that our members and tenants are in a safe and pleasant environment. The Committee has three working bees each year and each family is expected to assist at one of them, or in some other tangible way (for example offer specialised skills for a particular project – for example electrical, plumbing, air conditioning, carpentry, accounting.

Assisting on meeting nights

Some activities are better and safer with an extra pair of hands, eyes and ears. If we call for a little extra help, it is good to know that there are parents willing to assist!

Sometimes our groups will have a roster as we require additional help each night to ensure we can maintain an effective adult/child ratio. It is usual that two parents are on a roster to assist with each meeting.

Parents Committee

The Parents Committee’s main function is to support the Leaders to ensure that we have an active and healthy group. The committee:

• controls group finance,
• maintains the hall and grounds,
• completes submissions for special funding, organizes fundraising and social activities,
• seeks potential leaders,
• promotes the Group and Scouting in community to ensure growth in membership.

The Parents Committee is elected at an Annual General Meeting. Members are required to attend meetings each month to plan and develop activities with the Leader in charge. Visitors are welcome.

The Committee includes a chairperson, treasurer and secretary, and at least one representative from the hall maintenance, fundraising and publicity committees.

Joining the Parents Committee is one of the ways in which interested parents can support their child’s Scouting without the weekly commitment of being a Leader. It is also a good way to get to know other parents and to find out what is happening in the Group.

Becoming a Volunteer Leader in Scouting

Most Leaders in Scouting are adults responsible for the delivery of the Youth Program. These Leaders undertake fun activities with young people, usually on a weekly basis. As a Leader of Youth, you work with your team to support young people learn new skills through the Scout method. This means that young people lead and the adults support.

Delivering the Youth Program can be very rewarding! Plus, Scouting gives you access to accredited training to support you on your journey.

Leaders of Youth told us what they enjoy about their experience:

• You get to meet such a diverse group of people through Scouting.
• Scouting teaches a sense of community.
• Just get up and out into nature and fresh air!
• The more energy that you put in, the most you get out of it!
• Scouting is one big family.

Learn new skills, enjoy adventure, and meet new friends while making a difference to young people in your community.

Check it out. No experience required. It’s life-changing!

Get in contact with your local group via ….

To ensure our Scouting activities may be run safely, timely and with fun for all, we therefore ask parents to observe and reinforce with their children the following code of conduct:

Please try to be on time for activities, and have the appropriate paperwork with you, this just maximizes the time we get having fun on activities.

We have a few ceremonies for a number of occasions, some are for beginning and ending our meeting nights and they can be a time for celebration, reflection or to share information. Please respect these ceremonies and help educate your children about the importance of respectful behaviour during these ceremonies.

Please hold your catch-up chats with other parents outside the Scout Hall, in the kitchen or back room.

Please effectively manage siblings to ensure they are not an interruption or distraction to our Scouting activities and ceremonies.

Please effectively manage siblings within the Scout Hall and other activities sites for their own safety and the safety of our youth members.

Parent help is crucial to our Scout Group. Parents are encouraged to seek out things to help with.

Please remind your child to behave responsibly at Scouts at all times, we all want to have fun so respecting each other and being mindful of ourselves is a great way to start.

Finally, a reminder that all our Leaders happily volunteer their time to Scouting and your child – please ensure your child is respectful and responsive to all Leaders at all times.