YOUNG people in the Burdekin District, aged between five and 25, are being given the opportunity to join in with “fun and challenging opportunities to grow through adventure” – but in recent times, local youth have not been taking that opportunity to join in the Scouts Australia activities locally.
With around 70,000 members, Scouts Australia is one of the largest youth development organisations in Australia.
What makes the organisation unique is their diverse range of activities that develop skills in young people, such as leadership, teamwork, problem solving and communication from the age of five years.
Today’s Scouts can take part in an extraordinary variety of outdoor activities, from ‘traditional Scouting skills’ such as camping and bushcraft, through to more extreme challenges such as abseiling, overnight hiking, rafting, canoeing, canyoning, snow activities, rock climbing, sailing, even flying!
The Scouts Australia Program also incorporates contemporary issues such as youth health, ‘responsible risk-taking’, vocational skills, and issues pertinent to Indigenous Australians.
They also offer an Award Scheme that encourages participation in the full range of activities available and provides recognition of individual achievement.
Scouts Australia is an accredited member of the World Organisation of the Scout Movement (WOSM), which has over 40 million members in 169 National Scout Organisations around the world.
Members of the Lower Burdekin Scouts Group meet regularly at their Den at the corner of Twelfth Avenue and Eighth Street, Home Hill where they participate in a program of activities that have already been mapped out for the remainder of 2023 and which will keep the scouts extremely busy.
There is a series of steps to someone becoming a scout, including attending three to six nights free as an introduction, completing an application to join Scouts Queensland and purchasing a uniform before the badgework pre-requisites are completed on or around week six, leading into a ceremony to invest a new member.
A family information booklet is available to anyone wishing to join the Lower Burdekin
Scouts by email: gl@lowerburdekin.scoutsqld.com.au or by phoning the Group Leader on 0402 466 952; the Scout Leader on 0419 104 035; or the Cub Leader on 0419 686 905.
The entire family is welcome and encouraged to be involved when a member joins Scouting.
There are activities that involve all the family and even relatives sometimes will be invited to join in.
