Scouts Australia

infobox WorldScouting

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caption =
name = Scouts Australia
headquarters = Chatswood, NSW
country = Australia
f-date = 1908
founder = Lord Baden Powell
members = 67,269 cite web |title=Triennial Report 2005-2008 |url=http://scout.org/en/content/download/11615/94838/file/Triennial_Report_EN.pdf |publisher=World Organization of the Scout Movement |accessdate=2008-07-13] ]
website = * [http://www.scouts.com.au Scouts Australia]

Scouts Australia is an organisation for children and young adults from 6 to 26 years of age. Scouts Australia is part of the global Scouting movement and national member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement since 1953.

Scouting in Australia

in 1912 and in later years (1927, 1931 and 1934) encouraged the extension of the Movement in Australia. [ [http://www.scouts.com.au/main.asp?iStoryID=724 Scouting comes to Australia] Accessed 14 December 2006 ]

Although each state branch in Australia was directly and individually responsible to Imperial headquarters in London, there grew up a desire to achieve co-operation at headquarters level and so a federal council of nominees from each state council was formed in 1922. This body later appointed an Australian Commissioner.

For more than 30 years, Scouting was coordinated by the Australian Federal Scout Council, which functioned as a Branch of the British Boys Scout Association. In 1958 the adjuration of the Australian Boys Scout Association took place and in 1967 the national organisation was incorporated by Royal Charter. [ [http://www.comlaw.gov.au/ComLaw/Legislation/ActCompilation1.nsf/0/9146DC11D63FF08CCA256F71004F1D91/$file/ScoutAss1924.pdf Scout Association Act - amendments to 2003] Accessed 14 December 2006 ] The public name of the association was changed to the Scout Association of Australia in 1971, when girls were first admitted, although the official name was not changed until 2001, when the Royal Charter was amended through an Act of Parliament. The Organisation is now known as 'Scouts Australia', however its formal title remains The Scout Association of Australia.

Scouts Australia is a 'federation' made up of branches that operate in each Australian state and territory. Each branch is completely separate, maintaining its own structure and operational methodologies and rules, however all operate under a common uniform and common award scheme structure. How each branch chooses to structure itself down to individual Group level remains the prerogative of the relevant Branch.

The Chief Scout of Australia is the Australian Governor General, [http://www.scouts.com.au/main.asp?iStoryID=734 Chief Scout] Accessed, 14 December 2006 ] who is the representative in Australia of the Monarch (currently Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II). The Chief Scout in each state is normally the State Governor, who is also the Monarch's representative in each State.

Australia was made a member of the World Scout Organisation of Scout Movements (WOSM) in 1953 and is a Founder Member of the Asia-Pacific Region. In the field of support and co-operation with other member countries of the Asia Pacific Region, the organisation has contributed to a number of international friendship and community development orientated projects.

Over the years, Australian Scouts have supported emerging Scout Associations in the South Pacific. A twinning project with the Bangladesh Scouts, known as the "Bangladesh-Australia Child Health" (BACH) project made a dramatic impact on child health in project villages during its operation from 1986 to 1992. [ [http://www.bangladeshscout.net.bd/activitiy/activity.htm Bangladesh Scouts Home page] Accessed 14 December 2006 ] [ [http://202.136.7.26/images/7thascon_poster_I-bangladesh.pdf Paper on Project] Accessed 14 December 2006 ] The Scout Association has a twinning project with the Nepal Scouts known as NATURE Project and involves the reforestation of the Kristi Landslide. [ Submission to inquiry into Charitable and Related Organisations by Scouts Australia, 2003. ]

Australia hosted the successful 16th World Scout Jamboree and the 31st World Scout Conference in 1988. Some 15,000 Scouts from 94 countries attended the Jamboree at Cataract Scout Park near Sydney. An Australian Scout Jamboree has been held every three years since 1934 except for the years of the Second World War. The scout jamboree is the largest national scout event but there is also an Australian Rover Moot and an Australian Venture are also held every three years.

Scouts Australia created a youth forum in 2001, called the National Youth Council. It contains 30 members from the scout, venturer, and rover youth ages. [ [http://www.scouts.com.au/main.asp?iMenuID=2232 National Youth Council] ] The only member of the council who is an adult leader is the National Youth Council Adviser. It works with issues that affect the youth members, such as the Venturer Review (2007), the badge system, peer pressure and is designed to provide a connection between youth members and the management of the association.

In 2003 Scouts Australia became a Registered Training Provider under the banner of the Federal Dept. of Science, Technology and Training. Scouts Australia's Adult Leader Training now leads Adults to a Diploma of Leadership under the Australian Qualifications Framework. [ [http://www.vicscouts.asn.au/Branch/Info/InfoBook2006/Docs/Part6/Scouts%20Australia%20institute%20of%20training.pdf Scouts Australia Institute of Training] Accessed 14 December 2006 ]

According to its own Annual Reports [ [http://www.scouts.com.au/main.asp?iStoryID=2118 Scouts Australia Annual Reports] ] membership has decreased in all sections from a total of 84,502 in 2126 Groups in 2001 to a total of 63,200 in 1836 Groups in 2005, although membership of the Venturer and Rover sections increased slightly from 2004 to 2005.

Sections in Scouting

Youth in Scouting are divided into several age related groupings. They are designed to overlap and encourage movement through the sections as the youth member matures.

The youngest section is Joey Scouts (6 - 8 Years).Joey Scouts is about activities to help develop a child's sense of personal identity and sharing. This is demonstrated by the Joey Scout law "A Joey cares, a Joey shares." This section is followed by Cub Scouts (7.5 - 11) which aims to develop a sense of adventure and achievement and a chance to grow their character. The Scouts Section (10.5 - 15) promotes understanding of campcraft and the environment, whilst developing team skills and organisational abilities. Venturer Scouts (14.5 - 17) uses the skills learnt in the later years of scouting through a system of self-governance. Rovers (17 - 26) is all about developing the social connections gained in earlier years in scouting and serving the community and the organisation. [http://www.scouts.com.au/image_display.asp?iImageID=9545647&enumImageType=1000 Report to the Nation 2006] "Scouts Australia", Accessed 24/6/7]

Uniform

Throughout its history the Scouting Movement has been clearly identified by its uniform. Over the years much goodwill has been received by the Scout Movement and the uniform serves as a focus for the support of the community.

Within the Movement the adult uniform enables the leaders to be closely identified with those they lead. The uniform also expresses the basic values that are involved in being an Adult Leader. For an Adult Leader, the uniform expresses the fact that all are equal before the task in hand. Common ideals are shared by recognising the roles of other leaders by the insignia on their uniforms.

The core uniform is a dark blue shirt with the relevant youth Section colour across the sleeves, yoke and collar; a blue or moss-green belt (white for sea scouts); scarf and woggle.
*Tan for Joeys
*Yellow for Cubs
*Green for Scouts
*Maroon for Venturers
*Red for Rovers

These colours are the official ones for the youth sections. The colour for the leaders' shirt is dark blue.

Lone Scouts

The Lone Scout Group is for the youth unable to attend or find a local Scout group. Lones include people with disabilities and are therefore unable to attend regular group meetings, people who are constant travellers or go to places at which they are unable to attend a group ie. boarding school or isolated communities. [ [http://www.lones.sa.scouts.com.au/ Lone Scouts South Australia] Accessed 7 February 2007]

Religion in Australian Scouting

Scouts Australia is open to young people from all religious faiths and from those with no religious affiliation. The wording in the Scout Promise of "do my best to do my duty to my God" allows flexibility and the movement is open to all who can make this promise. Historically, Scouting in Australia is rooted in Christianity as that was the dominant faith in the country in Scouting's early days, but recently members come from many faiths. Pagan authorities have raised issues with Scouts Australia regarding claimed policies barring from membership those with non-monotheistic beliefs [ [http://www.unitedpaganchurch.org.au/scout-guide.php United Pagan Churches of Australia scouting page] ] .dubious Others have maintained that there is no policy restricting Scouting to non-monotheistic beliefs and that even this more general policy is not always followed.Fact|date=August 2008

Scouts Australia elsewhere

Non-sovereign territories with Scouting run by Scouts Australia include
*Australian Indian Ocean Territories of
*

Other Scout organisations in Australia

Other Scout organisations in Australia include an independent branch of Związek Harcerstwa Polskiego/ZHP, a Polish emigré Scout organisation, nonaligned to a supranational organisation and not connected with ZHP/Poland; as well as the National Organisation of Russian Scouts, an emigré Scout organisation, not connected with Russian Association of Scouts/Navigators.

There are also members of [http://www.boy-scout.net/scoutaus/Menu.html Scouts of Australia] , who are affiliated to the Order of World Scouts and a few groups of Baden-Powell Scouts who are affiliated to World Federation of Independent Scouts.

ee also

*Guides Australia
*Queen's Scout Award
*Sea Scouts
*Baden-Powell Guild (Australia)
*Gang Show
*Clement Roy Nichols

References

External links

* [http://www.scouts.com.au Scouts Australia]
* [http://www.act.scouts.asn.au/ACTScouts/ Scouts Australian Capital Territory]
* [http://www.nswscouts.com.au Scouts New South Wales]
* [http://www.nt.scouts.com.au/ Scouts Northern Territory]
* [http://www.scoutsqld.com.au Scouts Queensland]
* [http://www.sa.scouts.com.au Scouts South Australia]
* [http://www.tas.scouts.com.au/ Scouts Tasmania]
* [https://www.vicscouts.asn.au/ Scouts Victoria]
* [http://www.wa.scouts.org.au/ Scouts Western Australia]
* [http://www.vicscouts.asn.au/Heritage/index.php Victorian Scout Heritage Centre]
* [http://tyakunda.scoutsqld.com.au/locator.html Map of Australian Scouting]