WELCOME TO THE WORLD’S LARGEST YOUTH MOVEMENT

Thank you for enquiring about the Baden Powell Park Scout Group.

We are the biggest Scout group in Victoria and have achieved that status because of the quality of our more than 30 leaders and the programs they run for our 200 youth members.

We are one of the few groups in the world to carry the name of the founder of Scouting, Lord Robert Baden Powell. He stayed in the South Frankston area in 1934-35, when Frankston hosted Australia’s first scouting Jamboree and the first jamboree held outside Europe. It was a  massive event of 12,000 people spread over 280 acres.

Baden Powell Drive and Baden Powell Reserve commemorate his involvement and his founding of the most amazing youth organisation in the world

Scouting is now over 100 years old and boasts more than 28 million members in 130 countries. Incredibly, it is almost completely run on a voluntary basis.

Baden Powell Park is the group name for the four levels of scouting we offer, which are open to boys and girls: 

• Joey Scouts (6 and 7 year olds) (Wednesday nights) 

• Cub Scouts (8 to 11 year olds) 

Warrington Pack (Monday nights)  

Thorpe Pack (Tuesday Nights) 

Norwich Pack (Friday nights) 

• Scouts (11 to 15 year olds) 

Hunters Troop (Thursday nights) 

Explorers Troop (Monday nights) 

• Venturers (15 to 18 year olds) 

Narringalling Venturer Unit (Tuesday nights) 

WHERE ARE WE ?

We operate from two locations.

Our main hall is on the corner of Humphries Road and Baden Powell Drive in Frankston South, while we also have another hall right on the beach at Canadian Bay in Mt Eliza. Both are well equipped to provide a wide range of land and water-based activities.

Our Warrington Pack Cub Scouts operate out of our Canadian Bay beach hall. While the other sections of our group are based at the Humphries Road Hall, their programs include a good range of water- based activity.

During Term 1 of each year we offer a structured learn-to-sail and water activities program to any of our youth members. We have four Pacer sail training yachts, kayaks, canoes and access to motor boats.

Our year-round program truly reflects the best that the Mt Eliza-South Frankston lifestyle has to offer

WHAT ARE THE AIMS OF SCOUTING ?

The aim of Scouting is: 

“ to encourage the physical, intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual development of young people so that they can take a constructive place in society as responsible citizens and as members of their local, national and international communities”.  

If that sounds a bit heavy, don’t worry because, in achieving these aims, we do many exciting, challenging activities and have a lot of fun. 

WHAT DO WE OFFER ?

Each section of Baden Powell Park offers an extensive scouting, recreational and social program especially developed by Scouts Australia and our leaders to suit the various age levels, but always with a major emphasis on fun, learning and physical activity. Each level is designed to prepare the youth member to progress onto the next section. 

Joeys and Cubs offers a more indoor based program, while Scouts and Venturers emphasises outdoor recreation. One week you might be at a surf camp or on an abseiling expedition and the next week you could be doing a night hike through local bushland. Regular district and region activities are also held for all levels. 

Every three years Scouts can choose to attend the Australian Jamboree as part of our Group. Cuborees for Cubs and special gatherings for Venturers are also held every few years. There are even international opportunities to enable our youth to expand their horizons even further.

Activities you could enjoy during the year include: 

• Hiking 

• Rock-climbing 

• Sailing 

• Canoeing 

• Kayaking 

• Skiing 

• Abseiling 

• Four-Wheel Driving 

• Urban Camps 

• Construction 

A LEARNING EXPERIENCE

Scouting differs from many other leisure and recreational activities in that it also provides a structured, self-paced learning program. 

Don’t worry, it’s nothing like school and most of the time they will not even realise that they are learning ! 

Achievement is measured through earning proficiency badges in each of the sections. The major badge milestones that can be achieved as your child progresses through the movement include the well-known Queens Scout Award for Venturers, the Australian Scout Medallion for Scouts, the 

Grey Wolf Award for Cub Scouts and the Promise Challenge for Joeys. 

OUR LEADERS

All our leaders and any others in regular contact with children have been trained by Scouts Australia and have Victoria Police clearances, as well as the State Government ‘Working with Children’ clearance.  

They are there to make sure your child enjoys a safe, but exciting scouting experience. Parents are not encouraged to stay with their child/ children, and if there is a need for them to stay in the hall on a regular basis they are required to obtain a Working with Children card.

Every part of Scouting is run by volunteers. Generally, the leaders are, or have been, parents of children in Scouting. We rely on parents to become leaders & to involve themselves in the support structures behind the scenes.  

None of our leaders or committee members are paid or receive any financial benefit. The Group cannot function without sufficient numbers of leaders or parent helpers to run the programs and to ensure the safety of youth members.  

WHAT DOES IT COST ?

The fees for 2009-2010 are as follows: 

• Joeys:   $286 per year 

• Cubs:   $342 per year 

• Scouts:  $395 per year 

• Venturers:  $270 per year 

Families are also required to pay an upfront $100 parental involvement levy per family per year. This is, in effect, a loan to the Group, as it is repaid to the family upon completion of 2 X 2hr work sessions per year, including one Christmas tree selling/ delivery session.

A $30 joining fee applies, which covers the cost of the Group scarf,  woggle, badges and any books. The fees provide 40 weeks a year of quality activity, all equipment, and full insurance cover through Scouts Australia. $124 of  annual the fee is forwarded to Scouts Australia for registration and insurance. 

There will also be the occasional one-off cost for special activities, such as excursions and camps.  

The first quarterly fee instalment includes the $124 Scouts Australia registration and insurance levy (or a pro-rata amount if you are joining during the course of the year). First instalment fees are required to be paid at the time of interview with the Group Leader (cheque or credit card). Subsequent instalments are invoiced by the Treasurer on a quarterly basis.  

SCOUTING NEEDS PARENTAL COMMITMENT

Scouting is not a child-minding organisation.  The Group would collapse if all every parent did was drop-off and pick-up their child. Assistance most often takes the form of providing transport to and from activities and camps. It may also involve sharing a skill or hobby with the children. You might also consider taking a position on the Group Committee, which ensures that the Group is adequately resourced to enable the leaders to deliver the programs. 

It takes over $50,000 a year to operate the Group, and the value of leader labour contributed to the Group is estimated at close to $150,000.

Income comes from membership fees and fundraising activities.  Fundraising is necessary to make ends meet, but we try to make it as pleasant as possible.   

The annual Christmas tree sales are the backbone of our effort. Working bees are also held a couple of times a year.  

In addition to paying your fees, you will be needed to help out about two or three times a year – just a couple of hours at a time. This is not optional, although a $100 per child ‘opt-out’ levy can be added to your annual fees if you would prefer not to, or are not able to, participate in the program of activities. Otherwise, a fundraising program will be provided to you during the first few weeks and we ask you to nominate which activities you can assist us with.   

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM US 

The leaders at all levels are trained to provide an enjoyable and challenging program, which has been designed with an emphasis on outdoor activities and hands-on learning, to suit the needs and capabilities of children within a specific age range. 

The programs are developed and issued at the beginning of each term.  Notices of changes to the program or activities outside normal meetings are also provided in advance. In the course of the program your child will be provided with appropriate equipment. They will be taught how to use it safely and encouraged to care for it and to use it responsibly. 

During the evening sessions and also during excursions, outside activities and camps, we have a Duty of Care to ensure your child’s safety. This is taken very seriously and is re-enforced by the safety standards of Scouts Australia, through the District Commissioner and Group Leader. 

If you have any concerns, you’re encouraged to speak directly to the section leader and, if appropriate, it will be handled by the Group Leader. 

WHAT WE EXPECT FROM YOUR CHILD

Joeys, cubs, scouts and venturers provides a great outlet for letting off  steam, especially through the physical activities. 

The leaders are prepared for a fair bit of exuberance, however, anti-social behaviour, disrespect (to leaders and other youth members), aggression,  bullying (physical and emotional) and swearing is not tolerated. 

Breaches of behaviour will be discussed with the child and their parent/s by the section leader. If necessary, a formal warning may be issued.  If behaviour does not improve, the matter will be referred to the Group Leader for appropriate action. 

Thanks to the skill of our leaders, very few incidents of this nature occur, but to ensure the harmony and safety of the Group, occasional action needs to be taken and we ask for your cooperation in these instances. 

MEDICAL INFORMATION

We require all members to complete a medical disclosure form upon joining and, thereafter, at the start of each year. An update may also be required before undertaking any activity away from the hall. 

It seeks medical information to assist us in performing our Duty of Care. The information is treated as confidential and is only accessed by those who have a need to know. If there are items of information you would rather communicate verbally, please discuss these with the section leader. 

Any medications needed by the youth member while on an excursion or camp (including those to be self-administered) must be clearly labeled by a parent or guardian and handed, with instructions, to one of the leaders prior to departure  for the activity.  

FAMILY COURT ORDERS

In order to ensure the well being of youth members, it is necessary that the Group Leader is made aware of any orders regarding intervention, the Family Court or the Children’s Court.  

WHERE TO FROM HERE ?

Because we are a very popular Scout Group, there are usually waiting lists for each of our sections.

The first step is to contact the Group Leader, Tim Bracher, on 97870962 (Bus.), or 9787 0952 (A.H.)  He will advise on whether your child can immediately enter a section on a try-out basis or whether they will need to be added to a waiting list.

Your child can ‘road test’ Scouting and Baden Powell Park for three nights without obligation. You will be asked to sign two forms on the first night, which provides immediate insurance cover through Scouts Australia.

After the try-out period, it is then a matter of phoning the Group Leader to arrange an interview and payment of fees. Then, within a matter of weeks, your child will be formally invested into the Group.

You will need to purchase a uniform at any Snowgum store  (the closest is at 880 Nepean Highway in Moorabbin – tel. 9555 7811).  Uniform shirts range from about $30 for joeys and from about $45 for Cubs and Ccouts and from about $55 for Venturers,