Scouts ACT is a volunteer-driven recreation organisation that provides fun, accessible, age-appropriate, affordable outdoor education programs for young people.  

Modern Scouting is a youth movement, guided by adults, where youth are increasingly self-managing.  Young people progress along their Scouting journey in a consistent manner, learning and growing as they experience a wide range of developmentally challenging adventures, with peers. Scouting achieves youth empowerment, it creates active citizens, and it cultivates lifelong values and skills. Scouting is education for life.  

In 2022 Scouts ACT delivered 5,000 weeknight meetings and 1,100 outdoor excursions (20,000 hours!).  The diversity of the Scout Program is unmatched by any other youth organisation, and includes bushwalking, camping, skiing, sailing/canoe/kayaking, cycling, rock activities, and environmental and community service.

Scouting in the ACT is in demand and growing strongly after COVID, with the highest membership levels in a decade BUT with a waiting list caused by a shortage of qualified scout leaders.   

Scouts ACT needs help to reduce the cost barriers experienced by Scout Groups to onboard and train Scout Leaders.  This will help to recruit and retain volunteers, and open the opportunity to more kids to join Scouts and get the benefits of its wonderful program of activities. 

How your donation will help

We want to raise $10,000 to make new Leader Training FREE in 2023, so that more volunteers are quickly trained and qualified to lead outdoor education activities for kids.  Leader Training is free to the leader but is a cost to the Scout Group they belong to.  Training expenses divert funds from other important program needs like repair and replacement of activity equipment and facilities.

We train 50+ new incoming Scout Leaders annually, at a cost of $200 per head.

Leader Training is a ‘no-exceptions’ requirement to ensure the wellbeing of children in our care, and the safety and quality of all Scouting activities.  It is not a discretionary expense.

Any funds raised exceeding the target will be used to reduce the cost borne by Scout Groups for their leaders completing advanced and specialist Leader Training courses.  In 2022, 54 leaders undertook advanced training and 121 leaders undertook specialist adventurous activity training.

Growing the pool of qualified entry-level leaders will expand the number of places available to young people who wish to join Scouting.  Growing the number of leaders with additional specialist qualifications will allow more technically advanced activities to be offered, more often.