Welcome - start here
Also on this page - volunteer as a parent, adult member or assistant leader.
The joining process - recap
Now you've joined... A few steps to get completely involved:
1. Nominate to help in a parent patrol for 1 hour per month. This is an Operoo form that you'll access after the application form is processed. Parent patrols are explained here.
2. Complete the Operoo profile, including a clear passport style photo of your child
Leaders will train youth for investiture.
3. Opt in to the communication channels to stay informed - vital!
4. Buy uniform. The Cubs and Scouts have a separate welcome letter
5. Attend the mandatory "Introduction to Scouting" session
6. Investiture in uniform by leaders. Welcome aboard!
7. Parents will be put on a roster to assist on section nights - please look in the main den for the simple set of tasks to be completed.
Uniform and equipment requirements
Please buy three items from the www.scoutshop.com.au
#1. Shirt (eg Joey shirt) – most people buy the cheaper “polo” style. Remember to allow some room to grow as this shirt lasts until the next age group (ie when they turn 8).
#2. Queensland scarf
#3. Woggle – your choice, but there is a Queensland Woggle (easily lost) and the material woggle (a bit better I think and can be pinned on).
Shorts/skirt/trousers should be a practical colour from the range of dark blue, black, grey or sandstone. For official Queensland events, for older Scouts, sandstone is required. Shoes need to be closed in, active wear such as sandshoes. Thongs and crocks are not safe.
All Scouts must have a wide brim hat for outside activities. A scout hat is optional.
There are plenty of optional items such as hats and belt, and useful camping items such as a mess kit cloth bag (for plates, etc). Lots of good ideas for presents.
Please name all items.
#4) For Scout camps (age 11+): cloth plate “dilly” bag – you are likely to have the other required camp items at home.
#5) For camps, when age 12, each Scout is encouraged to own and care for their own tent, such as this 3 person Coleman 3CV, that we have used in SJW Scouts since 2010. SJW Scouts has some tents to borrow.
#6 Optional (as Scouts also has a digital app, Terrain): The Scout Record book for your section:
#7 Optional: Outdoor Adventure Skills book
Membership badges are provided at no additional cost on investiture. Scouts also earn many additional badges as they progress. They have an enormous sense of pride in earning a badge so it’s great when a parent sits down and sews the badge on with them and reflect on their child's achievement. Badge placement chart.
Intro to Scouting session
Scouts Qld requires the Group Leader ("Q") to personally brief all new parents and children and the easiest, and most engaging way, is with a short group session. The usual format is a briefing by me, a perspective from a parent, meet and greet so that we all know a little about the new families and a short youth session mainly around personal safety and expectations. Cub Scouts can join the Joey program for the night, and we’ll try and accommodate siblings in the Joey program, but please check in with the Joey Scout leaders at the start of the night.
Continuing families are also requested to attend a "Linking to the older section session" before their child moves to the next unit (age group).
Topics:
Youth focused session - 5 minutes - then youth will join the Joeys for the remaining session
45 minute "purpose of scouting" and how to maximise the program benefits
tea and biscuit sharing session.
Dates are listed in the calendar.
Join our communications methods - some are by invitation only for privacy
Facebook Group page, and closed group for each unit, and messenger chats for each unit and parent patrol. Please join! You should also become a member of the email list - please let a leader or parent liaison know if you are not receiving emails, though emails are not every week in Joey and Cub Scouts
1. Operoo - used for all permission forms for overnight events, adventurous events and events away from the den. Forms are sent by email to the primary address listed on your joining form, who becomes the "Profile Owner". A Profile Owner can give other person(s) (such as a second parent, babysitter, grandparent, child) 'View only' or 'View & Modify access' (instructions). We encourage families to give a second parent/carer access, as well as their child (view only) once they have an email address as that allows the child to find information on camps and outings. This "sharing" allows access, but does not send email notifications to the shared people. The GL can also add a second email address for email notifications on request.
2. Google group email chat system
Log in with your google email address to the google groups system and check you are a member of the "SJW Scouts" (or similar for your age group). The leaders will normally add your email into the group on joining. Expect an email most weeks in Scouts, and less frequently in Cubs. Other sections use Operoo to send emails.
2. Messenger chats for each unit (age group) for quick discussions.
Joeys – Cubs – Scouts - (Venturer and Rover Scouts manage their own)
3. Messenger chats for each parent patrol - not currently in use.
Parent Liaison
Housekeeping
Maintenance
Social
Fundraising
Publicity
4. Calendar - most sections use the Terrain calendar system. Subscribe to see the events on your phone. Venturers and Rovers use Facebook. The adult events (such as committee meetings) are on Office365.
5. Facebook - the group site
6. Terrain. Used for badge recording, and so communication about badge progress. Scouts has a free digital app, Terrain (log in with scout member number and DOB as YYYY-MM-DD) and alternative paper record books. Terrain support/manuals/videos/fact sheets: Terrain Website
Contact the leaders:
Best by email to the section inbox (shared by all leaders). Expect an answer in a couple of days.
Also ask them for their phone number - provided at the bottom of most emails. Best for urgent matters.
On the Messenger chat, but email or phone is more reliable.
Facebook closed pages for each unit (age group) Please see one of the leaders or me in person to add you. These are now rarely used.
Badges
There are some membership badges given on investiture, but a central plank of Scouting is badges that Scouts earn. More details on the badges page. Scouts works best when parents are interested and supportive in their children's Scouting life and knowledgeable about how scouting is organised, the events that are on and their progress with badges. That way it is a valuable shared family experience.
Adult membership / helping / volunteer
St Johns Wood Scouts has a great group of adult volunteers that makes volunteering fun and rewarding. Scouting requires assistance from parents and other volunteers in the following roles. Some roles require adults to formally join Scouts Queensland as a member (our group pays these fees), whilst other roles don't require membership. In the table below, the Scout membership level required is shown in {brackets}. Training is provided (see below).
Roles available
Committee - Monthly meeting (1 hour online). The Committee's role is to support the Group Leader and it does not have legal obligations. Roles include Chair {Adult member}, Secretary {Adult member}, Treasurer {Adult member} and general members {adult membership not required}. Tasks: Help with group activities and fundraising when available. Volunteer for any other tasks if desired and interested. GL can provide role statements on request.
Parent helper in a parent patrol (1 hour a month). Also need a Parent patrol leader to coordinate one parent patrol each. More details: Jump to this page.
Occasional attendance at unit nights as parent helper (usually parents are rostered on monthly).
Camp helper {Youth Program Supporter}
Regular section nights helper {Adult Member}
Scout membership levels
Not a member (eg parent with no other role): can help around grounds, help once/month at unit activities, be in a parent patrol. Can't help overnight at camp.
Youth Program Supporter: allows adults to help at camps. Compulsory child safety training and access to all Scout training. Blue Card required.
Adult Members: help on camps, PLUS regularly help on section nights. Access to Scout training.
Assistant Leader and Leader: take charge of Scouts at section nights and camps, after training. General Scouts Australia information.
How to help
Complete both the relevant Scout form and blue card online form (Blue card is required for all Scout membership levels).
#1 Blue card: 1. start application (part 1), nominating Scouts Qld as your volunteer application; Hints: Use computer (phone doesn't work). Landline field won't accept mobile - leave empty if no landline. Don't use browser back button.
#2 Complete the Scout Application (Choice: to help on a camp: Select "Adult supporter" on first page, and for page 4 appointment, select "Youth Program Supporter". To help regularly at a section night, Select "Adult Member" on first page and on page 4 appointment select "Member". SJW GL approves application and pays fee to HQ.
#3 Scouts Qld matches the Scout form with BC application ID using BC online portal.
#4 Applicant receives SMS or email from BC services and completes BC application;
#6 Applicant receives confirmation from BC services and welcome email from Scouts Qld; logon to ScoutsQld and undertake 2 mandatory online modules (Child Safe and Workplace health and safety) before attending scouts. For Adult Members, SJW Scouts provides a polo shirt.
Flowchart showing the process.
More details below.
Assistant Leader and Leader
Email or phone us. We'd love to talk to you about this.
Remember, Scouting is a very rewarding hobby – it comes after family and work.
Expect a one year commitment, but negotiable.
Attend 50%+ section nights. Understand work roster or travel commitments – can still be an assistant leader.
Assist programming: optional, but hopefully create one or two nights per term
Weekends/Camps: typically 2 weekends per year (cub camps are Fri & Sat night; Joey sleepovers are one night); typically, 2 other afternoons per year.
Meetings: section planning meeting recommended – typically a few hours, once per term. Other meetings optional: meeting of all leaders in groups once per term (Sunday afternoon), and District Training Meeting (Tuesday evening), twice per term.
Training
On demand (online) - done at home – about 18 hours, done at own pace. You must complete two mandatory safety modules before helping at a section night/camp. SJW Scouts will provide a Scout polo shirt.
"Scouting Essentials" weekend – Fri night to Sunday early afternoon. Purchase your uniform when you have applied for this course.
"Scouting Adventure" camping weekend - Friday night to Sunday early afternoon.
You can now take charge of a meeting night and most camps. Further training is available for more adventurous activities.
=== basic training now complete === aim to complete within 12 months === one leader with basic training must supervise every section activity.
Advanced training available, with online and one weekend. Suggest complete within 3 years if interested.
Many adults volunteer more time because they find it rewarding, but Scouts runs because lots of people volunteer in all sorts of ways.
Scouts website log-ins
www.ScoutsQld.com.au forms, calendar, training calendar, useful resources. ACCESS: Scout membership number and DOB as DDMMYY and it will prompt you to enter a new password. To reset your password as many times as you need, just email or try the “recover password” option.
Training www.training.scouts.com.au ACCESS: registration number as your user name, and your password is your date of birth as DDMMYY. From there navigate to Scout Central – my E-learning. Two mandatory modules should be obvious as well as lots of interesting options. The two mandatory ones by memory are “child safe” and “WHS”.
Digital app (free) /website: Terrain. Log in with your Scout membership number and DOB as YYYY-MM-DD. Access to your email is required for confirmation code. Leaders can reset the password for this app.