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:

Joey Scout Record Book

Cub Scout Record Book

Scout Record Book

Venturer Scout Record Book

Rover Scout Record Book

#7 Optional: Outdoor Adventure Skills book

Membership badges (badge placement)

Badges are provided at 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.

Join our communications methods - all are invitation only for privacy (except group Facebook page)

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. Parents can transfer profiles to another parent (or adult child) or change email address using instructions on the Scouts Qld knowledge base.

2. Google group email 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 public 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:

1. Best by email to the section inbox (shared by all leaders). Expect an answer in a couple of days.

   1. Joeys@StJohnsWood.ScoutsQLD.com.au

   2. Cubs@StJohnsWood.ScoutsQLD.com.au

   3. Scouts@StJohnsWood.ScoutsQLD.com.au

   4. Venturers@StJohnsWood.ScoutsQLD.com.au

   5. Rovers@StJohnsWood.ScoutsQLD.com.au

2. Also ask leaders for their phone number - provided at the bottom of most emails. Best for urgent matters. Phone numbers are also in a special always available Operoo form.

3. 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.

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 {Adult Member}

Regular section nights helper {Adult Member}

Scout membership levels

Not a member (eg parent with no other role): can help around grounds, help seven times per year at unit activities, be in a parent patrol. Can't help overnight at camp or more than 1/month at section nights (on average).

Adult Supporters: allows adults to help at camps and regularly (at least monthly) help on section nights.  This requires compulsory child safety training and a Blue Card. See below for instructions. This role allows access to Scout training and the online platform Terrain to help with badgework and general unit administration. A role statement provides details.

How to help

Complete both the relevant Scout form and blue card online form (Blue card is required for all Adult Supporter, Leader and Scouts age 18+).

#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 (Select "Adult Member" on first page and on page 4 appointment select "Member". SJW GL conducts referee check, approves application and pays fee to HQ. Special note for Venturer and Rover Scouts - skip this step, just email your Blue Card application number to Scout 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 helping regularly at section nights, SJW Scouts provides a polo shirt. 

Flowchart showing the blue card process.

More details below.

Assistant Leader and Leader 

Email or phone us. We'd love to talk to you about this.

Assistant Leader and Leader: take charge of Scouts at section nights and camps, after training. General Scouts Australia information.

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.