Encompass Issue 52 – May 2013 - Kawana Scouts

Branch Commissioner ScoutsSteve Marshall (Wolf)bc.scouts@qldhq.scouts.com.auI can get a bit anal somemes when it comes to numbers, perhapsthat’s the Engineer in me. The good thing about numbers is thatthey are unbiased and not influenced by conjecture, unless astascian gets involved somewhere.The chart below shows the numbers of Scouts moving into and outof the Scout Secon. The number that is displayed is a movingaverage. This done to remove all of the lile ups and downs frommonth to month and shows the general trend.There are a couple of trends occurring that we should all be able totake some pride in, the main one being retenon (blue line). This isa major problem for Scoung as a whole and is a direct refleconon the programs and leadership opportunies we are providing toour Scouts.It’s fantasc to see that this has now dropped to below 100. Whileits great to see this figure improving it is sll quite sobering to thinkthat we are failing to meet the needs of almost 100 Scouts eachmonth. It can be likened to 4 whole Scout Troops being lost eachand every month.Movements to and from our neighbouring Secons has had its upsand downs but generally it has been reasonably constant. Currentlyboth of these trends are showing a slight increase and I’d like tochallenge you to keep the upward trend going.It’s extremely important that we maintain a close relaonship withour neighbouring Secons so that we can provide progressivedevelopment. Do you have any acvies planned this term withother Secons? Do you or your Patrol Leaders visit Cubs regularly?Does your Troop know your Venturer Leader or Unit Chairman? Arelinking and going up ceremonies planned in your Group Councils? Isthe going up special for each Youth Member?services all over the country. I’ve heard many a story of Scoutsgeng up early to aend a dawn service then fronng up again forthe march and morning service. Many of the Scouts are involved inproviding service as part of their local ceremonies. Congratulaonsto you all for taking a couple of hours to honour the sacrifices madeby others.To raise the awareness of Scouts to our Veterans there is theopportunity to earn the “Their Service – Our Heritage” badge. Thereis a different badge every year and it can only be worn during theyear in which it was presented. To earn this badge requiresparcipaon in three relevant acvies.Some suggesons are:• Take part in an ANZAC Day march or ceremony• Take part in Remembrance Day• Invite a Veteran to your meeng to talk to you• Visit a Veterans Home or the local RSL• Maintain your local Memorial• Visit a Tomb of the Unknown SoldierI’m sure that a lile brain storming at the next Troop Council willcome up with plenty more ideas.Scout In Acon WeekScouts in acon week is on again this year from the 19 th to the 25 thof August. The theme this year is “Scoung in the Community” andit is aimed at encouraging our Scouts to be involved in working withother community groups towards a project that benefits the localcommunity. Visit www.scoutsinaconweek.com to register andreceive updates. Programs from previous years are also availablefrom this site.Scout OutScout Out will be on this year from the 12 th -13 th of October at BPPark. This is a hands on training weekend for Scout Leaders wherewe get to play like Scouts ourselves. As this is a weekend for youplease let me know if there are any special topics you would likeincluded in the program. More details will be available closer to theevent but please make sure you put it into your calendar now.“The Scout Oath and Law are our binding disciplinary force..”Sir Robert Baden-PowellANZAC DayIt’s great to see the Scout movement involved in ANZAC Day9