Scouts Australia

Scouts Australia Teaches kids Important life Skills

The Adelaide Advertiser reports that latest findings by the University of South Australia (UniSA) indicate that organisations like Scouts Australia, teach children how to understand and negotiate social situations, making them them better prepared for life.

UniSA Research fellow Dr Anne Glover says, "Lots of parents will say to me 'My child is four and they can count to 100' or 'My child is five and they know the alphabet backwards', but I'll ask them if their child can make friends...We all say we want our kids to be happy and they can only be happy when they know how to make friends and how to have long relationships. If this isn't in place by the time they are six or seven, then there's a real risk of them not being able to maintain friendships and marriage down the track."

That is where organisations like Scouts Australia offer young children a vast range of opportunities.

Scouts SA chief commissioner John Derbyshire says the almost 7000 young people who take part in scout activities throughout the state learn in a way that is "not forced or classroom taught".

"They learn in such a way that they don't realise they're being taught," Mr Derbyshire says.

"We do this by encouraging them to enjoy and respect the outdoors, undertake adventurous activity that's not always canoeing or abseiling. Some are hall-based and creating motivation. No matter how long someone's association was with Scouts or what they did, it's been of benefit to them later in life."

To read the full article by the Adelaide Advertiser click here. To join Scouts call 1800 SCOUTS or go to the Scouts Australia website.