SolarBuddy
Create a Brighter World Through STEM
Your Unit can illuminate the future of a child living in energy poverty – by building them a solar light, right in your meeting place.
Globally, over 660 million people live without access to electricity, and 2.1 billion still rely on polluting fuels for cooking. Without access to clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy, communities cannot meet their most basic needs. This is extreme energy poverty – and your Unit can do something about it.
As part of our commitment to help other people, Units of all age sections are invited to be part of tackling these global challenges. The below activities from SolarBuddy are perfect for a Unit night, combining community involvement, STEM, and hands-on learning.
SolarBuddy is an Australian organisation working to address energy poverty around the world. By facilitating these activities with your Unit, youth members follow a simple three-step journey that starts in your meeting place and ends in the hands of a child on the other side of the world:
Learn – about extreme energy poverty, solar technology, and global citizenship
Make – assemble a solar device and write a personal letter to a buddy overseas
Illuminate – their completed device is sent to a child living in extreme energy poverty
Plan>
First, choose the SolarBuddy activity that’s right for your Unit. Consider age suitability, time available in your program, and cost.
JuniorBuddy:
Suitable for all sections, this activity sees each participant assemble a purpose-built, solar-powered LED light designed to help children living in energy poverty access safe, reliable lighting for study and daily life.
Click here to order a JuniorBuddy kit for your Unit. JuniorBuddy kits are available in packs of 25 or 50 lights at $55 (incl. GST) per light. Minimum order is 25 lights plus shipping.
Bright Futures Bundle:
Suitable for Venturer Scouts and Rover Scouts, participants assemble a complete household solar solution in groups of 2-3. This includes a portable solar panel, multifunction power hub with USB charging, and two rechargeable head torches – donated to a family living beyond the grid.
Click here to order a Bright Futures Bundle kit for your Unit. Bright Futures Bundle kits are $330 incl. GST per bundle, with a minimum order of 8 bundles.
JuniorBuddy and the Bright Futures Bundle are more than just lights – they’re tools for change, created with impact, education, and sustainability at their heart. Once your order is confirmed, your kit will be delivered to your nominated address within 4 weeks.
Each kit contains everything you need: all components for assembling the lights, step-by-step instruction manuals, guided resources and activity plans. If your Unit is smaller than the minimum order size, consider teaming up with another section – this can also make for a great joint night!
Funding to help your Unit purchase a SolarBuddy kit and deliver the activity might be available from a local council, community foundation or local business. To assist, click here for a toolkit to help you write a grant application.
Do>
You have scheduled the night in your Unit program and your SolarBuddy kit has arrived in the mail. Now it’s time to make it happen! Here’s a rough plan for the night:
- Introducing the activity (20 mins) – Provided in the kit are resources your Unit can use to learn about renewable energy, sustainability and energy poverty. If using the activity as part of a Special Interest Area, guide participants to set relevant goals.
- Building the lights (30-45 mins) – Divide up the materials from the kit and follow the instruction manual as a group to assemble the lights. Check out what the JuniorBuddy assembly looks like in this video.
- Quality control (5 mins) – Test each light to make sure it works before packing up.
- Writing letters (10-15 mins) – Each participant writes a letter to the child or family who will receive their light. Prompt cards are included in the kit to help younger sections get started.
Following the activity, package the assembled lights and any leftover materials back in the SolarBuddy kit, and return to SolarBuddy – from here, they’ll get your lights on their way to children and communities overseas!
Review>
As a Unit, discuss the activity, your impact, and the responsibility we have to contribute to the wider community. Use these prompts to guide the conversation:
- What do you think the child who receives your light will use it for?
- How might having a reliable light at home change what’s possible for a family?
- What could your Unit do to keep shining a light on this issue?
- How does this connect to the Scout Promise to help other people?
This activity would make a great Special Interest Area project for Joey Scouts, or part of a broader project for other sections.
Once the lights have been distributed to families living in extreme energy poverty, your Unit will receive regular impact updates from SolarBuddy. This will explain how many families receive lights, where they are located, and the difference they’re making to daily life.
Assembling a SolarBuddy light is a great opportunity to realise an important part of Scouts Australia’s purpose – growing responsible citizens for the global community. Your Unit can make a direct impact on other people and the planet through these activities.
Together, we’re creating a world where no child is left in the dark. Your Unit builds a light here, and a child on the other side of the world gets to study, stay safe and thrive because of it.
Please contact youth.program.support@scouts.com.au if you have any questions.
