Pioneers Rocketing Towards 2019
Trialling, Testing and Critiquing Underway
More Scout Groups are joining the adventure on the new youth program as we prepare for nation-wide launch at AJ2019!
Earlier this year, five Scout Groups from New South Wales were trained, inducted, and celebrated the start of their journey on the renewed approach to Scouting. These groups, called the Pioneers, join four Victorian Groundbreaker Groups to trial, test, and provide feedback in a controlled implementation to ensure success. Already, the Pioneer Scout Groups are embracing the adventure, with new badges, systems and frameworks being put to the test. As proudly put by one Group Leader of a Pioneer Scout Group:
“I honestly believe that the new youth program is the best thing to happen in Scouting for years. Sure, it has its issues, but anything of value involves effort and sometimes a little discomfort.”
By the end of Term 3, there will be Pioneer Scout Groups in NSW, WA, SA and ACT who will join the adventure. Concurrently to these Pioneers, Scout Groups are preparing for the future using The Adventure Begins resources to refocus and rejuvenate Scouting.
For those not in a Pioneer Scout Group, there’s not much longer to wait! Join the Pioneer Scout Groups in celebrating the launch of the program at the upcoming 25th Australian Jamboree. Participants at AJ2019 will be amongst the first in Australia to learn about our new youth program in an exciting, action packed and interactive village located at the heart of the Jamboree site.
After AJ2019, implementation in Scout Groups will be managed by each Branch of Scouts Australia, catering to the specific structures, requirements, needs and expectations of their members. As expected, the introduction of the new youth program to the thousands of Scout Groups around Australia will take some time, with current plans starting in April 2019 and continuing to December 2021. Branch support teams will be working closely with Scout Groups during this transition to ensure success, with the interests of young people always at the centre.
The Pioneer Scout Groups follow five years of extensive volunteer work to develop a youth program that is exciting, engaging and relevant to 21st century young people. Thousands of people have contributed to how Scouting should look, feel and sound in the future through feedback, professional research by the University of Western Australia and McCrindle, consultation with members and the wider community, workshops and major event pop-up spaces. For more information on the journey of the Youth Program Review, head to the YPR Website.
