Strategy for Scouting
Our plan to enhance the youth program
Scouts Australia is making delivery of the program easier and more impactful. Through Key Move 1 of our 2023-2027 Strategic Plan, we will give our people the tools, clarity and confidence to deliver life-changing, adventurous and safe experiences for young people.
What are we working towards?
We’re shaping a quality program in which young people participate, assist and lead in diverse activities, supported by adult volunteers equipped with easy-to-use technology and resources. Over the next 2.5 years, this encompasses:
- Setting an improvement and investment roadmap for the digital tools that Units use to manage the program, including upgrading Scouts | Terrain
- Establishing user-friendly program resources to empower Units and supporters to assess and improve the quality of program delivery
- Improving and simplifying the Achievement Pathways, and embedding a continuous improvement approach for the program nationally
- Improving the accessibility of adventurous program by reviewing our practices and policies, such as the National Adventurous Activities Framework
- Developing common tools and curricula to scale up consistent delivery of professionally delivered Scouting models
World Scouting recommends that National Scout Organisations regularly review their programs and implement periodic adjustments. We’re excited to be embarking on a process of evaluation and improvement so that Scouts Australia’s offering can better contribute to the education of young people in achieving their full potential.
Who’s leading the charge?
Key Move 1 is spearheaded by the National Youth Program Team, in collaboration with other teams and committees across Scouts Australia. Last year, we put out a call for Leaders, Venturer Scouts and Rover Scouts to help deliver the priorities of Key Move 1. Following this, we put together five working groups, made up of 27 adult volunteers, youth members and staff. These incredible individuals bring diverse skills and experiences, come from across every corner of Australia, and represent different age groups – but they all share a passion for the program.
What’s currently happening?
- We’ve engaged with Scouts UK and Scouts Aotearoa (New Zealand) to learn more about how they approach program development and support, with our continuous improvement working group arranging further discussions with Scouting Ireland and the Malaysian Scouts Association
- Our program resources working group is developing a tool to help Unit Councils take programming to the next level by reviewing how their Unit runs and receiving guidance to make their program more adventurous, fun, challenging and inclusive
- Teams across Youth Program and Adult Training & Development are working together to identify the barriers to adventure accessibility
- Our digital tools working group has undertaken a review of Scouts | Terrain, allowing us to identify several gaps and unmet user needs
- Staff facilitating professionally delivered models in Branches and external organisations have been contacted to learn more about their offerings and learnings
What are we finding so far?
- The program’s focus on young people and their development is highly valued, but we need to provide some more scaffolding and strengthen our resources to enable age-appropriate youth leadership and quality adult support
- While young people like that the Achievement Pathways allow them to ‘choose their own adventure’, simplification is needed to support Units to embed the Achievement Pathways in planning and delivering a brilliant, balanced program
- Although the program includes a range of Outdoor Adventure Skills, there are challenges in consistently accessing adventurous activities and understanding the requirements for delivering outdoor activities
- Leaders want to see Scouts | Terrain continue to be developed and improved so that tracking Achievement Pathways progress is more user-friendly and programming is less time-consuming
So how can you be involved?
Key Move 1’s work will be informed by extensive consultation with youth members and volunteers. So far, we’ve collected input through surveys on the Achievement Pathways and Scouts | Terrain at AJ2025, providing helpful data to guide improvements. We also discussed program support and delivery challenges with Rover Scouts from across Australia during the National Rover Council’s annual conference in February.
Moving forward, keep an eye out for opportunities to share your experiences and provide feedback. Every perspective adds depth and strengthens our collective impact, so we look forward to gathering input from across our movement. Find a copy of the strategic plan from button below.
