Our People
A New Approach to Volunteering in Scouting
Have You Heard We are Trialing a New Model
Being a volunteer Leader in Scouting can be very rewarding, but it can also be a lot of work. Every time I speak to our adult volunteers and ask what we can do to make their role easier, I usually hear the same answer: “We need more volunteers.”
When I began my role as Chief Commissioner of Scouts Australia, I had a list of goals I hoped to achieve so that, as BP instructed us, I could “Leave the place a little better than I found it.”
Changing the volunteer model in a volunteer organisation was always going to be a challenge. We ask a lot of our volunteers, and if the model of volunteering changes, then the training curriculum needs to evolve as well. This is what my team and I have been working on for the past two years. Now, we are moving into the trial phase of our Flexible Volunteering Model.
I understand that many of our members are very interested in this project, and I need to stress that this is a trial we hope will prove successful. We will be closely evaluating the trial, monitoring both the experience of new volunteers and the impact on our youth members. Ultimately, our goal is to see more volunteers working in teams to contribute to the experience of our youth members, making it so that more young people will want to join.
It is my hope that we will be ready to launch the new volunteer model and the updated training curriculum for the start of 2027, but only if the trial is successful. Please stay tuned for more details as the trial progresses. On the last weekend in November we will hold the National Annual Meeting in Sydney and for the first time we will live webcast the evening. More details will be available closer to the date but I am hopeful that all going well I will make some announcements that night to all of you.
In the meantime, we will be continuing to ensure the program is easier to deliver. You will see a range of new resources launching throughout this year, along with adjustments to the program to make it more accessible, logical, and offer more opportunities for young people to achieve their goals.
Rosie Connor has been appointed as the leader of the volunteering trial project. Here’s update from Rosie…
Brendan J Watson OAM – Chief Commissioner of Australia
Sharing the Workload
The Flexible Volunteering in Sections model has begun from the Term One in 2026, with the aim of tackling volunteer overload and make it easier for adults to get involved.
This model responds directly to the feedback we have received from over 5,000 adult Leaders and parents in the Volunteering Survey 2025, addressing key concerns and introducing clear team roles, shared responsibility, faster modular training and simpler onboarding – without compromising youth safety or program quality.
Volunteers can contribute in ways that match their time, skills and interests. Parents and community members can start small and grow their involvement with mentoring support. Districts have already been identified in QLD, SA and VIC has began trialing the approach, with insights used to shape a future national volunteering model that better supports Leaders and keeps programs running strong.
Rosie Connor – Key Move Three Manager (Reshape a contemporary volunteer model)
