Author: PR Admin

Achievement Pathways Factsheets Updated

The downloadable factsheets supporting the four main elements of the Achievement Pathways have been updated. You can now find updated factsheets for the Program Essentials, Outdoor Adventure Skills, Special Interest Areas, as well as the factsheet outlining the five peak awards.

Updates are minor. They include:

  • branding update
  • inclusion of Scouts | Terrain
  • some tidy up of text for improved clarity
  • language update, mainly around adventurous activities guidelines
  • update to unit management course or personal development course (rather than generic leadership course) for peak award requirements

The refreshed factsheets can be found on the Achievement Pathways page, under the relevant tab.

Supporting The Peak Award – Resources Updated

We have made some updates to the documents known as “Unit Council Supporting The Peak Award”. The overall messages are the same, with some minor updates. They include:

  • Design and branding update
  • Language of the program updates
  • Clarification of how Special Interest Area projects can be completed as individuals or in patrols
  • Changes to the names of peak awards (where appropriate)
  • Updating to Personal Development Course or Unit Management Course requirements of the peak awards
  • Including Scouts | Terrain as a resource for Scouts to use

These guides are designed to help Unit Councils in each section support Scouts in their journey to the peak award.

You can find updated versions for Joey Scouts, Cub Scouts, Scouts, and Venturer Scouts. They are located on the Achievement Pathways page, under the Peak Award Resources tab. Or you can go directly to the resource page:

New Ceremonies Guide

Finally, we are able to launch the new Ceremonies Guide for Australian Scouting!

Ceremonies help us mark important times in Scouting. We use a whole range of different ceremonies, and many of these will look different depending on where you are or who you’re with.

Ceremonies in Scouts Australia are adaptable and changeable. This book acts as a guide; it includes some key considerations for designing ceremonies, and some examples.

The features of your ceremonies and the way they’re run is mostly up to the youth members in your Unit, with adult support as needed.

This guide mirrors what is contained in the Program Handbook, along with additional guidance for adult ceremonies. If you already have the Program Handbook, you won’t need this as well, unless you would like a handy quick reference.

You can find the Guide to Ceremonies in Australian Scouting on the Weekly Program page, under the Ceremonies tab. Or click here.

Printed copies of this guide will also shortly be available from the Scout Shop.

Special Interest Areas Project Resource Updates

Two key resources for Special Interest Area projects have been updated.

The flowchart that helps Scouts Plan> their pathway to a great Special Interest Area project has been updated with new graphics and updated language of the program.

This resource provides a framework for Scouts to brainstorm possible project ideas. It starts with thinking about interests and strengths, and then to consider what could challenge that individual to know or do more with that interest. Finally, it gets the Scout to think about how they will go about it, and who they might need to support their project.

The ideas generated in this flowchart can then be used to complete the Special Interest Area planning sheet or the equivalent on Scouts | Terrain.

In addition, some clarifications and other updates to the overall guide to Special Interest Area projects has been updated. Updates include information about patrols working on a Special Interest Area project together.

The Special Interest Area Flowchart and the Guide to Special Interest Areas can be found on the Achievement Pathways page, under the Special Interest Area tab.

SIA Flowchart

New Peak Award Mountain Diagrams

Now available on the Scouts Australia Program Resources website (pr.scouts.com.au) is updated versions of the Peak Award Mountain Diagrams for each section.

These diagrams are updated to match the style of the Program Handbook, to include the new peak award badge designs, to add colour, and to provide additional summary information about the requirements of each part of the Achievement Pathways needed to complete the peak award for the section.

You could print these as large format posters and place them around your Scout hall.

The new mountain diagrams can be found on the Achievement Pathways page, under the Peak Award Resources tab.

Challenge Areas Fact Sheet updated to v3

Version 3 of the Challenge Areas Fact Sheet has just been released on to the Scouts Australia Program Resources site (pr.scouts.com.au).

This edition tidies up some of the consistency of language in the program, and importantly, clarifies the intent of Challenge Areas and how to use them in your Unit and Patrol’s program cycles.

You can find this fact sheet on the Weekly Program page, under the Challenge Areas tab.

Scouts | Terrain FAQs relocated, expanded, and now searchable!

Check this knowledge base of Scouts | Terrain Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) if you want to know more, or are having some troubles with Scouts | Terrain.

We have moved the FAQs into a new location that complements other Scouts | Terrain resources, as well as all the other youth program documents, videos, and resources.

You can go directly to the FAQs at pr.scouts.com.au/terrain/faq/

Or, find the FAQs button on the Scouts | Terrain page on the Program Resources website (pr.scouts.com.au).

You can even find it in the program resources website menu, under the Scouts | Terrain menu item (where there is also a direct link to Scouts | Terrain login).

An exciting new feature is the ability to search the FAQs for the particular topic or question you want to know more about.

The button that links you to the FAQs currently found on Scouts | Terrain itself, will be updated on Monday 21st September, 2020.

New questions have been added, and old questions revised. This will continue as Scouts | Terrain grows and matures.

The First 4 Steps to Scouts | Terrain SUCCESS!

Use this resource to assist in getting started in Scouts | Terrain. Before you and your Unit can really get started in Scouts | Terrain, there are a few simple steps that you may need to complete first.

The instructions here relate to the functions for adults operating in a Scout Group.

How To Get Started in Scouts | Terrain is available in the Scouts | Terrain page, under the User Guides tab.

Have you seen our Educational Proposal?

The Purpose of Scouting reminds us that at its core, the Scout Movement is a non-formal educational movement of young people, supported by adults. Have you read our Educational Proposal lately?

The Educational Proposal describes how our youth program, a non-formal program of personal development for children, adolescence, and young adults, is complementary to formal education. It sets the scene for the context in which we operate, including describing the needs, desires, opportunities, and challenges facing 21st Century young Australians, and Scouting’s role in preparing young people to be active citizens.

Note that the Educational Proposal is not the same as the Program Handbook for the new youth program. It describes many of the concepts that for the program is based on, which can also be found in the Program Handbook.

The Educational Proposal latest update can be found under the Educational Purpose tab on the Other Resources page. Or you can download it directly from here.

Special Interest Areas – Why?

The Special Interest Areas encourage Scouts from all sections to try new  challenges plus pursue existing interests to greater depths. Scouts set their own goals, enabling them to design a project that interests and challenges them personally.

This document sets out the thinking and educational concepts that underpin the Special Interest Areas aspect of the Achievement Pathways.

You can download this document from the Special Interest Areas project resources tab on the Achievement Pathways page. Or, directly from here.