When people talk about Scouts and Scouting the conversation generally ends up focused on adventure.  While the outdoors and adventure are a strong component of a Scouts journey, there are also many other components that contribute to and complete the path a Scout will walk throughout their Scouting journey ... like Service.

Then on occasions a Scout may be able to combine outdoors, adventure and service all together, as do the 1st Ballan youth who annually support the implementation of a family camp for their friends at 2nd Glenroy.  Each year the 2nd Glenroy Scout Group arrives at Blackwood with their families ready to experience fun, adventure, outdoors and further enhance their Scouting experiences while fine tuning and applying their Scouting skills. 

During this camp, the role of the 1st Ballan youth is to support, challenge and guide their 2nd Glenroy friends through adventurous activities to a level where their comfort zones are extended but their willingness to participate is maintained.

ARCHERY

Archery is always a popular activity with 2nd Glenroy and thoroughly enjoyed by the Scouting youth, their siblings and parents. As the Scouts do their best to hit the target, our 1st Ballan youth are assisting with loading, checking, aiming, assisting with firing (if required) and collecting the arrows all while encouraging the 2nd Glenroy youth to be independent with enthusiasm, fun, excitement and laughter. Success is measured through engagement, participation, support and encouragement not a numerical score on a board.

After mastering the art of hitting the target and becoming fully competent Robin Hoods, the 2nd Glenroy youth were looking for another challenge, and the 1st Ballan youth had an idea. Tennis balls were loaded onto the arrows, tables with a stack of tins were placed in front of the targets and the 2nd Glenroy Scouts were challenged to knock the tins down. Without hesitation, they were up for the challenge and persisted until the tins were knocked off and lay all over the archery range floor to the sounds of excitement, laughter, cheers and clapping from everyone at the archery site.

HIGH ROPES

With motivation on their side and a desire to bring out their inner dare devil the 2nd Glenroy youth were ready for more, they were ready to elevate their adventure and achieve greater heights. So, the 1st Ballan youth set up the high ropes course, ready to take their challenge to a higher level and help 2nd Glenroy achieve more by developing their adventurous outdoor skills.

Harnessed up and ready to go, the 2nd Glenroy youth very quickly found themselves over 5m off the ground where they enjoyed the view and thoroughly enjoyed moving through the high rope elements, while in the background the 1st Ballan youth supported, assisted and cheered their friends on as everyone succeeded through participation and engagement.

With adrenaline pumping through their veins and everyone successfully completing the high ropes course, the 2nd Glenroy youth were looking for more, they wanted to go higher, they wanted more challenge, more adventure, more fun, more excitement they wanted to elevate their dare devilness through outdoor adventure opportunities.

Solution ....

ABSEILING

However, once this adventure experience was set up by the 1st Ballan youth and engagement became a reality, it did lead some 2nd Glenroy youth to question ....

SAILING

Waking up the next day the 2nd Glenroy youth were still seeking adventure and wanted more. Questioning 1st Ballan on what's next, 2nd Glenroy were once again pumped and ready to do more, explore more, enjoy more and see more. So they packed up their camp, loaded their vehicles and drove to Lake Wendouree, Ballarat where the 1st Ballan youth with the full support of the Ballaarat Yacht Club challenged their Glenroy friends to go sailing.

Their response ...

"BRING IT ON ...."

So for the remainder of the day the 2nd Glenroy youth simply sat back, relaxed and sailed the seven seas. It was a very calming experience and one enjoyed by all. With the wind blowing in their hair, hands splashing through the water and smiles on their faces the 2nd Glenroy youth successfully completed their family camp fully supported by their friends at 1st Ballan.

Leadership is a unique quality and one the Scout Association challenges youth to learn, fine tune, develop and implement on a variety of levels through a multitude of situations. Coming together for a family camp not only allows youth from 1st Ballan & 2nd Glenroy to strengthen bonds of friendship through outdoor adventure skills, it also allows all youth to learn, fine tune, develop and implement leadership skills.

For the 1st Ballan youth, it is about stepping back and letting others participate and engage. It is about setting up programs, ensuring safety, supporting participation, encouraging involvement, leading by example, demonstrating empathy and communicating with clarity.

For the 2nd Glenroy youth it is about participation, encouraging their friends, doing their best, extending their comfort zones, expressing their anxieties, fully immersing themselves in outdoor adventure activities and further developing their outdoor adventure skills through unique Scouting opportunities designed to improve Scouting characteristics within each individual Scout.

For all Scouts, this annual Family Camp is a unique experience that demonstrates if a Scout is creative, lateral thinking, persistent and goal orientated, anything is possible and fully inclusive adventure opportunities are available for every Scout.  This Family Camp allows for inclusion, growth, development, exploration, fun, laughter, success and adventure as everyone comes together as one family under the common bond of friendship that is ..... Scouts.