By Danielle Kutchel
Covid-19 couldn’t stop 2nd Springvale Scouts.
If anything, the pandemic has been beneficial for the group, as more kids and young people have flocked to the organisation in the wake of eased restrictions.
During the pandemic members made the switch to online, using Zoom to participate in their club nights.
Joeys, Cubs, Scouts, Venturers and Rovers met weekly via virtual means, continuing on with working on a weekly theme, from environmental issues to cooking.
For their persistence and dedication, 2nd Springvale Scouts was named Community Group of the Year at the City of Greater Dandenong’s Australia Day Awards.
But the moment restrictions lifted, they were back out at parks to get on with the more practical and fun activities for which scouting is known.
Tahlia, a Rover with 2nd Springvale Scouts, said it’s not all about badgework though.
“You learn special values in life like leadership and problem solving. The biggest thing you learn is how to be social, because you’ve got to be social in scouts.
“You can do knots if you want to but you don’t have to – it’s not a thing we force on people!” she laughed.
At the other end of the scouting age spectrum, six-year-old Hazel, a Joey, said she was learning special skills that enable her to fulfil the scout’s oath to “help other people”.
“I’ve learned to be kind and caring,” she said.
In 2020 camping was out, thanks to lockdown – so the scouts are now raring to go when camps resume next month.
There are other practical activities to get involved in too, like fundraisers and learning life skills like how to change a tyre, according to Paige, a Venturer.
“If I hadn’t been in scouts, I wouldn’t have learned that,” she said.
Glenda Mitchell, an assistant group leader with 42 years of scout leading under her belt, said that many of the activities are youth-led, adding to their appeal.
“The youth do all the organising – we’re just there to guide,” she said.
“They’ve opened up the program to what children want to do. They still help people, but we get them out of the hall as much as we can.”
Clearly, the appeal is working; 2nd Springvale Scouts now has more than 100 youth members, many of whom joined after the lockdown.
And Glenda said the skills are just as relevant today as they were when Baden-Powell first founded the scouts over 100 years ago.
Scouts learn to be reliable, dependable, and committed, she said – qualities that are highly sought after amongst employers.
“People know that you’ll know what to do,” she explained.
For Scout member Xavier, having the opportunity to act as a mentor for younger members has been rewarding.
He’s pleased to be able to pass on the skills he’s learned from his own leaders, and to look after the younger members.
He described scouts as a “safe place” for people from all sorts of backgrounds.
Ethan, a Cub, likes the fun activities that take place.
“You should join cubs and scouts because it’s very fun and you can go on camps, go climbing and do a lot of fun things,” he said, pointing proudly at his three badges.
