This last two years the Mark and I have been quite disappointed at the turn out for weekend activities, especially the important camps. You may have noticed that awards have been few and far between. This is directly tied to missing out on the important Scouting weekend activities.

You can’t teach much on a hall night – you only get a couple of hours to prepare, run the night and pack up. It simply isn’t enough. On camps the Scouts learn by doing, by enjoying, by experience and sometimes by hardship.

This year we’re aiming to have the full troop at Stradbroke Cup over the Easter weekend but they’re not ready. To prepare the Scouts, Mark and I have decided to give up four extra of our weekends and dedicate them to Scouting by running Patrol Camps. There is one that is just for PL’s and APL’s and three for any troop member. We expect your Scouts to come to at least two of these and Stradbroke Cup.

Why do Scouts need these skills? There are stories of Scouts surviving the hardships of natural disasters such as fires and floods and I’ve heard of one applying first aid and bush skills saving his entire family after a horrific country car accident. How would your kids fare? What about you?

The skills open doors to once in a life time opportunities. This year, Matt Thomson and Holly Latter (both Australian Scout Medallion recipients from Emerald) will be attending a hiking and canoe trek across the United States including Alaska! Imagine your kids having the skills and confidence to go so far away from home for a long period and look after themselves with Scouting mates while experiencing the best the region has to offer them.

Do your teenagers spend most of their day glued to the PC, game console or TV? Well, mine do too. By encouraging (dare I say forcing?) them to go on weekend activities they gain life skills, fitness, spirit, good attitudes and the confidence to tackle just about anything. Best of all YOU get a weekend off.

Mark and I will go out of our way to teach the Scouts – but we cannot do it if they’re not there.

While we’re keeping the camp costs down as much as we can, we recognise that some families may not have the spare cash. If you need financial help to attend, please just ask as we’ll handle it in strict confidence. Don’t miss out just because of money.