Scouts meeting today

He said: “Scouting Ireland is a fantastic organisation that helps young people both boys and girls, not only to enjoy the scouting experience, but to have fun, meet new friends, learn new skills, achieve goals, develop their potential and enjoy the great outdoors. A scout group can have up to five sections,

”Beaver Scouts 6-8 years, Cubs Scouts 9-11 years, Scouts 12-15 years, Venture Scouts 15-18 years and Rover Scouts 18-26 years so there is plenty of scope for young people to get involved”.

Like all new groups, getting leaders to help out is vital to the success of a group. What about adults in the local community who would be willing to give 2-3 hours per week voluntarily, but who feel that they may not possess the skills to help? “No problem” said Kevin, “Any adult over the age of 18, who would like to give it a go, would be given all the training and help that they would need to volunteer in a section.” “The beauty about scouting” Kevin remarked, is that “because of the differing age ranges, a volunteer can join and help out in an age range section that they feel they would enjoy working with. Even if you feel you would not have the energy to help run a section, there may be skills you possess that could help, for example people who have committee or administration skills are also valuable to the successful running of a Scout group.” “It is more important to have an interest in helping young people, than being able to tie a knot” Kevin remarked.

Kevin will be working with new community group Benbradagh Community Support to host an open evening for adults who may be interested in finding out more about becoming a Scouting Ireland volunteer in the ‘Benbradagh Community Support Office‘, located behind the Credit Union on Main Street, at 7.30pm today, Wednesday October 24.

Colleen Harkin, Project Worker for Benbradagh Community said “Since our group formed one year ago we have been approached by a number of parents keen to see a more diverse range of activities on offer for young people in the area. When the idea of Scouts was raised it seemed to fit perfectly with not only what parents wanted but also our aims as a group.”

Volunteers can gain valuable training and experience which will be an impressive addition to any CV, but the experience of volunteering itself can be very rewarding on other levels.

Colleen continued, “At BCS one of our our main goals is getting people in the area to take a more active role in the community and Scouts provides an opportunity for all sections of the community from all ages and backgrounds to get involved. Not only does it encourage the youngsters to get active but from an educational point of view teaches them important values and life lessons. I would thoroughly encourage anyone who might be interested, to attend our meeting for more information.”

To find out more, Kevin can be contacted on: 00353 860473459 or [email protected] or contact Colleen at Benbradagh Community Support on 028 777 40169 or [email protected]