The Scouts - who we are and what we do

You might think you know about Scouting, but much has changed over the years. If you want to learn more, read on.

Scout Troop – for who?

The Scout Troop is currently for young people aged 10½ and 14/15 yrs.  Many will have been Beaver Scouts or Cub Scouts, but the Troop is open to girls, so we do attract ex-Brownie Guides, and some young people who are completely new to Scouting.

The Troop is managed by a team of volunteer leaders who have a commitment to work to the national standards and principles of The Scout Association.  (If you are interested in helping with the troop in some capacity we will be delighted to explore some of the options with you.)

What are we trying to do?

We are working to help young people develop towards achieving their full potential - physically; intellectually; spiritually, and socially.  FUN is a vital element, so we play many games, which help develop physical skills as well as teamwork. There is however a training programme and this becomes more challenging to the individual as he or she gets older, and leads into the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

Going for gold

My goal for every Scout in the Troop is for them to achieve the Chief Scout’s Gold Award – the highest award it is possible to gain within a Scout Group. This is achieved by completing at least 7 of the following Challenges, plus a personal Challenge.

• The Outdoor Challenge
  The Adventure Challenge
  The Creative Challenge
  The Global Challenge
  The Community Challenge
  The Fitness Challenge
  The Expedition Challenge
  The Outdoor Plus Challenge

The important thing to note is that none of these Awards can be gained just by attending the Monday or Wednesday Troop meetings. They all require extra effort, which is why the leadership team plan and run so many other evening and weekend activities. 

Scouts are also encouraged to influence their programme by being involved in the planning and organization.  Older Scouts have a very real opportunity to exercise leadership in the Troop.

Making a difference

There are a number of important things, which make Scouting different from other youth organizations :-

•    we are a uniformed Movement and Scouts are encouraged to wear it with pride.
•    we use Patrols of about 6 Scouts, learning from and supporting each other
•    we involve young people in decision making as part of their development.

Join the Adventure

Scouting has a reputation as an outdoor organization, based on strong traditions of camping and other pursuits.  We provide a  ‘Balanced Programme’, and by getting fully involved all Scouts have the opportunity to gain basic skills in a range of disciplines including climbing, sailing, canoeing, narrow boating, hiking, navigation, camping and cooking, all the essential skills needed to take up more adventurous and challenging activities later on.

We offer a range of activities away from home throughout the year, including a number of camps, the longest of which is held in the summer. In recent years we have been to Switzerland and Holland. These camps are an important part of the Scouting experience and we ask you to encourage your child to take part.

Money

Scout Groups are run entirely by volunteers and are self-financing.  The current membership subscription is just £40.00 per term. (£20.00 for a sibling). We will ask you to sign up for gift aid so that we can claim a further 28p in every pound back from the taxman. For a Group our size, this can amount to an annual refund of £1600.

We will from time to time request your support to raise additional funds for particular equipment or specific projects. A little help from many both spreads the load and demonstrates interest in what the Scouts are doing.

Safety

The Scout Association takes pride in its safety record. Guidance is provided to leaders through their District and County support.

More adventurous activities, such as watersports, caving and climbing, are subject to special authorization arrangements, to ensure your Scout is always in safe hands.

How can you help?

The Scouts who feel their parents and family are interested in, and support what they do in Scouting, will achieve more. We send home considerable amounts of information each month. Please make a point of retrieving this from your Scout after Troop night, so you know what opportunities they have, and can plan them into the family programme in good time.

If you have access to the Internet – we have our own secure website which has much useful information about the troop and our full programme. If you would like to access it, either at work or at home, send me your email address, and I will email an invitation to you to join the Yahoo site.

There are many ways in which you can be further involved in the Group. We need people to serve on our management committee or help with keeping our minibus clean or maintaining equipment. We are always looking for more people to join the leadership team, either as appointed Leaders, or as Troop Assistants (either uniformed of not). Talk to any member of the team if you are one of those people not content to just stand on the sideline watching.

It is important to let us know if your son or daughter is not happy in the Troop.  Something or someone may be upsetting them, but if we do not know what it is, we cannot take steps to remedy the situation.

If your Scout can’t attend a meeting, send us a text or an email. We will then ensure that any key information about upcoming events is sent on to them.

If your Scout misses four weeks in a row and we have not heard from you, their place in the Troop will be offered to someone else on the waiting list.

Please do not hesitate to contact one of the leader team if you have any concerns.

We believe that Scouting has so much to offer young people today, just as it did when Baden Powell published his revolutionary ideas 100 years ago.

I hope your child will enjoy their time with the Troop, and that they will gain much from the many and varied experiences that Scouting has to offer.

Troop uniform is

Our Lady of Lourdes Parish Hall,     
Bowes Road N11
MONDAY TROOP 7.45pm – 9.30pm WEDNESDAY TROOP 8.00 – 9.30pm

Church Parades are three times a year, in the February and July, and on Remembrance Sunday in November.

All Scouts should make every effort to attend.

Scout Leader
Chris Nagle
76 Netherlands Road, Barnet, EN5 1BS
(h) 020 8449 0722 (m) 07803 161292

Assistant Scout Leaders
Andrew Fitzpatrick (m) 07973871322
Dak Gor (h) 020 8245 0189
Thomas Nagle (h) 020 8449 0722

Troop Assistants
Bridie Lowe (h) 020 8368 1756
Anne Nugent (h) 020 8360 2541