UPCOMING EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES
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All Scouts NSW adult members are reminded of the referendum for a Voice to Parliament being held on Saturday 14 October. If you are attending a Scout event on this day, you are strongly encouraged to vote early or postal vote to ensure you do not miss out on any part of your activity.
Find out more about the referendum here.
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Next month Chief Commissioner Lloyd will launch Campfire Conversations – an opportunity for you to ask him and the Leadership Team your burning questions and discuss what’s on your mind. Questions can be submitted ahead of time, either anonymously or not, via this link. This is the first of a regular series to be repeated throughout the year, where Lloyd will be joined by the best people to talk on different themes dependent on submitted questions.
The first session is Thursday 26 October from 7.30-8.30pm. Click here to register.
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JOTA-JOTI
This year marks the 66th Jamboree on the Air (JOTA), the world’s largest digital and amateur radio Scouting event. JOTA-JOTI (Jamboree on the Internet) is on the weekend of 20-22 October, with a variety of events taking place across NSW to connect Scouts with their counterparts worldwide.
Find out more here.
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Cumberland Gang Show Auditions
If you’ve got a creative side just bursting to shine, join the cast of the 2024 Cumberland Gang Show. They are auditioning for the 2024 show “Off the Record” on Saturday 2 December between 9am and 5pm at Baden-Powell Activity Centre, Pomona St, Pennant Hills. Cumberland Gang Show is open to all active members aged eight or older by 1 January 2024. Registrations to audition close Sunday 26 November.
Register here.
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Chainsaw Course
A chainsaw course will be run at Mount Keira Scout Camp on the weekend of 21/22 October. The course will cover:
- FWPCOT2256 Trim and Cut Felled Trees
- FWPCOT2254 Maintain Chainsaws
Cost is $440 per person with lunch provided. This hands-on course will use a number of chainsaws on site at Mount Keira. Please bring your own PPE.
To register or for more information, email John Plumb at john.plumb@nsw.scouts.com.au
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Build Skills in Crown Land Management
Crown Lands has released five self-paced online compact courses for Crown land managers in partnership with the Institute of Community Directors Australia (ICDA). The courses are designed to help build skills and knowledge in Crown land management and can be completed in as little as 45 minutes.
For more information or to get started, click here.
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Voice of Youth Climate Change Survey
Scouts NSW youth members can have their say on climate change in a new survey for Scouts Australia. As part of the Voice of Youth Initiative, Scouts Australia’s new survey will deep dive into your views on this topic that affects us all. Data collected from the survey will also be used for a submission to the Australian Government. The closing date for the survey is 30 September, so get in quick!
Find out more here.
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A controlled email phishing test was released on Friday 1 September to all Scout Leaders. These tests were conducted unannounced to maintain effectiveness and are used to determine our cyber security awareness status.
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Feedback from Leaders on previous security checks has been mixed, but the results show more work needs to be done to ensure we’re all aware of email security risks.
If you have received an alert for “Training assignment notification” from the “Security and Compliance Team”, please complete this training. It takes about three minutes and will assist you in the future for determining phishing characteristics.
So far only 54 per cent of people who clicked the suspicious link have completed their basic training and only 57 per cent of people who supplied their credentials to the suspicious link have completed their enhanced training.
Remember, we only need one user to be compromised to have Scouts NSW incur an Optus or Medibank-style brand reputational damage.
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Mandatory On-demand Training Modules
Thank you to all those who have encouraged their Adult Helpers to complete their mandatory on-demand training modules (Child Safe Scouting and WHS for Scouting). Any Adult Helpers who have completed their mandatory training after being resigned or are having trouble logging in please contact training@nsw.scouts.com.au.
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Welcome Udam Amarasena
Scouts NSW recently appointed Udam Amarasena as Grants Officer, working across our various grant and external funds support programs. He is responsible for receiving and processing all incoming invoices from Groups. To make Udam’s life easier, can you please ensure all invoices are made payable to either:
- The Scout Association of Australia – NSW Branch; or
- Your Group.
Udam will ensure that if your invoice is received by the close of business Monday, it will be processed and sent to the Finance Team for payment by Thursday.
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Grant Funds Distribution
The Grants Team is working hard to connect several outstanding grant deposits to their respective Groups. There is one amount for $16,500 from the Stronger Communities Grant, plus one for $9104 from Crown Lands, for which we cannot identify the applicant.
If either of these funds belong to you, please email a copy of your application urgently to grants@nsw.scouts.com.au. Once the missing applications has been received, Scouts NSW will distribute the funds.
For resources and tips on writing a grant, please check out the new toolkit here. The password is Scouts
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State Commissioner Roles Available
Our Assistant Chief Commissioner – Events David Jacobs is forming a team to support the successful delivery of major events throughout NSW. The following volunteer positions are open for Expressions of Interest:
- Deputy Assistant Chief Commissioner – Events
- State Commissioner – Events Support (Region)
- State Commissioner – Events Support (State/National)
- State Commissioner – Events Media
- State Commissioner – Events Governance
- State Commissioner – Events Systems.
If you’re interested in the above positions, read the full position descriptions and submit your expression of interest here.
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Drawing on the recent memory of our Training Team, Josh Hackett is the youngest person to have ever achieved the Wood Badge in NSW. Not yet 19, Josh joined Scouts in 2016 as a Scout and is currently a Region Leader – Activities in Greater Western Sydney Region. Josh completed the requirements to be awarded his Wood Badge in August 2023. The Scouts NSW Training Team were very proud to present him with his Wood Beads on 9 September at the training course held at Baden-Powell Activity Centre, witnessed by 120 Scout Leaders.
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Scout of the Year Awards
The dedication and enthusiasm of Scout NSW’s youth members were recognised on Saturday 16 September at the fifth annual Scout of the Year Awards. Initiated by the NSW State Youth Council, the awards recognise the work our youth members are doing to contribute to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and encourages youth empowerment and advocacy at all levels.
Congratulations to our winners. You can read more here.
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1st Wyong Scout Group celebrated its 75th anniversary on 10 September. This fun-filled event was a great opportunity for Scouts past and present to connect and share their amazing stories. The Group’s first and most recent Queen’s Scouts (and several in between!) all attended, with some former members who hadn’t seen each other for more than 50 years going through old photos and catching up.
Check out some of the photos from the day here – thanks to Cailyn Forrest!
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50 Years of Female Youth Members
In recognition of 50 years of female youth members (1973-2023), Scouts NSW is celebrating all the amazing women involved in Scouting and sharing some of their stories.
For the Jackson family, the love of Scouting is a multigenerational passion, with multiple women across four generations wearing the scarf.
Read their story here.
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Youth Safety in Scouting
Scouts NSW is committed to operating as a youth safe organisation and implementing youth safe policies and practices in accordance with the elements of a child safe institution outlined by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse report entitled Creating Child Safe Institutions.
Remember
All suspicions, concerns or allegations about criminal matters or child protection matters should be reported directly to the Chief Commissioner, CEO, State Commissioner (Youth Protection & Issues Management) or the Manager of Safeguarding Youth, Issues Management and Research at the NSW State Service Centre. To make a report you may use the online youth protection form, call 9735 9000 or email YouthProtectionTeam@nsw.scouts.com.au.
Imminent Danger
If someone is in danger NOW, the matter should be reported directly to NSW Police on 000. Where a report is made to the Police, you must also subsequently notify Scouts NSW Service Centre.
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