Have a look at some photographs of this weekend.
When does training start and finish.
As people growing older we all face the fact that we have to do more learning and training.
Recently the Whyalla Venturer Unit held a training course for Leadership so they could attain their Leadership badge that is part of the Queen’s Scout pathway.
Some heads got together and discussed what could be done to help these young people. Well a date was set and the invites went out. The cooks and billets were arranged.
On the 2nd to the 4th of July 2004 a Leadership Course was conducted in Whyalla. Attending the course was 11 Venturers from the Eyre Peninsula. This was broken down to 3 V’s from Pt. Lincoln Venturer Unit and 8 V’s from Whyalla Venturer Unit.
The leadership team involved was Kate Ryder, Sam van der Wijngaart and the local leaders.
The cooks were Jackie and Ian Golding.
The course start on Friday Night with introductions and what is to be gained out of the course. This was followed by the set up of small units and they had to fundraise for they respective units, one unit had and unlikely name of ‘The Bobs’. They had to write out a unit constitution and guidelines as how they are to operate.
On Saturday they started early and got things happening had these young adults thinking and undertaking unit activities which would have to do for real in their own respective units. This covered the election of the Unit Council, planning a term or 2 of activities that the unit could undertake, many funding raising opportunities for the units, social development and individual leadership and team leadership development.
One unit managed to sell K8 a High Five guitar, more to the point a picture of the guitar, of the sum of 10 lollies. Lollies were the currency of the entire weekend.
As the units went through the weekend and they endeavours to raise funding for they units, they were given Lollies as money. Ian Golding was the nominated bank and the treasurers of the units had to bank the finances of the unit with Ian and they were required to use the usual banking deposit and withdrawal paper work.
The entire weekend was based on the running of a real unit.
Thrown in on Saturday afternoon was the Queen’s Scout Award system and the explanation of how it works and what the young people of the unit can do to achieve the Queen’s Scout Award. Sam put in a huge effort as they went through each level and what they could do to attain each level they recorded it what they were doing in their life right and how it related to the award and to many surprises many of them realised that they were a lot closer to the goals required and they thought it would be hard.
Well Saturday didn’t finish until late. A big thank you must go to the cooks, as the meal was very nice. Those that did the dishes for the leaders and the cooks did earn some money for there units.
Come Sunday everybody was feeling a little bit worn out, but like they say the show must continue on.
Through Sunday many other areas of unit management and development was covered with everybody picking up at least one thing or two.
At the end of the day which was around was around 3pm, the units withdrew their monies from the bank and counted the total funds that they had earned.
In the closing of the course K8 and Sam ask for the opinion of the people including the leaders what they thought of the course and the returning comments were very surprising to say the least.
Being the first time this course was ever been run outside of the metropolitan area there were many learning outcome on both side of the fence.
Due to the isolation of units in the country, it is very difficult for a DVC to come together to discuss award approval so Sam is looking to set up an on-line DVC.
Everybody left the weekend having learnt something. For me I learnt how to tie a figure 8 knot with my tongue using a snake lolly, considering I have plastic teeth. Thanks to Sam I am looking into geo-caching as this looks like fun.
So I must thank Kate and Sam for taking the time to come to Whyalla and run a very successful leadership course.
I can only ask that this sort of thing doesn’t stop. This sort of support is in high demand in the country as many people find it difficult to attend course in Adelaide due to time, distance and cost.
Have a look at some photographs of this weekend.
Ray Leane
Assistant Venturer Scout Leader
Whyalla Venturer Unit
