Message from Chief Scout Brendon Hausberger

Dear Scouting friends and family,

As the first week of lockdown comes to an end and the number of infections rise and more lives are reported as lost, it is more important than ever that we work to maintain the social linkages that bind us together as a society. You might be social distancing yourselves at home, but throughout the country people are finding new and creative outlets to beat the boredom or to reach out to others online.

Over the past week some of our adult volunteers have attended our virtual campfire chats, which take place daily at 19h00 on Zoom. To find out more please follow our National SCOUTS SA Facebook page where the daily themes and the link can be found.

For those of you who would like to connect and have fun with Scouts from all over the world, remember that the World Scout Movement is currently hosting the special edition of Jamboree on the Internet, JOTI. To view their virtual camp site or to sign up and join the event click here. This special edition JOTI runs from 3 to 5 April 2020.

Having grown up in Scouting, I know how resourceful our Scouters are. On a weekly basis a huge variety of original and challenging programmes are being developed for Meerkat, Cub, Scout and Rover meetings. Now that we are all “Scouting from Home”, we created a place to share programmes and ideas that can ensure the continuation of learning by doing whilst having fun.

The resources are being shared on a dedicated Scouting from Home page on Scout wiki. Wiki stands for “What I Know Is”. It is a platform that is entirely user-driven. Anyone with internet access can edit it. So as you create your own “Scouting from Home” programmes, please share them with others via the Scout Wiki. You can either sign up and add them yourself, or email them to your RTC, RC or to info@scouts.org.za so they can be uploaded. A big thank you to those Scouters, Regional and National team members and the Wiki administrators for driving this initiative.

Dawn Ledbitter

Before I close I want to say a heartfelt thank you to our young adults in Gauteng and the Western Cape for providing essential services to vulnerable community members. These Rovers and Scouters have been collecting and delivering groceries and chronic medication for predominantly the sick and elderly members of their communities. Thank you for stepping up and showing the world that in times of crisis Scouts, and especially the Rovers in this case, are there to serve.

As we start the weekend I urge you all to stay home and keep yourselves, your family and your communities safe.

Yours in Scouting,
Brendon Hausberger
Chief Scout