Get Involved & Be Prepared!
Are you a youth looking for an awesome journey?
Are you a parent who would like their child to experience the outdoors and learn while doing in a safe and wholesome environment?
Are you an adult who want to indulge in their love for the outdoors and be of service to others?
Then we are the youth organisation for you!
Meerkats
Stand Tall – the Meerkat Adventure has arrived! The Meerkat programme is designed to provide a growth and development opportunity for children aged 5 and 6 years old. It is based on the Scout Method, with material relevant to the age and education level.
Cubs
For kids between 7 and 10 years old.
We all know the adventures described in the Jungle Book! The characters are a young boy and jungle animals that children can relate to, led by Akela – the jungle book’s leader of the wolf pack.
Scouts
For youth between 11 and 17 years old.
Being a Scout teaches you how to be independent, how to take responsibility, how to protect your environment, how to contribute to your community and how to be prepared for success!
About Scouting
SCOUTS South Africa (SSA) changes lives by providing youth with education, skills, mentorship, values, opportunities, resources, and safe places to be kids, so they can get out of poverty and have a better future for themselves and their families.
In this way, SCOUTS South Africa works to prepare our youth for life, before life happens.
For over 113 years, SSA’s programmes have shaped the lives and unleashed the potential of hundreds of thousands South Africans by following a learning-by-doing programme.
Central in the Scouting programme is the continuous transference of values such as honesty, loyalty, responsibility and respect; all aimed at empowering the youth to govern their own individual behaviour and to develop strong leadership skills that will aid them to be of service to others and their communities.
All youth (boys and girls) aged five to thirty participate in the following groups; Meerkats 5-6, Cubs 7-10, Scouts 11-17 and Rovers 18-30. All adult leaders are volunteers who receive no remuneration.
90% of SSA’s 90,000 members come from townships and rural areas.
Scouting complements the school and family roles and fills unmet needs by:
- Equipping youth with practical leadership, communication, and vocational skills to embrace future education and career opportunities;
- Combatting poverty and addressing hunger alleviation through agricultural skills development;
- Developing youth to be positive citizens and contributors to their communities and country;
- Enhancing HIV and AIDS awareness and first-aid capabilities;
- Enhancing environmental consciousness through interventions and projects;
- Providing positive peer-pressure and role models for youth;
- Building self-esteem and confidence;
- Promoting a culture of
SSA has a comprehensive Safe From Harm Framework which includes SSA’s Child Protection Policy (developed with the support of Childline), its Adult Support Policy , its Member Code of Conduct for adults, and its Safe Scouting Policy, all aimed at creating a safe environment where the wellbeing of all members is safeguarded.
SSA strives to keep its Safe from Harm Framework and related policies relevant to societal developments, and to ensure that in accepting adults as members, every realistic precaution is taken to protect the youth. Any accusation of inappropriate behaviour reported to SSA is rigorously investigated with the involvement of relevant and appropriate third parties to ensure independent and rapid action.
SSA was established in South Africa in 1908 and has remained a non-political organisation since its inception. SSA was one of the first organisations in South Africa to have members of all races participate in integrated activities in 1977, and opened its doors to girls in 2000. SSA is a recognised National Scout Organisation, affiliated to the World Organisation of Scout Movements (“WOSM”). SSA is a BBEEE Level 1 registered non-profit organisation (019-215-NPO).
