The Three Principles:

1. Duty to God: This Principle refers to the spiritual values of life. It is described by the World Organisation of the Scout Movement as “adherence to spiritual principles, loyalty to the religion (faith) that expresses them, and acceptance of duties resulting therefrom”.
2. Duty to Others: This Principle refers to participation in the development of society, recognition and respect for others and the natural world, and the promotion of peace, understanding and cooperation. This Principle is also embodied in the World Movement’s tagline “Creating a Better World”, and is globally enacted by all Scouts as Messengers of Peace.
3. Duty to Self: This Principle refers to the responsibility for the care and development of oneself. Scouts have a commitment to improving themselves in all areas of their lives.

Purpose: The Purpose of the Scout Movement is to contribute to the development of young people in achieving their full physical, intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual potentials as individuals, as responsible citizens and as members of their local, national and international communities.

Mission: The Mission of Scouting is to contribute to the education of young people, through a value system based on the Scout Promise and Law, to help build a better world where people are self-fulfilled as individuals and play a constructive role in society.

Taken directly from the purpose of Scouting, the areas of social, physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual make up the fundamental basis of a person’s character, making six areas in total!

Social Development:

• Becoming aware
• Interacting with others
• Developing relationships and networks.

Physical Development:

• Being healthy and fit
• Being adventurous.

Intellectual Development:

• Acquiring new information
• Showing initiative
• Being adaptable
• Planning and reviewing.

Character Development:

• Developing Identity
• Showing autonomy
• Demonstrating commitment.

Emotional Development

• Being emotionally aware
• Expressing one’s feelings
• Showing respect.

Spiritual Development

• Exploring beliefs
• Stopping for reflection
• Respect for others
• Being thankful.

The Scout Method has eight elements that support the development of young people. The Scout Method is unique to Scouting and Scouting is unique because of this Method, and the way in which it educates and develops young people. The Scout Method is the same across all sections, providing for continuous development. The Scout Method includes:

• Community Involvement – active exploration of commitment and responsibility to the community and the wider world
• Learning by Doing – learning through practical experiences and activities on a regular basis
• Nature and the Outdoors – the outdoors is the primary and most effective setting for learning and encourages a two-way relationship between the individual and the natural world
• Promise and Law – The Australian Scout Promise & Law are the main ways we choose to express our values and the main tools we use to explore the fundamentals of Scouting with youth members. View the Promise and Law here
• Patrol System – Scouting activities occur in Patrols to develop interpersonal and leadership skills in young people, through teamwork, responsibility and belonging
• Symbolic Framework – structure of themes and symbols that facilitate awareness and development during an individual’s personal journey
• Personal Progression – challenging the individual to do their best through a wide range of experiences
• Youth Leading, Adults Supporting – Scouting is a youth movement, guided by adults. Youth sections are increasingly self-managing allowing youth members to develop as unique individuals.

Plan>Do>Review> aids in the development of great programs, shared responsibility for the running of activities and provides a whole pile of learning opportunities.

Plan>

• Decide what you’re going to do
• Decide who’s going to lead and who’s going to do other jobs
• Work out what is needed
• Find out what skills you need
• Make some plans
• Use experts, like your Leaders, to help you.

Do>

• Ensure everyone is involved
• Test out new skills
• Follow your plan, but it’s ok to change it if you need to
• Have fun
• Work as a team.

Review>

• At the end of an activity, take a moment to review it
• Ask good questions of each other
• What did you hear, see, notice and enjoy about your adventure?
• What didn’t go to plan?
• What would you do differently next time?
• Talk about your achievements
• Thank everyone who participated.