The 1st Bradford Scouting Group is looking to increasw their presence in the community by partnering with local businesses and organizations.
1st Bradford Scouting Group is one of 19 groups part of the South Lake Simcoe Area Scouts region which includes members from Aurora, Newmarket, East Gwillimbury, Georgina, Bradford and Ballantrae clubs, all part of the Shining Water council.
“We would love to have community partnerships with businesses and associations within our community,” said Commissioner for the group, Manon Rodrigues.
There are many ways for volunteers to get involved, whether it would be creating a youth led event, or donating funds toward a group activity.
Those with more time on their hands could become a volunteer, which involves two hour meetings once a week, with an additional hour of planning and group trips every other weekend.
“It’s definitely not a light investment of time, but if you can only give a part time investment, that’s acceptable as well,” she said.
“Scouting offers so many opportunities for youth but you kind of forget, it also offers many opportunities for volunteers, besides looking great on a resume, besides networking, you’re learning a whole new skill set that, you never knew you could do.”
All volunteers at this level of commitment would be fully trained and become a Scouter through the process.
“Scouts Canada has to have safety measures in place,” she said. “Everything is in place to keep the youth safe.”
Those who cannot make the time intensive commitments but want to partner with the group are encouraged to assist through financial sponsorships and donations.
Rodrigues says any type of partnership would work both ways, with the Scouts giving back to their sponsors whether through charity events or with branding on Scouting apparel, like their campfire blankets.
“We are looking to expand our Cub section into a two pack, but we have enough to create a second, but meeting space is hard to find,” said Rodrigues.
Meeting spaces for the group are hard to come across in Bradford so this is one of the ways they are looking to work with organizations in the community.
An example, Rodrigues said, would be using the facilities of a local church in exchange for participating and volunteering in charity events.
“That would be a great community partnership,” she said.
She gave another example of one Scout group in Peterbourough who have partnered with the Crayola factory who provide stationary supplies for the group.
Rodrigues says, their group would be welcome to a similar type of sponsorship with a community partner.
But it’s not just sponsorships that the group is looking for, it’s awareness and exposure to the group.
With Bradford’s growing community, she says her goal is to work on the group’s community visibility.
“Does everyone know about Scouting? No. And that’s part of the community partnership, someone to help us develop more of a community presence,” she said.
All adventures the Scout groups participate in are youth led, and must be fundraised for. These activities give them the confidence and ability to perform new found skill sets in a variety of activities, from hammock building to canoeing.
“It’s really neat to see the kids come up with these great ideas,” said Rodrigues, who has been with the Bradford group for the past five years.
Currently, The 1st Bradford Scouting group has around 80 youth and 20 Scouters.
Anyone looking to join, volunteer or partner with the group can contact them by email at [email protected]
