Here we aim to keep you updated on the latest news. This is done in blog format so please feel free to comment on any of the items here.
The Uniform Space
This video has been compiled to further assist the uniform debate that is currently underway. This is not studio produced so please accept it for what it is. We have been considering further videos of this nature on various aspects of the project and if the response to this type of video is positive and there is support for further videos of this nature we will produce those.
Response to 26 September broadcast questions
[Note Gauteng and WEBEX questions not included. Unfortunately a technical problem caused the questions not to be saved after the broadcast. If there are questions that are unanswered by those below please send them to revit@scouting.org.za and we will post the answers to this site.
Actual questions have been cut direct from submissions as written and not corrected or changed. Questions are in italics. Thank you for your questions.]
Will Sea and Air Scouts have the same uniform what method to show difs?
It is proposed that all Scouts wear a single uniform. Insignia on the uniform could be used to indicate affiliation but no decision has yet been made on this.
Is there a specific reason why troops/franchises should only focus on local fundraising? External funding can be managed provincially/nationally?
Fundraising is a critical aspect of the movement’s future success. There is no reason why Groups should only focus on local fundraising. There is also no reason why only “National” should do provincial or national fundraising.
An article from Dudley Forde, "A question worth asking...."
The contents of a letter from a Winchester Scoutmaster in the Summer of 1918 so impressed Baden Powell, that in a number of speeches and guiding directives thereafter, he spoke of the ‘Spirit’ of Scouting as what really mattered – far more than the ‘form’. He noted that committees and meetings had taken the place of the free spirit intended for the development of character, and he became alarmed that the Movement would be so overtaken in organisation that it might lose its way.
When Gilwell Park was bought for the Movement in 1920, B.P saw an opportunity for a centre where those who understood young people could “guard the fountain head of the Scouting Spirit”. (from B.P’s report to HQ in 1920). Jeal (1989) records – “From the time of a first visit to Gilwell, Baden Powell wanted to make the place more important than Headquarters.”
For its first 50 years, under the gifted leadership of the Camp Chiefs, this spirit was deftly captured, nurtured, experimented on, and passed to the generations of Scouters through the Wood Badge training scheme. Gilwell became, by acceptance rather than any decree, the source and centre of the undoubted success of the magic of Scouting.
Interview with Robert Turner, National Youth Forum Chairman
Project Rev It asked Robert Turner the Chair of the SASA National Youth Forum for his views on Project Rev It and it's possible impact on the Movement. This is what he had to say...
The Scouting movement has great potential within South Africa, both in providing the Youth of our Nation with important Life and Leadership Skills and in actively playing a Role in our Communities.
As a movement we need to be moving; continuously adapting to the environment we find ourselves in. South Africa and the world has changed dramatically since Scouting began in 1907 and therefore in this ever changing environment we have come to a point where the Fast Forward button is needed, I believe Project Rev It is our Fast Forward button. It is the gear change that we as a movement need to see us flourish in the 21st Century.
By analysing every sector of our movement and being receptive to new ideas, we are able take positive steps, even leaps forward in the evolution of our movement.
By the end of this Project I would like to see an attractive Movement for Young people of the 21st Century; a movement with a positive attitude and a promising future. A “cool” movement to which members are proud to be a part of; connected to all things outdoor, social, community and technology based. I would like to see a nation shaped by our Movement, a nation united behind Scouting - its values, vision and mission.
Interview with Brendon Hausberger ( Provincial Commissioner - Gauteng)
Project Revit recently caught up with Brendon Hausberger, Provincial Commissioner for Gaunteng. We asked him why he though project Rev It was necessary?
“In 2011 we find ourselves in Scouting with a system that has evolved over the years to address issues rather than enabling the operation of the Association.
Over the years as an Association, as is often the case, the rules, structure and processes have been revised and updated to accommodate the changes in the Association, and in many cases to patch the holes that became apparent through the various misbehaviours and mischiefs of members of the association. As a result, we have ended up with a system that has become more of a gate keeper and less of an enabler. This situation is aggravated by the fact that the system is based on the communication tools of a decade or more ago (mail and fax) and as a result are almost entirely paper based. Quite apart from the environmental irresponsibility of this, the slow speed and opportunity for breakdown is a serious frustration to those more web savvy and connected, not to mention used to instant responses. This system also has the disadvantage of not being accessible to those without the resources to make sufficient copies or to transfer the documents to provincial or national headquarters.
