View submission details
Submission by Scouts Australia New South Wales on 27 March 2009.
2. Better place sport and physical activity as a key component of the Government's preventative health approach
- Examine Government frameworks to ensure an on-going focus on grassroots and community sport and physical activity.
No response
- Examine Government programs to increase participation rates in sport and physical activity, including analysis of existing programs.
No response
- Identify and recommend opportunities to break down barriers to participation at junior, adult and senior ages with a view to making it simpler and easier for Australians to participate in the sport or physical activity of their choice, including for women, the disabled and Indigenous people.
In our experience, many young people are attracted to Scouting because;• Uniquely, it offers access to a wide range of activities, usually only available elsewhere as a single offering. A child wanting to ‘try’ an activity is forced to commit to that activity for an extended period, excluding other opportunities. By comparison, Scouts access their chosen activity, and many others. If the chosen activity turns out not to be enjoyable, a Scout is able to select and participate in an alternative, rather than be discouraged and turn away from physical activity altogether. Scouts are able to choose and excel their area of interest – seeking a “personal best”, rather than the “there’s only one winner” model encouraged in many ‘sports’. • It offers physical and intellectually engaging activity – it is not reliant on physical skill alone. Scouting offers those with fewer innate athletic skills the opportunity to excel at a physically demanding activity by also using (and developing) significant thinking skills. Scouts offers a greater range of leadership opportunities than the typical sports team where only one player gets to captain the team. Every Scout is called upon to develop and utilise their physical and leadership skills e.g. leading peers on a hike. • It is non-contact. Some Scouting activities such as abseiling offer the high levels of (perceived) risk actively sought by many adolescents - without the intimidation of physical confrontation. Contact and competitive sport is very confronting for many young people and can develop into a formidable mental barrier to participation in any sport. • It is mixed gender and equal opportunity. Both girls and boys are expected to undertake the same level of physical challenge, and are equally rewarded. Both are expected to lead their (mixed gender) peers. • It is on-going. Many young people who participate in Scouting continue to enjoy and participate in physical activities in their adult years. • We believe that better communication of the opportunity to participate in physical activities other than ‘sport’ will increase participation rates in exercise and overcome many of the negatives associated with competitive sport. Contact and competitive sports are simply too intimidating for many young people. However, they may be attracted to alternatives that offer both intellectual and physical engagement.
- Recommend strategies to increase the effectiveness of the promotion of sport by the Federal Government to better communicate positive health and activity messages to the broader community.
Throughout Australia there are more than 60,000 members of Scouting, 20,000 of whom reside in New South Wales. It is worth noting that in January 2010, 12,000 Scouts from all states and territories of Australia will converge on Sydney for the Scouts Australia Jamboree. For 10 days they go ""Higher, Deeper, Faster, Further"" and be ""Stronger, Braver, Smarter"" than ever before. Activities include water sports on Sydney Harbour, adventure racing through the CBD, and various other activities requiring endurance, fitness and physical activity. Many of the activities are simply fun – the kind of fun that our risk-adverse society often discourages because it’s messy, muddy, tiring, exhilarating, adrenalin pumping, risk-taking physical FUN! Participation rates in Scouting are comparable to or exceed many ‘sports’. The physical demands are very real, and the overall benefits to Australian society recognised for more than 100 years. It seems to be a missed opportunity (as well as inequitable) that a community based organisation with a strong record of success, providing a large number of participants a satisfying and challenging alternative to organised, competitive sport, is not supported through funding or inclusion in ‘health and activity’ programs simply because the ‘sport’ it offers is in a broader context of child development. This, together with commentary supplied in response to the previous point, leads us to the following recommendation. Our experience shows there is wide community acceptance of, and an appetite for, physical activity that does not fall within the traditional definition of ‘sport’.
3. Strengthen pathways from junior sport to grassroots community sport right through to elite and professional sport.
- Examine the capacity of the system to ensure optimal and efficient delivery of the athlete and coach pathway for any given sport.
Australians have long delighted in the success of our elite athletes. They all started somewhere, usually in ‘grass roots’ community based sport. The pathways into representative levels are generally well developed within various sports. However, not all athletes are developed through participation in traditional competition, or talent identification programs.Scouts provides members with the opportunity to sample many ‘sports’, (including sailing, canoe and kayaking, orienteering, bushwalking, abseiling, and snow sports)in a low cost, supportive, FUN environment. The success of this approach is evident in members enjoying these activities in their younger years and using it as a foundation to go onto elite levels. One such example is ex Sea Scout Tim Webster: “Tim got into sailing through the sea scouts and marched on to notch some highlights; winning the 18ft skiff Grand Prix as crew on Xerox and coming 2nd in the Moth Championships.” Having achieved success at elite levels of skiff sailing in Australia, Tim is now designing and building America’s Cup yachts for the defending title holder, Alinghi, and exporting his ‘sport’ skills to the world. Tim’s opportunity to sail would have been quite limited, if he had not joined Scouts, as he and his family lived in land-locked Canberra. It is unlikely Tim would have been spotted through talent identification programs, or that he would have been introduced to sailing, except through Scouts. His story is but one example of success at the elite level being built on a ‘non-traditional’ pathway to excellence. Scouts recognises the pathways to success are many and varied and aims to assist each member reach their full potential. Both Leaders and Members bring a great range of talent and interests to the organisation. Increasingly Scouts looks to recognise prior learning to ensure efficient leveraging of skills, for the benefit of members. Recommendation; Supporting and promoting the full range of physical activity, not only that currently defined as ‘sport’, available in communities will increase the talent pool eventually available at the elite level. Recognising ‘non-traditional’ pathways to success will unlock further opportunities for both coaches and athletes. Working with peak bodies to ensure cross-recognition of each others training and accreditation of coaches (or in the case of Scouts, Leaders), will increase the skill base available to support athletes.
- Recommend the most effective support and recognition for the coaches, officials, umpires, administrators and volunteers who keep our community clubs alive.
No response
- Examine how relationships between the Commonwealth Government and National Sporting Organisations, State Sporting Organisations and Australia’s peak representative bodies at key multi-sports competitions may be strengthened to deliver better performance outcomes.
No response
5. Identify opportunities to increase and diversify the funding base for sport through corporate sponsorship, media and any recommended reforms, such as enhancing the effectiveness of the Australian Sports Foundation
Scouts is a strong example of how community support (in kind and financial) can be unlocked to provide an outstanding range of physical activities. With appealing and diverse programs Scouts is able to generate sufficient support from members to be largely self funding. Naturally, far more opportunities could be offered, if greater financial support was available. As an organisation that does not benefit from private, corporate or government sport funding, Scouts is forced to look to alternative sources of revenue. The vast majority of Scouts capacity to deliver engaging programs is built on voluntary donations of time and in-kind resources. Cash funding is primarily generated through membership fees, and some return on investments (built up over time from memberships, donations and occasional property sales). The organisation relies on each local Scout Group raising sufficient funds to offer a stimulating and varied program, and provides supports through specialist resources and activity centres. This local focus reflects an underlying philosophy of self responsibility and sufficiency, resilience, community connectedness and inclusion – all values the organisation seeks to live, and to develop in members. Current growth in membership reflects the success of this ‘grass roots’ approach to funding. Scouts is grateful for government and corporate investment at strategic times. We will continue to seek this where appropriate. To date, no funding has come through support for physical activity or ‘sport’ offered through Scouts, despite sailing, canoe and kayaking, orienteering, bushwalking, abseiling, and snow sports being among many physical activities. Scouts also have the opportunity to participate competitively at State events. However, because these ‘sports’ are offered in the context of actively seeking to develop the ‘whole child’ to fulfil their potential Scouts is not a recognised as a ‘sport provider’. Consequently, we are unable to access any ‘sport’ funding such as travel schemes for remotely located members, or for Coach (Leaders) development. Closer examination of physical (and other) activity that could be offered more widely via Scouts and like organisations could reveal a highly cost effective, high return on investment opportunity. The significant health benefits of participation in ‘sport’ can be realized through greater physical activity for all community members, not just those with a passion for ‘sport’ as it commonly defined.
Page last updated: 27 March, 2009