| The Scout Association of Australia | ||||
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| Headquarters | Chatswood, New South Wales | |||
| Country | Australia | |||
| Founded | 1958 incorporated 1967 | |||
| Founder | The Boy Scouts Association (United Kingdom) | |||
| Membership | 48,796 children & youths 2,792 young adult Rovers 15,147 adults (2022)[1] | |||
| Chief commissioner | Brendan Watson OAM | |||
| Chief Scout of Australia | David Hurley | |||
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| Website scouts.com.au | ||||
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Scouts Australia is a trading name of The Scout Association of Australia, which is the largest scouting organisation in Australia, claiming 48,796 children and youths and 2,792 young adult participants in 2022, and is a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement.[2] It was formed in 1958 and incorporated in 1967.[3] It operates personal development programs for children and young adults from 5 to 25 years of age with programs successively opened to girls after 1971.
The organisation's current stated purpose 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".[4]
Participation in the organisation's programs declined in the late 20th and early 21st centuries despite opening participation to girls and ever younger children and Australia having a high population growth rate, well above the world average. According to a 2014 media article, "Scouts Australia is hoping [to] arrest a steady decline in membership. In 1979 the organisation had 114,500 youth members, today there are 52,000."[5] According to its own annual reports[6] participation decreased from 84,502 in 2,126 groups in 2001 to 63,200 in 1,836 groups in 2005, while in 2012 there were 49,181 children and youth, 2,587 young adult Rovers and 14,113 adult leaders and support roles in 1,486 groups[7] and, in 2022, there were 48,796 children and youths, 2,792 young adult Rovers and 15,147 adult leaders and support roles in 1,321 groups. The organisation has an exceptionally high number of adults compared to its number of youth participants with a ratio of more than one adult for every three youths.[1]
- ^ a b "Scouts Australia: Annual Report to the nation 2022" (PDF). Scouts Australia.
- ^ "Scouting Worldwide | WOSM". www.scout.org. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
royal charterwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "The Adventure Begins – Purpose, Principles and Mission". Scouts Australia. 1 February 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
- ^ Sinnerton, Jackie; Van den Broeke, Leigh (1 November 2014). "Be prepared for a Scout revolution to take the youth movement into the future". The Daily Telegraph.
- ^ "Scouts Australia Annual Reports". Scouts Australia. 18 December 2017.
- ^ "Scouts Australia: Annual Report to the nation 2013" (PDF). Scouts Australia.