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Become A Volunteer

What Makes a good Volunteer

Working with young people is a privilege. Therefore we are careful about who we ask to join the movement.  Our experience shows us that the following characteristics make a good volunteer.

Fun

Scouting is fun. We are looking for people who have a sense of humour and don’t take themselves too seriously. Importantly we are looking for volunteers who can translate their sense of fun into a compelling weekly programme for our young people.

Respectful

Every volunteer is a role model. This means we need to model respect in all of our relationships. This includes respecting boundaries with young people and demonstrating respect for the people we are working with. (Respect is one of our core values, so of course it is on the list.)

Patient

Youth work takes time. Young people are continuously learning new skills and developing their abilities. Our leaders need to be patient as they guide young people and help them develop their skills and abilities. Being patient also goes a long way when dealing with the unexpected.

Creative

Sometimes things don’t always go as planned. Successful volunteers are creative and good at solving problems. When the night is not going as well as planned, our volunteers are able to adapt and change course to help deliver a great evening for our young people.

Collaborative

We work in small teams. This means we are looking for volunteers who are good at collaborating with young people as well as their fellow volunteers. Sharing information, tasks, and best practice is part of building an effective small team.

Passionate

Our volunteers bring a passion to youth work, often working with young people over several years to help them develop themselves. This passion to see young people succeed is part of who we are as an organisation.

To be asked to volunteer is a big compliment. It means that  your local team thinks you will work well with our young people and other volunteers!

What you get from Volunteering

Our Volunteers often tell us that they get far more back from giving a bit of their time and passion. Here are some of the ways you might benefit.

Personal Growth

We offer three development pathways for our volunteers; youth development, adventure skills, and understanding scouting. We help you develop skills across these three areas so you can become a more effective leader for our young people.

Impact

Our volunteers have an impact on the young people they work with as well as their local community. Our volunteers donate over 1 Million hours of youth development on an annual basis. That is a significant positive impact on Aotearoa New Zealand.

Community

We are an awesome community of 20,000 people who share a common set of values. Our volunteers join for the young people, and end up staying because of the wider scout community.

Voice

Through our leadership team structure our volunteers have a voice in how the organisation runs. This includes an opportunity to serve on the National Board or National Council. Your voice contributes to building a robust community based organisation.

New Experiences

Our volunteers get to participate in new experiences. From learning how to tramp safely, to abseiling for the first time, part of volunteering is participating with young people in the awesome experiences we run.

Recognition

We recognise our volunteers’ contribution in several ways. We have a long service recognition scheme. We also have awards for exceptional service at different levels of the organisation. Finally, we have formal awards for recognising best practice.

Things you Need to KNow

Scouts Aotearoa is a private organisation. Membership is by mutual agreement. Volunteers joining the movement are asked to agree to six basic things:

  • Hold and maintain a current NZ police vetting check which has been approved by the National Scout Centre
  • Read, uphold, and abide by our Values and our Code of Ethics
  • Uphold and abide by our Safeguarding and Health and Safety policies and practices
  • Hold a current role and undertake the responsibilities assigned to that role
  • Undertake training relevant to the role and to maintain competency
  • Provide personal information and consent to it being stored in National Scout Databases

Aside from being an awesome person, these are the requirements to join Scouts Aotearoa. You can read our full membership policy here

By submitting the membership application form you agree to the terms of Membership (indicated above).  This includes the electronic storage of your personal information and its use in accordance with our Privacy Statement.

So you have read all the above and think we will be a good fit with each other, great! If you have already met with your local Scout Group and they have asked you to submit a membership application then please do so below. If you are looking for a volunteer opening at a group near you then please make contact with the group directly. You can find your nearest groups using this search.