Outdoor Adventure Skills

Outdoor Adventure Skills are the link between adventurous activities and the youth program. They enable youth members of all ages to access the basic skills for a range of activities, and progress through to high skill levels across nine broad activity areas. The core skill areas are what is often viewed as ‘key Scouting skills’ and are encouraged for all sections, whilst the specialist skill areas offer diversity of choice. The early Stages (1–4) of all Outdoor Adventure Skills are for those who want to try out the activity and establish basic skills. The higher Stages (7–9) are geared towards the Scout who wishes to explore these pursuits in greater depth than what is provided for in the core program. Where a relevant Unit of Competency exists in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) package, Stages 5 - 9 have been written in a way that Scouts are showing skills that could be mapped to gain formal Units of Competency through the Scouts Australia Institute of Training (SAIT).

The Outdoor Adventure Skills are intended to be achieved by individual Scouts. Although, as part of a balanced program and the undertaking of Challenge Areas, a Patrol or entire Unit may undertake some activities and skill development together. On any given adventure, there may be Scouts undertaking a variety of different Stages in the same group, each learning and displaying the skills that they are up to, at their own pace.

The Outdoor Adventure Skills carry through all sections. The lowest stages have been written with the younger youth members in mind, however, keen or skilled Scouts in these sections can progress ahead. There are no age restrictions on the achievement of these stages. Due to the time and skill levels required to be shown in the middle and higher stages, it is unlikely that Scouts in the youngest sections will be able to achieve too many stages beyond their peers and thus 'run out' of challenges to pursue in later sections. Community standards and legislative requirements may impact the possible outcomes when youth members seek recognition of their Outdoor Adventure Skills achievements to obtain Units of Competency.

Scouts Victoria Adventurous Activity teams are an integral part of the delivery of our Outdoor Adventure Skills. Whether you’re an adult who is looking to learn a new skill or a youth member looking to fulfil your next adventure, the Adventurous Activity teams are ready for you with a calendar of jam-packed experiences that are Adventurous, Fun, Challenging and Inclusive.

The core skill activities are Bushcraft, Bushwalking, Survival and Archery. The land skills include Alpine, 4WD, Cycling, Vertical (Abseiling, Rock Climbing and Caving). The water skills include Scuba, Boating and Paddling. 1st Werribee has many leaders who are integral parts of these teams.

A calendar for courses of these activities can be found at this link: https://tockify.com/scoutsvic/agenda?tags=Adventurous-Activities