Scouts Planning Intensive Recruiting Campaign

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31062, 18 May 1966, Page 3

Scouts Planning Intensive Recruiting Campaign

An Intensive recruiting campaign will be undertaken by the Boy Scouts’ Association over the next 12 months, according to the chief executive commissioner (Mr S. 0. Field), who is visiting Christchurch. The aim of the association is to increase the number of boy scouts by 10 per cent to a total of 50,000. “We are especially interested in the new housing areas,” Mr Field said yesterday. “Till now this is one section of the community in which we have been lagging behind. Our hope is that we can eventually have a scout group wherever there is a community of 1500 people or more.” Mr Field said that there had been a steady increase in scout numbers for the last few years. “Our administration is now well set up, and we have ample training facilities,” he said. “We could cope with up to 100,000 scouts with no great difficulty. If our programme of planned development comes off, there is no reason why we could not have that number of scouts in five years. At present there are about 45,000 scouts in New Zealand.”

Mr Field said the association was reviewing the whole scout programme. “There is a need for some changes,” he said. “At the moment we have quite a wastage in the 13 and 14-year-old age group. We want to bring the programme more in keeping with the interests of the boys of today. “There is no doubt that boys are interested in join-

ing the scout movement We must feed and retain this interest. Some of these changes will be introduced before the end of the year.” Mr Field said that the new venturer scout group was proving a considerable success.

“This unit provides a broader and more challenging programme for the 15 to 18-year-old age group. New Zealand has given a lead to the rest of the world in establishing this course. Already South Africa and Canada have followed the New Zealand pattern, and there has been a large demand for our handbook. They will have to modify it to their own requirements, of course.”

Mr Field said that the next national jamboree would be held in Christchurch. “More than 6000 scouts will be in the city for 10 days in January, 1969,” he said. “The jamboree council will be set up later this month. It takes at least two years and a half to organise such a jamboree.”