Category: HQ Circular

NOMINATIONS FOR CHIEF COMMISSIONER’S AWARD 2023

Reuben Hendriks

Dear Leaders,
Greetings from the Singapore Scout Association (SSA).
The Chief Commissioner’s Award (CCA) is the highest award for Scouts in Singapore. We are pleased to announce that the nomination for the Chief Commissioner’s Award 2023 is now open for eligible Scouts.
To be eligible for nomination, a Scout must have completed all the following requirements:

  1. Voyager Award (Revised Criteria),
  2. Current registered members of SSA,
  3. Nominated by the Group Scout Leader or Scout Leader, and endorsed by the Sponsoring Authority.

For submission criteria and details, kindly refer to the following:

  • Annex A (Nomination & Submission Timeline),
  • Annex B (Criteria for Scout Progress Scheme),
  • Annex C (Standing Order for CCA), and
  • Annex D (Record Card).

For clarification or assistance, please contact Ms Emily Ho, Executive (Programme) at emily.ho@scout.org.sg or call us at 62592858.

POST-LEADERSHIP KICK-OFF 2023 FOLLOW-UP

Reuben Hendriks

Greetings from the Singapore Scout Association!

Thank you for attending the Leadership Kick-off on Saturday, 4 February 2023 via Online Zoom.

We hope you had a fruitful and insightful session.

The sharing slides can be viewed here.

To begin the year on a strong footing, we would like you to complete the following:

  1. Code of Conduct – https://scout.sg/coc/2023
  2. Membership Updates – https://intranet8.scout.org.sg/Content/
  3. Feedback Form – https://forms.gle/ytSDN13mTx9yQii29

Kindly complete the above action by Sunday, 19 March 2023.

Please take note of the following resources for your unit’s finance and administration matters:

Should you have any further queries, kindly contact:

We look forward to working closely with you in 2023.

18TH SCOUTS OF THE WORLD AWARD – DISCOVERY WORKSHOP

Reuben Hendriks

Dear Leaders,

18th Scouts Of The World Award – Discovery Workshop

Greetings from the Singapore Scout Association (SSA)!

A flagship initiative under WOSM’s Better World Framework, the Scouts of the World Award (SWA) provides young people with opportunities to face challenges of the future. It aims to empower and engage young people in taking actions of world importance based on the universal values of freedom, tolerance, equality, respect for nature, and shared responsibilities; criteria similarly identified by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. There are two parts to the SWA – the Discovery Workshop and a Voluntary Service project.

The Discovery Workshop exposes young people to global issues that our Earth and Country are facing using an experiential model – to Explore, Respond and Take Action.  Apart from raising awareness on our communities-at-large and rich natural heritage, the workshop seeks to equip youths with development, facilitation, and planning skills in preparation for their Voluntary Service projects.

Participants are required to achieve full attendance for all the modules.

Please refer to Annex A for the details.

Registration is based on a first-come-first-served basis. Unit leaders are required to register your Venture Scouts through Scout Youth Programme Registration portal while self-registration for Rover Scouts can be made through Scout Adult Programme Registration portal. Please register at:  http://intranet.scout.org.sg by Wednesday, 1 March 2023. Accepted registration will be duly notified.

 

Please email the BetterWorld Team at betterworld@scout.sg or Ms Lee Pui Ling, Assistant Manager (Programme), at puiling.lee@scout.org.sg or call 62592858, if you require further assistance or clarification.

 

We look forward to your active participation and involvement in Creating a Better World!

Annex A

18th Scouts of the World Award – Discovery Workshop

General Information

Date : Friday, 17 March to Sunday, 19 March 2023 (Compulsory residential)
Venue : To be announced
Eligibility : Ventures, Rovers, and non-scouts (17 – 26 years old)
Fees : S$216.00(inclusive of 8% GST) Includes accommodation, meals, course materials, field trips, and transportation
Area subsidy is applicable, subject to Area Commissioner’s approval
Maximum intake : 24
Registration closing date : Wednesday, 1 March 2023, 6:00 p.m.

For Venture Scouts – Unit Leader to register through Scout Youth Programme Registration portal:http://intranet.scout.org.sg
For Rover Scouts – Rover Scout to self-register through Scout Adult Programme Registration portal:http://intranet.scout.org.sg
For Non-Scouts -Applicant is to email the completed application form to betterworld@scout.sg

The accepted registration will be notified latest by Saturday, 4 March 2023.
Upon notification, the following submissions are to be made within the week, latest by Friday 10
March 2023, 6:00 p.m:
1. Email the duly completed typed-written application form to betterworld@scout.sg.
2. Make full payment of fees
3. Workshop fees will be non-refundable upon confirmation of registration for withdrawal
cases without valid reasons.

NATIONAL CAMPAIGN (NC) / BETTER WORLD (BW) BADGE SCHEME 2023

Reuben Hendriks

Dear Leaders,

NATIONAL CAMPAIGN (NC) / BETTER WORLD (BW) BADGE SCHEME 2023

Greetings from The Singapore Scout Association (SSA).

We are pleased to inform that leaders may now register eligible Scouts for the NC and BW badge schemes via the MSDS Youth Programme Registration Portal.

Kindly note the following:

  • For NC badge schemes,
    • Registration will be opened in 2 intakes; till 30 June 2023 and 30 September 2023 (refer to Annex A).
    • Leaders may obtain relevant information, teaching materials and results form via SSA’s website (link provided in Annex A).
    • Leaders are to submit completed results form, receipt number of payment made and supporting documents electronically by the respective deadlines (link and deadlines provided in Annex A).
  • For BW badge schemes, leaders may obtain relevant information via the ‘BetterWorld’ website at: https://scout.betterworld.sg/repository/

Please refer to Annex A for details regarding the various badge schemes and for payment instructions respectively. Additionally, please note that:

  • Additional supporting documents (e.g. reflection journals, photos, videos etc) may be required for audit purposes. Such audits are jointly conducted by the relevant agencies and the National Programme Team.
  • Photos, videos and other forms of visual submissions may also be used for official reporting purposes (e.g. report submissions to agency and/or annual report publication).

Kindly email Ms Emily Ho, Executive (Programme) at emily.ho@scout.org.sg or call 69115790 for assistance or clarification.

We look forward to your enthusiastic participation.

Deadline
MSDS Registration Period 1st Intake: 8 February 2023 – 30 Jun 2023

1 July 2023 – 30 September 2023
Submission of Results Deadline & Outcome of badge scheme and Notification of Collection Period Batch 01/2023

  • Submission Deadline: by 10 April 2023
  • Collection Period: 1 May 2023 – 17 June 2023

Batch 02/2023

  • Submission Deadline: by 1 August 2023
  • Collection Period: 21 August 2023 – 30 September 2023

Batch 03/2023

  • Submission Deadline: by 1 November 2023
  • Collection Period: 20 November 2023 – 16 December 2023
Information Sheets and Results Form https://scout.sg/ssa-circular under Programme – Youth
Online submission (Google Form) To be completed by Adult Leaders only https://bit.ly/NBCSubmissions2023
MSDS Youth Registration Portal https://intranet.scout.org.sg

CANDIDACY FOR THE PRESIDENT’S SCOUT AWARD 2023

Reuben Hendriks

Dear Leaders,

CANDIDACY FOR THE PRESIDENT’S SCOUT AWARD 2023

Greetings from the Singapore Scout Association (SSA).

The President’s Scout Award (PSA) is the highest award for Venture Scouts in Singapore. The PSA represents the pinnacle of achievement for Venture Scouts as well as heralds their readiness to further their commitment to serve God, Nation, and the Community.

We are pleased to inform that Candidacy for the President’s Scout Award 2023 is now open to all eligible Venture Scouts. 

To be eligible for candidacy, a Venture Scout must fulfil the following requirements:

  1. Pioneer Award Holder
  2. A Venture Scout who has reached 15 years old at the time of registration and not more than 18 years of age as of 31 December upon completion of the eligibility for Nomination of PSA.
  3. Registered member of the SSA
  4. Nominated by his/her own unit’s Venture Scout leader.

    5. Kindly register your Venture Scouts via MSDS Youth Programme Registration portal at http://intranet.scout.org.sg. Thereafter, they are required to submit the duly completed PSA Candidacy Registration Form along with supporting documents to https://bit.ly/PSACandidacySubmission.

Kindly contact Ms Emily Ho, Executive (Programme) at emily.ho@scout.org.sg or 62592858 should you require any assistance.

 

We look forward to your active participation.

ADULT LEADERS TRAINING COURSES 2023

Reuben Hendriks

On behalf of the National Training Commissioner, we thank you for your valuable feedback. We have taken them into consideration to plan a series of courses to support your learning needs in running your scout unit for 2023.

 

Aligning to “Adult Leader 2030” announced by the Chief Commissioner, we have updated the Learning and Development Roadmap with focus on 4 types of courses necessary for scouters, namely Wood Badge Courses (WBC), Standard First Aid Courses (SFA), Youth Education and Scouting (YEAS), and core scouting skill courses (Skills). Please take note thatCertificate in Applied Outdoor Education (CAOE) Part 1 and Part 2 will be combined to form “Wood Badge Course (WBC) Basic”, while Advanced Certificate in Applied Outdoor Education (ACAOE) will be renamed as “Wood Badge Course (WBC) Advanced”.

Please refer to Annex A for more details on the upcoming course dates. Registration is on a first-come-first-served basis for all interested leaders, and registration is on MSDS at http://intranet.scout.org.sg. No withdrawal/refund is allowed once registration is confirmed. 
 
For clarifications, please contact Ms Evan Ong, Executive (HR & Training) at evan.ong@scout.org.sg or call 6911 5798 for assistance.

 

Course Title Type Course Date Closing Date Cost
Standard First Aid Course (SFA) – Intake 1 SFA 31 Jan (Tue) 21 Jan (Tue) $50
Standard First Aid Course (SFA) – Intake 2 SFA 24 Feb (Fri) 10 Feb (Fri) $50
Student Leadership Challenge – Inspiration and Application YEAS 11 Mar (Sat) 11 Feb (Sat) TBC
Standard First Aid Course (SFA) – Intake 3 SFA 18 Mar (Sat) 4 Mar (Sat) $50
Wood Badge Basic Course – Intake 1 WBC 21 – 22 Mar (Tue – Wed) 1 Mar (Wed) $350
Wood Badge Advance Course – Intake 1 WBC 11 – 14 Apr (Tue – Fri) 14 Mar (Tue) $350
Facilitating Student Development Experience & CCE2021 in UG CCAs for Teachers YEAS 20 Apr (Thu) – AM 8 Apr (Sat) –
Standard First Aid Course (SFA) – Intake 4 SFA 28 Apr (Fri) 7 Apr (Fri) $50
Specialist Skill Course – (Campfire) Skills 13 – 14 May (Sat – Sun) 15 Apr (Sat) $200
Wood Badge Basic Course – Intake 2 WBC 20 – 21 May (Sat – Sun) 22 Apr (Sat)  $350
IMH Mental Literacy Train-the-Trainers Programme YEAS 24 – 25 May (Wed – Thu) 10 May (Wed) –
Standard First Aid Course (SFA) – Intake 5 SFA 26 May (Fri) 12 May (Fri) $50
Specialist Skill Course – Campcraft Skills 3 – 4 Jun (Sat – Sun) 13 May (Sat) $200
Wood Badge Advanced Course – Intake 2 WBC 8 – 11 Jun (Thu – Sun) 11 May (Thu) $350
External – Kayaking Course Skills 10 – 11 Jun (Sat – Sun)

24 – 25 Jun (Sat – Sun)

 20 May (Sat) TBC
Standard First Aid Course (SFA) – Intake 6 SFA 24 Jun (Sat) 10 Jun (Sat) $50
SEL – Psychological First Aid (PFA) YEAS 7 Jul (Fri) 16 Jun (Fri) TBC
Standard First Aid Course (SFA) – Intake 7 SFA 25 Jul (Tue) 11 Jul (Tue) $50
WB3 – Youth Programme (Implementation) WBC 26 – 30 Jul (Wed – Sun) 1 Jun (Thu) $500
Wood Badge Reunion WBC 29 Jul (Sat)   TBC
Facilitating Student Development Experience & CCE2021 in UG CCAs for Volunteers YEAS 19 Aug (Sat) – AM 5 Aug (Sat) –
Standard First Aid Course (SFA) – Intake 8 SFA 19 Aug (Sat) 5 Aug (Sat) $50
Wood Badge Basic Course – Intake 3 WBC 9 -10 Sep (Sat – Sun) 12 Aug (Sat) $350
Standard First Aid Course (SFA) – Intake 9 SFA 22 Sep (Fri) 8 Sep (Fri) $50
Standard First Aid Course (SFA) – Intake 10 SFA 28 Oct (Sat) 14 Oct (Sat) $50
Standard First Aid Course (SFA) – Intake 11 SFA 27 Nov (Fri) 10 Nov (Fri) $50
Wood Badge Advanced Course – Intake 3 WBC 16 – 19 Nov (Thu – Sun) 19 Oct (Thu) $350
SEL – Psychological First Aid (PFA) YEAS 18 Nov (Sat) 21 Oct (Sat) TBC
Standard First Aid Course (SFA) – Intake 12 SFA 16 Dec (Sat) 2 Dec (Sat) $50
  • Fees excludes prevailing GST (8%)
  • Ministry of Education’s Uniform Group Grant available

Upon notification of accepted registration,

Terms and Condtions:

  1. Upon confirmation of registration, no withdrawal will be allowed once invoice is generated unless the organiser cancels the event.
  2. A no-show fee will be imposed on absentees without valid reasons or medical certificates.
  3. Prevailing GST charges applies.
  4. The Singapore Scout Association reserves the right to cancel/postpone the event and reject applicants where necessary.

DIAMOND JUBILEE CHALLENGE FUND-RAISING 2023 – DONATIONS MADE VIA GIVING.SG

Reuben Hendriks

Dear Scouts,

 

DIAMOND JUBILEE CHALLENGE FUND-RAISING 2023 – DONATIONS MADE VIA GIVING.SG

 

Following-up on the Diamond Jubilee Challenge fundraising circular sent on 22 December 2022 (Ref: HQ-024_2022-DJC2023.2), we would like to inform that Scouts and general public may support and contribute to the Diamond Jubilee Challenge fundraising effort via our online platform on the Giving.sg Diamond Jubilee Challenge campaign page.

 

To pledge an amount, donations can be made via the link:  https://www.giving.sg/the-singapore-scout-association/djc-environment

 

Kindly note that Tax-Deductible Receipts (TDR) are only issued for single donations of $100 and above. Do also ensure that donor details are fully captured on the Giving.sg platform when making donations to be eligible for the tax-deductible receipt.

 

We look forward to your support for the Diamond Jubilee Challenge Fund-raising 2023.

 

For any clarifications, please feel free to contact us at 6259 2858 or email us at hq@scout.org.sg .

2023 SOUTH AREA LEADERS ORIENTATION & ONBOARDING TRAINING

Reuben Hendriks

Dear Leaders,

This is to welcome and onboard our new leaders in South Area, and to facilitate their questions in running units, program planning and goal setting. We would like to take this opportunity to meet them, and exchange pointers on how we improve our Youth Programme Support for the South Area.

 

As the training involves a lot of hands-on activities and for the ease of trainers providing immediate assistance, the session will be conducted face-to-face at the Singapore Scout Association.

 

Details are as follows:

Eligibility : All newly joined Adult Leaders or Leaders who need administration clarifications
Date and Time : 11 February 2022, Saturday, 9:15 am to 11:45 am. Reporting at 9 am
Attire : Smart Casual with Scout scarf
Equipment : Computer with Desktop OS (avoid mobile OS)
Venue : The Singapore Scout Association, Training Room, Level 2
Course Fee : NIL

 

 

Topics covered:

  • Brief Scouting introduction
  • HQ & Area Structures
  • Brief intro to the Scout Method
  • Unit Admin (Creating MSDS account, Frank Coopers Sands Award)
  • National & Area Programme for the year
  • Checking Youth Progress Scheme criteria via scout-sg web app
  • Fund Raising
  • National Training Calendar 2023
  • Breakout room by sections

 

Registration for the course will be available at: bit.ly/south-2023-onboarding

 

For any queries, please feel free to contact Fong Kah Chun at kahchun.fong@scout.sg or HQ at 62592858.

DIAMOND JUBILEE CHALLENGE 2023 (ENVIRONMENT)

Reuben Hendriks

Singapore will be celebrating 60 years of nationhood in 2025. To strengthen the importance of a non-formal, value-based educational youth programme, the Singapore Scout Association (SSA) embarked on a four-year project called Diamond Jubilee Challenge (DJC), launched in 2022 by Chief Scout, President Halimah Yacob.

 

This year’s theme, ‘Environment’, aims to raise awareness on climate change among Scouts and encourage them to take climate action through ground-up initiatives. The DJC theme was launched by Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, on Saturday, 14 January 2022. Following which, our Scouts will continue their learning journey to be environmental advocates through the learning process of Be Aware, Cooperate and Act to Engage.

 

The annual challenge is split into 4 quarters. In every quarter, Scouts will carry out activities to complete the quarterly challenge and upon completion, they will be awarded a challenge badge. Submission must be made on the prescribed form (Annex C) and to be submitted at this link: https://forms.gle/kpFAp7qjZeVztZHb6

 

Kindly refer to Annex A, an infopack enclosed in the circular sent via email for information on Diamond Jubilee Challenge and the quarterly challenges in 2023.  Annex B includes the Climate Action Ambassador Badge that Scouts can pursue. For more information on the Better World Flagship Initiatives, please visit here: https://scout.betterworld.sg/repository/

 

In support of the Steward Pillar of the Forward Singapore exercise, our Scouts are encouraged to make their Green Nation Pledge to commit to making Singapore a green, liveable and climate-resilient nation. Pledge can be made here: https://www.mse.gov.sg/greennationpledge

 

We hope you will support our Scouts in their DJC learning journey. Your support for the challenge would be greatly appreciated as we prepare our Scouts in “Creating A Better World”.

 

Please do not hesitate to reach out to your Area Commissioners or Area Better World Coordinator if you require more information. Thank you.

UPDATE ON MOE PROGRESSIVE RESUMPTION OF HEIGHT-BASED ACTIVITIES FOR SCHOOL PROGRAMMES FROM FEBRUARY 2023

Reuben Hendriks

In line with the resumption of height-based activities as outlined in MOE’s Press Release on 28 November 2022, this circular serves to update Leaders of the following:

  • Leaders are advised to ensure that they engage accredited operators and qualified instructors to conduct height-based activities for their Scouts.
  • Operators running challenge course activities – which include zipline, high rope and obstacle courses that require belaying – will resume at a reduced tempo of 50% or less of their normal operational capacity from 1 February to 31 March 2023. Leaders should consider allowing time for operators to progressively scale-up and run-in their operations after the two-year hiatus.
  • Abseiling and climbing activities can resume in full from 1 February 2023, given that commercial operators and instructors for these activities have remained operational at commercial sites for the public.
  • Leaders are to carry out Risk Assessment as per Unit’s safety committee requirements (to seek advice from the Safety ICs of the schools or organisations) before conducting pioneering projects, as these projects may require Scouts to climb to heights which may pose as a safety issue.

    •  

    For Scouting activities at both unit and Area level, Scouts are advised to continue to exercise good personal hygiene and social responsibility. Additionally, Scouts who have just completed their vaccination or booster shot must be excused for two weeks from strenuous physical activities. Scouts with mild or asymptomatic COVID-19 infection should also avoid strenuous physical activity for 2 weeks after their first positive COVID-19 test (PCR or ART). Thereafter, they may gradually resume physical activity as tolerated. Leaders are also reminded to monitor and be vigilant to their Scouts’ health conditions to ensure the safety of all members.

    For further clarifications, do speak to your Area Commissioner, or call Headquarters at 62592858.