Joey Info

Joey Scouts

In 1990 the Scout Association added the Joey Scout section to involve boys and girls who are 6 and 7 years old.

The emphasis is on fun and friendship and a gentle introduction to a world of challenges and adventures through Scouting.
Badges are mainly achieved as a Mob, rather than individually, as is done in the other sections.
Joeys are taught about sharing, about nature and about the world around them.
They are given a sense of belonging and learn ways for creative expression. And most importantly, Joeys are taught to jump in and help. The Joey Scout theme is: 'Help other people' (H.O.P)

The Joey Scout Promise

I promise to do my best

To love my God
and be helpful

The Joey Scout Law

A Joey Scout cares
A Joey Scout shares

The Gap Joey Mob

The Gap Joey Mob is a part of The Gap Scout Group and is the beginning of a great adventure in the Scouting movement.  We belong to the Taylor Range District in the Brisbane North Region.

Joeys is for boys and girls aged from 6 years to 7½ - 8 years. 

We meet on a Monday night from 5.00pm – 6.00pm at The Gap Scout Den Paten Rd The Gap.

Leaders

Our Leaders are all volunteers and are not paid for their time.  Our leaders all undertake regular training to keep up to date with scouting guidelines and procedures.  Training, program nights and activities along with planning and preparation for Joeys is all done in the Leaders own time.

Our Current Joey Leaders are:

Fiona  (B’nona) B’Nona is our Joey Leader and has been involved with scouting for 5 years as an Assistant Scout Leader and now a Joey Leader.  Fiona’s husband is the Venturer leader and she has 2 boys, 1 in Cubs and 1 in Joey’s.

Samantha  (Brumby)  Brumby is our Assistant Joey Leader and has been involved in the guiding movement previously for many years. (We converted her from the dark side J )  Sam has 2 boys 1 in Joeys and 1 who is visiting Joeys until he is old enough to be invested.

Todd (Dingo) Dingo is our Assistant Joey Leader and has been involved in the Scouting movement at the Oakleigh Scout Group for the last year as a Joey Leader.  Todd has 2 boys in Joeys and a Daughter in Cubs and one yet to join Joeys.

We also have 3 Youth Helpers who come and help us with Joeys every week,

Sara is a current Venturer and Sam and Nathan are current Scouts within our group.

Our Group Leader is Wayne (Hathi) thegapscouts@gmail.com

Uniforms

Shirts:         Joey Scout - Polo Shirt      $29.95

Scarfs:        Small:                                $9.00
QLD Woggle:                                      $3.85
Hat:            Wide Brim Surf Hat:          $12.95
                   Sizes:                   XS/S  56cm    -    M/L  58cm    -    XL  61cm

These prices were current at time of printing (June 2012)

The Group does own several Joey Uniform shirts and if these are available for loan, your requirements would only be the scarf, woggle and hat.

Uniforms can be purchased from the Scout Supply Centre at 32 Dixon St Auchenflower. 

Uniform shirts are to be worn with either Navy or Denim as a bottom half option.  This can be shorts or long pants for winter.  We encourage durable shorts but not the best you own.  School Uniform shorts (eg available from Kmart or Target) are quite good as they are durable and can take the busy activities we undertake.  Please do not send your Joey in their best clothes.  We do glue, paint, run, and play hard at Joeys.  During winter the den can be quite cold so please send a jumper (preferably Navy) along too.

Please ensure all items are named clearly.  With everyone in the same uniform, identifying each individual’s belongings can be quite hard if they are not named.

Enclosed shoes are a must at Joeys this is for the children’s safety when playing games and joining activities.  Our den is in a public park and we do visual checks of our grounds for hazards but it is essential that all Joey’s are in enclosed shoes.  Please do not send your Joey in thongs, crocs or sandals.  Joggers or School shoes are the best option.

All Joeys are expected to wear uniform to all meetings unless stated otherwise.

Being invested into the Joey Mob

Once a Joey is committed to coming to Joeys, they have visited a few nights and have a uniform we will invest them into the Mob.  This involves a special part of parade where the Joey will say their promise and be presented with badges for their uniform.  Parents and family are welcome to share in this event and cameras are welcome to capture the moment.

Program

Our program is planned around our participation badges and on attending Joeys regularly the participation badges are achieved.  Joeys is a busy program with lots of activity we do get messy and dirty, we will try to indicate on the program where an activity may be particularly messy.  If you or your child has ideas for activities or places we could visit as a mob please let us know.  We would love to include them in our program.

Signing in/out

We ask that all Joeys and Visitors be signed in and out by their parent each meeting.  The sign in book is usually on the table inside the den.  By following this practice we are able to ensure that we know your child has arrived at Joeys and we have a record of who we have in attendance in case of an emergency.  Please also come into the den at the end of Joeys to collect your child and sign them out.  We will aim to finish Joeys on time each week but it is essential that we know when a Joey has been collected and by whom. 

Prayer Book

We are starting up a prayer book for our Mob.  At our opening or closing parade we will be sharing these prayers.  In Scouting Baden-Powell was specific in stating “Duty to my God” within the promise.  An important aspect of the aim of Scouting is the spiritual development of young people.  We have developed a prayer book for the Joeys and each week one of the Joeys will bring this book home to add a prayer to.  This is not a huge task and it is a component to the Promise Badge the Joeys may work towards.  The prayer is to be simple and relevant to the Joey.  It may be “Thank you God for the great games we played tonight”, “Thank you God for the sunny day and wind for us to fly our kites”.  It may be a drawing the Joey has done of something that makes them happy.  The book has space for the Joey to draw a picture or write a short prayer.  If you do not wish your Joey to participate in this, please let us know. 

Newsletter

Our newsletter will be emailed out to all parents every few months this will outline the upcoming program and details needed for events.  Permission forms will also be emailed for events away from the den these must be completed and returned to the leaders prior to attending an event away from the den.  Where possible this newsletter will have as much information as we can put in it please feel free to contact Fiona if you have any further questions, our contact details are on the newsletter.

Linking to Cubs

The Gap Scout Group currently has 2 Cub packs which run on Monday and Tuesday evenings from 6.30pm-8pm.  Further details will be supplied to you when your Joey is ready to begin linking to Cubs.  This usually occurs around the age of 7 ½ years.

Costs involved with Joeys

There are three different sets of fees which are applicable in scouting.  If finances are difficult, please let the Group Leader or Treasurer know so that a satisfactory arrangement can be negotiated. To make it simpler, upon joining The Gap Scout Group all fees are invoiced together as a lump sum.
Branch Fees - Scouts Australia membership fees are payable to Queensland Branch Headquarters and cover membership and insurance.
Group Fees - Group fees are payable on a yearly basis and are levied to keep The Gap Scout Den running, cover den maintenance, electricity, leader’s training, badges and general running costs, and are set each year at the Annual General Meeting according to expenses and level of fund-raising.
Section Fees - Section fees are levied to purchase supplies, equipment and finance the ongoing running of the Mob.  They are included in the annual invoice.  There may be some additional costs for specific outings an activity advice and permission form will be sent accordingly.
Joey Activities – We try to keep costs to a minimum for our program events these activities are paid for by parents directly to our Joey leaders.

If you are interested to see how money is used, please feel free to speak with Wayne our Group Leader, or even better come to a Group Committee Meeting!

Out of the Pouch Nights

Our out of the pouch nights are a new parent information session at the Den a few times a year.  Joeys is fast changing with our memberships.  It is a very short period from being invested to beginning the link badge to Cubs.  We have planned these nights to keep all parents new and returning informed of what is happening at Joeys for the term.  They are usually about an hour long and are for parents to attend.  Please note there are no care/activities for children on these nights.  We encourage our first time parents in particular to attend one of these meetings.  It is a great way for us to meet without the rush of drop off and pick up.  

Joey Scout Participation Scheme

Mob Participation Badge

Caring and Sharing Badge   Each Mob plans and runs programs for one month that focus on caring and sharing. As a highlight, the Mob does a special deed for the local community.
Buddy Scheme Badge    Joey Scout Mobs visit each other, share activities and have great fun. The Mob Buddy Scheme aims at building a rapport and friendship between different Mobs.
Environment Challenge Badge    The Mob undertakes four simple Environmental Challenges that aim to develop an appreciation of and respect for the natural environment, to gain knowledge of Australian plants and animals, and to develop a sense of responsibility in behaviour and action.
Adventure Challenge Badge The Adventure Challenge is designed to broaden each Joey Scout’s life experiences through visiting places to which the Mob doesn’t usually go. Some of the adventures could include a trip to the beach or a creek, a bushwalk, visiting a museum or a farm… the possibilities are endless.

Promise Challenge Badge

The aim of this challenge is to allow older Joey Scouts to gain a greater understanding of the Scout Promise and Law, to learn about Scouting’s Founder, Lord Robert Baden-Powell, and to discover the history of Scouting.  The challenge requires the Joey Scout to complete certain elements, such as research and discussion with their parents and Leaders, away from the Mob meetings. The Joey will also be required to give a presentation to the Mob on completion of the task.  The aim of this challenge is to allow older Joey Scouts to gain a greater understanding of the Scout Promise and Law, to learn about Scouting’s Founder, Lord Robert Baden-Powell, and to discover the history of Scouting.

The Link Badge

The Cub Scout Link Badge links Joeys to the Cub Scout Section. Completion of this badge prepares the Joey Scout for advancement to the Cub Scout Pack.  The link badge is earned by attending for 4-6 weeks at Cubs while still attending Joeys. During this time the Joey will be given an introduction to the way Cubs is run, and also taught several items about Cubs that are the requirements for the badge. After this time and before moving up to Cubs, the Joey reports back to the Joey Leader and Joey group about what Cubs was like and what they did there. This badge can be earned any time from the age of 7yrs & 6 months, as Joeys can go up to Cubs any time from that age (if they are considered ready by the Joey leader).

Their Service Our Heritage

This badge is earned by attending events that are a part of ANZAC remembrance. Usually, participation in your local ANZAC memorial march, or attending the Dawn service in Joey Uniform, is enough to qualify. This badge can ONLY be worn for the year it is presented, and MUST be removed from your uniform around the following ANZAC day. Each year the edging colour is different, which means a new badge can be earned each year, in all sections of scouting.

There are often other badges that will be presented or given to your joey at special events or activities for example Joey Jaunt.  These badges do not go onto the uniform but we encourage you to start a Camp Blanket where these badges can be placed.  As your child progresses through the sections of scouting the badges they had earnt throughout sections are then transferred to their camp blanket also.  This is a great way to begin a history of your child’s scouting achievements and can also be a collection of places they have visited along their journey in life.  A great keepsake for later on. 

The Scout Shop has Camp blankets which are also fire retardant (A big plus) These can be purchased directly from the scout shop and make a great Birthday or Christmas Present.