Bushcraft - Survival
Survival skills are skills for life!
In reality, the chances of a plane crash leaving you stranded alone in the jungle are pretty slim but there are still at least four great reasons to learn the skills on offer with the State Survival Team:
- The chance may be low, but it’s never zero. It’s very rare that someone predicts when they’ll find themselves in a real-life survival situation and so developing the skills to help you, and those around you, could make all the difference.
- Reconnect with nature. We’re so used to having everything we need right at our fingertips whenever we want it that we can often find that we’ve lost our connection with the natural world. The simplicity of a Survival Camp is the ideal place to rekindle that connection
- Learn to appreciate the little things. When you return from a Survival Camp you’ll find that you see the world differently and with a profound sense of appreciation that makes everyday life seem much brighter
- Develop inner strength. When you head home after a Survival Camp, you may be tired and maybe even a little hungry but we guarantee you’ll also take with you an intense sense of pride in what you’ve just achieved that will last a lifetime - in fact we guarantee it.
Survival Resources & RPL Documentation
The Survival Team has developed a suite of training resources that you can use to help plan and deliver unit training. If you already have the necessary skills and experience, you can also apply for Recognition of Prior Learning.
This section is under development - check back soon! In the meantime, contact state.survival@scoutsvictoria.com.au
Survival Activity Calendar
As well as supporting major events, the Survival Team runs a year-round program of training events for leaders and youth members.
Leader Snippets
This evening session, open to all Adult Leaders, Registered Helpers and Rovers, will cover:
- Survival principles
- Shelter construction
- Fire lighting – wet & dry conditions
- Making water safe to drink
Basic Survival
This 24-hour introductory course for will teach the survival skills required for Survival – Safe Participant. This self-catered course, open to Adult Leaders, Helpers, Rovers, Venturers and Scouts will include spending the night in an improvised shelter.
Topics covered include:
- Bushcraft vs Survival
- Survival priorities and mindset
- Contents of a survival kit or bug-out bag
- Improvised shelters using tarpaulins
- Fire lighting
- Obtaining potable water
Survival School
In this 5-day/4-night course for Adult Leaders/Helpers, Rovers and Venturers, participants will be taught the survival skills required for Survival - Trained Participant. This also covers off the specific survival skills required for all OAS levels however youth members should be aware that there are additional requirements beyond the scope of this course such as search and rescue, first aid and land navigation.
The course fee includes catering and camping, however participants must be prepared to spend two nights in an improvised shelter in adverse conditions.
Topics covered include:
- Shelter-building
- Advanced firelighting
- Use of tarps
- Improvised cordage and knotting
- Finding and purifying water
- Trapping and survival fishing
- Celestial navigation
- Gutting, preparing and preserving small game and fish
- Wild foods & medicinal plants
- Emergency signalling
- Equipment selection, use and maintenance
- Knife sharpening
- Survival psychology & priorities
- Legal and regulatory requirements applicable to survival training
Survival as a Service
If you want to run a Section survival night or a Group weekend but don't yet have the qualified instructors to run it then Survival as a Service might just be what you're looking for!
We provide the instructors and equipment, you provide the youth members and logistic support.
Contact
State Leader - Survival
Adam O'Donnell, state.survival@scoutsvictoria.com.au
Facebook - Scouts Victoria Survival Team