The Walkabout Award badge depicts the total number of kilometres covered while on approved Scouting activities (school camps and family holidays don’t count). The badge may be worn above the pocket of the uniform below the World badge.

The minimum distance to be counted toward the tally is 5kms. Journeys taken in a canoe, kayak, skis or a bicycle are divided by two e.g. a 20 km bike hike earns 10 km to the Award.

Day and overnight journeys provided they are over the minimum distance for the Section, may be included for the Award.

The Camper Award depicts the total number of nights spent camping while on Scouting activities.

It is required that these nights be spent under canvas or under the stars. Non Scouting camps such as school camps, or family holidays do not count towards achieving this Award.

The requirements for the Camper Award can be started at whatever point in a youth member’s Scouting journey and continue to be added to throughout their journey.

It is a youth member only award.

The Camper Award is worn above the pocket of the uniform below the World Scout badge. Only the highest Award achieved by the youth member should be worn at any one time.

The Years of Service Badge is Section specific and indicates the number of years a member has been in that Section. Each Section is distinguished by its border colour and the last one received in each Section can be worn on the shirt when the member transitions to the next Section.

From the time you are invested as a Venturer Scout, as the first-year clocks over, you are presented with a maroon "1" Year of Service Badge. If you're in Venturers for two or even three years, you will replace your "1" Badge with a "2", then a "3". The final Years of Service badge can stay on your uniform right through Rovers... and you can get tan, yellow, green, maroon and red Years of Service Badge respectively for your time in those Sections.

This is an annual achievement badge for all youth members, with each new 12 month period commencing on Anzac Day on 25th April. Each year is a different colour. 

The badge should be worn only during the year in which it was presented (up to April 24 of the following year) and is to be worn on the right sleeve as a Additional Award badge.

To achieve the award, youth members are required to participate in three activities relevant to “Their Service – Our Heritage” with suggestions: -

• Take part in an ANZAC Day march or ceremony
• Take part in Remembrance Day
• Invite a Veteran to your meeting to talk to you
• Visit a Veterans Home or the local RSL
• Maintain your local Memorial
• Visit a Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Youth members can decide their own activities separate from the suggestions above.

This award was introduced in the year 2000 for all members of Scouts Australia, with the intention of raising the level of awareness of the youth members about our Veterans and providing Scout members with an opportunity to actively participate in the 'Their Service - Our Heritage' program. 

As a Venturer, you may wear the First Aid Badge on your uniform once you have been assessed as competent in a first aid course incorporating the current "apply first aid" unit of competence or higher unit from the health (HLT) training package, or equivalent.

This course must be delivered by an approved first aid provider and cover the Australian Resuscitation Council (SRC) Guidelines for Resuscitation.

To continue to wear the First Aid Badge on your uniform, you must maintain currency in CPR (by annual assessment) and first aid (by renewal every three years).

Only one First Aid Badge may be worn at any one time, regardless of how many levels of first aid you have been assessed in.

Note: Stage 5 in all Outdoor Adventure Skills you need to complete a Provide First Aid course.

The SES badge may be earned through engagement with your Unit's local SES.

The requirements for each Section will vary, with sustained engagement required of members in the Venturer Scout and Rover Scout Sections.

Joeys         Cubs          Scouts          Venturers          Rovers

Where is it worn?
The badge is part of a youth member's journey and is worn on the right sleeve alongside any other achievement badge which qualifies for the same placement.

As each Section has different requirements, once achieved in one Section, it is not automatically translated to the next Section. It becomes a camp blanket keepsake.

If achieving this badge is for a subsequent Section, the badge is awarded again and is placed on the uniform again.

Role:

• The role of the Youth Helper is to assist and provide support to the younger Sections.
• Youth Helpers may be a member of a Venturer Scout Unit or recruited from outside of the movement – in which case an application for membership form must be completed.
• Application to become a Youth Helper within a Group must be assessed by the Group Council and supported by the Joey Scout, Cub Scout or Scout Leader and approved by the Group Leader.
• A Youth Helper assists mainly in one Section however, they may assist in the other Sections with the approval of the Leader concerned.
• Section Leaders need to provide the understanding and knowledge necessary to perform the Youth Helper role.
• The Youth Helper is responsible to the Section Leader with whom they are working.

Uniform:

• Youth Helpers wear the Uniform of the Section they are a member of when they are
  attending the Unit they are helping – so a Venturer Scout helping out at their local
  Cub Scout Unit wears their Venturer Scout Uniform.
• In the event that a Youth Helper is not a member of a Scouting or Guiding Section,
  they wear the adult navy-blue Uniform shirt with the World Scout badge, Australian
  flag badge and Youth Helper Name Badge.

Duties:

• Set a high standard of behaviour through personal example.
• Support the Leaders to ensure effective functioning of the Section they are supporting.
• Provide assistance in skills appropriate to the program
• Have a friendly attitude towards youth members, Leaders and parents.
• Support the Leaders to develop the personal growth of youth members in accordance with the Purpose of Scouting and the methods of the Section.
• Encourage progression of youth members to the next Section.
• Develop an understanding and knowledge of the Section you are working with eg, operation, Achievement Pathways, ceremonies etc.
• Support all Group/District/Region activities as required.

Requirements:

• Be enthusiastic and able to relate to youth members.
• Age 14 ½ - 18 years old to assist in the Joey Scout and Cub Scout Sections. Age 16 – 18 years old to assist in the Scout Section.
• While a Venturer Scout may be a Youth Helper, consideration needs to be given to applying for a role as an Adult Leader or an Adult Helper upon reaching their 18th birthday.

Scouts do good turns and help others because it is part of the Australian Scout Promise and Australian Scout Law. It is also because it is nice to help others and to make a difference, even if it is only a small action.

Whenever we are kind to people we send a message of love and peace, making a difference to the recipients and also ourselves. It just feels good.

Requirements:

• Learn about the Messengers of Peace initiative in a Scout meetings or online.
• Participate in a community involvement action organised together with your Patrol.
• Share your actions online with the help of an adult at scout.org/messengersofpeace

You can find more information about the Earth Tribe badges on our Environment page here.

The Scouts of the World Award provides the opportunity for Venturer Scouts to “create a better world” by facing the challenges of the future as identified by the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The Scouts of the World Award focusses on three main challenges for the future:

• Peace, security and disarmament
• Development and poverty eradication
• Protecting our common environment

The Scouts of the World Award is granted to individuals who successfully complete:

• Scouts of the World Award Discovery: An adventure lasting four days focussed on a Scouts of the World Award theme, comprising three steps:
  • Exploring
  • Responding
  • Taking Action
• Scouts of the World Award Voluntary Service: A two-week voluntary service contributing to solving a problem related to the Sustainable Development Goals, ideally the issue focussed on during the discovery.
• Report on their Scouts of the World Award experience and join the Scouts of the World Award Network.

The Scouts of the World Award can be completed in partnership with a section of the Queen’s Scouts Award or the World Scout Environment Badge as long as appropriate approvals for each of the awards has been received.

The expanded guidelines for the Scouts of the World Award and the Scouts of the World Award Passport are available through the Scouts Australia website www.scouts.com.au

A member of Scouts Australia who obtains an Amateur Radio Operator's Licence, in accordance with Government regulations, may wear the Amateur Radio Operator Badge on the right sleeve of the uniform.

The latest qualifications and conditions can be found at www.acma.gov.au.

The badge is issued on the authorisation of the Branch Jamboree On The Air Coordinator or equivalent.

You can find information about the Landcare badge on our Environment page here.

Venturer Scouts who are sufficiently qualified in any language or languages, in addition to English, you may wear an emblem on the flap of the pocket or in a similar position on the shirt indicating the language or languages spoken.

The qualifying tests are:

• Have a single conversation lasting about 15 minutes and introducing some of the basic Scout vocabulary, e.g., the words for Scout, Venturer Scout, Patrol, Unit, Unit Council, camp, tent.
• Write a letter of about 300 words, dealing with a simple Scouting topic chosen by the Technical Expert.
• Read aloud intelligibly and give an approximate translation (without the help of a dictionary) of a paragraph of average difficulty from a book, newspaper or periodical.

As a Venturer Scout, you may wear the Lifesaving Badge of the Royal Life Saving Society of Australia (RLSSA) or the Surf Life Saving Society of Australia (RLSA) on your uniform once you have been assessed as competent at the “Bronze Medallion” level or higher.

To continue to wear a Lifesaving Badge on your uniform, you must maintain currency in lifesaving (by annual assessment). Only one lifesaving badge may be worn at any one time (i.e., either RLSSA or SLAA, not both), regardless of how many levels of lifesaving you have been assessed in.

Uniformed members who are qualified may wear Scout Wings on the left chest pocket area. The qualifications must be current, including a current medical certificate.

The qualifications are:

• Private Pilot or higher Licence
• Student Pilot Licence and passed the general flying progress test
• “C” Certificate of Proficiency or higher as a Glider Pilot
• Certificate of Proficiency or higher as an Ultralight Pilot
• Qualified to wear Pilot’s Wings in the Armed Forces

Scout Wings may be awarded by Scout Flying Schools to eligible uniformed members.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is a youth awards program founded in the United Kingdom in 1956 by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, that has since expanded to 144 nations.

The awards recognise adolescents and young adults for completing a series of self-improvement exercises modelled on Kurt Hahn’s solution to the “Six Declines of Modern Youth”.

Venturer Scouts are eligible to wear cloth badges of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award of the level they have completed.

For further information, Duke of Edinburgh's International Award