Scouts training center

Skills and values

This modern training center in Mpumalanga province has since given many children and young people access to a variety of training programs where they can learn important skills and relevant knowledge. Of equal importance is their integration into the intact social structure of the Scouts which conveys important societal values.

There are parents and relatives in South Africa who cannot take care of their children because of factors such as HIV / AIDS or migration to townships outside major cities. The children are usually raised by their grandmothers. Given these difficult family structures, the Scout movement in South Africa often serves as a second home to young people.

The Scouts can also personally grow and develop in their troops, and it is not unusual for them to become very strongly involved in projects in their regions, such as in renovating local social institutions (e.g. orphanages and day-care centers).

Educational programs

The Scouts of Mpumalanga province serve as the sponsor of educational programs and offer an ongoing schedule of events for teenagers and children. The training center in Nelspruit has a good infrastructure and is a venue to train scouts from more remote regions. Long trips are difficult for them to organize and hard to finance. This is why older Scouts who are active as group leaders on site come to Nelspruit and receive schooling in line with the “train the trainer” principle. The variety of topics they cover include health education and information, environmental awareness, job-related topics and developing soft skills.

In Nelspruit they learn skills they can pass along to younger Scouts in their local troop. This training makes important educational measures possible in groups and helps the Scout leaders become socially committed in their communities and accept responsibility.