Each company meets usually on a week night in a local church or school hall and is part of a church’s life in the community. The company has three sub-groups called ‘sections’ seeking to cater to the specific developmental and social needs of each person within their age grouping.
Age groups for each section are:
- Anchors – Prep to year 2 (year they turn 5 to 7)
- Juniors – Year 3 to Year 6 (year they turn 8 to 11)
- Seniors – Years 7 to age 18 years
Children and young people can join the relevant section for their age at any time across the year.
Program
As children and young people grow and develop, the program becomes progressively more adventure based, always challenging them and developing their skills at their own level and pace.
Leaders
While providing a positive male influence, the BB program also helps train adult leaders (Officers) who then are equipped to provide activities that bring age relevant adventure and challenge activities such as hiking, camping, bush skills, rope climbing, orienteering, canoeing, games and sports, and computer games competitions, just to name a few.
While the leaders (Officers) are running the program, as the opportunity arises they are also able to get alongside and mentor the young people in all aspects of life, helping them to ‘discover the leader within’, developing their strengths and encouraging them in less strong areas to have a go at things.
Safety
A risk management and Child Safety policy is employed within each local group, ensuring the safest environment as they experience life and challenge either as individuals or together within a team.
Structure
Everyone wears a uniform as a symbol of belonging to the group. Week night and weekend programs are structured to provide rewarding and challenging experiences within a behaviour model that seeks to honour and respect the individual, the group and the environment.
The structured awards program is specifically designed to encourage a child or young person to look beyond themself and their comfort zone. Many kids are only interested in one type of activity – perhaps sports, or computer games. Our program includes these interests and at the same time encourages them to try out different activities they are not familiar or comfortable with, maybe for the first time. This provides for a balanced all round program that includes spiritual and social input, as well as physical and educational activities.
Cost
We also know that the cost to parents in sending their child to Boys’ Brigade is an important consideration given the many pressures on family budgets. The BB program is significantly cheaper consistently than many other sports and activities that can be undertaken by children and the variety is greater in BB.
Wider Boys’ Brigade organization
Local groups network together at regional level (sometimes called Battalions) and in your state to run big events and activities that are only possible with the combined resources of the wider organization. Events such as
- Young Leader Development Programs (weekend and week long)
- Pan Australian Camps every 3 years
Want to know more?
Use the contact form and we will help you with any questions and put you on the right track with local company groups in your area.