Scouts is where the serious fun happens.

Scouts are boys and girls aged 11-15 who want to have fun and believe in the Spirit of Adventure. Scouts are organised in Patrols and led by a Patrol Leader and an Assistant Patrol Leader, typically the more experienced Scouts. The Patrol unit is the typical grouping for games, activities and exercises and this helps give the Scouts more control over what they want to do and also helps foster good leadership and team spirit. The Scout Team is above all an informal group and The Scout Method uses the team as a tool to achieve an educational purpose. This makes the team a learning environment which gives it a formal dimension too; this dual character gives the team a very wide perspective placing it at the meeting point between the personal needs and aspirations of the young people on the one hand and the educational purpose of Scouting as an organisation. In Donnybrook we understand the importance of groups of friends, colleagues and recreational groups and our Scout patrols are fundamental to our young people making life long friends of different ages and backgrounds and getting the most from the individual.

In Donnybrook we have 4 Patrols and over 25 Scouts. We have regular weekly meetings on a Wednesday evening where we play games, plan future activities and have fun.  We go away on trips several times a year and this is likely to be a weekend in a Hostel during the winter months and camping outdoors in the summer. We also have an annual camp where we would spend a week or two in a campsite and this can be anywhere depending on where the Scouts want to go. In 2013 we went to Denmark and in previous years we went to campsites in England, Holland, Switzerland and Belgium.

Badge work and Skills training is part of being a Scout and traditionally is used to demonstrate progress in various pursuits. Traditionally we cover areas like hill walking, camping, First aid and climbing but the new One Programme is very flexible and this means the Scouts can do a badge in IT or mechanics; it all depends on what the individual is interested in.

Scouts are outdoor people and our search for adventure and exploration means we spend a lot of time in the great outdoors. Our Donnybrook Scouts are active hill walkers and campers but we also like to participate in other activities and currently have our sights set on Canoeing, Sailing and surfing in the coming months.

The leader team is:

Ryan O’Leary, Nala Ghantous, Rory Staines, Liane Costello and Ronan Johns.