14th Galway aims to provide a fun and engaging programme for scouts of all ages, all year round.

Our plan for this year is to focus on outdoor meetings and focus on regular events as long as possible. Weekly outdoor meetings will have a focus on doing scouting activities in preparation for events (we will be seeking regular feedback on how they are working to make them the best they can be). Outdoors brings weather challenges but also offers the space that our children and teenager members need, to be as normal as possible in the current conditions.

The outdoors gives us more space to allow us to run pod, bubble or section based gatherings during the year as required. All gatherings are always being small-team (‘pod’) structured as we do normally with games and ceremonies in bubbles or sections as suitable. We build the small teams and associated youth leadership each year through our meetings and events. This year it will be a bigger focus of our efforts with a concentration on team building within the small teams. This will handle blue, yellow and orange virus statuses, with an online programme we have developed in reserve for a red lockdown.

This September, the year began with an introduction to the scouting, a welcoming of new members with fun activities and games.

In October, we meet weekly in the outdoors, introducing new members to the ideas of scouting, and playing games to help the new small teams develop. When level 5 lockdown came, we took a break to re-group and think about a winter based programme.

In November, the Irish Government and the Department of Children and Youth Affairs recognized the importance of outdoor youth activity, and encouraged scouting to continue. We ran our first hikes and events in the 2nd week, and plan to continue outdoor meetings on Sundays, to take advantage of the daylight!