AN appeal has gone out to anyone interested in becoming an adult leader with the Ennis Scout Group to get involved and “help keep the scouting experience alive in Ennis”. More and more children want to join the group and a lack of leaders has meant that they are not able to take everyone who wishes to join.
The Ennis Scout Group begins the new year, after their summer break, on the week of September 14.
According to Nicky Moloney, group leader, “The problem with the success the group in Ennis is having is that more kids are wishing to join the group, which they think is brilliant. But, at the moment, the group is not able to take everyone who wishes to join, as they are lacking in adult leadership, both male and female.
“At the moment, they are stretched very thin with leaders to cater for the kids they have right now, with some leaders double-jobbing and covering more than one section. This is putting a strain on the adult resources in the group at the moment, so Ennis Scouts are giving a general request for help to anyone who would be interested in helping out.
“The fact that there is now a waiting list of kids wishing to join tells everyone in the group that they must be running a very enjoyable programme. They don’t want to leave anyone who wishes to be a part of scouting out but, at the moment, they just don’t have the leaders to be able to take everyone who wishes to join.”
Nicky went on, “Scouting has played a huge part in Ennis life over the years and I’m sure there aren’t many families in the town who haven’t had someone or know someone who has been involved in scouting.
“Someone in most every family in town will have known Christy Murphy, Bernie Dilger and Christy Shannon, just to mention a few of the leaders who were there before us. It is in their spirit that the group would like to keep moving forward and growing. Scouting is a voluntary organisation and all the adults give of their time freely for the kids but the leaders also get so much out of scouting.
“The leaders in Ennis feel that they are providing a great service for the youth of the town and would love to continue doing so. But they need help if they are going to be able to continue providing fun, enjoyment and learning for everyone involved. Perhaps you were a cub or a scout in your younger years and would like to get back involved.
“Even if you were never a member, if you think it’s something you would like to do, your help would be very much appreciated. Any assistance that people think they could give would be of enormous help to the group, as they hope to continue to keep the scouting experience alive in Ennis; an experience that provides so much fun and fulfilment for everyone involved.”
The group in Ennis, which has been running since 1932, continues to provide a challenging and hugely enjoyable experience for all its members. The group, at the moment, caters for more than 150 boys and girls, who range in age from six to 21. These include the Beaver, Cub, Scout, Venturer and Rover sections.
“Everyone knows that scouting is different than most youth organisations in that the kids, and adults, get to do a whole range of activities that they wouldn’t get to do if they weren’t involved in scouting. It is the range of different activities that makes scouting so attractive to the youth of Ennis.”
The group hold their meetings in the Scout Hall on Station Road in Ennis and although most of the meetings are held in the hall, the aim of the scouting programme is to get out and about as much as possible.
The children are taught first aid, pioneering, tracking and trailing, orienteering, map and compass, backwoods cooking, hiking and shelter/hut building, kayaking and camping, as well as many more activities that they get to practise when they get out of the hall.
All sections have weekend activities, overnight stays and camps where the children get to put into practice what they have learned. They also get to participate in county and national events, where they get to meet and compete with other scouting groups from around the county and country.
Anyone interested in volunteering, can contact Nicky Moloney, group leader, by emailing ennisscoutgroup@gmail.com.
By Jessica Quinn
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.