🚀 go-pugleaf

	A recent post asked about recruiting Rovers, and how to go about it.
I've been working with the Rover section in Australia for the last 15 years, 
(both as a Rover and a Leader) and the following points have come to light.

	The majority of people join a Rover Crew because they already know 
someone in it. This may seem obvious, but when you look at it from the point of
view of a person in the section preceeding Rovers, (Venturers in Aust.) it
underlines the importance of the Rovers having a good relationship with that
section. 
	Some people do join Rovers without knowing anyone in the Crew, but in
my experience, this is a minority.
	For Rovers to succeed, I think it is important for a core of the Crew 
to have a Scouting background (have been through the younger sections), 
although Rovering can be fantastic for those who have never been Scouts before.
	To this end, Rovers in Queensland (and I believe in other parts of 
the country), run combined camps for Rovers and Venturers that are aimed at 
getting the two sections together to have fun and participate in Rover type 
activities. The important thing with these camps is for the Rover Crew and 
Venturer Unit from the same Group to camp and participate in the activities
together.
	This may not always happen, but I can recommend the exercise as being
a great way of encouraging members of the younger section to go up into 
Rovers.

	Recruiting people from outside Scouting is a different proposition,
and it seems to me that if your Crew has a good program that is varied and fun,
then friends of current Rovers will become interested in what the Crew is
doing, and eventually want to join in.
	My Crew has a core of about ten who have been in Scouting since Cubs,
and who are well versed in Scoutcraft etc, and the rest of the Crew (Crew size 
currently around 32) are mainly friends who have come along to have fun
and liked it so much that they joined.

	A final point is that it is very important for the Crew's long term
viability that you aim at recruiting at least one person of the minimum 
required age (17.5 - 18 in Aust.) each year, preferably from your preceeding
section. If this doesn't happen, each passing year will make it harder for
the existing members to communicate with any prospective member of that age, 
and the Crew may well find itself in crisis five or six years down the track.

	Rovers need to actively recruit, particularly within the Scout
Movement, and contact with all the younger sections and good relations with 
the Leaders of those sections can have a very large bearing on how well your
Crew succeeds in this. 
	And what is the ideal Crew size? Well, I've had some long and intense
discussions on this, and I'm convinced the optimum is around 18 to 20 members,
big enough to tackle some awesome projects, small enough for everyone to be 
close friends and communicate well. I have seen one Crew go as small as two 
members and survive, (that Crew is now up to twelve), and another reach forty 
members while still being a caring and fun group. With my own Crew, well, with
some 32 individuals to deal with, life is never dull! :-) 

	I hope these thoughts are helpful to other Rovers,

	David Tune,
	Rover Advisor, Aspley Rover Crew.


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David Tune tuned@cheops.tne.oz.au      | 'To sit upon a mountain top
Computer Support Services,             |  and gaze on that below,
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