Volunteer Overview

Anyone can volunteer with the Scouts, as long as they meet our screening and training requirements. We are completely co-ed and offer many volunteer opportunities to both males and females who want to have a fulfilling experience helping build the citizens of tomorrow.

You can volunteer with the Scouts as long as you are 14 years and older. We have Scouters who are in their 80s. You can volunteer for as long or as little as you want.

If you are passionate about making a difference in the lives of youth and want to volunteer your time, you can contact Scouts Canada by visiting www.scouts.ca, or calling us toll free at 1-888-855-3336.

If you’re a parent of a child in Scouts, you can contact a local Group or Troop Leader in your area. Click to check out more information about the Parent Helper volunteer.

To ensure that our youth are safe and secure at all times, a police check is done to screen all applicants and make sure they have no criminal convictions or charges on their record. While major crimes will exclude them from being a volunteer, some exemptions may be given to those who committed minor crimes more than seven years ago. However, they will have to go through a further screening process.

It depends.

• No - if you are a parent to a child in Scouts, you may volunteer as a "Parent Helper" to your child's Group.
  There are some limitations. Click to check out more information about the Parent Helper volunteer.
• Yes - if you have more time to give or want to lead your own Group and work frequently with the Scouts.

There are a number of volunteer positions with the Scouts, where varying skill sets can be utilized. If you’re interested in working with youth 5-15, you may want to consider becoming a Scout Leader. We also have a number of administrative positions such as treasurer, fundraiser, secretary, and recruiter. If you are under the age of 26, you can also serve as a Group Youth Commissioner, whose job is to promote youth involvement and leadership in your group.

On average, volunteers with Chinook Council’s Scouts Alberta volunteer for 12-to-14 hours a month. This can vary depending on what volunteer position you choose to take on. Scout Leaders normally give 1.5 hours a week for meetings, with additional time for prep work and overnight camps. While a Beaver leader may need more time to prepare, leaders of older groups may not need to devote as much time, as youth take more of a driver’s seat in the program.

Yes. While it depends on the school, you can sometimes even receive credits for your volunteer work with Scouts in Calgary and throughout Alberta. To find out more, visit your school’s community liaison or counsellor to find out how your volunteer hours can go towards your graduation requirements.

It depends on what the school requirements are. Some will take the Scouters word for it and some will assign someone to log the hours. It’s totally up to the school and what volunteer resources are available to them.

While some groups buy uniforms for the Scouter, some volunteers may be required to purchase his or her own uniform. We do have a No One Left Behind (NOLB) subsidy program, where a Scouter can apply for the cost of courses. This may also include equipment and uniforms. You will be asked to advise on your household income and family size. We don’t exclude anyone because of financial reasons.

Yes! In addition to 1000 new volunteers needed across Alberta and Northwest Territories, the Northern Lights Council is looking to fill multiple leadership positions.

See Leadership Opportunities