Fees
Our group charges an annual Registration fee due upon signing up, as well as an annual Activity Fee (not charged in 2020/2021 due to the pandemic) and per-event Camp Fees.
Registration Fee
The Registration Fee covers a Participant's registration with Scouts Canada for the calendar year running from January 1st through December 31st. In 2021, registering in advance for 2022 before December 31st entitles attendance for the rest of 2021 as well for no additional registration fee. A $50 portion of the fee stays with the Group, the rest goes to our Council and National organization to cover their Administration as well as group insurance policies to cover liability for your youth. The Group portion of the Registration Fee helps to cover a portion of the rental fee for our meeting facility. This fee is collected when you register your youth. The current registration fees are available on our Registration Information page.
The 2022 Registration Fee is $265 including the Group portion.
Activity Fee
The Activity Fee, normally charged annually, pays for admission to various field trips and activities that your youth may participate in. This fee was not charged during 2020/2021 because of the pandemic, but we will likely charge an Activity Fee of $50 in the new year. An example of an activity covered by this fee would be swimming night at Southland Leisure Centre for the entire Group. This simplifies organizing these events as individual admissions do not need to be collected for each event. For events where non-member family are also invited, family members will typically pay their own admission and the Scouting youth admission will be covered by the Activity Fee.
Camp Fees
Camp Fees are charged for each scheduled camp that your youth attends. Fees collected reflect the cost associated with renting the facility as well as covering meals and some activities during the camp. These fees are collected prior to the date of the camp. These fees are typically in the $25-$50 range for a weekend camp. Sleepovers at places like the Calgary Zoo or Royal Tyrrell Museum may have higher fees because of the cost associated with education programming that is delivered by the facility staff during the visit.
Dues
Some Scouting sections suspended the collection of dues during the pandemic, normally collected at each meeting. The amount when dues are collected varies by age group, ranging from $0.25 per meeting for Beavers to $10/month for Venturers. Having the youth bring regular dues helps to teach responsibility so suspended sues collection is likely to be resumed when deemed safe and appropriate.
Fundraising
A large amount of the funding that is required to operate our group is raised through fundraising. Our major fundraisers for the 264th Group are Scout Popcorn and Bottle Drives while other Scouts Canada-wide fundraisers are coffee and Scout Seeds. There may be section-specific fundraisers from time to time to help with the costs of sending youth to larger events such as Jamborees. Fundraisers allow us to purchase the gear we need for our program and reduce the costs of camps, sleepovers and outings. Typically, the amounts collected per youth for these events are less than 50% of the actual cost. Your participation in our fundraisers helps to raise as much as possible to continue running our programs.
Uniforms
Youth wear uniforms to meetings and Scouting activities. Uniforms can be purchased at the online Scout Shop, and cost in the $40 range (before shipping) depending on the section. There may be opportunities to share shipping as part of a group order, so please check with your section's Scouters if you are interested.
Youth will need:
Beavers: brown Beaver vest & navy/brown Beaver bucket hat
Cubs: long-sleeve knit grey Cub polo
Scouts: long-sleeve green button-down Scout shirt
Venturers: long-sleeve button-down Venturer Scout shirt or MedVent uniform (purchased through the group)
The 264 Group will provide neckerchiefs, neckerchief slides (woggles), and identifying badges. We do not require uniform pants.