BLIA × Scouts = BLIA Scouts
The adventure, skills and resilience of Scouting, united with the kindness, values and inner calm of Buddha's Light — a rare combination for children aged 5 to 11.
No ordinary Scout group
Two proven traditions, one remarkable group. BLIA Scouts brings together more than a century of Scouting with the wisdom, kindness and worldwide family of the Buddha's Light International Association — a powerful combination for raising capable, compassionate kids.
Together with BLIA YAD, BLIA Scouts is designed to develop the potential of young people and bring out their very best — growing the future leaders of our society, from Joey Scouts at five to young adults at thirty-five. Discover BLIA YAD →
Adventure & resilience
- 110+ years of youth development
- Outdoor adventure, camps and real-world skills
- Youth-led, adult-supported leadership
- Proven to build resilience and confidence
Values & inner strength
- The Three Acts of Goodness: good deeds, good words, good thoughts
- The Four Givings: faith, joy, hope and convenience for others
- Mindfulness and meditation for a calm, focused mind
- A family of over three million members in 100+ countries
The whole child
Children grow physically, intellectually, emotionally, socially and spiritually — becoming not just capable, but kind.
- Confidence with compassion
- Courage with calm
- Skills with good character
- Friends here and around the world — from local camps to the BLIA Scouts World Camp
What makes BLIA Scouts different
BLIA Scouts is fully registered with Scouts Australia. Our Scouts earn the same badges and follow the same program as every other Scout — and on top of that they practise a short meditation every week, enjoy vegetarian meals at camp and serve at their temple. The national motto says it best: “Mindful Scouting, Lifelong Adventure.”
Mindfulness & meditation
Age-appropriate mindfulness exercises help children build emotional resilience, focus and inner peace — a few quiet breaths in every weekly session.
Three Acts of Goodness
Our core ethos — do good deeds, speak good words, think good thoughts — guides every game, camp and conversation.
Temple & community connection
Scouts take part in major temple festivals such as the Buddha's Day & Multicultural Festival, community service projects and cultural exchange programs — with Fo Guang Shan Melbourne as their secure, welcoming base.
Vegetarianism & sustainability
Compassionate vegetarian catering at every camp, tree planting and creek clean-ups — growing a love for nature and all living beings.
How mindfulness grows, step by step
Children today face school pressure and constant screens. BLIA Scouts answers with quiet meditation, deep breathing and moments of “noble silence” in meetings. Over time this grows in four stages:
- Stillness — sitting upright, calming the body, noticing the senses
- Resilience — noticing frustration without reacting to it
- Compassion — seeing how all living beings are connected
- Action — living the Three Acts of Goodness at school, at home and in the bush
BLIA Scouts Australia
BLIA Scouts Melbourne is one of the BLIA Scout groups operating from Fo Guang Shan temples across Australia — in Yarraville (VIC), Kogarah and Berkeley (NSW), Priestdale (QLD) and Maylands (WA). Nationally the program runs from Joey Scouts (5–8) and Cub Scouts (8–11) through Scouts (11–14), Venturer Scouts (14–18) and Rover Scouts (18–25), and leaders earn qualifications accredited through Scouts Australia.
Scouting itself was founded in 1907 by Lord Robert Baden-Powell, so our Scouts belong to a movement with more than 115 years of heritage and three guiding duties: to their spiritual values, to others and to themselves.
Everything you want for your child, every Saturday
BLIA × Scouts = BLIA ScoutsScouting’s proven benefits + Buddha’s Light values of kindness & calm →
Less screen time, more green time
Hands-on adventures, games, hikes and camps that get kids off screens and into the real world.
Good values for life
Kindness, respect and honesty — the Scout Law and the Three Acts of Goodness, lived every week.
Level up — in real life
Children take responsibility, lead activities and earn badges and awards they are proud of.
Real friendships
A warm, welcoming group where kids make friends from different backgrounds — locally and across the world.
Skills for life
Bushcraft, first aid, cooking, teamwork and problem solving — practical skills learned by doing.
Safe hands, easy logistics
Trained leaders with Working with Children Checks, every Saturday afternoon at Fo Guang Shan Melbourne, Yarraville.
Enquire about a place for your childSee ages & meeting times
What's in it for your child?
BLIA × Scouts = BLIA ScoutsScouting’s proven benefits + Buddha’s Light values of kindness & calm →
Confident, resilient, kind kids — who put down the screen, make friends and get stuck into life.
The Scouts Australia Resilient Youth Survey 2025 compared a statistically significant sample of Scouts aged 8 to 18 with 110,000 of their peers across Australia. The results are clear — compared with non-Scouts:
An advantage that grows with them
Studies show the main indicator of Year 12 success is balancing study with an extracurricular activity that is social, outdoors, goal-driven and supported by trusted adults — exactly what Scouting offers. As young people continue their Scouting journey, Venturer Scouts aged 15–18 feel more connected at school, report a better school experience and better friendships, are more hopeful, have improved mental wellbeing and score higher on coping skills.
At BLIA Scouts, that journey starts with our Joey and Cub Scouts — guided by the Three Acts of Goodness.
Read the Resilient Youth Survey ↗Enquire about BLIA Scouts
Source: Scouts Australia – Resilient Youth Survey 2025.
Skills employers notice — and the character they can't teach
Teamwork, leadership, problem solving, reliability: the things employers say they want are exactly what Scouting builds, week after week. The research backs it up.
of employers and organisations surveyed said a job applicant's Scouting background would count in their favour when hiring
PACEC evaluation for The Scout Association, UK, 2011
of former Scouts felt prepared to start their first job, compared with people who did no extracurricular activities
Demos, The Employability Badge, 2023
of former Scouts feel optimistic about getting what they want from their careers
Demos, The Employability Badge, 2023
nationally recognised qualifications for Venturer and Rover Scouts, up to a Diploma of Leadership and Management
Scouts Australia Institute of Training (RTO 5443)All the Scouting advantages — plus the character that sets them apart
In the same study, organisations rated employees with a Scouting background above average on the qualities they value most, like respect, teamwork and character. That's where BLIA Scouts goes further. Character isn't an add-on here; it's the heart of everything we do.
- Values employers trust: teamwork, leadership, problem solving and reliability — practised every week in patrols, games, challenges and camps
- A calm, focused mind: mindfulness and meditation built into the program — our Scouts pause and settle with the Mindful Check-In app from Nan Tien Institute
- A pathway that keeps going: from Joey Scouts at five to BLIA YAD and its White Elephant leadership training — real leadership experience well before their first job interview
- A global network: part of BLIA's worldwide family in 100+ countries, with international camps and conferences
- A second language too: Fo Guang Chinese School runs on the same campus on Saturday mornings
Give your child the BLIA Scouts advantageSee ages & meeting times
Sources: PACEC, Impact Assessment of The Scout Association (2011) ↗ · Demos, The Employability Badge (2023) ↗ · Scouts Australia Institute of Training ↗.
Mindful Check-In
The free mindfulness app our BLIA Scouts use to “check in” — a guided pause of one minute or more that settles body and mind before a new activity. Created by Nan Tien Institute's Humanistic Buddhism Centre in Wollongong, it's just as helpful for families at home: try a one-minute check-in before homework, dinner or bedtime.
Programs for every age
Our Joey and Cub Scout Units meet every Saturday afternoon at Fo Guang Shan Melbourne, 89 Somerville Road, Yarraville.
Joey Scouts · Discover Adventure
Saturdays 1:30 – 2:30pm
Our youngest Scouts start the Scouting journey by discovering the world around them, making friends, staying active and using their imagination through play — and getting out and about in nature and the community.
- Badges through the Achievement Pathway
- Working towards the Joey Scout Challenge Award
- Kangaree — a statewide Joey Scout sleepover adventure
Cub Scouts · Create the Path
Saturdays 1:30 – 3:00pm
Cub Scouts create their own paths — exploring, taking on new experiences, expanding their perspectives, building friendships and choosing their own adventures, from scavenger hunts to building a catapult together.
- Badges for bushcraft, cooking, canoeing and more
- Themed camps and the five-day Cuboree at Gilwell Park
- Working towards the Grey Wolf Award
Scouts · Explore the Unknown
Our Scout section is on its way. Scouts take on bigger challenges and more responsibility — planning their own adventures with their Patrol, camping with new self-sufficiency and leading the way with youth-led, adult-supported Scouting.
- Patrol adventures: plan, do and review
- The Australian Scout Jamboree — thousands of Scouts, ten days, every three years
- Working towards the Australian Scout Award
Growing happy, kind young bodhisattvas
Buddha's Light Scouts puts Humanistic Buddhism's emphasis on life education and good character into practice — helping children live a happy life of the Three Acts of Goodness and grow into young bodhisattvas of good character, quality and refinement.
Learning in nature
Outdoor activities, excursions and camps build resilience and a love of the natural world.
Discovering potential
Games, challenges and badges help every child discover what they are capable of.
Learning through group life
Working in patrols and units teaches teamwork, responsibility and caring for others.
2024 BLIA Scouts World Camp — hosted in Australia
In July 2024, Buddha's Light Scouts and leaders from around the world gathered at Nan Tien Temple, New South Wales, for the BLIA Scouts World Camp, themed “Coexistence and Co-prosperity” — building international friendship and a spirit of mutual help.
True to their spiritual beliefs
Every Australian Scout promises to do their best, to be true to their spiritual beliefs, to contribute to their community and our world, to help other people and to live by the Scout Law. For our Scouts, that spiritual path is the Buddha's teachings.
Be respectful
Be friendly and considerate. Care for others and the environment.
Do what is right
Be trustworthy, honest and fair. Use resources wisely.
Believe in myself
Learn from my experiences. Face challenges with courage.
Just like the Three Acts of Goodness — do good deeds, speak good words, think good thoughts.
佛光童軍 · BLIA Scouts Melbourne
Where adventure meets good values
BLIA Scouts combines the time-tested Scout method with Buddhist values — above all the Three Acts of Goodness: do good deeds, speak good words, think good thoughts.
Buddha's Light Scouts (佛光童軍) was conceived by Venerable Master Hsing Yun in 1996 and founded on 21 August 2000 at Fo Guang Shan in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, when the first ten young Scouts were invested. Today there are Buddha's Light Scout groups at Fo Guang Shan temples around the world.
In Melbourne, BLIA Scouts runs Joey and Cub sections — with a Scout section for 11 to 14 year olds coming soon — helping children develop physically, intellectually, emotionally, socially and spiritually.
BLIA Scouts Melbourne is a registered group of Scouts Victoria ↗. In February 2020, our first adult leaders were invested by Scouts Victoria officials in a ceremony at Fo Guang Shan Melbourne.
As part of Scouts Victoria, our Joey and Cub Scouts belong to one of the biggest and most successful youth movements in Australia and the world — an adventurous, fun, challenging and inclusive program that teaches life skills and leadership.
Enquire about enrolmentOur group on Scouts Victoria ↗BLIA Scouts Australia ↗
Safe, supervised and caring
The safety and wellbeing of children is our highest priority. All adult leaders and volunteers working with children hold a current Victorian Working with Children Check, and our programs follow the Victorian Child Safe Standards.
BLIA Victoria and Scouts Victoria are child safe organisations with zero tolerance for harm of any kind.
- Trained, screened adult leaders
- Clear supervision ratios on every activity
- Open communication with parents and carers
Want to be part of it? Join the adventure as a Rostered Parent, Adult Helper or Leader →
Don't just watch the adventure — join it
Some of the best family memories are made around a campfire. At BLIA Scouts, parents and carers are warmly invited to come along — as a Rostered Parent, an Adult Helper or a Leader.
Watch your child pitch their first tent, cook their first camp meal or earn their first badge — and be right there when it happens. Kids love having their parents on the adventure, and you'll make new friends of your own along the way.
Rostered Parent
The easiest way in. Parents and guardians of a youth member go on the Group's roster and lend a hand at a few sessions each term — setting up, running a game, cooking or simply an extra pair of hands. No experience needed.
- For parents and guardians of a Joey or Cub Scout
- A few sessions a term — not every week
- Can come along on overnight activities once training is done
Adult Helper
Want to be more involved? Adult Helpers are non-uniformed adult members who regularly support the Leaders — at weekly sessions and on sleepovers, hikes and camps — without taking on a Leader role.
- Help as often as suits you, including camps
- Share a skill — first aid, cooking, music, crafts or languages
- Always works alongside a trained Leader
Leader
Ready for more? Become a uniformed Joey Scout or Cub Scout Leader. Scouts Victoria provides the training and ongoing support, and you'll build real leadership skills that carry into work and life while helping shape the next generation.
- Training and support from Scouts Victoria
- Leadership experience that is recognised and valued
- Police and referee checks apply
All three are Scouts Victoria adult roles: you'll need to be 18 or over, register as an adult member online, hold a current Working with Children Check and complete Scouts Victoria's child safety and WHS training within three months.
The best memories are the ones you make together.
Give your child the BLIA Scouts advantage
Scouting is full of campfires, friends and unforgettable stories. Places in our Joey Scouts (5–8) and Cub Scouts (8–11) are limited — enquire today to ask about trying a Saturday session.