Information for Parents and Teachers:

Before you let your children attend any event you want to know a little more about the organisation which is running it, who the leaders will be, their levels of experience and most importantly, how safe the activities are. Hopefully this page will answer these concerns.

SSC – A brief history

The SSC was founded in 1912 by the late, great Stanley Nairne O.B.E. Formerly known as the Scottish Schoolboys Club, SSC is now a National Youth Organisation for boys and girls aged 10 to 18. The SSC is a registered charity (SC009648) and receives some funding from the Scottish Executive in the form of a Head Quarters grant.

Over the years the club has been very active in this field with Branches active at times in Greenock, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and even Newcastle. In addition groups have been active in far-flung and exotic places such as Oban, East Wemyss and Aberdeen.

The SSC is probably most famous for its camps. These have taken place all over the country and the sites used in the past include Naemoor, Dalguise, Stobo, Portavadie, Wiston Lodge, and Bruar.

Struan

Since 1981 the SSC have camped annually at Struan in Perthshire on the banks of the river Errochty.

SSC camps are an opportunity for our young members and leaders to interact in an atmosphere of trust and tolerance. Friendships are made and teamwork and camaraderie often results in lifelong friendships spanning the generations. For many young people it is a unique opportunity to camp, explore the outdoors and meet a wide range of people, both young and old. Young people and leaders gain the experiences involved in establishing a mini-community and in the benefits of volunteerism. This impacts both, in the lives of the young people and also the communities in which they live.

“Camp is not about the site, the tents or the activities. It is about the people and the enjoyment they bring to each activity … … “The SSC has taught me to share the fundamental beliefs of Christians and understand the fact that we as humans have not forgotten our responsibility to look out for each other.”
(From Struan)

Annually over 500 young people and 100 volunteer leaders experience SSC summer camps at Struan. These vary in style, but all have a unique SSC spirit. Camp dates for next summer can be found on the Struan page and for further information on other SSC events, please go to our weekend page.

Volunteers

A voluntary youth organisation the SSC is run by dedicated volunteers, the vast majority of whom emerged from our school membership. The SSC takes training very seriously and runs an ongoing programme for its volunteers.

“Since 1912 the SSC has been dedicated to the provision of quality youth work. It has generated, by the people within it, friendships, memories and life skills that have positively shaped numerous generations. Currently our leaders provide over 26,000 hrs of voluntary service each year to support youth work in Scotland.”

Most of our leaders attended the club's events while at school and almost all have been known to us for many years. While our residential events rely heavily those of student age there are always a number of older officers present.
The vast majority of our volunteers have been SSC members for many years. For example, an estimate of the number of camps attended by our staff at last years mixed camp exceeded 400 and the levels of supervision are high. Each area of the camp is supervised by a very experienced officer and our Camp Chiefs are all amongst the top ten most experienced officers in the club.
Much of the training takes place through a buddy system where an inexperienced officer is taught their trade by a more senior member of the camps staff, but we run several training events each year outside the clubs activities including weekends for school leavers, inexperienced officers and for the club as a whole.
All the staff at our events receive training in the care of young people including safety, hygiene etc. We have recently improved our programme of external training which now includes First Aid, Food Hygiene & Bronze Medallion as well as sports coaching courses run by the SFA & SRU.

SSC’s Child Protection Policy (Copies of our Child Protection Policy are available from the SSC Office)

All our voluntary leaders have to register with the SSC, supply two referees and undergo Child Protection Training. In line with other voluntary organisations, SSC are going through the Disclosure Scotland process. All new SSC volunteers who have become leaders after April 1st 2002 have to undergo a Disclosure Scotland check. We are also close to completing the process of checking leaders who joined the organisation prior to the legislation date.

Safety

Safety is high on our list of priorities; activities such as swimming, canoeing and rock climbing are only carried out under the supervision of qualified staff and all camps and activities have a very high staff/camper ratio. The ratio at our last mixed camp was 1 adult to every four school members but with those in fifth and sixth years performing the role of group and tent leaders (for which they are given training) this makes a ratio of 1 leader for every 2 children This high level of supervision is one of the keys to our success
It is, of course, impossible to make anything entirely safe - young people have more accidents in their own home than anywhere else, but you can be assured that we are very conscious of safety and make our best efforts to minimize risks.

SSC’s Assisted Places Fund

One of our key aims, through our Assisted Places Fund, is to include young people at SSC activities who would otherwise miss out on a great week at camp. As well as from families, we welcome requests from teachers and other youth services who would act as intermediaries with the family and ourselves. The fund is accessed through contacting the SSC Office directly and an agreement can be negotiated to cater for the needs of the young person.

SSC Funding

As well as our Head Quarters grant from the Scottish Executive Education Department, the club is funded entirely through the generosity of ex-members through our Associate Member’s Supporters scheme and through irregular donations and legacies. Finance is never far from our minds and we are constantly seeking fresh sources of funds.

SSC’s Aim (1912 – Present)

Many things have changed over the 90+ years since Stanley Nairne founded the club and SSC has had to adapt and develop with current Youth Work guidelines and policies for protecting young people and volunteers.

One thing that Stanley would still recognize from the early days, right through to his final camps in the late 60’s is that the daily programme is still recognizable - sports, discussions, sing songs etc. are still all basic parts of the success of the SSC.

Stanley’s vision was to:

“Show boys that Christianity was not a thing apart from ordinary life, but a part of the life of the school and the playing field”

This remains the clubs purpose today. The officers of the club subscribe to Christian principles and attempt though discussion and through example to influence the young people who attend our events to consider Christianity. It may be that the religious element of our organisation worries you but you should not let it. The aura at our events is one of friendship and fun which we feel is inspired by our Christian beliefs, but we never attempt to enforce this view on others. What we attempt to do is encourage young people to consider moral and religious issues and to make up their own minds.
Over the years tens of thousands of young people have attended and enjoyed our events and many have gone on to become famous and influential. Eric Liddell, who inspired the film Chariots of Fire, was an early member of the SSC. Finlay Calder who captained the British Lions attended several camps at Bruar when he was at school. Perhaps he learnt a lot from the touch rugby games in the afternoons!
Indeed the links between the club and rugby are very strong. It is one of our proud boasts that since the war, no Scottish Rugby Team has taken the field without an ex SSC camper in the team. Andy Nicol, who captained Scotland in the memorable Calcutta Cup victory in 2000, was a very regular camper at Dalguise with the Dundee Branch and Struan in the summer during the 1980’s.
Through our partnership with the Scottish Rugby Union in running a joint Rugby camp (founded 1978) many future internationalists have graces the sports pitches at Bruar and Struan.
Ex members of the club exist in many spheres of activity, in commerce, the entertainment world, government, education and the established churches.

Management of the Club

The clubs affairs are run by the management committee appointed annually at the AGM in November and a list of the club's office bearers is provided here.
The club has three paid employees; Two Youth Workers - Steven "Breive" Hughes and Paul “Lousy” Lyall and a part time Administrator - George Lambie.
One of the Administrators responsibilities is to take bookings for the residential centre the club runs - The Stanley Nairne Centre at Dalguise near Dunkeld which is owned by a Trust comprising representatives of the SAYC, North Merchiston Boys Club and the SSC. More information on the centre is available here.

Finally

I hope that the above information is helpful - if you have any queries please don’t hesitate to contact us on 0131 555 6123 or via email: office@thessc.org.