OSCA needs you on board - Scotch College

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OSCA needs you on board

OSCA requires the contribution of all Old Boys as it strives to provide its traditional and emerging services.

Greatscot _may 2012_64a

In the December issue of Great Scot, I outlined the theme of ‘Engage’ that OSCA has adopted this year, and how that theme would be used to generate a greater awareness of the work that OSCA does for the school and for the Old Boy and wider Scotch Family. This year has got off to a very busy start with the various elements of OSCA making considerable progress with their programmes of work.

One of our first actions was to conduct a survey of the knowledge and opinions of Old Boys on a range of topics, from how much they knew of the responsibilities and work of OSCA, through their involvement with OSCA activities, to their recollections and impressions of the school. The response was excellent, with about 7.5 per cent of Old Boys of all ages responding – this is well above the normal levels of response – and speaks volumes about how much all Old Boys identify with the school. (A summary of the survey results appears on page 63 of this edition.)

We are still going through this information in detail, but there are a few responses I would like to share.

The responses to the survey made it quite clear that the knowledge of what OSCA did was lower than we had hoped. Enclosed with this edition of Great Scot is a pamphlet that outlines who we are, where we’ve been and where we are going. I encourage you to take the time to read it.

The first gap in knowledge is that OSCA nominates five members of School Council every year. This is probably OSCA’s most important role in the continuing life of the school, but this was not at all well known. The work done by OSCA in arranging dinners, reunions, e-bulletins and so on was highly regarded for keeping Old Boys informed and involved, although this view was not as strongly felt by the younger Old Boys.

Earlier this year the OSCA Council met with members of the School Council as part of our efforts to engage with as many sections of the Scotch Family as possible. Our discussions were most productive in furthering our understanding of each other’s activities and responsibilities. The response to the meetings was such that they will become a regular part of our programme.

Another interesting aspect of the survey was the level of interest in ways in which Old Boys might engage in service to each other and to the wider community. The first element will be advanced through the Life Transitions Programme, under which Old Boys give and receive support and care for each other during the different stages of their lives. This most exciting programme, stretching from the final years of school, through the tertiary study period to the years of growing vocational responsibility and finally to the years of retirement, will strengthen a sense of the Scotch Family in the fullest sense. This programme is well into its development process, with the object of being formally launched late this year.

The second element is the prospect of having Old Boys continue an involvement with some of the community service undertakings in local, remote and overseas regions. OSCA has yet to investigate what might be done and how it might be undertaken, but it is another potential activity that will strengthen the connections between OSCA and the school.

We have been sharing the findings of the survey and the operations of OSCA with members of the School Council, representatives of the OSCA clubs and as many groups of Old Boys as possible, in our quest to improve the level of engagement with all parts of the Scotch Family.

One of the other interesting findings from the survey was that many Old Boys are unsure of their membership status. While over time the association has had a number of different membership models, in today’s terms just under 50 per cent of our Old Boys are actually signed-up life members of the association. This is something that the association is determined to address in the lead-up to its centenary. Without a strong membership base, the association cannot function effectively. If you are a member, we say thank you for your support. If you aren’t, you will be hearing from us soon!

If we are to be able to successfully address the traditional and the emerging services that OSCA undertakes in the future, we must also encourage all Old Boys to help us do so. Some of that help may be in the form of volunteering time or some of it may be in taking up life membership of OSCA, or joining the Coterie Group, which will increase our capacity to deliver these important services to our members and to the school.