About

The Sydney Youth Stamp Group (SYSG) was formed in 1990 by a team of experienced stamp collectors with a vision to pass on their knowledge of Philately to young people, This step was strongly supported by Philatelic Association of NSW Inc. (Philas).

The first couple of years were spent visiting schools that had stamp clubs, then it was decided it would be better to invite the children to the Philas premises in Sydney during the school holidays.

Workshops

The workshops are free of charge and are usually held on the first or last Thursday of the School holidays from 10:30am to 3:00pm. The program is suitable for children aged 7 to 17 years old. The children are divided into two groups, a junior group (7 to 11 years) and a senior group (12 to 17 years).

Each workshop has a theme; the program for the day is created around the theme. An example of some of the activities are guest speakers, swapping, writing up of stamp pages, games, presentations, prizes and a “Goodies” bag for each child. “Goodies” bags contain approx. 12 collectible philatelic items.

Other SYSG Activities

As well as our workshops at Philas House the Sydney Youth Stamp Group organizes children’s activities, programs and competitions, to be run in conjunction with Stamp Fairs and Exhibitions. We can also arrange for similar activities to be run at and through schools or other community based organizations, such as libraries. Such activities are all free of charge.

Volunteers

Our workshops and other activities are run by our SYSG volunteers. All our volunteers are required to fill out a child protection form.

How can we provide all our services for free?

We do not sell anything or do any fundraising; we rely completely on donations:

• All our helpers kindly volunteer their time
• The NSW Philatelic Development Council provides financial support for any purchased resources
• Philas provides the workshop venue and provides lunches for the children and helpers
• We receive donations of stamps and philatelic items from individual stamp collectors, businesses, Australia Post and Stamp Dealers

Our Aims

The Sydney Youth Stamp Group aims to promote the enjoyment, understanding, study, appreciation, and history of stamp collecting and philatelic exhibiting to young people of all ages. These aims shall be achieved by means of:

• Regular workshops at Philas in Sydney
• Establish stamp related programs for Schools, Community based organizations and or Libraries
• Liaison with interested persons and groups within NSW, Interstate and National