In the UK, there are over half a million scouts: making it the largest co-educational, community-based youth charity in the UK. The purpose of scouting is to develop young people into responsible citizens in a non-formal educational environment. The aim is to produce young people who understand and appreciate that they are members of a family, community and wider society and who share values based around honesty, trust, morality and friendship.
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Worldwide
Scouting is a worldwide family and we impress on our young people that scouts come from all walks of life, all religions and all races. Irrespective of their race, colour, language or religion, a scout from another country is their brother or sister and should be treated as such. How do we achieve this? We provide an environment in which young people can develop relationships with new friends, bond together in lodges, sixes and patrols, learn technical and life skills and achieve challenging tasks. This is all done through a combination of activities and tasks whilst having FUN! We believe that leaders need to be enjoying themselves as well. It’s brilliant that people are prepared to give up their spare time to be leaders. The least we can do is ensure that they have a good time as well. This sense of enjoyment rubs off on the young people and they then also enjoy themselves.
The Programme
The programme is a seamless progression of adventurous, creative and community activities. It aims to help young people grow in a number of personal development areas. The idea is that they ‘learn by doing’ rather than just being told what to do.
Badges and Awards
Young people work towards many badges during their time in scouting. For more details view the comprehensive resources on http://www.scoutbase.org.uk. Most of the badges are section specific but some are generic.
Membership Award
Those who have not previously been a member of the scouting family will start by working towards the Membership Award. This award introduces them to scouting and ensures that they understand how their section works and the commitment they need to make in the form of the Promise and the Law. Once they have gained the Membership Award they are invested as full members of the scouting movement and can proudly wear the Group’s necker and badges.
Moving On Award
If a member is moving on from one section to another (e.g. from Beavers to Cubs) they work towards their section’s Moving On Award, which is the link badge between the sections. To achieve this they need to learn the appropriate promise and attend 1-2 meetings of the next section. This is usually awarded as part of the Going Up ceremony when they leave their current section. Challenge Awards The programme is built around activities that lead towards a number of Challenge Awards. Some, like the Outdoor Challenge, are repeated in each section but get progressively harder. Others are specific to a particular section.
Activity Badges
Each section has a large number of Activity Badges that beavers, cubs and scouts can do, often outside of normal meetings. Some Activity Badges are “staged” to reward greater levels of achievement. An example is First Aid. Others are awarded for doing more of the same activity. An example is Nights Away, which rewards more and more nights spent away from home.
Challenge Awards
The programme is built around activities that lead towards a number of Challenge Awards. Some, like the Outdoor Challenge, are repeated in each section but get progressively harder. Others are specific to a particular section.
Chief Scout’s Award
Completion of all the Challenges meets the requirements of that section’s “Chief Scout’s Award.” This is the highest award in each section and is the ultimate aim for each section member. Beavers can earn the Bronze Award, Cubs the Silver, Scouts the Gold, Explorers the Platinum, and Scout Network the Diamond (Queen’s Scout) Award. As you can see, the Chief Scout’s Awards go right up to the ultimate UK Scouting achievement – to become a Queen’s Scout.