Post on 10-Mar-2016
description
The magazine for Beaver Scout Leaders
December 2010/January 2011
Itsy bitsyMake a spider
Friendship Passport
New partnerSave the Children
NO SPACE?Try sending out a satellite
MODULESMODULESMODULESNEW
BEAVERS_FINAL.indd 1 10/11/2010 12:05
IFC_BeaversSupp_DecJan.indd 8 11/11/2010 11:46
Jenny Winn introduces your latest issue of the Beaver supplement
The year 2011 will be the 25th anniversary of Beaver Scouts becoming a
formal section of The Scout Association. To celebrate, we have produced a
badge which can be worn by Beaver Scouts and adults involved in the
section during the year. Activities and events are happening around the UK.
Let us know at programme@scouts.org.uk what you are doing to mark the
occasion, and if you have a good story of successes in your Colony.
As well as the 25th anniversary of Beaver Scouts, 2011 is also the year of
the 22nd Jamboree, which is being held in Sweden. To enable Beaver Scouts
to experience some of the excitement of the event, a Join-in-Jamboree
resource was sent out with October/November issue of Scouting.
In this issue:
Being inclusiveBeavers can feel a little left out at times, for a number of reasons. Maggie
Bleksley has some ideas to help them feel included.
Ice is niceLots of icy ideas for your Beavers to keep them busy indoors when it gets
cold outdoors.
Your Programme, Your VoiceWe asked for your views about Scouting magazine and the supplements.
Read the results of our questionnaire and find out how to complete the
next one.
3scouts.org.uk/pol
INTRO
Twenty fi ve years young
4 Winter gamesFrom designing igloos to fi shing
8 Itsy bitsyMake a spider
10 POPNumbers and counting-themed programmes on a plate
12 Friends united Help your Beavers feel included
14 New training modules Residential experiences
15 Friendship Passport Save the Children
16 No space? Start a satellite section
18 Your Programme, Your Voice Feedback from our questionnaire
What you’ve been up to over the last few months:
Beaver Scout Michael from the 18th
Inverness (Muirtown) Colony achieved
a personal feat when he climbed the
highest hill on the Isle of Arran.
Seven-year-old Michael reached the top
of Goat Fell which stands 873.5 metres
(2866 ft) high.
Beaver Scout Team:Jenny Winn (Programme and Development Adviser for Beaver Scouts)
Contact them at:programme@scouts.org.ukTel: 0845 300 1818
Published by: The Scout Association, Gilwell Park, Bury RoadChingford, London E4 7QW
Contributions to:scouting.magazine@scouts.org.uk
This issue’s contributors:Maggie Bleksley Rose WellsEmma Wood
ADVERTISINGRichard Ellacottrichard.ellacott@thinkpublishing.co.ukTel: 020 8962 1258
View all other section supplements at www.scouts.org.uk/magazine
Contents
BEAVERS_FINAL.indd 3 12/11/2010 16:19
Emma Wood brings you a selection of ideas to liven up Colony meetings this winter
4 Beavers December 2010/January 2011
O ur seasons do seem to be shifting and
can play havoc with planning
programmes. Whatever the weather, you
can enjoy the winter months inside or out
with the following seasonal ideas which I’ve used
with my Colony.
Winter games
Design an igloo
you will need• pens and paper.
Ask the Beavers to design their ideal igloo.
What would it look like from the outside?
What features would it have inside? Let their
imagination run wild.
Ice melting
you will need• ice cubes• hot water, vinegar, salt, pepper, de-icer and similar items.
Put ice cubes in separate saucers and see if the
Beavers can guess correctly which ingredient
will melt the ice the quickest.
BEAVERS_FINAL.indd 4 12/11/2010 16:20
Emma Wood brings you a selection of ideas to liven up Colony meetings this winter
4 Beavers December 2010/January 2011
Our seasons do seem to be shifting and can
play havoc with planning our
programmes. Whatever the weather, you
can enjoy the winter months inside or out
with the following seasonal ideas which I’ve used
with my Colony.
Winter games
Design an igloo
you will need• pens and paper.
Ask the Beavers to design their ideal igloo.
What would it look like from the outside?
What features would it have inside? Let their
imagination run wild.
Ice melting
you will need• ice cubes• hot water, vinegar, salt, pepper, de-icer and similar items.
Put ice cubes in separate saucers and see if the
Beavers can guess correctly which ingredient
will melt the ice the quickest.
BEAVERS_FINAL.indd 4 10/11/2010 12:06
5scouts.org.uk/pol
programme ıdeas
Ice fishing
you will need• an A3-sized piece of stiff card for each team• simple fishing rods• Velcro• small pieces of modelling clay• same number of cardboard fish per team
members with smooth Velcro attached on one side of each fish.
Cut a dinner-plate sized hole in the middle of
the cards and rest them between two chairs at
the far end of the hall. Beavers sit in relay
formation and player 1 in each team has a
fishing rod, with a piece of hooked Velcro
wrapped around a piece of modelling clay in
place of the hook. Under each hole place the
fish with the Velcro facing upwards. On the
word ‘go’, player 1 in each team runs up and
fish through their hole. When they hook a fish
they take it and their rod back and set off
player 2, and so on.
Snowball fight
you will need• lots of newspaper• chalk or masking tape.
Scrunch up the newspaper into balls and give a
bowlful to each Lodge. Beavers stand in their
Lodge’s corner of the hall, which is divided into
quarters using chalk or masking tape. On the
whistle, they throw balls into opposing Lodges’
quarters, trying to get all snowballs out of their
area. Players are not allowed to cross the line
into other quarters. After 3-5 minutes the team
with the fewest balls in their area wins.
Ice castles
you will need• sandcastle moulds and buckets.
If there’s enough snow, go outside and let the
Beavers make snowcastles, just as they would
make sandcastles on the beach.
BEAVERS_FINAL.indd 5 10/11/2010 12:06
6 Beavers December 2010/January 2011
Winter sports
• Ice hockey – Prepare a few large ice pucks
by freezing about 10cm of water in a round
plastic margarine or ice cream tub. Two
teams sit down either side of the hall and are
numbered off (this only works on wooden or
plastic floors, or outside on tarmac). One
puck and two rolled-up newspapers are
placed in the middle of the hall and a chair is
placed at either end to be the goal. A number
is called and the two players with that
number grab a stick and try to hit the puck
into the appropriate goal.
• Curling – Using an ice puck as above,
Lodges take it in turns to ‘bowl’ the puck
from one end of the hall to the other, trying
to get it to land into a chalked scoring area at
the far end.
• Sledding – Lodges drag one member around
a course on a toboggan indoors or outside.
Fastest time around the course wins. If you
can obtain enough toboggans, this could be
run as a relay race.
• Ringette – Running in relay form, players
have a broomstick and must push
a small heavy rubber ring (not a swim ring
or inflatable belt) to the end of the hall
and back.
Ice cutting
you will need• ice cubes• empty wine bottle• two 500g weights • 50cm length of strong nylon thread (or thin fuse wire).
Put an ice cube on the top of the bottle. Tie a
weight to each end of the thread. Rest the
middle of the thread across the middle of the
ice cube, so the weights hang either side.
Watch as the thread passes slowly through the
ice cube, and be amazed as the ice re-freezes
above it.
Snowman ice cream
you will need• an ice cream scoop and a melon scoop • vanilla ice cream• saucers • jelly and chocolate cake decorations.
Make a snowman out of ice cream on a saucer
for each Beaver Scout and let them decorate it.
Take pictures for your Colony noticeboard before
they eat their snowmen.
BEAVERS_FINAL.indd 6 10/11/2010 12:06
Found you!Keep track of a lost Beaver with a Foundkid wristband
F oundkid.com is an online internet site that
sells high visibility identification wristbands for
young people attending events or on outings.
The wristbands can help to reunite a lost
Beaver with the Colony and contains information such
as the name of the organisation, the person running
the trip and a contact number of the person in charge.
All the information has been printed on the band so
it remains highly visible throughout the day, irrespective
of the type of activity undertaken. The bands are
available in two sizes and are waterproof, comfortable
and adjustable. There are two types of fastening, a
self-adhesive sticking band or a clasp fastened band.
If separated from the group, some Beavers may have
difficulties explaining who they are and who they are
with. Lisa Kramer, Director of Foundkid.com, says
‘Organisations need to protect the identity of their
young people. The wristbands only identify the group
the child is with and the person in charge, not the
identity of the child.’
For further information, visit www.foundkid.com
BEAVERS_FINAL.indd 7 11/11/2010 10:18
Beavers will love this little spider
8 Beavers December 2010/January 2011
Itsy bitsy
Go to www.scouts.org.uk/pol and
download the Spider template. Produce a
copy of this sheet for each Beaver on thin
card. Crease the dotted lines and cut out
the shape ready for use.
Design and colour the spider.
Add glue to the six tabs shown in the picture. Fold along the crease lines and join the tabs
to form the body.
Step 1 Step 2
Step 3 Step 4
you will need• coloured pencils• glue• string• eight black pipe cleaners or wool.
Cut line
Fold line
BEAVERS_FINAL.indd 8 10/11/2010 12:07
MAKE AND DO
9scouts.org.uk/pol
Glue the back of the eyes and attach them to
the front of the spider.
Push pipe cleaners or wool through the eight
holes and secure in place to make the legs.
Thread the string through the hole on the top
and tie a knot to stop it coming out.
STEP 5 STEP 6
STEP 7
Fun facts to share
• There are over 30,000 different types of spider.
• Spiders are not insects, they are arachnids. Insects
have three body parts and six legs.
• Spiders have eight legs and two body parts.
• Most spiders have either six or eight eyes.
• Male spiders are usually smaller than female spiders.
For more ideas and activity packs that
come pre-cut and creased, complete with
all the required accessories, go to
www.clever-craft.com. You’ll be amazed
what you can do! To receive a free sample
pack, become a member on their website.
Clever Craft was set by Andrew Harrold &
Craig Bond, both Beaver Scout Leaders
with 7th Sefton East (Melling).
Questions to ask
• What do you think spiders eat?
• How do spiders catch their food?
• Can you name a type of spider?
come pre-cut and creased, complete with
all the required accessories, go to
www.clever-craft.com
what you can do! To receive a free sample
pack, become a member on their website.
Clever Craft was set by Andrew Harrold &
Craig Bond, both Beaver Scout Leaders
with 7th Sefton East (Melling).
BEAVERS_FINAL.indd 9 10/11/2010 13:43
Programmes on a platePOPThis issue’s theme is numbers,
compiled by Jenny Winn
Opening ceremony 5 mins N/A Follow themes Introduce the theme for the evening which is numbers and counting.
Activity: International counting game
10 mins Global Play games The idea is very simple – the players have to count from one to x (where x is the number of players) in another language. The ideal number of players is between 10 and 20. Explain to the young people the challenge and explain that there are four rules: • Only one person can speak at a time • Everyone must say one number • No pointing or otherwise directing (such as telling people to go round in a circle) • Adjacent players cannot say consecutive numbers.Nominate a player to start and look for rule breaking (this is not as easy as it sounds).
Activity: Guessing number game
15 mins Outdoor and Adventure
Explore their worldPlay gamesGo outdoors
Check if any Beaver Scouts have a sunflower seed allergy before playing. If you want to plant the sunflower seeds it is better to play this during the spring.• Divide the Colony into four even teams and give each team 40 sunflower seeds• Two Leaders stand in the centre of the meeting place with their own supply of sunflower
seeds.• Taking it in turns, one Beaver Scout per team decides if they want to take 1, 2 or 3 seeds
up to the leader.• They hide the seeds in their hand, and approach the leader. The leader then has
to guess how many seeds the Beaver Scout has in their hand. If the leader guesses correctly, then they get to keep the seeds, but if the leader guesses wrong then they must give the Beaver Scout the number of seeds that in their hand.
• The winning team is the one with the most seeds.• If you have space at your meeting place each Beaver Scout can plant a sunflower seed,
and you can hold a competition to see whose sunflower grows the most. If you do not have enough space allow the Beaver Scouts to take home a seed to plant at home if possible.
Activity: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
10 mins Community Play games The Beavers sit in a circle and are named Matthew, Mark, Luke and John for the first four and are numbered 1, 2, 3, 4 etc for the rest.• Start with the person labelled John, who stands up and says, ‘I am John and I call upon
number 6 (or whoever)’. Number 6 then stands up and says ‘I am number 6 and I call upon Mark (or whoever)’.
• The game goes around the circle with each person as they are called standing up and saying ‘I am … and I call upon …’, but the young people can be out for a variety of reasons: If they call upon the name/number who has just called them If they call upon the name/number sitting next to them If they call upon a number which no longer has a person associated with it If they are too slow to answer someone who has called them If they are too slow to call someone else If they wrongly confirm their name.
• When a young person is ‘out’ for any of the reasons given, they leave the circle and everyone sitting below in name/number order moves up one seat and becomes a new name/number and the last person to call, calls another person.
• The challenge is for everyone to work out quickly what their new number is before being called upon to confirm it.
At residential experiences this game can be played as the last activity of the day with the Beavers dressed in their pyjamas. As a person is ‘out’ everyone chants ‘Bed – bed – bed’ until they leave the circle and go to bed.
Activity: Find the number
15 mins Fitness Team challengesPlay games
You will need: pens, pencils, number charts.• If possible enlarge the number chart and copy so that there are enough for each team• Divide the Beavers into even teams, line them up at one end of the playing area and give
each team a pencil or pen. Opposite each team put up a number chart.• Each team member takes it in turns to run up the number chart and cross a specified
number off, running back and handing over the pen to the next Beaver. You can ask them to cross off the next number in a sequence or list some numbers that they have to find.
• To make the game faster you can impose a time limit.
Activity/Game Time Zone Method Instructions
Beavers December 2010/January 201110
BEAVERS_FINAL.indd 10 10/11/2010 12:07
For more great ideas visit www.scouts.org.uk/pol
Opening ceremony 5 mins N/A Follow themes Introduce the theme for the evening which is numbers and counting.
Activity: International counting game
10 mins Global Play games The idea is very simple – the players have to count from one to x (where x is the number of players) in another language. The ideal number of players is between 10 and 20. Explain to the young people the challenge and explain that there are four rules: • Only one person can speak at a time • Everyone must say one number • No pointing or otherwise directing (such as telling people to go round in a circle) • Adjacent players cannot say consecutive numbers.Nominate a player to start and look for rule breaking (this is not as easy as it sounds).
Activity: Guessing number game
15 mins Outdoor and Adventure
Explore their worldPlay gamesGo outdoors
Check if any Beaver Scouts have a sunflower seed allergy before playing. If you want to plant the sunflower seeds it is better to play this during the spring.• Divide the Colony into four even teams and give each team 40 sunflower seeds• Two Leaders stand in the centre of the meeting place with their own supply of sunflower
seeds.• Taking it in turns, one Beaver Scout per team decides if they want to take 1, 2 or 3 seeds
up to the leader.• They hide the seeds in their hand, and approach the leader. The leader then has
to guess how many seeds the Beaver Scout has in their hand. If the leader guesses correctly, then they get to keep the seeds, but if the leader guesses wrong then they must give the Beaver Scout the number of seeds that in their hand.
• The winning team is the one with the most seeds.• If you have space at your meeting place each Beaver Scout can plant a sunflower seed,
and you can hold a competition to see whose sunflower grows the most. If you do not have enough space allow the Beaver Scouts to take home a seed to plant at home if possible.
Activity: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
10 mins Community Play games The Beavers sit in a circle and are named Matthew, Mark, Luke and John for the first four and are numbered 1, 2, 3, 4 etc for the rest.• Start with the person labelled John, who stands up and says, ‘I am John and I call upon
number 6 (or whoever)’. Number 6 then stands up and says ‘I am number 6 and I call upon Mark (or whoever)’.
• The game goes around the circle with each person as they are called standing up and saying ‘I am … and I call upon …’, but the young people can be out for a variety of reasons: If they call upon the name/number who has just called them If they call upon the name/number sitting next to them If they call upon a number which no longer has a person associated with it If they are too slow to answer someone who has called them If they are too slow to call someone else If they wrongly confirm their name.
• When a young person is ‘out’ for any of the reasons given, they leave the circle and everyone sitting below in name/number order moves up one seat and becomes a new name/number and the last person to call, calls another person.
• The challenge is for everyone to work out quickly what their new number is before being called upon to confirm it.
At residential experiences this game can be played as the last activity of the day with the Beavers dressed in their pyjamas. As a person is ‘out’ everyone chants ‘Bed – bed – bed’ until they leave the circle and go to bed.
Activity: Find the number
15 mins Fitness Team challengesPlay games
You will need: pens, pencils, number charts.• If possible enlarge the number chart and copy so that there are enough for each team• Divide the Beavers into even teams, line them up at one end of the playing area and give
each team a pencil or pen. Opposite each team put up a number chart.• Each team member takes it in turns to run up the number chart and cross a specified
number off, running back and handing over the pen to the next Beaver. You can ask them to cross off the next number in a sequence or list some numbers that they have to find.
• To make the game faster you can impose a time limit.
Activity/Game Time Zone Method Instructions
11scouts.org.uk/pol
Faith and awareness events February/March 2011
February 20112 Candlemas Day (Christian)
8 & 15 Parinirvana Nirvana Day
(Buddhist)
8 Vasant Panchami (Hindu)
14 Valentine’s Day (Christian)
15 – 20 Shia Milad un Nabi
(Birthday of the Prophet
Muhammad)(Muslim)
18 Magha Puja (Buddhist)
28 Feb – 13 March Fairtrade
Fortnight
March 20111 Hola Mohalla (Lunar Calendar)
(Sikh)
3 Mahashivratri (Hindu)
8 International Women’s Day
8 Shrove Tuesday (Christian)
9 Ash Wednesday (Christian)
17 St Patrick’s Day (Christian)
19 Holi (Hindu)
20 Purim (Jewish)
22 World Water Day
BEAVERS_FINAL.indd 11 10/11/2010 12:07
12 Beavers December 2010/January 2011
Maggie Bleksley suggests activities to help your Beavers
feel good about themselves
We all have strengths and weaknesses
and a Beaver’s self-esteem can be
knocked if they feel they are not
valued. We need to make them feel
included and have respect for one another. These
activities show we are all different but can have fun
working together and helping each other.
What are we good at?Fill three bowls with a different kind of fruit
and a fourth with a mixture. Ask the Beavers
which bowl they like and why. Talk about how
different fruits are nice for different reasons
and how they can all be mixed in a fruit salad.
Say that people are like that too. It would be
dull if we were all the same and had the same
interests. Ask them what they think they and
their friends are good at. This could be football,
drawing, being kind, being fun to be with or
looking after a pet. Try using different types of
flowers instead of fruit.
Friends united
BEAVERS_FINAL.indd 12 10/11/2010 12:07
Visit Programmes Online at www.scouts.org.uk/pol
for ideas of activities to encourage friendship
13scouts.org.uk/pol
INCLUSIVE
Friendship fruits storyIt’s lunchtime at the Beaver sleepover and some
fruits were arguing over who would be chosen.
‘They’ll choose me. I’m juicy,’ said the pink
apple.
‘I’m best because I’m sweet,’ said the yellow
banana.
‘We’re better than you because we’re sweet
and we’re juicy,’ said the grapes, who were
white and red.
‘Do you think they’ll want us?’ asked the
blueberries, ‘We’re blue, not like other fruit.’
The twin red cherries popped up. ‘We’re twins,
can you tell us apart?’
The strawberry said to the mango ‘I haven’t
seen you before.’
‘I’ve come from a country far away,’ said the
mango’, and so has my friend, the pineapple.’
The pineapple said ‘hello’ from under his spiky
hair.
The orange came rolling along. He brought a
friend too, a lemon. ‘We go well together,’ he
said, and they sang Oranges and Lemons!
Then the wise old melon arrived. ‘We’re all
different sizes, colours and shapes, but we can
all be friends,’ he said and they all dived in the
fruit bowl and were happy to be together.
Puppet plates
you will need• paper plates, pictures of fruit, sticky tape,
crayons, coloured pencils, flower sticks and scissors.
Ask the Beavers to choose one kind of fruit and
draw or stick a picture of it onto a paper plate.
Help them to tape sticks on to the back of their
plates. The Beavers take turns to hold up their
plates and pretend to be fruits, saying why they
think they are good, what colours they can be
or what they could make with their fruit. Then
they put all the plates together on the floor,
link arms and saying they are best all together.
Fruit tree
you will need• coloured paper• pens.
Draw a large fruit tree and cut leaves from
coloured paper. Each Beaver and Leader writes
on a leaf which is stuck on the tree. New Beavers
can add their own leaves when they join.
DO
DON’T
• always make sure new recruits and visitors
are introduced to everyone
• clearly explain why a Beaver may be left out
of an activity or not chosen for a position
such as Lodge leader. Give the Beaver a
special job they can do well
• adapt activities and games so Beavers with
special needs can take part
• remember allergies and religious/dietary
restrictions when providing food.
• give in to the pushy ones who always want
to go first
• let Beavers choose others one by one for their
team as someone will be the last to be chosen
• let family ties or friendships influence your
relationship with a particular Beaver.
Friends united
BEAVERS_FINAL.indd 13 10/11/2010 12:07
14 Beavers December 2010/January 2011
New training modules
Is there a night away, sleepover, camp or residential
experience on your horizon? No matter what type of overnight
experience you are planning or helping out with, it is essential
that you have the right tools for the job, says Samantha Marks
For more about training –
adult.support@scouts.org.uk
For more about the Nights Away Permit Scheme
– www.scouts.org.uk/nightsaway
more info
The Scout Association now offers two
modules to enable you to provide overnight
experiences with confidence. In order to
become more flexible and relevant in the
training available, Module 16: Nights Away has changed
and a new Module 38: Skills for Residential Experiences has been created.
Module 16: Introduction to Residential ExperiencesThis gives an introduction to the
place, value and organisation of
residential experiences, and their
importance in Scouting. This will
be a shorter version of the
obligatory module that all section
leaders need to complete.
Module 38: Skills for Residential ExperiencesThis focuses on the skills to
plan and run a successful
residential experience for
young people. It reflects the
skills needed for a Nights
Away Permit and aims to help
leaders gain new skills and
consolidate their knowledge.
These changes will give you more flexibility and
choice over the training you receive.
The Nights Away Permit Scheme remains a separate
national scheme, so while these modules aim to give
you all the knowledge you need, if you want to gain a
Nights Away Permit, you will still need to be assessed
separately (you don’t need a Nights Away permit to get
your Wood Badge).
Remember though, that there are no pre-requisites
for gaining a Nights Away Permit – you don’t have
to attend either of these courses to get one. In fact,
if you have a Nights Away Permit then you can
automatically validate both of these modules without
attending any training.
BEAVERS_FINAL.indd 14 10/11/2010 12:08
save the chıldren
FriendshipPassport
Get the new Friendship Passport resource pack for Beaver Scouts, in partnership
with Save the Children
15scouts.org.uk/pol
This month sees the start of our partnership
with Save the Children, a charity that works in
the UK and across the world to ensure that
children get proper healthcare, food,
education and protection.
The Friendship PassportThe Friendship Passport resource pack features a different
country each year, and is jammed full of fun and simple
activity ideas, including games and competitions.
From exploring the country’s geography, culture,
games and traditions, to examining the issues facing
children, and Save the Children’s work there, the
passport will take your Colony on an exciting journey
across the globe.
The aim is for each Beaver to fill their passport with all
the available stickers for each activity, and to get it
stamped by raising money or awareness, as friends of
Save the Children’s work.
The country we’ve chosen has been a big secret until
now, but it’s one that’s important to both Scouting and
Save the Children. To find out where the Friendship
Passport can take your Beaver Scouts in 2011, just visit
our partnership website.
www.savethechildren.org.uk/scouts
Get involvedThe Friendship Passport is a flexible programme
of activities that can be completed over a day, a
week, a month or even longer.
To receive your leaders’ resource pack,
including stickers for the passports and a great
prize when you finish, register at
www.savethechildren.org.uk/scouts or email
scouts@savethechildren.org.uk
All of the activities are also available to
download individually from Programmes Online
(www.scouts.org.uk/pol).
Sample activity – Memory game
you will need:• a tray.
Cut out pictures of Save the Children’s life-saving
equipment, for example, mosquito nets, water
filters, micronutrient peanut butter paste and
vaccinations. You can also include everyday
household items.
Give the Colony, or an individual Beaver, 30
seconds to memorise the items on the tray,
then remove one item and ask them to guess
which is missing. Describe and discuss what the
items are used for, and how they can help save
children’s lives.
BEAVERS_FINAL.indd 15 10/11/2010 12:08
16 Beavers December 2010/January 2011
Reach for the sky
Satellites are usually found in space, not in a
village in West Sussex. Rose Wells investigates
BEAVERS_FINAL.indd 16 10/11/2010 12:08
‘I ’m so excited by all the adventures I’m going to
have,’ said new Beaver Scout Luke at the
opening of the satellite section of the 1st
Barnham Scout Group.
The high demand for Scouting, allied with a lack
of facilities and volunteers, gave Group Scout Leader
Stuart Thorne an idea. He got in touch with Mark
Guy, the Local Development Officer to discuss the
way forward.
‘At that time, the 1st Barnham had one Beaver
Colony, one Cub Pack and one Scout Troop’, says Mark.
‘Although we desperately needed to open another
Colony, we would have nowhere to meet. The Group only
have the use of the village hall for one evening a week and
trying to squeeze a fourth section in would be impossible.
‘Stuart wondered if we could start up a new Beaver
section in Walberton, a nearby village. A few months
later we invited the local community and those on the
Group’s joining list to attend a taster event.’
Real buzzThe turnout was better than expected. They
received 18 more enquiries to join and eight
expressions of interest in volunteering from the
adults. Stuart and Mark worked together over
the summer to follow up the leads and with
four parents willing to commit to help on a
regular basis, they opened the new Colony in
October with support from the District Team.
Walberton Parish Council helped the Colony get
established by offering them use of the Pavillion
village hall for meetings.
A packed evening of games and activities
launched the satellite section as the new
Beavers got to know each other. Parent and
helper Martin Roberts is part of the new
leadership team at Walberton, and was at the
launch: ‘I’m new to Scouting and the welcome
I’ve received is amazing. Our first meeting has
been a great success. There’s a real buzz for
Scouting and I’m so pleased to be part of it.
Many people think volunteering is hard work but
from what I’ve experienced so far it’s great fun!’
Assistant County Commissioner Mike Wakeling
is pleased they have been able to provide the
challenge and adventure of Scouting to more
young people in the community. ‘This is the way
forward,’ he explains. ‘We would like to see more
groups consider doing this as Scouting offers so
much to both young people and adults.’
Drumming up supportEvents planned over the coming months are an African
drumming evening, and a Scottish-themed night.
Parents are being encouraged to get involved by being
invited and a parent rota is to be introduced. ‘The plan
is to increase the size of the Colony over time as the
adults become more confident,’ says Mark.
The success of this new Beaver section generated so
much interest in the local area that a second satellite
section, a Cub Pack, is due to open in January.
This is good news for Beaver Scout Luke, who has his
Scouting future all planned out and who is looking
forward to even more activities in Cubs.
17scouts.org.uk/pol
section growth
New Beaver Scout Luke
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18 Beavers December 2010/January 2011
This questionnaire was designed so that we
could gauge readers’ feelings about the
magazine and its content. Questions ranged
from what readers think of the content in
both the main magazine and the supplements, to the
type of adverts that are featured.
We have listed highlights of the results along with
suggested changes that will be implemented as part of
the review.
Highlights• Most of our readers look forward to receiving the
magazine, and will read over 50% of it.
• Over 50% of respondents find the magazine relevant
to their role, and feel that the content in it isn’t just
for new leaders.
• Most feel that receiving the magazine bimonthly is
the right frequency.
• Most are happiest receiving the magazine as a hard
copy, rather than electronically. However it is worth
noting that Scouting and its supplements are all
available online at www.scouts.org.uk/magazine
• People would like to see more Scouting skills,
activities and ‘how to’ guides in the magazine and
supplements.
• Most find the supplement and its content useful to
their role.
Outcomes One of the results of the questionnaire is the
standardisation of the content in the supplements, so
that similar content can be found in comparable places
in each supplement. A further outcome is the creation
of a pool of writers which will relieve the pressure on
current contributors and provide a wide range of
expertise. If you are interested in writing for the
magazine and its supplements please email the editorial
team at scouting.magazine@scouts.org.uk
Your Programme, Your Voice
The Programme Team recently ran a Your
Programme, Your Voice questionnaire about
Scouting magazine and its supplements and
received nearly 3,000 responses
YPYV surveysYour Programme, Your Voice (YPYV) is a regular
online questionnaire created and run by the 6-25
Programme Team. Questions are asked about the
Programme and other related issues on a regular
basis. Members are alerted by email when there
is a new YPYV available. To participate, please
make sure your email address is on record on the
Membership database.
Check your detailsDo you receive the correct supplement? Do you
receive ScoutingPlus – our weekly news email?
If the answer is ‘no’ then perhaps you should
check and/or amend your details on our
Membership database at www.scouts.org.uk
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