FEATURE Territorial Guiding and Scouting
BEING PREPARED TO SUPPORT GUIDES AND SCOUTS Members of the Territorial Guiding and Scouting Advisory Board tell Simon Hope about some exciting developments
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HE Salvation Army has had strong links with the BadenPowell (B-P) organisations (Girlguiding and Scouts) for more than a century. In fact, in the early days, Robert Baden-Powell (the founder of Scouts) corresponded with William Booth about the potential of a partnership, with the idea that working hand in hand would greatly benefit each other. Today there are around 130 guiding and 20 scouting units sponsored by Salvation Army corps up and down the territory. The aims of the B-P sections have always complemented those of the Army. They include the development of the physical, emotional and spiritual characteristics of young people, with the aim of helping them become valuable members of society. The Salvation Army works alongside the groups to reach out to young people everywhere, even going as far as to appoint territorial guide and scout co-ordinators. These co-ordinators make up the Territorial Guiding and Scouting Advisory Board alongside members of the Youth and Children’s Ministries Unit. The spiritual aspect of the wider guiding and scouting movement has waned over time, but Salvation Armysponsored groups take special interest in the faith lives of their members. ‘It’s not necessarily about coming along to church parades,’ explains Rob Christie, Group Scout Leader for 4th Medway (Salvation Army) Scout Group. ‘It’s more about the way leaders act and the way the programme is run completely in line with Army beliefs.’ To this end, a lot of Salvationist leaders will finish group meetings with prayer, which 12
Salvationist 13 April 2019
The 4th Medway (Salvation Army) Scout Group, based at Chatham Corps, is the first to receive the Corps Officer Award
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The aims of the B-P sections have always complemented those of the Army
is not common among non-Salvation Army units. To emphasise this spiritual aspect the Army is continuing to build closer relationships between individual guide and scout groups and their corps. ‘It’s very much about acknowledging the group as part of the whole church,’ says Children’s Specialist for Leader Development Tracy Wood (THQ). ‘They’re not just a bolt-on. There are lots of things that you can do, but you’ve got to have the right leaders to acknowledge that each other exists.’ One thing that guiding and scouting is well known for is the opportunities it gives to achieve awards and badges. The Army has had its own badge – the General’s Award – for a long time, but only a handful of people have achieved it in the past ten years. This is probably because of its level of difficulty and inaccessibility.
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In an effort to make the award more attainable, and to deepen these links between B-P groups and their sponsoring corps, the board has created a series of three lesser badges to work as stepping-stones: the Corps Officer, Divisional Commander and Territorial Commander Awards. These are available only to Salvation Armysponsored groups. Territorial Guide Co-ordinator Sue Matthews explains what the new awards entail: ‘The Corps Officer Award is for beavers and rainbows (five to eightyear-olds). They’ll have to be able to recognise the corps officer and YPSM, take part in an act of worship and know who William Booth was. They will also be introduced to the Army flag and will have to colour it in. It involves a lot of activity and meeting people, and it will be the first step in introducing the young people to the building that they’re in and some of the activities that go on there. ‘The awards then build up. The Divisional Commander Award is for the
