beavers

: S T O N K THREE OUR TOP

rs Scout Leade r e v a e B r zine fo 9/January 2010 The magam ber 200 e c e D

All Saints

Ideas to celebrate our Wales and Ireland

Get ready for 2010

Create a calendar for your Colony

H T I A F E HAV es and insights to measkZeone am tud g i t , t s e A i t d i n v i a t c s f A e Belie h t f o t s o m the

beavers_120110.indd 1

11/11/2009 11:12

IFC_Beavers_DecJan.indd 6

11/11/2009 09:25

Beaver Scout Team: Karen Jameson (UK Adviser for Beaver Scouts) Jenny Winn (Programme and Development Adviser for Beaver Scouts)

INTRO

Beliefs and Attitudes

Contact them at: programme@scout.org.uk Tel: 0845 300 1818 Published by: The Scout Association, Gilwell Park, Bury Road Chingford, London E4 7QW

Jenny Winn introduces this issue’s magazine, designed to help you with the most difficult Programme Zone

Contributions to: scouting.magazine@scout.org.uk This issue’s contributors: Maggie Bleksley Charlie Dale Ruth Hubbard Jenny Winn Emma Wood ADVERTISING Richard Ellacott richard.ellacott@thinkpublishing.co.uk Tel: 020 8962 1258

Many of the programme ideas and activities in this issue fall into the Beliefs and Attitudes Programme Zone. We hope these will help you with this zone, which we know leaders find difficult to use.

We also visit a multi-faith Colony in the North West, and find out how they run the Colony and deal with some of the issues they have encountered.

InTouch

What you’ve been up to over the last few months: ist Britw ill Beaver Scouts travelled to Stoke Poges to help out with the conservation of the heathland. They , helped to clear dozens of birch trees the to ight sunl the which are blocking heather. The Group is recycling the poles. trunks, using them as pioneering

As detailed in the main magazine (p64), the existing Home Contact system is being replaced by a new system called InTouch. It is important to note that although InTouch should make the lives of Beaver Scout Leaders easier through its flexibility, it is a requirement for all Beaver activities, including normal weekly meetings, and not something that can just be ignored.

This means there is no longer a specific requirement to appoint a third party Home Contact to sit at home by the phone whenever you take the Beavers away. Instead you will need to put in place the most appropriate system for any event, activity or meeting you run. This doesn’t mean lots of extra work, but should mean increased flexibility in the way you can manage your communications.

InTouch will be implemented across the UK between now and 1 September 2010, and your District Commissioner will be able to let you know when your District will be moving across from the Home Contact system.

Full details of InTouch can be found at www.scouts.org.uk/intouch and in the factsheet InTouch (FS120075).

Contents 4 Keep the faith Ideas and activities to help your Beavers achieve the Faith Activity Badge

8 A year in pictures Create a 2010 door calendar

10 POP A healthy eating programme on a plate

12 Leeks and shamrocks

14 Top knots Knots and what to do with them

16 Bridging the gap We drop in on a dynamic duo who are developing the diversity of Scouting

Ways to celebrate St Patrick and St David

scouts.org.uk/pol

beavers_120110.indd 3

3

11/11/2009 11:13

h t i a f e h t p e e K

Wood Get spiritual this issue, as Emma ity Badge guides you through the Faith Activ

M

any Beaver Scout Leaders have told me that this is a badge they initially shy away from, mainly because they are a bit scared of getting it wrong and offending people. They needn’t be, though, as this badge gives a golden opportunity to explore the fascinating similarities and differences between world faiths and understand why their celebrations and traditions exist.

The following activities are tied in with the requirements for the Faith Activity Badge, but can also be slotted in to your balanced programme to help provide a spiritual element.

4

The requirements 1. Write a prayer or reflection.

2. Read or share a prayer at the opening or closing ceremony or some other time.

3. Find and tell a story that relates to the Beaver Scout Promise.

4. Tell others in the Colony about the story in an interesting way, for example, as simple drama, picture, cartoon, or part of a game.

5. Visit a place of worship and show evidence of their visit with photographs, drawings, handouts, leaflets or information sheets.

Beavers December 2009/January 2010

beavers_120110.indd 4

11/11/2009 11:14

programme ıdeas

Stories There are many stories that relate to the Beaver Scout Promise, and which come from the many faiths that make up our nation’s identity. Here is a snapshot: • The Good Samaritan (Christianity). The classic tale of the man from Samaria who, unlike the others who passed by, helped a man in desperate need. www.tinyurl.com/l9rdd8 • The snake in the wall (Judaism). A tale about a girl who was especially kind and helpful and who was rewarded with her life. www.tinyurl.com/l3oqju • A brother like that (Islam). A modern parable about thinking of others and being kind. www.tinyurl.com/lofm36 • Six blind men and the elephant (Hinduism) A great poem about how you shouldn’t make decisions based on one piece of evidence. www.tinyurl.com/ly89f5 Read some of these stories to the Beaver Scouts and they can then act them out in small groups or draw the story for themselves in cartoon form.

Celebrating the seasons Hindus hold festivals to celebrate the seasons changing. Holi is a two-day spring festival held in February or March. On the first day, people light bonfires, on the second, they honour the playful god Krishna by playing practical jokes, such as throwing coloured water.

Celebrate the arrival of spring with a bonfire party. Instead of throwing coloured water around, let the Beaver Scouts take it in turns to throw handfuls of different powder carefully into a small fire to see what happens. Iron filings, custard powder and flour all sparkle or burn quickly with different colours – experiment beforehand to find some impressive safe powders to use.

scouts.org.uk/pol

beavers_120110.indd 5

5

11/11/2009 11:14

Circle prayer Your Beaver Scouts will have great fun constructing their own instant prayer: 1. Standing in a circle, the first person starts the prayer by saying one word – probably ‘Dear’.

2. The person next to them says another word, such as ‘God’.

3. The next must then continue the prayer with a third word, such as ‘Thank’.

4. This continues around the circle, with each person saying just one word, which follows on sensibly from the previous one. Hopefully the prayer will keep going around the circle more than once before coming to a full stop. Leaders placed in the circle at intervals can help keep it on track, and a certain amount of prompting may be needed at times.

5. Perhaps this could become the new way of closing your weekly meetings – try it!

6

Beavers December 2009/January 2010

beavers_120110.indd 6

11/11/2009 11:15

PROGRAMME IDEAS

Game – Runaround

Visits All faiths have at their heart the desire to be good citizens and to help others in the community. This spirituality lies at the heart of Scouting and is what sets us apart from youth clubs and many other organisations.

Demonstrate this by visiting an old people’s home and planting bulbs in their gardens.

Alternatively, decorate flowerpots at a Colony meeting, plant bulbs in these and then take them to the home.

Rather than visit for the Faith Badge, you could visit two places from different religions such as a church and a mosque. Make a Colony poster to show the differences and similarities of the places visited, using drawings, words and pictures cut from magazines. Perhaps you could pair up elements of each faith you look at. For example: Christianity

Judaism

Islam

Bible

Tenakh

Qu’ran

Vicar

Rabbi

Imam

Church

Temple

Mosque

Visual treasure hunt Before you visit as a Colony, go to the places of worship and take some photographs of details in and around each building. Print these off and create a visual treasure hunt for the Colony visit, where groups of Beaver Scouts have to find each item pictured and then answer a simple question. For example, a photograph of the font asking what date is carved into it.

Label the four corners of the hall a different faith (eg Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism and Islam.)

Call out a fact specifically related to one of the faiths and Beaver Scouts have to decide which faith the fact relates to. The Beaver Scouts then run to the corner of the room they think is correct.

This is a good way to round off a Faith Activity Badge course. You may wish to remind them of what they have discovered before playing the game…

• Hindu priests are called brahmins.

• Christian leaders are called vicars.

• Christingle is a Christian service that looks forward to Jesus’ birth – the orange represents the world, the candle the light.

• Sikhs wear five special things to show their faith: Kes – uncut hair; Kirpan – a small sword; Kara – a steel bangle; Kanga – a wooden comb; Kacch – white shorts.

• Jewish men wear special clothes as a sign of their faith: Kippah is a little cap that covers the crown of the head and is worn as a mark of respect for God. • For praying, Jewish men may wear a tallit or shawl.

• Pesach or Passover is a Jewish festival held in March or April. It commemorates the time when the Jews escaped from slavery in Egypt.

• Mosques are buildings where Muslims meet to pray.

• Islam teaches that it is a religious duty to pray five times a day. They face in the direction of Mecca, the Holy city of Islam.

Like this?

Find more faith-related activities on Programmes Online, visit www.scouts.org.uk/pol and search ‘faith’.

scouts.org.uk/pol

beavers_120110.indd 7

7

11/11/2009 11:16

A year in p5ictu6res 7 Create a door calendar for 2010.

By Charlie Dale

8

13

14

15

19

20

21

22

26

27

28

29

2 12

009 is nearly over and we’re on the edge of 2010.

This is a special time of year for thinking and planning. Did you know that December used to be the tenth (and last) month of the year, before January and March existed in the Roman calendar? Did you know that the month of January is named after an ancient Roman god called Janus, who was worshipped as the god of beginnings and endings, and of doors? His name, Janus, meant ‘door’ in a very ancient Italian language called Etruscan. January became the doorway of our new year. But not everybody is living with the same calendar, and their New Year celebrations happen at different times of year. People today are living in the year 5769 (Jewish calendar), 1430 (Islamic calendar) or in 4706 (Chinese calendar). The Western or Christian calendar marks the year in which Jesus is believed to have been born, 2009 years ago.

8

1

Beavers December 2009/January 2010

beavers_120110.indd 8

11/11/2009 11:42

2

3

4

9

10

11

MAKE AND DO

Make a Janus door calendar This style of calendar is very popular for advent, but you can adapt the idea to the life of your own Beaver Scout Colony over a year, with 12 big doors to open!

What activities have you got planned for 2010?

What will the Beaver Scouts be looking forward to each month? Making the calendar will take some teamwork between adults and Beaver Scouts.

16

15

17

you will need

22

29

• large piece of paper and large piece of card (matching sizes) • 12 sheets of paper – coloured or white • craft knife • cutting surface • paints or coloured pens • pencil • ruler • sticky tape or glue.

23

24

30

31

1. Lay the card down on the cutting surface and use the pencil to mark out the positions of 12 rectangular doors, all the same size, either randomly or evenly arranged over the area.

2. Using the craft knife (adults only) cut three sides of each rectangle, leaving one side for the door hinge. Don’t fold the doors back yet! Score the hinge side very lightly.

3. A door-sized rectangle should then be marked in pencil in the middle of each of the 12 sheets of paper.

4. Beaver Scouts can decorate the whole card area with whatever designs they like, whether it’s individual pictures or a collaborative artwork reflecting a year of their activities. This is what is going to show all the time, so they need to think about what they are going to draw. Are they going

18

to highlight the doors or will they be hidden in the design? The name or number of each month needs to be marked on the doors.

5. When the design is finished or the layout sorted, an adult needs to lay the card over the paper and gently lift the edges of the doors to mark the position of each door on the paper. Don’t forget to write a month too. Close the doors again, in time for January’s opening ceremony.

6. Divide the Beaver Scouts into 12 small groups (or if you have fewer than 12 in the Colony, Beavers can draw more than one window). This is where the surprise element comes in! Each group is allocated a month to illustrate, a piece of the paper with a rectangle marked on it, and some paints or pens. They need to keep their drawing/painting inside the pencil rectangle, and it must be kept a secret from the other Beaver Scouts. They should hand the finished pictures to the leaders without anyone else seeing. Leaders should help with ideas – are they celebrating a festival, or going to an event, or on a group visit next year?

7. Once the pictures are finished, a leader should stick the pictures in the correct places on the large sheet of paper so that they appear behind the right door for each month.

8. The front card should now be fixed carefully over the illustrated paper so that the doors match the pictures, with no gaps at the side edges for Beaver Scouts to peep through.

9. If possible, hang the calendar so that the Beaver Scouts can see it and enjoy it all year. There will now be something else to look forward to at the first meeting in every month!

25

scouts.org.uk/pol

beavers_120110.indd 9

9

11/11/2009 11:42

Top 5 programmes on Programmes Online (October)

Ref

Activity name

36292

Beaver Olympics

48635

Balloon powered cars

50385

Fireworks scraper boards

245

Mark’s first poppy

49000

Beaver Promise Game

Activity/Game

Time

Zo

Opening ceremony

5 mins

N/A

Game: Pancake race

10 mins

Glob

Activity: Cook pancakes

30 mins

Creat

Activity: Healthy eating plate

15 mins

Fitne

Game: Raisin the stakes

10 mins

Fitne

, This issue’s theme is healthy eating written by Emma Wood

POP Programmes on a plate

Closing ceremony

Belief

10 Beavers December 2009/January 2010

beavers_120110.indd 10

11/11/2009 11:42

Zone

Method

Instructions

N/A

Follow themes

Introduce the theme for the evening. Talk about healthy eating, including fruit pancakes.

Global

Play games

You will need: A flour tortilla (they are stronger than real pancakes!), small frying pan or small tennis racquet per Lodge.

• In relay formation, the first Beaver Scout races from one end of the hall to the other, flipping their ‘pancake’ at least four times.

• They pass to the next Beaver Scout, who runs back flipping the pancake.

• This continues until everyone has had a turn.

Creative

Follow themes

To make 24 pancakes: 375g (12oz) plain flour; large pinch of salt; 3 eggs; 900ml (1 ½ pints) milk; oil to cook with.

For pancake fillings: Strawberries; blackberries; raspberries; raisins; low fat fruit yoghurts.

Make sure you have checked with parents for food allergies before this meeting. Also have an adult or Young Leader with each group.

• In small groups, the Beaver Scouts make their pancakes: Mix the flour and salt and break in the eggs.

• Add half the liquid and then gradually work in the plain flour.

• Beat until smooth – adding the remaining liquid.

• Heat the oil in a frying pan (it needs to be hot to work well) and pour in a little of the batter.

• Cook on one side, then flip over with a fish slice and cook on the other side.

• Add healthy fruit fillings and eat!

• A s an alternative to pancakes, you could make small drop scones with raisins and lemon juice.

Fitness

Follow themes

You will need: Small unwaxed paper plate per Beaver Scout; pictures of healthy foods from magazines/newspapers; scissors; glue; felttipped pens.

• Each Beaver Scout has a plate.

• They choose their favourite pictures of healthy food and cut them out.

• Glue the pictures onto the plate.

• If they can’t find their favourite healthy food then they can draw this onto the plate.

• Display on the noticeboard.

Fitness

Play games

You will need: 30 raisins/sultanas per Lodge; lots more raisins/ sultanas; an adult or Young Leader per Lodge if possible.

• Each Lodge has their 30 raisins. One person holds all the raisins.

• The first Beaver Scout chooses to have 2 or 3 raisins closed in their right hand.

• They run up to their leader and the leader has to guess how many raisins the Beaver Scout is holding.

• If the leader is correct, they take the raisins. If the leader is wrong, the leader has to give the Beaver Scout the same number of raisins that they were holding.

• The Beaver Scout returns to their Lodge and the next Beaver Scout chooses their raisins. This continues until all have had a few turns.

• Count up the raisins and see which Lodge has more than the 30 they started with.

Beliefs and Attitudes

Follow themes

For more great ideas visit www.scouts.org.uk/pol scouts.org.uk/pol 11

beavers_120110.indd 11

11/11/2009 11:43

Leeks and shamrocks

Enjoy activities celebrating Wales and Ireland ST DAVID, PATRON SAINT OF WALES 1 MARCH

St David was born in Wales in the sixth century. During his lifetime, he founded a monastery, became the Archbishop of Wales and healed many sick people by faith. He converted many of the Celtic tribes to Christianity.

Leek skittles When the Welsh were at battle with the Saxons, St David advised the soldiers to wear leeks so that they were easily distinguished from their enemies.

The Welsh were victorious and the leek became their national emblem along with the daffodil.

These skittles are very easy to make, so there will be plenty of time to play a game with them afterwards.

you will need (per skittle) • kitchen roll tube • A4 sheet of white paper • A5 sheet of green paper • scissors • sticky tape.

1. Roll the white paper tightly round the tube, so that only the top is uncovered. Secure with tape.

2. Roll the green paper round the top half, extending it about 6cm past the top of the tube.

3. Make vertical cuts around the extended part and

bend back slightly.

4. Now play a traditional skittles game or try the following alternative:

Skittles with a twist 1. Split the Beavers into two equal teams, each team at either end of the hall.

2. Number each team member.

3. Place a chair next to each team.

4. Leek skittles are placed in the middle.

5. When a number is called, the two relevant Beavers race to pick up a leek and place on their team’s chair.

6. The first Beaver to collect three skittles wins the round and scores a point for the team.

7. The game continues, with the leader shouting a different number.

8. When there are no more leeks in the middle, Beavers may take them, one at a time, from their opponent’s chair.

12 Beavers December 2009/January 2010

beavers_120110.indd 12

11/11/2009 11:43

all saints

ST PATRICK, PATRON SAINT OF IRELAND 17 MARCH St Patrick grew up in south Wales, but, according to legend, he was kidnapped by pirates, who took him as a slave in Ireland, where he remained captive for six years. He claimed that God spoke to him in a dream,

Irish Beaver Scouts Irish Beaver Scouts wear grey jerseys and shorts with a green scarf, regardless of their group colours. Celebrate St Patrick’s Day with green scarves and shamrock woggles.

you will need

• For the scarves: triangles of green crepe paper or good quality tissue paper.

• For the woggles: coloured card, including green card, sticky tape, double-sided foam sticky pads.

telling him how to escape on a ship, which he did. He then went back to Ireland, where he spread the news of Christianity, setting up churches and schools to facilitate this.

1. Download the template from www.scouts.org.uk/pol (search ‘shamrock’), copy and cut from the green card (it may be best to do this in advance).

2. Cut 12cm x 3cm rectangles from card of any colour.

3. Help the Beavers to roll the paper into scarves (don’t fold flat as this will make it too difficult to pass through the woggles).

4. Roll the rectangles of card around a plain plastic woggle and tape in place.

5. Slide out woggle.

6. Stick the shamrock on top of the overlap with a foam pad.

Leprechaun’s crock A leprechaun’s most improtant possesion is his crock of gold. The story goes that if you try to steal a leprechaun’s pot of gold, you must keep your eyes on him at all times. He will try to trick you into looking away, then he will disappear, crock and all!

If you have any suitable hiding places in your meeting place, the ‘crock’ could be a jar of crisps, chocolate coins or other goodies. If not, hide something smaller, like a thimble or a picture of a pot of gold.

1. The Beavers are the thieves and a leader is the leprechaun.

2. The thieves must keep watching the leprechaun, who will shout out a string of instructions in the manner of ‘Simon Says’.

3. Every so often, sneak in a something like ‘Turn around three times’, or, even more sneakily, ‘Billy, what are you doing?’ Any Beaver caught looking round drops out and forfeits a chance to win the crock.

4. The winner gets first pick but the ‘gold’ should be shared.

more info Find more Welsh and Irish ideas on Programmes Online: Search ‘Ireland’ or ‘Wales’ on www.scouts.org.uk/pol

scouts.org.uk/pol 13

beavers_120110.indd 13

11/11/2009 11:43

Top knots en Do you tie yourself up in knots wh ving it comes to one of the longest ser lps Scouting skills? Ruth Hubbard he you untangle your fears with a fun guide to her top three knots that Beavers will love to learn

B

eing able to tie the right knot for the right job is a basic Scouting skill. Mastering even a couple of knots is immensely satisfying and will elicit big grins of triumph from even the youngest Beaver. My aim is not to tell you how to tie the knots, just how to get your Beavers interested.

The keys to success are to choose just a couple of knots which are sufficiently different not to be confused; the reef knot and sheet bend look, superficially, similar and can be confusing. You must be proficient in the chosen knots and be able to explain when the knots are used.

Materials - Nice, substantial cord – nylon washing line is very cheap and available in different colours.

- Clear step-by-step pictures (see factsheet Scout Skills – Simple Knots (FS315082), available from www.scouts.org.uk/infocentre -S ample knots, for the Beaver Scouts to follow.

14 Beavers

beavers_120110.indd 14

KNOT 1: The reef The reef knot is the basic Scout knot. If you use cord of two different colours, and tell your Beavers to tie ‘blue over red and under, blue over red and under’, they will not need to know their left and right. Show them that it must only be used when both ropes are under equal strain or it will become a lark’s head knot and slip. The reef knot is used to tie the two ends of a sling because it lies flat and doesn’t dig in.

December 2009/January 2010

11/11/2009 11:44

skılls

Once you’ve mastered the clove hitch, you could try the constrictor - the perfect rope ladder knot.

Games with knots Know your knots

you will need

• per team: a set of cards showing a picture of a knot, its name and purpose. Each team’s set should be a different colour.

• props, such as a teddy bear and fishing line (optional).

KNOT 2: The bowline The bowline makes a loop which will not slip.

It looks tricky but it has a story which Beavers readily grasp: ‘first there was a tree. At the bottom of the tree there was a rabbit hole, which spelled ‘b’ for bunny. The rabbit came out of his hole, ran round the back of the tree and back down his hole. Then the tree grew.’

Show the Beavers how to tie this.

1. Before the meeting, tie several different sample knots and place them around the hall, ideally demonstrating the use of the knot (eg a bear in a sling with a reef knot, a fisherman’s knot in a fishing line).

2. Give each team a set of cards showing a picture of a knot, its name and purpose, then ask the Beavers to leave the right card with the right knot – if each team have their own colour, you can decide which team are right or wrong.

A simple knot race Split your Beavers into teams, making sure there are a couple in a team who have mastered the reef knot. Each team has several lengths of cord and, in five minutes, has to make the longest piece of rope it can using only reef knots.

Eat your knots Have some strawberry laces to hand and challenge the Beaver Scouts: ‘If you master your knot in cord, I will give you a strawberry lace. If you succeed again, you can eat it!’

KNOT 3: The clove hitch The clove hitch is essential for lashing and is easy to tie. Along with the bowline and the sheet bend, it’s often considered one of the most essential knots.

Once mastered, the clove hitch seamlessly leads on to the constrictor hitch – a hugely useful means of bracing two lengths of wood, whether it’s a broken tent pole or a split kettle handle.

more info Factsheet Scout Skills – Simple Knots (FS315082) Part of the Scouting Skills series showing how to teach yourself and train others. www.scouts.org.uk/infocentre There are also some useful step-by-step videos to tying knots on www.youtube.com Simply search ‘knots’.

scouts.org.uk/pol 15

beavers_120110.indd 15

11/11/2009 11:44

t g n i g d i r B

ding community, un rro su e th of e tiv ec refl be ld ou Scouting sh lary Galloway meets a Hi se. ca e th s ay alw t no is is th t bu e balance leader who is helping to redress th 16 Beavers December 2009/January 2010

beavers_120110.indd 16

11/11/2009 11:46

g the gap ‘W

e’re not a white, Christian and boys only organisation, and that’s what we had to convince parents of.’ So says Nigel Parkinson, Group Scout Leader at Wensleyfold Beaver Colony in Blackburn, who recently set up a new Colony and Group.

‘The Blackburn community is very diverse, with people from different enthic backgrounds and with different faiths. The District Commissioner identified that the ethnic make-up of Scouting in the area wasn’t really representative of this community. So, myself and Ian Cross, a leader at a nearby Group, decided we wanted the challenge of setting up Scouting in that particular community.’

The first task was to secure a meeting place that would be accessible to everyone in the community.

‘One of the local schools seemed like the obvious choice,’ says Ian. ‘It was relatively easy to organise – finding the children proved more difficult.

‘Our focus was to get everyone from the local community interested in joining but initially a lot of the parents had misconceptions of what Scouting was about.’ So to attract potential members, Ian and Nigel went on the charm offensive. They did a serious of events at the school: a mobile zoo, taster sessions of activities and a parents’ evening.

do a larger event around something that promotes diversity, such as Chinese new year.’

‘We also held a mass investiture for the Beaver Scouts,’ explains Nigel. ‘Because we knew there were multiple faiths, we spoke to the parents in advance about which version of the Promise their child would like to use.’

Nigel and Ian also make sure that there’s lots of adventure packed into the programme. ‘We’ve had our first sleepover, and they have tried archery and grass sledging,’ adds Ian.

Setting the programme

Future plans

Several months later, the Colony was ready to launch.

Saturday was chosen as the meeting day, as a lot of the children had other commitments in the evenings. Eleven Beavers joined on the first day.

Once they had Beaver Scouts and a meeting place, they focused on the programme, and addressed how to include the multi-faith element.

‘We make sure we cover all the main faiths and they are an integrated part of the programme. Over the last few months, we have done Eid cards for Eid and come Christmas we’ll do Christmas cards. We’ll probably also

The Group has been running for just over a year and it is growing all the time. But there is still some way to go.

‘We’re now focusing on attracting parents to the leadership team as we’d very much like the leadership to be representative of the make up of the community,’ says Nigel. ‘That’s our next challenge.’ Ian sums up what will mean true success for them. ‘We promised ourselves that once the Colony was up and running, with leaders from the area, we would be able to move on ourselves. Once myself and Nigel can leave the Colony, we know it’s been a success.’

Getting parents onboard One parent who has witnessed the benefits of Scouting for her children is Mekka Dakak. Originally from France, she has two children in the Group – one in Beavers and one in Cubs. ‘When we moved here I couldn’t find any clubs or activities for my kids but then the Colony opened – I was very happy about that. I want my children to discover lots of new things.’

‘My eldest one, Imame used to be very reserved. I saw the difference in her when she returned from Cub camp – she became more independent and outgoing.’

Mekka also helps out when she cans. ‘I ferry the Beavers around or cook at barbecues – whenever Ian or Nigel need me.’

scouts.org.uk/pol 17

beavers_120110.indd 17

11/11/2009 11:46

more info In 2008, UK Scouting’s Black, Minority and Ethnic (BME) membership increased from three to four per cent of our total. While an improvement it is recognised our BME make-up still falls far short of the national average of nine per cent.

vers and Cubs The Wensleyfold Bea of activities ge ran e wid enjoy a

If you would like some advice or information in setting up a new Colony please contact your Regional Development Service, call 0845 300 1818 or check factsheet Opening a new Scout Group or Section (FS500011).

Arrowhead Flashing LED Adult Scarf

Scout Tartan Lambswool Scarf

Item code: 1027389

£12

A Waterman Pen in a gift box, in the popular rollerball style.

Printed with the Scouts ‘be prepared’ logo. Ideal for your own use or as a gift.

was £12.23

£11

£15

Be Prepared Waterman Rollerball Pen

£22

Be Prepared Laptop Bag

Item code: 1027383

01903 766 921

Item code: 1024579

Item code: 1025810

With the Scout Arrowhead logo, the necker is perfect for wearing on a campsite, day or night.

Batteries are replaceable ref:1027403 at two for £1 Simple on/off switch.

A 136x30CM Lambswool Scarf woven in the official Scout Tartan (this is not a Scout Necker).

Each Scarf has a label sewn on to it stating it is the official Scout tartan.

Ideal for wearing on cold days or as a gift.

Suitable for laptops with a 15” screen size, with three separate compartments, the middle one being padded.

Handle or shoulder strap for easy carrying

All profits go back into Scouting. The Scout Association Registered Charity number 306101 (England and Wales) and SC038437 (Scotland).

beavers_120110.indd 18

11/11/2009 11:47

IBC_Beavers_DecJan.indd 6

11/11/2009 09:25

OBC_Beavers_DecJan.indd 6

11/11/2009 09:26