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Bigger and better

What’s in store for Cub Scouting

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Create your own chess set

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How to i eekly meetings in your w

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Editors: Graeme Hamilton, UK Adviser for Cub Scouts Nicola Ashby, Programme and Development Adviser for Cub Scouts cub.scout@scout.org.uk

Intro

Welcome to Cub Scouting

Published by: The Scout Association, Gilwell House, Gilwell Park, Chingford, London E4 7QW Contributions to: scouting.magazine@scout. org.uk This issue’s contributors: Graeme Hamilton Charlie Dale Dave Wood Nicola Ashby ADVERTISING Tom Fountain tom@thinkpublishing.co.uk Tel: 020 8962 1258

Packs that have grown: 1st Braemer launched in October 2006. This rural village has seen a burst in Scouting activity, with approximately 40 Beavers, Cubs and Scouts.

Barbara Tur ton set up a new Cub Scout Pack in Abertysswg, Mid Glamorgan. There’s now plans to launch a Scout Troop due to demand from the Cubs.

Orsett Cub Pack began with eight Cubs. Within the year it had ballooned to 18 and it just keeps growing!

Let’s hope it’s not just the supplement that’s grown in size, says Graeme Hamilton You’ve probably noticed the increased number of pages. This means that along with Dave Wood’s and Charlie Dale’s exciting and illuminating articles and craft ideas we now have room to let you know about national projects.

Every issue, a UK Cub Scout Team member will update you on projects they are leading, sharing developments and inviting feedback. We will also hear from leaders and assistants from around the UK who have tested these. This issue I focus on growth and development (see page 14).

The census should now be completed and we will soon find out if our section has started on the journey of sustainable growth.

The Big Adventure This year we want you to take part in The Big Adventure. It’s a chance to turn your camp or fun day into an event the whole UK is taking part in. But more importantly, we want you to use it as an opportunity to recruit more parents and help us grow Cub Scouting. See page 18 of the main magazine.

Chief Scout’s Award certificate name templates You can now download a template to print names and date in the right place. www.scoutbase.org.uk/6to25/cub/resources/certs.htm

Youth sites review In March, our youth sites will be retired in their current form. In the meantime, consultation and review with volunteers, parents and of course young people is taking place to determine the best sort of provision for our youth Members online. Email your thoughts and ideas to web.team@scout.org.uk Basic badge requirements and programme descriptions will still be available at www.scouts.org.uk/cubs

Contents 4 Community assets Parents and the Pack

8 POP Fitness first with this issue’s programme on a plate

10 Games for a laugh Make a chessboard and a ‘Pack’ of cards

13 Railway rights The Personal Safety Badge leaves the station

14 The tipping point Growing Cub Scouting

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Community assets involve parents Dave Wood looks at how you can s and carers in your weekly meeting

C

ub Scout Leaders seem to deal with parents in a variety of different ways. There are those who wouldn’t dream of having a parent to attend any sectional activities and those who make helping on activities and appearing on a parent rota part of their child’s membership.

More likely, you fall in the middle somewhere. As a leader, I have seen it as one of my roles to attract and retain members of my leadership team. They help lead the Pack because they want to and I therefore get fantastic commitment and enthusiasm from them.

Chatting to an Akela recently who relied on having a couple of parents from a rota, I saw how lucky I have been in attracting regular helpers! Parental involvement is a great asset at times, and if warranted leadership is not forthcoming, it can make the difference between having a viable Pack or closing down.

Some leaders don’t like having parents along as they feel they are being ‘spied upon’ and that their every move, action and comment can be reported back to the other parents. Whilst I understand these sentiments, this should not be a concern. Surely the leaders shouldn’t be doing or saying anything at the weekly meetings that they aren’t happy for anyone to know about?

Whilst extra helping hands are useful, a possible downside to having different parents along each week is the valuable time that needs to be spent every time telling them what you’d like them to do; ensuring they have CRB checks in place and generally immersing them in the ethos of your Pack. Over the next few pages are some tips to help ease this problem so you can take full advantage of your extra help.

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‘Parental involvement can make the difference between having a viable Pack or closing down.’

Cubs February/March December 2008/January 2009 2009

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Programme ideas Intro

Training eveningt Once a year run a simple, fun training evening for parents new to the Pack. Run it on your regular Pack night in place of the first meeting of term, which you postpone for a week. At this session, you might include some of the following activities: • Pack ceremonies: what happens when (and why!).

• Inspection: what to look for, how to award points.

• Responsibilities: what is expected of them, whether it’s sorting out drinks, helping on bases, running games or pastoral care etc.

• Games: how to organise them, sorting out teams quickly, judging when to end games.

• Activity bases: how badgework is undertaken and tips on working with small groups.

• Discipline: what is expected of them in helping to maintain order in the Pack.

• Safeguarding: ensure they know the issues involved with working with young people. Use the ‘yellow card’ which has invaluable, simple advice, such as not working on a one-to-one basis with young people.

You may like to run a couple of standard games to show how you sort out the teams and maintain control and enthusiasm. The session should last an hour, with time added at the end for a social chat over refreshments for those able to stay on.

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Parents’ charter Some Packs and Groups like to have an agreement in place which parents and carers of new Cubs sign as a condition of membership. Trawling around a variety of different Packs recently, I’ve compiled a list of common elements.

I suspect that no one charter has all the following, but all who use one have at least half of the following: - CRB check: all parents/carers to be CRB checked, to save getting it done at short notice if they provide transport or assist at one-off activities.

- Agreement to help: a commitment to be put on a parent helper rota between once and twice a term.

- Agreement to support their child during Cubs: a commitment to support the Cub by getting them to and from meetings and activities and helping them with badgework at home when needed.

- Uniform: details on what uniform is required, and where to buy it from. Also, details of possible sources of second-hand uniform (local suppliers, District Scout Shop, eBay etc).

- Home visit: some leaders have time to visit the families of potential recruits before they start, to talk through what’s involved in being a Cub Scout.

- Info sheet: general information about the Pack and Group, including contact details for the leaders.

- Information about badgework: a list of badges to complement their official joining materials. Also, information on which badges they can work on independently and your procedure for authorising badges.

- Costs: information on how subs are paid, how much they are, what additional money will generally be asked for during the year.

- Medical form: a form asking for details of the Cub’s doctor, allergies, National Insurance number, tetanus inoculations etc. This is a general file copy and is usually filled in again for each camp or Pack holiday.

- Activity consent form: a generic permissions form which the parent/carer signs and returns, giving permission for the Cub Scout to take part in a named list of general activities you would possibly offer each year. Again, camps and Pack holidays would have additional activity-specific permission forms.

more info Find out how to involve parents at camp next year – turn to page 18 of the main magazine

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Cubs February/March December 2008/January 2009 2009

All profi

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Programme ideas Intro

Involving parents If you do invite parents along to help, remember to be welcoming and don’t take their attendance for granted.

Also, be sure to use them and not just leave them hanging around getting bored – one of the best ways to guarantee they won’t offer to help next time.

Instead of a parent rota as such, invite a parent/carer to come to the meeting every now and then (ie when you need extra help for a complicated meeting or if you are a leader down).

Spend a few minutes at the start of the meeting welcoming them and ask them to say a little bit about themselves – who they are related to in the Pack; what their hobbies are; what they do at work or at home; what their favourite films are, and so on. Pre-warn the visitor so they aren’t taken by surprise. By simply doing this you will be surprised at how much more a part of your team the parents will feel – who knows, they may be a new leader-in-waiting!

.

3

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Red Nose Day ideas from Programmes Online

Ref

Activity name

39343

Make a Red Nose Pizza

39019

Red Nose Biscuits

39342

The Great Jelly Race

39035

Reflect

39020

Chopstick Challenge

This issue’s theme is Fitness, compiled by Nicola Ashby

POP Programmes on a plate

8

Activity/Game POL ID

Time

Opening ceremony

24640

10 mins

Snakes

29114

15 mins

Poison

24002

10 mins

Healthy snack bar

27485

35 mins

Germ free

38234

15 mins

Closing ceremony

24641

5 mins

Cubs February/March 2009

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Zon

Zone

Method

Instructions

ns

Beliefs and Attitudes

Themes

Discuss the theme for the meeting.

ns

Fitness

Games

- Two young people are the snake and they have a corner of the playing area which is their lair.

- The two young people must hold hands and chase everyone else - If the snake touches one of the Cubs that person joins the snake.

- Only the two ends can touch the young people and catch them.

- If the snake breaks it must go back to its lair to reform before continuing.

ns

Fitness

Games; Activities with others

- Divide the young people into groups of about six. It is best to have a leader with each group to pick who goes next.

- The groups each sit in a circle around a plate with five different colour sweets on it (ie Smarties).

- The young people are told that one of the sweets is poisoned.

- One young person goes out from each group, and another Cub points to a sweet to mark it ‘poisoned’.

- The first young person comes back, and picks up each sweet in turn and may eat it as long as it is not poisoned. As soon as they touch the poisoned sweet, everyone shouts ‘POISON’.

- The ‘poisoned’ child dies as horribly as they want to, then rejoins the circle, the sweets are replaced, and the next person has a go with someone else selecting the poisoned sweet.

ns

Fitness

Make things; Themes

- Before the meeting toast the oats on a baking tray in a moderate oven for 10 minutes.

- Mix up the sultanas, apricots and orange juice in a saucepan and bring to the boil, stir for about a minute, cover with a lid and turn off the heat. This could be done before the Beaver Scouts get involved.

- When cool mix in the prunes, coconut, rolled oats, wheatgerm, sunflower seeds and milk powder - Press the mix into an oiled 20cm square cake tin. Press it down well with your (clean) hands.

- Refrigerate for 24 hours before serving or cut up and send home for the Beaver Scouts to refrigerate.

ns

Fitness

Games; Themes; Activities with others

- This game needs 12-15 players. Three members of the group are germs and each wears a band or T-shirt: measles - red band; whooping cough - yellow band; polio - blue band.

- Give each of the remaining members of the group two different coloured sticky dots to show they have been immunised against two of the three diseases and instruct them to keep them hidden in their hands. Give each person three lives.

- The ‘germs’ chase the others and when they catch one, that person has to show the dots in his/her hand. If the dot is the same colour as the germ, he/ she has been immunised, and is set free.

- If the Cub does not have a dot of the same colour he/she is out or loses a life.

The aim is to remain germ free for as long as possible.

s

Beliefs and Attitudes

Themes; Prayer, worship and reflection

Ask the Cubs what they have learnt from the meeting.

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

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O

Games for a l

ne thing that seems to be common in human history is that we are very good at finding ways to occupy our time. Just about all the major civilisations over the centuries have had some kind of game or pastime.

Today there are hundreds of different board and card games available to buy, but with a little time and ingenuity you can make your own.

Chess Today chess is played all around the world by millions of people. The version played today first appeared in southern Europe in the late 15th century, though it is believed it originated much earlier in India and Persia (modern day Iran).

you will need: • a large, square board of thick card, cardboard or even hard board • plain white paper, large enough to cover your board • sticky tape • glue • pens, crayons or paints • a pencil and ruler • additional thick card • scissors • a selection from: cotton reels, clothes pegs, drinking straws and modelling clay.

10 Cubs February/March 2009

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Make and do Intro

a laugh economic downturn, With belts being tightened in the make your own there’s never been a better time to e – you won’t be board! entertainment. One thing’s for sur

To make the playing board: 1. Make sure your board is a square, not a rectangle.

The actual size of the board doesn’t matter so much as it being square.

2. Cut the card or board in half – this will allow you to fold the finished board and store it.

3. Glue paper to each half.

4. Using the ruler and pencil, mark out a grid on both halves. Each half must have eight squares along the long length and four squares along the short length.

When the two halves of board are pushed back together to make a square you should then have eight by eight squares.

5. Using the pens, crayons or paints carefully paint in alternate squares to make the familiar chequerboard pattern. Traditionally, the squares alternated between black and white, but if you want aquamarine and canary yellow you go for it! You could even match the colours on your group necker if it is two-colour.

6. Leave this to one side to dry.

7. Attach your two halves of board together with a strip of sticky tape along the join on the back of the board.

To make the pieces: You will be limited by what you have to hand, so bear in mind that you will need to make the following number of each piece: • 2 x kings • 2 x queens • 4 x bishops • 4 x knights • 4 x rooks (also sometimes called castles) • 16 x pawns.

Here are a few suggestions from the list of materials: 1) Insert a piece of drinking straw into the centre hole of a cotton reel, making sure that at least a centimetre or so sticks out of what will become the top. Then, cut out an appropriate shape from your other card to match the piece you are making (a crown for a king, a horse’s head for a knight, etc.) and stick it to the drinking straw. Or you can cut a slit in the end of the straw and insert the cut out shape into the slit, securing with glue if required. The whole piece can then be painted or decorated as appropriate, but remember to do the correct number for both sides: ‘black’ and ‘white’ or whatever your chosen colour combinations are.

2) If your board is a bit too small for cotton reels to sit within a square, try clothes pegs. Cut circles out of the spare card small enough to fit inside the squares on your board. Then glue a clothes peg to the circle of card so it will stand up. You can either decorate the peg itself, or as above, use appropriate cut-outs to make the pieces.

3) For smaller boards, use another circle of card, this time attaching a small length of drinking straw to the centre using some modelling clay. Once again you can then use a cut out either attached to the straw or inserted into a slit in the straw.

4) You could make the pieces directly out of modelling clay moulded into the required shapes (look at a premade set of pieces for reference if you need to). It’s best to use the kind of clay that sets in the air or when baked in an oven for this method.

5) Lastly, for a really small ‘travel’ set just cut circles of card and draw or paint the piece shape or even name directly onto the card. scouts.org.uk/pol 11

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Your own ‘pack’ of cards You may be familiar with the card game, Top Trumps, where you have different scores for different categories and you win or lose that card depending on whether your score is higher or lower. There are many different subjects to choose from: cars, boats or aeroplanes but have you ever thought of making your own set?

you will need:

• thick card, enough to make playing card shaped cards for all the Pack, plus a few extras • pens, crayons or paints • scissors.

Name: Robin Darts 1/2 Darts Age: 11 Name: Robin 3ft 11” Heigh Age: 11t: 1/2 Name: Robin Darts dges: 12 Name: Robin baDarts of11” er mb Nu Height: 3ft Age: 11 1/2 y the rabbit Name: Darts Age: 11 t: Ronn12 pe rite ouRobin Fav Number of1/2 badges: Height: 3ft 11” Age: 11 Robin 1/2 Height: 3ft 11” Favourite pet: Ronny Name: Darts the Number of badges: 12 rabbit Height: 3ft 11” Number of badges: 12 Age: 11Robin 1/2 Name: Favourite pet:Darts Ronny the rabbit Number of badges: 12 the rabbit Favourite pet: Ronny Name: Robin Darts Height: 3ft 11” Age: 11 1/2 Name: Darts Favourite pet: Ronny the Age: 11Robin 1/2 Number of badges: 12 rabbit Height: 3ft 11” Name: Robin Darts Age: 11 1/2 Height: 3ft 11” Favourite pet: Ronny12 the rabbit Number of badges: Name: Robin Darts Age: 113ft 1/211” Height: Number of badges: 12 Name: Dartsthe rabbit Favourite pet: Ronny Age: 11 1/2 Robin Height: of 3ftbadges: 11” Number 12 Favourite pet: Ronny Age: 11 1/2 Height: 3ftRobin 11” Dartsthe rabbit Name: Number of badges: 12 rabbit Favourite pet: Ronny the Height: 3ft 11” 12 Number of badges: Age: 11 1/2 Favourite pet: Ronny the rabbit Number of badges: 12 Favourite pet: Ronny the rabbit Height: 3ft 11” Favouriteofpet: Ronny12 the rabbit Number badges: Favourite pet: Ronny the rabbit

1. Cut the card into the playing card shapes. It may help speed the process up if you cut one as a template first and then draw round it repeatedly.

2. Decide what categories you will have for your cards. Some obvious ones would be height, age, how many proficiency badges that person has, and so on, but you can also put some silly ones in such as the average number of minutes they spend talking at each Pack meeting. It’s important to ensure that no single person is the best at everything, otherwise that card will always win. You must also decide if to win the score has to be highest or lowest.

3. Give each Cub a card and get them to write their name on it, draw a picture of themselves on it, and write in the answer to each category you have decided upon.

4. You could include some other cards, such as the leaders, your meeting place, a tent or the Group minibus if you have one. I’m guessing the headquarters card will win the height category!

5. When finished, gather all the cards together and you have a game for a rainy camp day!

For a really professional job, use a computer, printer and digital camera. Take a picture of everyone (and everything) for their card, then print it out and stick it on.

December 2008/January 2009 2009 12 Cubs February/March

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Intro Personal Safety Badge

s t h g i r y a w l i a R for enticing but dangerous attraction an be can s tion sta y lwa rai ed nn Unma n to is working with The Scout Associatio some children, which is why Serco E track, writes Serco’s Chris Leech, MB help keep Cub Scouts on the right

T

he new Cub Scout Personal Safety Badge Activity pack has been produced to educate young people, their families, and the wider community about the importance of safety at UK train stations, and the dangers of trespassing on the railway.

To launch the new partnership, over 30 Cub Scouts met Geoff Hoon MP at St Pancras International Train Station in London.

The badge has been updated with new and exciting curriculum material, and will address the issue of rail safety by encouraging peer-to-peer education among young people: • understanding rail warning signs • electricity dangers on railway • reporting railway crime • personal safety while travelling by rail • planning a rail journey.

The new badge materials will not only help young people to learn about the dangers and consequences of trespassing and vandalism, but also show them how to travel safely on our railways. The pack offers a unique opportunity to engage with train companies and the free activity pack The Cub Scout Personal Safety Railway Pack can be downloaded from www.scouts.org.uk/serco

police at a ‘grass-roots level,’ and will address the victimless crime mentality often adopted by the young people committing the offences.

Also provided is a contact list for local British Transport Neighbourhood Policing Teams and train operating companies. Making contact could result in a tour of a railway station, a talk or possibly a free trip on a train!

Did you know?

Crime on the railway kills up to 100 people every year – usually those that are carrying out criminal acts or are unaware of the dangers.

Design a poster In order to help Serco and the British Transport Police spread the rail safety message to a wider audience, we would like you to help design a poster on the consequences of: trespassing, staff assaults or antisocial behaviour on or around the railway.

To find more information on the consequences of railway crime and the competition guidelines visit www.teachingzone.org/serco.

Any posters sent in will be judged and the winners will have their safety poster displayed in their nearest major train station together with a photo of their Pack.

42,000 the number of activity packs ordered so far!

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g n i p p i t e h T t n i o p

After 19 years of decline, Cub Scouting has seen two years of continued growth.

Graeme Hamilton looks at the reasons why and what we are doing to keep it that way

E

ighteen months ago I was set the challenge of focusing the Cub Scout section on the continued path of growth and development.

The facts and figures have been well rehearsed since, but just in case they haven’t yet filtered all the way down to every leader and assistant in every Cub Pack here’s a condensed summary:

• In 1988 there were 253,000 Cub Scouts in the UK. By 2007 that had fallen to 134,000 (numbers rounded).

• In the 2007 and 2008 censuses, the section recorded moderate growth.

• Our market share, ie the number of young people of Cub Scout age in the country who are members of the Cub section has stayed fairly stable.

• The number of young people in the country will continue to decline over the coming decade.

We had the facts and figures but we needed to understand exactly what was and wasn’t working and ensure a viable long-term future for the section.

‘One in 10 Cub Scout Leaders give more than 20 hours of their time a week.’

14 Cubs February/March 2009

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Growth and development Intro

‘We produced a booklet to support District Commissioners, containing examples of good practice.’

We first had to establish what was happening in the Regions and Counties/Areas. We attended regional meetings, conducted focus groups and used the online consultation forum ‘your programme, your voice,’ (read the results on p16).

Establishing a support team was high on the agenda and each member of that team leads on a particular project, each linked to the overall aim of growing and developing the Cub Scout section.

Six projects

100th Elvetham Heath Scout Group has grown from zero to 50 in just over a year.

The projects currently underway are: • Growth and development – aimed at focusing the support for growing Cub Packs on the District Commissioner and the District team, with the key themes of ‘making the lives of leaders easier’ and ‘ensuring sustainable growth in each District by 2010’ • Retaining the older Cub Scout and enhancing the Moving-on process • Reviewing the role of Assistant District and County Commissioners • Providing support for the most challenging Programme Zones: Global and Beliefs and Attitudes.

• Improving joined-up communications. This includes the magazine, the supplement and Programmes Online • Reducing waiting lists.

Two new areas are being introduced in 2009 to enhance the whole development project: youth participation and the Young Leaders’ Scheme in the Cub section.

A new resource We’ve produced a little booklet to support District Commissioners in growing the section, containing examples of good practice we’ve identified from around the country. It’s an ideal resource to share with all Cub Leaders, especially those for whom this great game is new and uncertain.

What next?

Keep doing all you can to identify potential growth areas and work with the District team to build up and deliver the growth and development plan. Share your actions with us via the Cub Scout office at Gilwell Park, and if you wish, invite us to support you or to share in your successes.

The booklet will be available to download from www.scouts.org.uk

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‘Only 4% of Packs have monthly forums.’

YOUR PROGRAMME, YOUR VOICE – the results We carried out three very comprehensive surveys of Cub Scout Leaders and Assistant Leaders since February 2008 through an online survey called ‘Your programme, your voice’. Over 500 leaders, a statistically accurate representative sample of the Cub Scout Leaders in the country took part. By doing so, the UK team is able to determine priorities, confirm suspicions, rumours or gut instinct and test opinion on a range of topics affecting the section.

Here are some of the findings so far; we’ll keep you informed of more through your Assistant County Commissioners, regional meetings and future supplements.

Programme planning Over 90 per cent feel that programme planning tools such as Programmes Online, The Pack Programme Plus and sponsored badge resources are beneficial, which is great news.

What we now need to do is determine how to enhance and refresh that support – a second Programmes Plus book is just one expected outcome.

When we are out and about, we encourage leaders to provide more games and activities for Programmes Online. There is a huge potential here for everyone to contribute. If each leader added just one new game or programme idea, we would really make a difference and demonstrate the huge power of networking and sharing. Remember, you don’t need to have or use a computer to share, just send your activity in on a piece of paper to the office and the staff will do the rest.

About one third of leadership teams either don’t plan or only plan infrequently. This suggests an opportunity for more detailed analysis to identify what good practice we can transfer and share and what would help these teams to plan in different way.

Youth participation Only four per cent of Packs surveyed have monthly Pack forums. A further 22 per cent have a forum once per term. We’ll be developing a proposal to identify barriers

to involving the Cubs in decision-making and with Assistant County Commissioners, working up support to help Cub leaders involve Cubs more in some of the key decisions, especially as we prepare the older Cub Scout to get ready for the Scout Troop.

Commitment One in ten Cub Scout Leaders give more than 20 hours per week to their role, which is quite staggering. The majority give somewhere between three and ten hours, preparing for and running the session, plus all the other meetings, phone calls, discussions, shopping trips for camp etc.

We need to consider if we do enough to recognise, thank and praise leaders and peers, and if not, what should we do differently.

Your ideas In the third survey, we asked for ideas from leaders about what they would like to see the UK team focus on over the next 12-18 months. Not surprisingly, the responses were wide ranging.

16 Cubs February/March 2009

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Growth and development Intro

A new and growing Group

Here’s a sample of some broad common themes: • Look at how we train and ‘qualify’ busy working leaders • Promote Scouting as a way of life for children, not just an evening activity • Strengthen links between leaders of different sections • More national challenges • Make traditional Scouting skills more prominent.

Have your say Even if you are not currently in the panel of 500, your views are still important. Please drop me a note or email via the Cub Scout office at Gilwell Park about what you think the section, and the UK Support team should be focusing on over the next two years. Remember though that until 2010 at least, our number one priority must remain to grow and develop the section in all ways possible so that each and every Cub Scout experiences fun and adventure.

David Millen, Group Scout Leader of 100th Elvetham Heath Scout Group shares his experience of growing a Pack.

‘The 100th Elvetham Heath is a completely new Scout Group within Odiham District, Hampshire. It was formed in 2007 after a period of leader recruitment, selection and training that began with a mail drop to all 1,800 houses on the Elvetham Heath development.

‘All leaders were brand new and few had any Scouting experience. They were recruited, motivated and interviewed in the months leading up to opening night. Several of them not only completed their CRB and AA forms, their Appointments Committee interview and Modules 1 and 3 of the Adult Training Scheme but also purchased their own uniform prior to the first Colony and Pack meetings.

They were encouraged by emails, phone calls, home visits and collective meetings in the pub. It was made very clear that the Group would not start unless sufficient adults came forward whose commitment was for a number of years, not only the one or two while their child was a Beaver or Cub. I ‘gave it to them straight’!

‘A membership policy was suggested to the leadership team and they agreed wholeheartedly.

Top priority was given to the child of any adult who became a leader in the Group, then siblings; in third place were other children resident on Elvetham Heath; and finally there were the children from anywhere else in the locality. This clear policy ensures that the Group has a community feel and is proving fruitful as it has encouraged many parents to accept the challenge of leadership; even those with no personal experience of the Movement hold it in very high regard.

‘The process from initial letter drop to first Pack meeting took eight months. Good communication, a positive attitude and ensuring leaders were not ‘poached’ from existing Groups has allowed the 100th Cub Pack to find its place in the District and be warmly welcomed.’ Such is demand that we expect to open the second Pack later this year, but only when sufficient adults (four or five) are in place to ensure it is sustainable.

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Chef’s Badge

What’s cooking this summer at’s sizzling this summer It’s time to start thinking about wh f’s Badge has come up and Dutch Edam, sponsor of the Che st of the longer days with the perfect way to make the mo

Ingredients

I

n the lead up to June’s Cub and Beaver Funday, why don’t you plan your own fun day? Pack up a picnic and enjoy the great outdoors together.

You can also test your Cubs’ chef skills and take some tasty treats, such as Dutch Edam, ham and sundried tomato muffins.

Quick and easy, these muffins are really tasty and show how versatile Dutch Edam can be as an ingredient. You can include them in your picnic hamper, lunchbox or enjoy them round a campfire.

The Chef’s Badge encourages you to try out your favourite family dishes at home. It is the perfect way to find out more about how to cook good food and eat healthily.

Dutch Edam cheese has a delicate, mild taste, is full of calcium for growing bones and has, in fact, 25 per cent less fat than cheddar!

Dutch Edam, ham and sundried tomato muffins Makes 10 muffins Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 30 minutes

100g (3½oz) cooked lean ham or bacon 275g (10oz) plain flour 15ml (1tbsp) baking powder 5ml (1tsp) caster sugar 125g (4oz) Dutch Edam cheese, grated 75g (2¾oz) sundried tomatoes, chopped 30ml (2tbsp) freshly snipped chives 2 eggs 200ml (7floz) semi-skimmed milk 75g (2¾oz) butter, melted

Method 1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF, 190ºC, gas mark 5.

2. Line a muffin tin with 10 paper muffin cases. Chop the cooked ham or grilled bacon into pieces. In a bowl, sift together flour and baking powder.

3. Stir the sugar, three quarters of the cheese, ham or bacon, sundried tomatoes and chives into the flour mixture and mix well.

4. In another bowl, beat the eggs, milk and butter. Pour over the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined, the batter will be lumpy. Fill the muffin cases and sprinkle the tops with the remaining Dutch Edam. Bake for 20-25 minutes until risen and firm. Delicious eaten warm or cold. more info For recipe inspiration, facts and interactive games showing how Dutch Edam is made, check out our website www.edammade.co.uk

18 Cubs February/March 2009

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