aders for Scout aLrey 2012 e in z a g a m u The 011/Jan December 2
Night hikes
Create the perfect winter activity
Skills for life
Why being a Patrol Leader will help your Scouts
N I G I D
tures c i p n i e m program d e s a b y t i A commun
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Switzerland... The perfect destination all year round!
ER
SUMMER
WINT
a wide and your group can enjoy Travel in summer 2012 ing, yon can , ing mountain bik range of activities including in g tin raf r rive rmal baths or hiking, swimming in the the ! nd rla scenery of Switze amongst the spectacular
uts and and join hundreds of Sco Travel in February 2013 up will take ivity break where your gro Guides on our winter act luding ice ay activity programme inc part in an exhilarating 5-d g. snow-shoeing and curlin climbing, igloo building, e 5-day activity programm
included!
Whether you’re looking for an exhilarating summer holiday or an action-packed winter getaway, Switzerland is the perfect choice of destination for your Troop!
www.ventureabroad.co.uk 01332 342 050 | tours@ventureabroad.co.uk in partnership with
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Published by The Programme Team The Scout Association Gilwell Park Chingford London E4 7QW Tel: 0845 300 1818 Contributions to: programme@scouts.org.uk Advertising Richard Ellacott richard.ellacott@thinkpublishing.co.uk Tel: 020 8962 1258 Cover photo: Chloë Chapman For ease of reading, this supplement refers to all variations of ‘county’ groupings simply as County. You can read all the section supplements, and the main magazine, online at www.scouts.org.uk/magazine
WELCOME INTRO
A year of achievements Graeme Hamilton reflects on a very successful 2011 and casts an eye towards the future What a year it’s been. Many Scouts have been joining their local Beaver Colonies in celebrating 25 official years. In 2012 our Explorer Scouts and Scout Network celebrate ten years with some fascinating features in their supplements. Let’s see celebrations translate into increased growth and retention with even more fun and adventure for everyone in all five sections in the year ahead. It’s been almost a year now since we changed the HQ support structure for Programme and Activities, to improve support to you. We have introduced: • A focused core team addressing the issues raised by leaders and supporters • Project teams with a range of internal and external people to provide the best outcomes for successful programme support • A team who can provide HQ support for you locally when it’s needed • A project management focus, allowing us to work more effectively across sectional boundaries • Increased opportunities to meet and hear from leaders and young people from across the country. I used to say that sorting the programme was like painting the Forth Bridge: a seemingly never-ending and repetitive job. You have to keep at it, enthuse leaders new and old, embrace the changing social and cultural styles, and remember that for everyone who is happy with a change there will be someone else who doesn’t like it. As you read this, however, the painting of the Forth Bridge is about to come to an end for 25 years. Perhaps there’s a lesson in that for all of us – that there is no such thing as a never-ending task when it is done well. The core team, under Alex Minajew’s leadership, has set a course to offer the best programme support possible to leaders and, in this Olympic year, the support will be right on track.
Contents 5 News Updates and happenings from across the UK
6 Star trek Tips for running a night hike
8 ShelterBox goes global A new activity pack that covers global issues
10 Community service Programme in pictures
14 Job skills on display Why being a Patrol Leader can benefit your Scouts for years to come
17 Partnerships Chubb, National Grid and Serco
scouts.org.uk/pol
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e h t r o Up f ? e r u t Adven • Residential experiences, from camping to indoor lodges. • Over 50 activities across our centres • NEW for 2012 – badge, award and training courses for young people and leaders Visit the website for centre contact details and to request a brochure.
Great location s Amazing staff Right choice
scouts.org.uk/sac Tel: 0845 300 2549 Operated by The Scout Association Registered Charity Number: 306101 (England and Wales) and SC038437 (Scotland)
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NEWS
News and updates Rise up Rise to the Challenge is a resource that helps all leaders incorporate spiritual development into their programme. As we all know, supporting young people in their spiritual development is an important part of our purpose and the best way to do this is through our programme. The resource, which contains activity ideas covering all aspects of spiritual development, is online at www.scouts.org.uk/faith. There you will find many other resources to help you cover the Beliefs and Attitudes Zone, such as the Faith walk.
On your marks…
FASTENRG...ER... STROER... BIGG ER! BETT
There’s still time to get involved with Our Sporting Adventure. Running from 1 January to 30 September, it is an opportunity for all Scouts to be part of the London 2012 Games. All you need to do is come up with a team name. Then, start doing the activities, available from the Our Sporting Adventure support resources and get competing. www.scouts.org.uk/oursportingadventure
IT OF RE THE SPIR DVENTU GET INTO RTING A OUR SPO
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442.4 Join in Olympics Explorer
Faith and awareness events February/ March 2012
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2 Candlemas Day (Christian) 4 Milad un Nabi (Birthday of Prophet Mohammad) (Islam – Shia celebrate five days later) 8 Tu B’Shvat (Jewish) 15 Parinirvana Day (Buddhist) 21 Shrove Tuesday (Christian) 22 Ash Wednesday (Christian) 27 Feb – 11 March Fairtrade Fortnight
March 1 8 8 8 9 17
St David’s Day (Christian) Holi (Hindu) Purim (Jewish) International Women’s Day Hola Mohalla (Sikh) St Patrick’s Day (Christian)
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Star trek
A night hike is a great activity but one which should be well planned. Eddie Langdown offers insights into creating the perfect evening adventure
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ou may have entered your Scouts on a District or County night activity, or helped with one but have you considered planning a little night hike for your own Scouts? For my Troop, hiking at night is a regular activity. We have one at every camp; the tents go up, beds are rolled out and we set off in the dark for a couple of hours, say 10pm to midnight. It certainly solves that common firstnight-on-camp problem of Scouts (and Cubs) not wanting to sleep... believe me, when they get back, they sleep.
Know the noises My own view is that the countryside is relatively safe in the dark compared to the city. Helping our Scouts not to be afraid of the dark, and even to learn to walk without torches, is a good preparatory exercise. Walk them into a big dark wood that they are already familiar with. Sit them all down and wait until they are all quiet.
A golden rule As with all adventurous activities, you have to plan. The most important thing to remember is that a night hike is not a day hike with the lights-off. Footpaths that dive off between high hedges totally disappear, slopes with loose stones and roots need extra care, and roads that are normally safe become highly dangerous. Even if you know the route well or it is very short, you will need to walk it again, preferably at night. No matter how often your Scouts may have walked at night, you should use a normal Troop meeting night to prepare them. You could do this with a quiz, or a Patrol competition to create a ‘safe at night’ code.
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SCOUTING SKILLS
Rustle a leaf with one finger and let them hear how noisy it sounds. Demonstrate that the noises they hear are made by the smallest things; a mouse or a falling twig – not a creeping tiger. Assure them that there is nothing to be afraid of. Now ask them to walk down a little way, one at a time, without a torch, and then get them to whistle and walk back, to the applause of the rest of the Troop. If your eventual aim is for them to walk in Patrols without leaders, it is important they don’t panic and can feel relatively comfortable about being out in the dark.
Hidden treats When you choose to do your night hike is pretty immaterial. Whether you find yourself crossing cornfields on a warm summer night, scrunching over frozen ferns and grass in winter, or looking down on a snow-covered field bathed in moonlight with a fox barking in the distance, it can all be very challenging and exciting. As long as your Scouts have come prepared, with laminated maps, torches, gloves and a hat, all will be well. If you have previously hidden chocolate treats at some point, or located a convenient place to light a quick fire or you make some hot chocolate on a couple of stoves, then your night adventure will be successful and pretty soon your Scouts will be demanding another.
TOP TIPS
• Patrols could set off in opposite directions around a circular route. • Try starting the hike in daylight, so it gets dark while they are walking. • Have a couple of leaders or parents waiting at a convenient point with a fire and some hot-dogs. • Don’t let Scouts stop too long, or sit inside a vehicle – some will go to sleep. • Come back to your meeting place to sleep for the remainder of the night. Everyone can go home after breakfast together. However, if you do your night hike at camp, it doesn’t matter what time you get back. • Don’t let them phone home at midnight and tell mum they are ‘lost.’
more tips Planning and getting the most out of your hike is one of the many topics featured in A Complete Guide to Scouting Skills. Available now from Scout Shops. www.scouts.org.uk/shop
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ShelterBox goes global An exciting new activity pack will help you to deliver Global Zone requirements and interest your Scouts in international issues
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ince 2010, international disaster relief charity ShelterBox, an official partner of The Scout Association, has run The ShelterBox Challenge – a resource pack that focused on the organisation’s work. Over 750 groups from across the UK took part in the challenge, with young people exploring a number of themes including water conservation, photography and faith. Leader Steve Smith is just one of the many volunteers who has made good use of ShelterBox resources. ‘Thanks for helping out with great downloads that fit our Global Challenge and fire our Scouts’ imaginations,’ he said. The charity is now ready to release their next resource pack – Go Global. Go Global is designed to help you cover the Global Zone with your section. It’s crammed with fun activities that enable young people to explore the themes surrounding ShelterBox’s work.
for the programme, visit the website or email youngshelterbox@shelterbox.org. Include your name, address, section, Group name and number of Scouts taking part. Troops that register for Go Global will also receive a special pack of goodies to further help cover the Global Zone.
Activities and resources As well as activity ideas, there are loads of extra resources that make covering global issues easy for leaders. Some of the activities are ideas that can be adapted and expanded to suit your Troop, while others have easy-to-use ‘How to run’ guides and a series of extra resources on the Scout Leaders’ section of the Young ShelterBox website. ‘We’ve always understood that many leaders find it difficult to explore international issues with their groups. We have created Go Global to give them a helping hand’ says James Webb, Young ShelterBox Officer.
How to get involved Go Global will be available from the Scouts’ area of the Young ShelterBox website, www.youngshelterbox.org, this winter. To discover more and register your Pack 8
Scouts December 2011/January 2012
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PARTNERS
Win £1,000 for your Troop Discovery Channel is offering you the chance to win an incredible prize
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iscovery Channel is the proud new sponsor of The Pioneer Activity badge and has launched a great new competition to encourage your Troop to get building their outdoor pioneering project (a requirement of the badge). So whether it’s the Monkey Bridge, Lookout Tower, Aerial Runway or a project of your choice, we want to see what you can do. All you need to do is send us a photo of your Troop’s best outdoor pioneering project to be in with
a chance to win the £1,000 prize. This money could be put towards new equipment or an adventure weekend for the Troop.
ENTER NOW
To find out more details and how to enter visit www.scouts.org.uk/ discovery
Run a Wimpy Kid cartoon workshop
Your Scouts can exercise their cartoon talents in association with Puffin
H
old on tight, this Christmas has bite. Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever, the sixth book in Jeff Kinney’s bestselling Diary of Wimpy Kid series, and biggest children’s book of the year, is out now! Why not run a cartoon workshop with your Scouts to celebrate the publication? Use these top tips:
1. Think of an idea. Encourage them to come up with a short adventure for Wimpy Kid Greg Heffley or his friends. 2. Plan a story. Mark out four boxes on paper and decide what’s going to happen in each one. Suggest that they sketch a rough draft first. 3. Keep the drawings simple. Wimpy Kid books have
straightforward line drawings. Look at the books to see how to draw people’s features or print some images from the Wimpy Kid website to share. 4. Use speech bubbles. These are a simple but effective way to tell people what’s going on in your stories. 5. Share the strips between your Scouts. Finding out what people do and don’t like about their comic strip will help your Troop to improve. Visit www.wimpykidclub.co.uk to download a pack stuffed with this and other hilariously-funny Wimpy Kid activities.
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Community service St Chad’s Greys Scout Troop in York had a busy evening undertaking a five-base programme which focused on the Community Zone
1.
2.
Try and draw an accurate street map of your local area.
Name as many different ‘local areas’ as you can and identify where in the city/town they are.
10 Scouts December 2011/January 2012
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PROGRAMME IN PICTURES
3.
4.
Identify as many different ‘things’ as possible on a map of the city (swimming pools, cinemas, shops, where they live, and so on).
List as many different ‘things’ in your local community as you can think of (such as a church, police station, pub, school, Indian restaurant, butcher and so on) and explain why they are important to the area.
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line n o w e n a s i e l Be Purp table o n e r e h w p o h charity s rs e n g i s e d g n i m and upco alents in t r i e h t e s a c w sho cause. t a e r g a f o t r o supp
. y t i t n a u q d e ‘Limit ’ y t i l a u q d e t Unlimi le.org.uk. ? Visit BePurp ed lv vo in be rple’ Want to – search ‘Be Pu ok bo ce Fa on Follow us
All profits generated from this site will be donated to The Scout Association, supporting their ongoing efforts of providing adventure and education for children and young adults throughout the UK.
December 2011/January Copyright 12 © 2011 The Scout Association Registered2012 Charity Numbers 306101 (England and Wales) and SC038437 (Scotland).
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PROGRAMME IN PICTURES
5.
Compare your local community with those of others in your group and discuss different types of communities within Scouting, including the local area, County, country or international. The leader could hint how Scouting has helped and influenced communities in all of these areas. Remember: A Scout belongs to the worldwide family of Scouts.
SCOUT LEADER JAMES VARNEY TALKS US THROUGH THE PROGRAMME
I explained to the Scouts that we were going to look at the community, the differences in it, how it sits within the wider community of a city and within UK Scouting. We have five Patrols so we did it via five bases. Each base only runs for 10 minutes so it’s not very long – it’s just easier to get the information across this way. I’ve found sometimes that even if I don’t have the necessary leaders to run five bases, just having the right information on a piece of paper allows my Patrol Leaders to run a base. That helps their leadership skills as well. Running things this way requires less preparation and is less of a drain on time. We used to run things where a leader would run an entire night and so they would then have to prepare enough activities to last the whole evening. This way, the week before the programme we separate what we are going to do the following week among the leadership team and, as we are
only doing 10-minute bases, we only need enough information to fill 10 minutes. I would recommend this to all other leaders. I know we have tried various systems before and this works best. Admittedly, I have enough leaders to do it this way, and not everyone does, but that’s where you utilise your Patrol Leaders and Young Leaders. Just give them the information and they can run it from there.
WHAT DID THE TROOP THINK?
Beth: My favourite bit was finding out where I live, as I’m always forgetting. Doing the thing with the sticky notes really helped. John Paul: I found the bit where we were sticking labels on the map really fun. You could explore all the different bits of York. Adam: The map work was really interesting. I like map stuff, I have OS maps. It will help me in future when I go hiking in the mountains.
SCOUT COMMUNITY WEEK
Taking place from 14–20 May 2012, Scout Community Week takes Scout Job Week to the next level. It offers sections, Groups and Districts the chance to design a fundraising project which delivers real benefit to the local community. www.scouts.org.uk/scoutcommunityweek
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Job skills on d
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PATROLS
Louise Henderson outlines how the skills of being a Patrol Leader can benefit your Scouts for years to come
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t is in the Scout section that we have the best opportunities to offer training and programmes that will give young people the skills and experiences that are going to be useful to them in their future lives. And it was at a recent Explorer Unit meeting that I realised this. At this meeting, Explorers were looking at ways in which their Scouting experiences could be used on their CVs and in job applications. By reviewing activities they had taken part in during their time in Scouts and Explorers, they compiled a list of skills and attributes that they believed the activities had given them. This included things such as leadership skills, self-discipline, greater confidence, teamwork, responsibility, overcoming fears and keeping going even when the going gets tough (among other things).
Absorbing influence I firmly believe that it is still within the 10.5–14 age group that we can have the greatest influence in the development of the young people we work with. Young people of this age absorb the positive ethos and respond with maturity and enthusiasm to challenges that we set them. We should live up to their hopes and expectations and give them opportunities to make their way in the world a better way. Patrol Leader training in leadership is a great way to do this and if you still haven’t had a look at the Taking the Lead resource book then why not print it off and have a read through? The winter months are a good time to do indoor training and can help keep you and your Patrol Leaders motivated through the long dark indoor meetings.
n display Patrol Leader attributes Having made this list, the Explorers then compared this against real job descriptions across a range of different jobs and fed their thoughts back to the group. The first Explorer to speak summed up the point of the exercise when he said, ‘They all seem to want to employ Explorers.’ That hit the nail on the head but, interestingly, most of the attributes that they recognised in themselves were gained long before they joined Explorers, particularly among those who had been Patrol Leaders.
Training and experience This is because the 12 and 13-year-olds who lead Patrols are still able to take advantage of all that these positions have to offer before they become mired in school work and exams, something that can happen at Explorer age. In fact, it is difficult to believe sometimes when I watch the chaos of Explorers trying to organise themselves that 12 months or more ago they all successfully ran Patrols for a week at Scout camp with little or no help from leaders. scouts.org.uk/pol 15
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Wall's Scouts_Single Page Update
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PARTNERS Home escape plan Every household should have some sort of escape plan a fire breaks out in place, in an unlikely in the home. Hopefully event that you will never have prepare for it so to use it, but it is there is no delay important to when it is put into action.
Plan Together
As a family plan together ensuring that everyone in unlikely event of the household fire occurring. knows the plan and what to do Special arrangem in the ents need to be made in considera would need to tion of any possible be able to escape elderly, young or the home safely. disabled family members
The Escape Route
that
Ensure that the escape route is practicable and in case one of your can be carried escape routes is out. Agree as a blocked. Identify family at least two a meeting place possible escape outside the home. plans, It is also advisable to have a room in which you could this room also has all stay in if the a telephone so worse was to happen. you can summon to telephone themselve It would be suggeste help. Make sure s. all the children d that know your address in case they have Safety
in the Home
Know the dangers •
• • • • •
Win £300 for your Troop
Task
and fire precautio ns necessary in If you have gas, the home to prevent oil or coal-bur a fire in the first ning applianc place such as: properly ventilate es be aware of d and equipme carbon monoxid nt is regularly e. Ensure your Turn off portable serviced and maintain home is heaters, as well ed. as gas and electric going to bed. fires before Make sure open fires have the fire guard in place Never leave fires, and secure. candles or any form unattended and of naked flame ensure candles in the home are secure before Keep heaters lighting. away from clothes, furniture and Keep windows curtains. and doors shut to stop the fire spreading.
Go into groups and talk about your own home from the Scout escape plan. You hut or hall you are also might wish meeting every week. to talk about the fire evacuation plan Create a home escape plan 1 Talk about the home each of you live in ie is is it a flat or maisone it a house terraced tte? , semi or detache d, How many member s are there is your family? Are as an elderly or there any consider disabled family ations member such ? 3 Plan two ways out of every room, draw a plan of escape routes your home and the possible 4 Identify a meeting place outside the home 5 Make sure your escape route is not at risk 6 Review with your Scout leader and also with your family at home 2
For further informatio call 0800
n on all Chubb
Fire & Security products and services website www.c
32 1666 or visit our
hubb.co.uk
This briefing is intended as general Although great guidance and is care has been not a substitute for detailed advice cannot in any circumstances taken in the compilation and in specific circumstances. preparation of accept responsibility this edition to ensure for errors, omissions accuracy, Chubb or advice given Fire & Security upon information or for any losses contained in this arising from reliance publication.
The Chubb poster competition is an opportunity to raise funds as well as awareness of fire safety
more info
Visit www. chubb.co.uk and go to the News and Resources page.
couts are asked to produce a poster detailing priority actions in the event of a fire. First prize is £300 and two runners up will each receive £100.
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part of every household’s fire safety. Both the Fire Service and Chubb recommend that all homes have two exit routes as part of their Home Escape plan.
All steps considered
How to enter
This annual fire safety competition invites Scouts to produce a Home Escape poster plan that details the priority actions in the event of a fire. A Home Escape plan is a vital
Visit www.chubb.co.uk and go to the News and Resources pages. The competition closes on 27 January 2012.
Activities to encourage engineers of the future Energise your Scouts with new National Grid activities
more info
Visit www. scouts.org.uk/ nationalgrideng to find out more
ational Grid attended Gilwell Reunion in September to show leaders a new resource that it has created.
N
was fascinating hearing that there is a strong interest in teaching young people science, technology, engineering and mathematics within Scouting.
The event
Who is National Grid?
Volunteers from National Grid performed hands-on demonstrations of a few the activities. The volunteers had an amazing day meeting leaders from all areas of the country, and seeing the enthusiasm for the activities and the interest that came from all the leaders was really encouraging. Throughout the day National Grid spoke to participants of all ages about energy, engineering and careers at National Grid. It
National Grid is an international electricity and gas company, whose job is to connect people to the energy they use. We encourage young people to learn about energy, and the opportunities of becoming the engineers of the future, in a fun and interactive way. Working in partnership with Scouts is an ideal way to develop activities that will inspire young people about engineering.
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Save festive waste Serco offers some great tips to pass on to your Scouts about cutting waste at this time of the year
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ith more food, newspaper and plastic wasted at Christmas than any other time of the year, there is never a better time to find other uses for household waste. Having already offered expert tips to Scouts wishing to recycle, this year Serco wants to help them go one better by reusing wasted items at Christmas. Invite your Scouts to bring in wasted household materials like toilet rolls, plastic bottles and newspapers to your next meeting. These can then be used to make models, structures and useful items. And this is not the only thing that Scouts can do this Christmas to help save the planet. They can also:
THE OFFICIAL SCOUT SHOP.
• Send electronic rather than paper greetings cards • Use rechargeable, rather than disposable, batteries when using electronic equipment at meetings • Start a group compost heap and grow their own winter vegetables ahead of the Christmas dinner.
TELL US HOW YOU GET ON
Whatever you decide, we would love to see what you come up with. So please do send your group’s creations to scouts@serco.com
Shop for plenty more online or call 01903 766 921
Shop for the best in Scouting products World Scout Jigsaw Ref 104042
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Scout Shops Limited, registered company number 1101498, is wholly owned by The Scout Association, registered charity numbers 306101 (England and Wales) and SC038437 (Scotland). 497.4 SS December January Scouts.indd 1 ScoutsSupp_DecJan12.indd 18
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