Scout Home, South Berkshire District Scouts

The Scout Section is for young people, usually aged between 10½ and 14 years.

A young person can come in to the Troop at 10 and may stay until they are 15 years old.

The Scout Troop is the third and final Section in the Scout Group.

Scouts are encouraged to take part in a wide range of activities as part of their programme.

“Participation” rather than meeting set standards is the key approach and for the Scout who wants to be recognised for his or her achievements there are a number of Challenges Awards and Activity Badges.

Scouts take part in a balanced programme that helps them to find out about the world in which they live, encourages them to know their own abilities and the importance of keeping fit and helps develop their creative talents.

It also provides opportunities to explore their own values and personal attitudes

Being outdoors is important and half the Programme is given over to taking part in both the traditional Scouting skills, such as camping, survival and cooking as well as the wide range of adventurous activities, anything from abseiling to yachting.

The international aspect gives Scouting a special appeal and many Scouts now travel abroad during their time in the Section.

In 2002/3 25,000 Scouts from around the World attended the World Jamboree in Thailand. Even more are expected to attend the World Jamboree in The United Kingdom in 2007.

But before this we have the European Jamboree in 2005, Eurojam. This will be for Scouts and Explorer Scouts between the ages of 11 and 18 and will provide a fantastic opportunity for young people, from different parts of Europe, to share a unique experience.

Scouting is about being with friends, as part of a team, participating fully in the adventure and opportunities of life.

Scouts Programme

The philosophy underpinning the programme is that every Scout should participate in a Balanced Programme over a period of time - usually one year.

In Scouting, “programme” has the widest possible interpretation. Programme is not just all the activities that Scouts can take part in. It includes almost anything from archery to youth hostelling. It is also how we do those activities, known as the method, and why we do them, known as the purpose.

This means that when Leaders plan an activity for their Scouts, they need to consider both how the activity will be done, why they are doing it and how it fits into the Balanced Programme.

The second word to consider is “balanced”. The Programme is designed to help young people to grow and develop so at it’s heart are six “personal development areas” (see below).

For Scouting to achieve its purpose, Scouts need to grow and develop in each of these areas, through a Balanced Programme that offers the widest variety of activities and methods.

The Scout Leaders, working with their Scouts, are responsible for planning and delivering a Balanced Programme.

Programme Zones
Programme Zones split the whole programme into manageable areas. Each Zone represents a different development area in a young person’s life. There are six Programme Zones in the Scout Section. They are:

Scoutcraft and Adventure
Global
Community
Fit for Life
Exploring Beliefs and Attitudes
Creative Expression

It is recommended that a troop spend roughly 50% of its programme time working within the Scoutcraft and Adventure Zone and roughly 10% on each of the other Zones. This is shown in the zone wheel diagram.

The Ten Methods
These Zones are delivered using 10 methods, which give the programme variety and range. Sometimes one method will be more suitable than another. On occasions you may use a number of methods within the same activity. So you should give your Scouts opportunities to take part in:

Activities outdoors
Games
Design and creativity
Visits and visitors
Service
Technology and new skills
Team-builing activities
Activities with others
Themes
Prayer, worship and reflection

Ways of working
Good Scouting is taking place when the following can be seen in all that is taking place in the Programme.

Activity
Fun
Teamwork
Leadership and Responsibility
Relationships
Commitment
Personal Development

The six Personal Development Areas (PDAs)
Scouting, like the other four Section is based around the six fundamental Personal Development Areas (PDAs) of Scouting. These are:

Body
Mind
Faith and Beliefs
Relationships
Community
Surroundings