beavers

The magazine for Beaver Scout Leaders

December 2010/January 2011

Itsy bitsyMake a spider

Friendship Passport

New partnerSave the Children

NO SPACE?Try sending out a satellite

MODULESMODULESMODULESNEW

BEAVERS_FINAL.indd 1 10/11/2010 12:05

IFC_BeaversSupp_DecJan.indd 8 11/11/2010 11:46

Jenny Winn introduces your latest issue of the Beaver supplement

The year 2011 will be the 25th anniversary of Beaver Scouts becoming a

formal section of The Scout Association. To celebrate, we have produced a

badge which can be worn by Beaver Scouts and adults involved in the

section during the year. Activities and events are happening around the UK.

Let us know at [email protected] what you are doing to mark the

occasion, and if you have a good story of successes in your Colony.

As well as the 25th anniversary of Beaver Scouts, 2011 is also the year of

the 22nd Jamboree, which is being held in Sweden. To enable Beaver Scouts

to experience some of the excitement of the event, a Join-in-Jamboree

resource was sent out with October/November issue of Scouting.

In this issue:

Being inclusiveBeavers can feel a little left out at times, for a number of reasons. Maggie

Bleksley has some ideas to help them feel included.

Ice is niceLots of icy ideas for your Beavers to keep them busy indoors when it gets

cold outdoors.

Your Programme, Your VoiceWe asked for your views about Scouting magazine and the supplements.

Read the results of our questionnaire and find out how to complete the

next one.

3scouts.org.uk/pol

INTRO

Twenty fi ve years young

4 Winter gamesFrom designing igloos to fi shing

8 Itsy bitsyMake a spider

10 POPNumbers and counting-themed programmes on a plate

12 Friends united Help your Beavers feel included

14 New training modules Residential experiences

15 Friendship Passport Save the Children

16 No space? Start a satellite section

18 Your Programme, Your Voice Feedback from our questionnaire

What you’ve been up to over the last few months:

Beaver Scout Michael from the 18th

Inverness (Muirtown) Colony achieved

a personal feat when he climbed the

highest hill on the Isle of Arran.

Seven-year-old Michael reached the top

of Goat Fell which stands 873.5 metres

(2866 ft) high.

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

Contact them at:[email protected]: 0845 300 1818

Published by: The Scout Association, Gilwell Park, Bury RoadChingford, London E4 7QW

Contributions to:[email protected]

This issue’s contributors:Maggie Bleksley Rose WellsEmma Wood

ADVERTISINGRichard [email protected]: 020 8962 1258

View all other section supplements at www.scouts.org.uk/magazine

Contents


Emma Wood brings you a selection of ideas to liven up Colony meetings this winter

4 Beavers December 2010/January 2011

O ur seasons do seem to be shifting and

can play havoc with planning

programmes. Whatever the weather, you

can enjoy the winter months inside or out

with the following seasonal ideas which I’ve used

with my Colony.

Winter games

Design an igloo

you will need• pens and paper.

Ask the Beavers to design their ideal igloo.

What would it look like from the outside?

What features would it have inside? Let their

imagination run wild.

Ice melting

you will need• ice cubes• hot water, vinegar, salt, pepper, de-icer and similar items.

Put ice cubes in separate saucers and see if the

Beavers can guess correctly which ingredient

will melt the ice the quickest.


Emma Wood brings you a selection of ideas to liven up Colony meetings this winter


Our seasons do seem to be shifting and can

play havoc with planning our

programmes. Whatever the weather, you

can enjoy the winter months inside or out

with the following seasonal ideas which I’ve used

with my Colony.

Winter games

Design an igloo

you will need• pens and paper.

Ask the Beavers to design their ideal igloo.

What would it look like from the outside?

What features would it have inside? Let their

imagination run wild.

Ice melting

you will need• ice cubes• hot water, vinegar, salt, pepper, de-icer and similar items.

Put ice cubes in separate saucers and see if the

Beavers can guess correctly which ingredient

will melt the ice the quickest.


5scouts.org.uk/pol

programme ıdeas

Ice fishing

you will need• an A3-sized piece of stiff card for each team• simple fishing rods• Velcro• small pieces of modelling clay• same number of cardboard fish per team

members with smooth Velcro attached on one side of each fish.

Cut a dinner-plate sized hole in the middle of

the cards and rest them between two chairs at

the far end of the hall. Beavers sit in relay

formation and player 1 in each team has a

fishing rod, with a piece of hooked Velcro

wrapped around a piece of modelling clay in

place of the hook. Under each hole place the

fish with the Velcro facing upwards. On the

word ‘go’, player 1 in each team runs up and

fish through their hole. When they hook a fish

they take it and their rod back and set off

player 2, and so on.

Snowball fight

you will need• lots of newspaper• chalk or masking tape.

Scrunch up the newspaper into balls and give a

bowlful to each Lodge. Beavers stand in their

Lodge’s corner of the hall, which is divided into

quarters using chalk or masking tape. On the

whistle, they throw balls into opposing Lodges’

quarters, trying to get all snowballs out of their

area. Players are not allowed to cross the line

into other quarters. After 3-5 minutes the team

with the fewest balls in their area wins.

Ice castles

you will need• sandcastle moulds and buckets.

If there’s enough snow, go outside and let the

Beavers make snowcastles, just as they would

make sandcastles on the beach.



Winter sports

• Ice hockey – Prepare a few large ice pucks

by freezing about 10cm of water in a round

plastic margarine or ice cream tub. Two

teams sit down either side of the hall and are

numbered off (this only works on wooden or

plastic floors, or outside on tarmac). One

puck and two rolled-up newspapers are

placed in the middle of the hall and a chair is

placed at either end to be the goal. A number

is called and the two players with that

number grab a stick and try to hit the puck

into the appropriate goal.

• Curling – Using an ice puck as above,

Lodges take it in turns to ‘bowl’ the puck

from one end of the hall to the other, trying

to get it to land into a chalked scoring area at

the far end.

• Sledding – Lodges drag one member around

a course on a toboggan indoors or outside.

Fastest time around the course wins. If you

can obtain enough toboggans, this could be

run as a relay race.

• Ringette – Running in relay form, players

have a broomstick and must push

a small heavy rubber ring (not a swim ring

or inflatable belt) to the end of the hall

and back.

Ice cutting

you will need• ice cubes• empty wine bottle• two 500g weights • 50cm length of strong nylon thread (or thin fuse wire).

Put an ice cube on the top of the bottle. Tie a

weight to each end of the thread. Rest the

middle of the thread across the middle of the

ice cube, so the weights hang either side.

Watch as the thread passes slowly through the

ice cube, and be amazed as the ice re-freezes

above it.

Snowman ice cream

you will need• an ice cream scoop and a melon scoop • vanilla ice cream• saucers • jelly and chocolate cake decorations.

Make a snowman out of ice cream on a saucer

for each Beaver Scout and let them decorate it.

Take pictures for your Colony noticeboard before

they eat their snowmen.


Found you!Keep track of a lost Beaver with a Foundkid wristband

F oundkid.com is an online internet site that

sells high visibility identification wristbands for

young people attending events or on outings.

The wristbands can help to reunite a lost

Beaver with the Colony and contains information such

as the name of the organisation, the person running

the trip and a contact number of the person in charge.

All the information has been printed on the band so

it remains highly visible throughout the day, irrespective

of the type of activity undertaken. The bands are

available in two sizes and are waterproof, comfortable

and adjustable. There are two types of fastening, a

self-adhesive sticking band or a clasp fastened band.

If separated from the group, some Beavers may have

difficulties explaining who they are and who they are

with. Lisa Kramer, Director of Foundkid.com, says

‘Organisations need to protect the identity of their

young people. The wristbands only identify the group

the child is with and the person in charge, not the

identity of the child.’

For further information, visit www.foundkid.com


Beavers will love this little spider


Itsy bitsy

Go to www.scouts.org.uk/pol and

download the Spider template. Produce a

copy of this sheet for each Beaver on thin

card. Crease the dotted lines and cut out

the shape ready for use.

Design and colour the spider.

Add glue to the six tabs shown in the picture. Fold along the crease lines and join the tabs

to form the body.

Step 1 Step 2

Step 3 Step 4

you will need• coloured pencils• glue• string• eight black pipe cleaners or wool.

Cut line

Fold line


MAKE AND DO

9scouts.org.uk/pol

Glue the back of the eyes and attach them to

the front of the spider.

Push pipe cleaners or wool through the eight

holes and secure in place to make the legs.

Thread the string through the hole on the top

and tie a knot to stop it coming out.

STEP 5 STEP 6

STEP 7

Fun facts to share

• There are over 30,000 different types of spider.

• Spiders are not insects, they are arachnids. Insects

have three body parts and six legs.

• Spiders have eight legs and two body parts.

• Most spiders have either six or eight eyes.

• Male spiders are usually smaller than female spiders.

For more ideas and activity packs that

come pre-cut and creased, complete with

all the required accessories, go to

www.clever-craft.com. You’ll be amazed

what you can do! To receive a free sample

pack, become a member on their website.

Clever Craft was set by Andrew Harrold &

Craig Bond, both Beaver Scout Leaders

with 7th Sefton East (Melling).

Questions to ask

• What do you think spiders eat?

• How do spiders catch their food?

• Can you name a type of spider?

come pre-cut and creased, complete with

all the required accessories, go to

www.clever-craft.com

what you can do! To receive a free sample

pack, become a member on their website.

Clever Craft was set by Andrew Harrold &

Craig Bond, both Beaver Scout Leaders

with 7th Sefton East (Melling).


Programmes on a platePOPThis issue’s theme is numbers,

compiled by Jenny Winn

Opening ceremony 5 mins N/A Follow themes Introduce the theme for the evening which is numbers and counting.

Activity: International counting game

10 mins Global Play games The idea is very simple – the players have to count from one to x (where x is the number of players) in another language. The ideal number of players is between 10 and 20. Explain to the young people the challenge and explain that there are four rules: • Only one person can speak at a time • Everyone must say one number • No pointing or otherwise directing (such as telling people to go round in a circle) • Adjacent players cannot say consecutive numbers.Nominate a player to start and look for rule breaking (this is not as easy as it sounds).

Activity: Guessing number game

15 mins Outdoor and Adventure

Explore their worldPlay gamesGo outdoors

Check if any Beaver Scouts have a sunflower seed allergy before playing. If you want to plant the sunflower seeds it is better to play this during the spring.• Divide the Colony into four even teams and give each team 40 sunflower seeds• Two Leaders stand in the centre of the meeting place with their own supply of sunflower

seeds.• Taking it in turns, one Beaver Scout per team decides if they want to take 1, 2 or 3 seeds

up to the leader.• They hide the seeds in their hand, and approach the leader. The leader then has

to guess how many seeds the Beaver Scout has in their hand. If the leader guesses correctly, then they get to keep the seeds, but if the leader guesses wrong then they must give the Beaver Scout the number of seeds that in their hand.

• The winning team is the one with the most seeds.• If you have space at your meeting place each Beaver Scout can plant a sunflower seed,

and you can hold a competition to see whose sunflower grows the most. If you do not have enough space allow the Beaver Scouts to take home a seed to plant at home if possible.

Activity: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John

10 mins Community Play games The Beavers sit in a circle and are named Matthew, Mark, Luke and John for the first four and are numbered 1, 2, 3, 4 etc for the rest.• Start with the person labelled John, who stands up and says, ‘I am John and I call upon

number 6 (or whoever)’. Number 6 then stands up and says ‘I am number 6 and I call upon Mark (or whoever)’.

• The game goes around the circle with each person as they are called standing up and saying ‘I am … and I call upon …’, but the young people can be out for a variety of reasons: If they call upon the name/number who has just called them If they call upon the name/number sitting next to them If they call upon a number which no longer has a person associated with it If they are too slow to answer someone who has called them If they are too slow to call someone else If they wrongly confirm their name.

• When a young person is ‘out’ for any of the reasons given, they leave the circle and everyone sitting below in name/number order moves up one seat and becomes a new name/number and the last person to call, calls another person.

• The challenge is for everyone to work out quickly what their new number is before being called upon to confirm it.

At residential experiences this game can be played as the last activity of the day with the Beavers dressed in their pyjamas. As a person is ‘out’ everyone chants ‘Bed – bed – bed’ until they leave the circle and go to bed.

Activity: Find the number

15 mins Fitness Team challengesPlay games

You will need: pens, pencils, number charts.• If possible enlarge the number chart and copy so that there are enough for each team• Divide the Beavers into even teams, line them up at one end of the playing area and give

each team a pencil or pen. Opposite each team put up a number chart.• Each team member takes it in turns to run up the number chart and cross a specified

number off, running back and handing over the pen to the next Beaver. You can ask them to cross off the next number in a sequence or list some numbers that they have to find.

• To make the game faster you can impose a time limit.

Activity/Game Time Zone Method Instructions

Beavers December 2010/January 201110


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

Opening ceremony 5 mins N/A Follow themes Introduce the theme for the evening which is numbers and counting.

Activity: International counting game

10 mins Global Play games The idea is very simple – the players have to count from one to x (where x is the number of players) in another language. The ideal number of players is between 10 and 20. Explain to the young people the challenge and explain that there are four rules: • Only one person can speak at a time • Everyone must say one number • No pointing or otherwise directing (such as telling people to go round in a circle) • Adjacent players cannot say consecutive numbers.Nominate a player to start and look for rule breaking (this is not as easy as it sounds).

Activity: Guessing number game

15 mins Outdoor and Adventure

Explore their worldPlay gamesGo outdoors

Check if any Beaver Scouts have a sunflower seed allergy before playing. If you want to plant the sunflower seeds it is better to play this during the spring.• Divide the Colony into four even teams and give each team 40 sunflower seeds• Two Leaders stand in the centre of the meeting place with their own supply of sunflower

seeds.• Taking it in turns, one Beaver Scout per team decides if they want to take 1, 2 or 3 seeds

up to the leader.• They hide the seeds in their hand, and approach the leader. The leader then has

to guess how many seeds the Beaver Scout has in their hand. If the leader guesses correctly, then they get to keep the seeds, but if the leader guesses wrong then they must give the Beaver Scout the number of seeds that in their hand.

• The winning team is the one with the most seeds.• If you have space at your meeting place each Beaver Scout can plant a sunflower seed,

and you can hold a competition to see whose sunflower grows the most. If you do not have enough space allow the Beaver Scouts to take home a seed to plant at home if possible.

Activity: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John

10 mins Community Play games The Beavers sit in a circle and are named Matthew, Mark, Luke and John for the first four and are numbered 1, 2, 3, 4 etc for the rest.• Start with the person labelled John, who stands up and says, ‘I am John and I call upon

number 6 (or whoever)’. Number 6 then stands up and says ‘I am number 6 and I call upon Mark (or whoever)’.

• The game goes around the circle with each person as they are called standing up and saying ‘I am … and I call upon …’, but the young people can be out for a variety of reasons: If they call upon the name/number who has just called them If they call upon the name/number sitting next to them If they call upon a number which no longer has a person associated with it If they are too slow to answer someone who has called them If they are too slow to call someone else If they wrongly confirm their name.

• When a young person is ‘out’ for any of the reasons given, they leave the circle and everyone sitting below in name/number order moves up one seat and becomes a new name/number and the last person to call, calls another person.

• The challenge is for everyone to work out quickly what their new number is before being called upon to confirm it.

At residential experiences this game can be played as the last activity of the day with the Beavers dressed in their pyjamas. As a person is ‘out’ everyone chants ‘Bed – bed – bed’ until they leave the circle and go to bed.

Activity: Find the number

15 mins Fitness Team challengesPlay games

You will need: pens, pencils, number charts.• If possible enlarge the number chart and copy so that there are enough for each team• Divide the Beavers into even teams, line them up at one end of the playing area and give

each team a pencil or pen. Opposite each team put up a number chart.• Each team member takes it in turns to run up the number chart and cross a specified

number off, running back and handing over the pen to the next Beaver. You can ask them to cross off the next number in a sequence or list some numbers that they have to find.

• To make the game faster you can impose a time limit.

Activity/Game Time Zone Method Instructions

11scouts.org.uk/pol

Faith and awareness events February/March 2011

February 20112 Candlemas Day (Christian)

8 & 15 Parinirvana Nirvana Day

(Buddhist)

8 Vasant Panchami (Hindu)

14 Valentine’s Day (Christian)

15 – 20 Shia Milad un Nabi

(Birthday of the Prophet

Muhammad)(Muslim)

18 Magha Puja (Buddhist)

28 Feb – 13 March Fairtrade

Fortnight

March 20111 Hola Mohalla (Lunar Calendar)

(Sikh)

3 Mahashivratri (Hindu)

8 International Women’s Day

8 Shrove Tuesday (Christian)

9 Ash Wednesday (Christian)

17 St Patrick’s Day (Christian)

19 Holi (Hindu)

20 Purim (Jewish)

22 World Water Day



Maggie Bleksley suggests activities to help your Beavers

feel good about themselves

We all have strengths and weaknesses

and a Beaver’s self-esteem can be

knocked if they feel they are not

valued. We need to make them feel

included and have respect for one another. These

activities show we are all different but can have fun

working together and helping each other.

What are we good at?Fill three bowls with a different kind of fruit

and a fourth with a mixture. Ask the Beavers

which bowl they like and why. Talk about how

different fruits are nice for different reasons

and how they can all be mixed in a fruit salad.

Say that people are like that too. It would be

dull if we were all the same and had the same

interests. Ask them what they think they and

their friends are good at. This could be football,

drawing, being kind, being fun to be with or

looking after a pet. Try using different types of

flowers instead of fruit.

Friends united


Visit Programmes Online at www.scouts.org.uk/pol

for ideas of activities to encourage friendship

13scouts.org.uk/pol

INCLUSIVE

Friendship fruits storyIt’s lunchtime at the Beaver sleepover and some

fruits were arguing over who would be chosen.

‘They’ll choose me. I’m juicy,’ said the pink

apple.

‘I’m best because I’m sweet,’ said the yellow

banana.

‘We’re better than you because we’re sweet

and we’re juicy,’ said the grapes, who were

white and red.

‘Do you think they’ll want us?’ asked the

blueberries, ‘We’re blue, not like other fruit.’

The twin red cherries popped up. ‘We’re twins,

can you tell us apart?’

The strawberry said to the mango ‘I haven’t

seen you before.’

‘I’ve come from a country far away,’ said the

mango’, and so has my friend, the pineapple.’

The pineapple said ‘hello’ from under his spiky

hair.

The orange came rolling along. He brought a

friend too, a lemon. ‘We go well together,’ he

said, and they sang Oranges and Lemons!

Then the wise old melon arrived. ‘We’re all

different sizes, colours and shapes, but we can

all be friends,’ he said and they all dived in the

fruit bowl and were happy to be together.

Puppet plates

you will need• paper plates, pictures of fruit, sticky tape,

crayons, coloured pencils, flower sticks and scissors.

Ask the Beavers to choose one kind of fruit and

draw or stick a picture of it onto a paper plate.

Help them to tape sticks on to the back of their

plates. The Beavers take turns to hold up their

plates and pretend to be fruits, saying why they

think they are good, what colours they can be

or what they could make with their fruit. Then

they put all the plates together on the floor,

link arms and saying they are best all together.

Fruit tree

you will need• coloured paper• pens.

Draw a large fruit tree and cut leaves from

coloured paper. Each Beaver and Leader writes

on a leaf which is stuck on the tree. New Beavers

can add their own leaves when they join.

DO

DON’T

• always make sure new recruits and visitors

are introduced to everyone

• clearly explain why a Beaver may be left out

of an activity or not chosen for a position

such as Lodge leader. Give the Beaver a

special job they can do well

• adapt activities and games so Beavers with

special needs can take part

• remember allergies and religious/dietary

restrictions when providing food.

• give in to the pushy ones who always want

to go first

• let Beavers choose others one by one for their

team as someone will be the last to be chosen

• let family ties or friendships influence your

relationship with a particular Beaver.

Friends united



New training modules

Is there a night away, sleepover, camp or residential

experience on your horizon? No matter what type of overnight

experience you are planning or helping out with, it is essential

that you have the right tools for the job, says Samantha Marks

For more about training –

[email protected]

For more about the Nights Away Permit Scheme

– www.scouts.org.uk/nightsaway

more info

The Scout Association now offers two

modules to enable you to provide overnight

experiences with confidence. In order to

become more flexible and relevant in the

training available, Module 16: Nights Away has changed

and a new Module 38: Skills for Residential Experiences has been created.

Module 16: Introduction to Residential ExperiencesThis gives an introduction to the

place, value and organisation of

residential experiences, and their

importance in Scouting. This will

be a shorter version of the

obligatory module that all section

leaders need to complete.

Module 38: Skills for Residential ExperiencesThis focuses on the skills to

plan and run a successful

residential experience for

young people. It reflects the

skills needed for a Nights

Away Permit and aims to help

leaders gain new skills and

consolidate their knowledge.

These changes will give you more flexibility and

choice over the training you receive.

The Nights Away Permit Scheme remains a separate

national scheme, so while these modules aim to give

you all the knowledge you need, if you want to gain a

Nights Away Permit, you will still need to be assessed

separately (you don’t need a Nights Away permit to get

your Wood Badge).

Remember though, that there are no pre-requisites

for gaining a Nights Away Permit – you don’t have

to attend either of these courses to get one. In fact,

if you have a Nights Away Permit then you can

automatically validate both of these modules without

attending any training.


save the chıldren

FriendshipPassport

Get the new Friendship Passport resource pack for Beaver Scouts, in partnership

with Save the Children

15scouts.org.uk/pol

This month sees the start of our partnership

with Save the Children, a charity that works in

the UK and across the world to ensure that

children get proper healthcare, food,

education and protection.

The Friendship PassportThe Friendship Passport resource pack features a different

country each year, and is jammed full of fun and simple

activity ideas, including games and competitions.

From exploring the country’s geography, culture,

games and traditions, to examining the issues facing

children, and Save the Children’s work there, the

passport will take your Colony on an exciting journey

across the globe.

The aim is for each Beaver to fill their passport with all

the available stickers for each activity, and to get it

stamped by raising money or awareness, as friends of

Save the Children’s work.

The country we’ve chosen has been a big secret until

now, but it’s one that’s important to both Scouting and

Save the Children. To find out where the Friendship

Passport can take your Beaver Scouts in 2011, just visit

our partnership website.

www.savethechildren.org.uk/scouts

Get involvedThe Friendship Passport is a flexible programme

of activities that can be completed over a day, a

week, a month or even longer.

To receive your leaders’ resource pack,

including stickers for the passports and a great

prize when you finish, register at

www.savethechildren.org.uk/scouts or email

[email protected]

All of the activities are also available to

download individually from Programmes Online

(www.scouts.org.uk/pol).

Sample activity – Memory game

you will need:• a tray.

Cut out pictures of Save the Children’s life-saving

equipment, for example, mosquito nets, water

filters, micronutrient peanut butter paste and

vaccinations. You can also include everyday

household items.

Give the Colony, or an individual Beaver, 30

seconds to memorise the items on the tray,

then remove one item and ask them to guess

which is missing. Describe and discuss what the

items are used for, and how they can help save

children’s lives.



Reach for the sky

Satellites are usually found in space, not in a

village in West Sussex. Rose Wells investigates


‘I ’m so excited by all the adventures I’m going to

have,’ said new Beaver Scout Luke at the

opening of the satellite section of the 1st

Barnham Scout Group.

The high demand for Scouting, allied with a lack

of facilities and volunteers, gave Group Scout Leader

Stuart Thorne an idea. He got in touch with Mark

Guy, the Local Development Officer to discuss the

way forward.

‘At that time, the 1st Barnham had one Beaver

Colony, one Cub Pack and one Scout Troop’, says Mark.

‘Although we desperately needed to open another

Colony, we would have nowhere to meet. The Group only

have the use of the village hall for one evening a week and

trying to squeeze a fourth section in would be impossible.

‘Stuart wondered if we could start up a new Beaver

section in Walberton, a nearby village. A few months

later we invited the local community and those on the

Group’s joining list to attend a taster event.’

Real buzzThe turnout was better than expected. They

received 18 more enquiries to join and eight

expressions of interest in volunteering from the

adults. Stuart and Mark worked together over

the summer to follow up the leads and with

four parents willing to commit to help on a

regular basis, they opened the new Colony in

October with support from the District Team.

Walberton Parish Council helped the Colony get

established by offering them use of the Pavillion

village hall for meetings.

A packed evening of games and activities

launched the satellite section as the new

Beavers got to know each other. Parent and

helper Martin Roberts is part of the new

leadership team at Walberton, and was at the

launch: ‘I’m new to Scouting and the welcome

I’ve received is amazing. Our first meeting has

been a great success. There’s a real buzz for

Scouting and I’m so pleased to be part of it.

Many people think volunteering is hard work but

from what I’ve experienced so far it’s great fun!’

Assistant County Commissioner Mike Wakeling

is pleased they have been able to provide the

challenge and adventure of Scouting to more

young people in the community. ‘This is the way

forward,’ he explains. ‘We would like to see more

groups consider doing this as Scouting offers so

much to both young people and adults.’

Drumming up supportEvents planned over the coming months are an African

drumming evening, and a Scottish-themed night.

Parents are being encouraged to get involved by being

invited and a parent rota is to be introduced. ‘The plan

is to increase the size of the Colony over time as the

adults become more confident,’ says Mark.

The success of this new Beaver section generated so

much interest in the local area that a second satellite

section, a Cub Pack, is due to open in January.

This is good news for Beaver Scout Luke, who has his

Scouting future all planned out and who is looking

forward to even more activities in Cubs.

17scouts.org.uk/pol

section growth

New Beaver Scout Luke



This questionnaire was designed so that we

could gauge readers’ feelings about the

magazine and its content. Questions ranged

from what readers think of the content in

both the main magazine and the supplements, to the

type of adverts that are featured.

We have listed highlights of the results along with

suggested changes that will be implemented as part of

the review.

Highlights• Most of our readers look forward to receiving the

magazine, and will read over 50% of it.

• Over 50% of respondents find the magazine relevant

to their role, and feel that the content in it isn’t just

for new leaders.

• Most feel that receiving the magazine bimonthly is

the right frequency.

• Most are happiest receiving the magazine as a hard

copy, rather than electronically. However it is worth

noting that Scouting and its supplements are all

available online at www.scouts.org.uk/magazine

• People would like to see more Scouting skills,

activities and ‘how to’ guides in the magazine and

supplements.

• Most find the supplement and its content useful to

their role.

Outcomes One of the results of the questionnaire is the

standardisation of the content in the supplements, so

that similar content can be found in comparable places

in each supplement. A further outcome is the creation

of a pool of writers which will relieve the pressure on

current contributors and provide a wide range of

expertise. If you are interested in writing for the

magazine and its supplements please email the editorial

team at [email protected]

Your Programme, Your Voice

The Programme Team recently ran a Your

Programme, Your Voice questionnaire about

Scouting magazine and its supplements and

received nearly 3,000 responses

YPYV surveysYour Programme, Your Voice (YPYV) is a regular

online questionnaire created and run by the 6-25

Programme Team. Questions are asked about the

Programme and other related issues on a regular

basis. Members are alerted by email when there

is a new YPYV available. To participate, please

make sure your email address is on record on the

Membership database.

Check your detailsDo you receive the correct supplement? Do you

receive ScoutingPlus – our weekly news email?

If the answer is ‘no’ then perhaps you should

check and/or amend your details on our

Membership database at www.scouts.org.uk


IBC_BeaversSupp_DecJan.indd 4 11/11/2010 11:45

OBC_BeaversSupp_DecJan.indd 8 11/11/2010 11:47

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