;For information call us on: 0845 300 1818
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Happy New Year and welcome to the 7th edition of eNews.
Thanks to the hard work of a member of the UK Adviser's team we have been able to put a template on to Scoutbase for the Chief Scouts Bronze award certificate. The template is available with two different fonts: Beaver Funhouse font and Ariel. This means that you can now fill in the fields on the template, pop the certificate into your printer and produce a smart printed certificate to present to your Beavers!
Use the link below:
One of the areas of work for the 6-25 Programme Team and the Regional Development Service is the reduction in the size of waiting lists. Related to this is the need for accurate figures for future planning. The annual Census is coming up at the end of January and we would like all ACC/AACs to encourage leaders to enter accurate figures on to the census. For the waiting list question please remind leaders to only include those young people who have already reached the age of 6 years or above and are still waiting to join. Anyone under the age of 6 years are on a 'register of interest' and therefore should not be included on the census return form.
In September 2008 the Association rules for under 8s at Cub Scout meetings were changed following clarification of how the Children Act 1989 applies to Scouting. The flexible age range now applies to the Beaver section and young people may now join the Cub Scout section between the ages of 7.5 and 8.5, providing that this is suitable to the young person concerned, both Beaver and Cub Leaders and the Beaver Scout parents/carers. The core age for Beaver Scouts will remain 6-8 years and Cub Scouts 8-10 and half years. At the same time, the need to restrict the number of visits Beaver Scouts make to unregistered venues in a year to five has been removed. Please make sure that all involved in Beaver Scouting in your County/Area/Region are aware of these changes. To see the briefing document and a list of FAQs please go to:
Using the Moving on Award is a good method of ensuring that the transition to Cubs from Beavers is smooth and relatively simple.
The key to the success of the Moving On Award is the communication between the Beaver Scout Leader and the Cub Scout Leader. The criteria of the award suggests that the Beaver takes part in the Cub programme as well as the Beaver programme for at least 4 weeks prior to moving on so that they can learn about the Cub pack. We must also recognise that the Beaver is already a member of The Scout Association and should be welcomed into the pack, and be able to renew their promise as soon as possible after the swimming up ceremony, preferably at the first Pack meeting. In some cases to be able to achieve this it will mean that some of the work required to learn about the Cub pack can be done at Beavers, this will mean liaising and working closely with the Cub leader.
Here are our top 10 tips on moving on:
1. Hold regular joint activities with the Cub pack for the whole Colony e.g; a joint activity day, outing or visit to the Cub camp
2. Move/link Beavers to the Cub pack in small groups or with a close friend
3. Make the moving on event special
4. Invite the family to the ceremony
5. Work closely with the Cub Scout Leader
6. Have both the Colony and Cub Pack present during the moving on ceremony
7. Conclude the ceremony with a simple prayer read by the Beaver(s) who are leaving
8. Pass record cards onto the Cub pack (saves on admin!)
9. Encourage Beavers to complete the last page in their logbook
10. Keep Parents/Carers and Beavers informed every step of the way
The team have been out during the back end of last year attending the first batch of workshops. It has been great fun meeting many of you and in particular, getting feedback on what is happening in your Region. We are looking forward to meeting the rest of you at your own workshops in the next couple of months.
The Development, Advice and Support days have been held in a number of Regions across England since October '08. Feedback received so far has been extremely positive. If you are an adult supporting sections you will be contacted directly with further details of the forthcoming days.
The dates for the next days are:
North West of England - 08/02/09
Scotland - 13-15/02/09
Wales - 28/03/09
East of England - 29/03/09
Northern Ireland - To be confirmed
For more information on the workshops see:
www.scoutbase.org.uk/6to25/beaver/news/rdaas.htm
If you have attended one of the Programme Development, Advice and Support Days and would like any more support please don't hesitate to contact us on programme@scout.org.uk
Please also remember that the presentations are available online for you to use to support Scouting locally.
Do you know Section Leaders or Assistant Section Leaders who need to complete their training for their Wood Badge? If so, the next Section Leaders' Training course may be of interest to them.
When is it? 18th - 24th April 2009
What does it cover? This course gives practical information, advice and support for running your Colony, Pack, Troop or Unit.
You will operate in cross-sectional or sectional groups depending on the nature of the subject. You will be able to try out new ideas and theories and you will return home with a host of new skills that you will be able to directly apply to your role.
The following 14 modules of the Adult Training Scheme are covered: 5-9, 11-19.
How much does it cost? £399 Residential, £255 Camping including all meals
For more information and/or an application form please email adult.support@scout.org.uk, go to www.scouts.org.uk/gilwelltraining or phone 0845 300 1818
The British Red Cross are developing a new strategy for first aid learning for young people and would like to hear the thoughts, ideas and experiences of leaders and young people in Scouting. Your responses will help them to develop their strategy, and may influence the way we work with the British Red Cross to provide first aid learning to young people in Scouting in the future.
There are two questionnaires. Both can be completed online or downloaded to email back to:
Questionnaire for leaders (aimed at leaders in all Sections)
Complete online by visiting http://q.scouts.org.uk/s/E2jXJ12tV-oFJdf or download
Questionnaire for young people (aimed primarily at Scout, Explorer and Network members)
Complete online by visiting http://q.scouts.org.uk/s/4ZuoQkHmCC8Ln7H or download
The closing date for completion of questionnaires is 13th February 2009
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. If you have thoughts and ideas on this subject, we would be grateful to hear them at web.team@scout.org.uk Basic badge requirements and programme descriptions will still be available at this link:
For the latest information from the Activities and Global team at UKHQ, please visit:
Thank you for reading this edition of Beaver Scout eNews. If you have any ideas that you feel would make future issues even more helpful, please do not hesitate to let us know.
Andrew Wellbeloved
UK Commissioner for Programme
Karen Jameson
UK Adviser for Beaver Scouts
Jenny Winn
Programme and Development Adviser
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