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The Programme Zones

These are essentially areas of activity. Beaver Scouts to Explorer Scouts have 6 Zones each, which match across the sections. The Scout Network Section have Self Development Areas rather than Zones.

The Zones cover activities such as Outdoors, Community, Fitness, Global, Creative and Beliefs and Attitudes. Leaders planning their Section's Programme need to visit each Zone regularly, to ensure that they deliver a Programme that is balanced. Sometimes the meeting night or event will cover activities from just one Zone, while other meetings will draw activities from a variety of Zones. There is no specific list of activities that need to be included in each Zone. Leaders are free to select activities that they feel are appropriate and will appeal to the young people in their Sections.

The Scout Network Self Development areas are Community, International and Skills and Development which should be included in the programme so that a balanced programme is delivered. As with the Zones for the younger sections there is no specific list of activities that need to be included but some examples can be found on the Scout Network pages; www.scouts.org.uk/network

The Methods

Each Section has a range of Methods that help Leaders to explore each Zone and Development Area in an imaginative way. While they vary slightly from Section to Section, most Sections include Methods that involve playing games, making things, going on visits, helping others, using the outdoors and following themes. The range of Methods helps to bring as much variety as possible into the Programme.

Underlying Ways of Working

These can best be described as the first impressions of someone walking in to your meeting. They would see lots of activity, and young people having fun. They would see teamwork and commitment, and as the young people get older, evidence of leadership and increased responsibility.

For taking part in the Programme, young people receive a special badge, awarded on the anniversary of their first Investiture in a Scouting Section. It is a chance to celebrate what has been achieved through their involvement in the Programme. In the Beaver Scout and Cub Scout Sections this is called the Joining-In Award, while in the Scout Section it is known as the Participation Award. In Explorer Scouting and the Scout Network, the badge is replaced by a certificate, which records the young person's achievements during the year, and looks at the opportunities that exist for the following year.

The Beaver, Cubs and Scout sections have Challenge Awards. They grow naturally from the acivities in the Programme Zones, and challenge the young people to use the skills they have learned. By undertaking a Challenge individually, or as a member of a group, members can earn a badge in the Colony, Pack or Troop.

In the Explorer and Scout Network Sections don't have Challange Awards but have challenges which make up each of the Awards in those two sections.

All the Sections have a top or key award.

• For Beaver Scouts, the top award is the Chief Scout's Bronze Award. To achieve this, a Beaver Scout will need to earn all six Challenges available in the Beaver Socut Section.
• The top award for a Cub Scout is the Chief Scout's Silver Award. The Cub Scout must earn all but the Outdoor Plus Challenge to gain the Chief Scout's Silver Award.
• The Scout Section's top award is the Chief Scout's Gold Award.Scouts need to achieve the Promise, Community, Global, Creative, Fitness and Outdoor Challenge Awards, and two of the following three: Adventure, Expedition and Outdoor Plus.
• In the Explorer Scout Section, the three key awards run in parallel with the three Duke of Edinburgh Awards. They are the Chief Scout's Platinum Award,the Chief Scout's Diamond Award and Queen's Scout Award. Most Explorer Scouts do not complete their Queen's Scout Award however and continue to work towards it during their time in Scout Network.
• In the Scout Network Section, the key awards are the Chief Scout's Diamond Award and the Queen's Scout Award, which also run in paralell with the relevant Duke of Edinburgh Awards.

Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorer Scouts can all work towards a range of Activity Badges. These can be used to complement and extend the Balanced Programme. In addition there are six Staged Activity Badges, each with a number of levels that can be taken by any Scout under 18 years of age at any time. They are IT, Musician, Nights Away, Swimmer, Hikes Away and Emergency Aid.

Partnership Awards provide another way of helping Leaders to run a Balanced Programme. They can only be earned by members from two or more Sections working together. There are three Partnerships Awards - the International Friendship Award, the Environment Award and the Faith Award. There is considerable flexibility in the rules for working for these Awards.