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This is the first of a series of articles that will appear in SCOUTING Magazine, to help Adults in Scouting prepare for the launch of the new Programme in 2002.

In this Month's edition, we take a brief overview of the style of the new Youth Programme, and the new age ranges.

In 1995, The Programme Review Group was set up with one simple but wide ranging brief. To review the Association's 6 - 20 Programme and make recommendations to ensure that the Youth Programme achieved the aim of the Association after 2000.

December's SCOUTING Magazine explained how the Programme Review Group set about it's task of consulting with the Movement as widely as possible; a process that was to involve many thousands of people, through focus groups, questionnaires, exit interviews and meetings.

In May 2000, The Programme Review Group made their 47 recommendations, for the future of Scouting in the UK, to the Committee of the Council, - and Programme Review Implementation was born!

Since May the pace towards change has started to quicken and during the autumn of 2000, the efforts of PRI were channelled in two directions. A small team has delivered twelve full day presentations to hundreds of District Commissioners and members of the County and Area teams, outlining the new programme. Many of the participating Commissioners will by now have run their own briefing event locally.

While this was going on, dozens of experienced leaders and Commissioners, drawn from all parts of the U.K., have been busy, building the detail of the new Youth Programme, firmly based on the foundations that had been agreed by the Committee of the Council.

From the outset it had been seen as essential that what was being designed was ONE Youth Programme from 6 - 25, and not a series of new sectional programmes. The emphasis had been to provide holistic development for young people, based around six development areas.

(It is recognised that these are not inspiring names. They are working titles only, and will not appear as such in the training manuals)

The structure of the new programme will in future be similar within each section, so let us look at some of the common elements, to get a feel of how Scouting will look after 2002.

Membership and the Promise

When a young person joins Scouting, or moves to a new section, they will be helped to understand what Scouting has to offer, and the commitment they are making when they make their promise. The existing Promises have not changed, and a young person would still be expected to make the Promise in front of their peers. The making of the promise would form part of the new Membership Award.

Service or 'Participation' Awards

In the new approach to the programme, it will be the leaders who are responsible for delivering, a balanced and exciting programme, during a given period, that is based on the six areas of personal development outlined above. This change in the leader's role is a fundamental change for the Scout and Explorer Scout Section.

To recognise a young person's participation in the programme during the year, badges and certificates will be available.

Challenge Awards

Each section will also have a number of Challenge Awards. They would give young people a range of opportunities to learn new skills. Challenge Awards would be built around themes such as Outdoors, Global, Community, Adventure, Creative etc. Scoutcraft , including residential events, will be built into the Challenge Awards at an appropriate level for each age group.

The Top Awards

The Top Awards (the names of which have yet to be decided) will help recognise a young person's achievement in each section. To gain a Top Award, a young person would need to have achieved a number of the Challenge Awards and a Personal Challenge.

Activity Badges

Activity Badges will also be available to supplement the programme, (although they will be seen as optional). For the Scout section, this will mean a change of name from proficiency badges. Some badges will be available for Beaver Scouts, while others will be staged across more than one section. Some will also be available in the new Explorer Scout Section

Let us look now in turn at the five sections.

Beaver Scouting

The core age range for this section will be 6 - 8 years. Beaver Scout Leaders may welcome young people into the colony, at anytime in the three months before their 6th birthday (from 5¾). Beaver Scouts may remain with the Colony, if it is appropriate, until they are 8 ½, i.e. six months past the core age. At the present time Headquarters is discussing with Government departments, the implications of the Children's Act. There is currently some concern that if Beaver Scouts were to move to the pack before their 8th birthday, Cub Scout Leaders might come under the terms of the Act. As soon as the situation is clarified, District and County/Area Commissioners will be advised.

Beaver Scouting will retain its focus on a balanced programme. The new Challenge Awards will however introduce Beaver Scouts to the process of making decisions. The concept of 'home ' and 'away' will be strengthen in the new programme and more programme opportunities will be available through the introduction of the new Activity Badges.

The Cub Scout Section.

The core age range for this section will be 8 - 10 ½. If appropriate, Cubs Scouts may transfer to the Troop from the age of 10. Alternatively they may remain within the Pack, until they are 11 years old.

The new programme will require less management of individual choices, although the range of choices may well be wider. The Activity Badges will be better focused on an individual's best efforts, and a number will be staged across more than one Section. While the programme will be Leader led, young people will have the opportunity to be involved fully in decision making, relative to their age and ability. The increased flexibility in the age ranges will allow friends to move between sections together and should help with the management of waiting lists. All the Section's activities are being reassessed to ensure they are appropriate for the age range.

The Scout Section

The new core age range for the Troop will be 10 ½ - 14years. If appropriate, young people may join from their 10th birthday. Some Scouts may wish to leave the Troop for the next section at 13 ½, whilst others may choose to remain in the Troop until they are 15. In all decisions on flexibility, the main concern should be the needs of the young person.

The move to a leader led Section is a significant change, but there will still be many opportunities to empower young people and to provide them with real leadership and responsibility. Choices will still be available in the programme, but it will be simpler for leaders to manage. Patrols will still be a valid part of the Troop's organisation, but they may be formed differently and may not be the only common grouping within the Troop.

Scoutcraft will remain as fundamental to the Section and all activities will be more clearly targeted for the age range, with young people being able to develop in there own way and at their own pace. The new programme will legitimise more ways of 'being a Scout' and it is possible that in future, some Scouts Troops may look very different from what is familiar today. The programme will provide young people with a taste of a range of activities, with opportunities for further involvement through Challenge Awards and Activity Badges.

While much of the programme will be based around the interests and abilities of the leaders, there will be a greater emphasis on sharing skills and expertise within localities.

The Explorer Scout Section.

With a core age of 14 - 18 years, this is a new Section with a new approach. It is not Venture scouting with a new name, but it will inherit much of what was the best of Venture Scouting. The programme will however be leader led, but will treat members as young adults and offer every opportunity for participation in decision making and increased responsibility. All the personal development areas will be met within the balanced programme, quite independently of the Award Scheme, which has been designed to incorporate the Duke of Edinburgh's Award.

The structure of Explorer Scouts will validate young people in a variety of groups, (such as friendship groups) doing activities together. While the Section will be District led, there will be partnership agreements with Scout Groups. How these agreements will work in practice will be revealed at the 14-25 National Workshop at the end of June.

The Scout Network

The core age of the second new section is 18 - 25 years. While Explorer Scouts may transfer from this section between the ages of 17½ and 18½, the 25th birthday is clearly the end point. The new section will be self-governing, self-determining and self-directing. The role of the section leader would be to maintain an overview but also to steer, train, advise, initiate and innovate when required. Every member within a County / Area, between the ages of 18 - 25 would be a member of the Scout Network, and be registered at this level. They will all have the opportunity to continue to work towards Awards, including the Duke of Edinburgh's Award and The Queen's Scout Award.

What happens now?

From the beginning of February 2001, the new flexibility in age ranges may be introduced. That means that children may join Beaver Scouting from 5¾. For the present, no one under the age of 8 years may join the Pack. See the table below

The age range structure and flexibility that may be used from February 1st 2001, in addition to the existing Sectional structure being used locally, is :

* Please remember the note of caution with regard to the Children Act and under eights joining the Cub Scout Pack. Headquarters is now in contact with government departments in order to clarify the matter.

** Please note that this flexibility is aimed at retaining existing members, not recruiting over 20 year olds.

Venture Scouts may remain as members of their units, until they are 25, and continue working for the Queens Scout Awards. The immediate leader teams, in consolation with the young people, and where appropriate their parents, make the decision on flexibility.

The flexibility has been introduced now, to allow leaders to manage their membership better and to ensure that young people benefit from the challenges offered by the next section at the appropriate time for that young person.

It is acknowledged that Districts will have a role to play in advising Groups on the use of this flexibility.

The details of the new programme and all the supporting resources will be launched in the late spring of 2002. During the coming twelve months, Headquarters will be doing all it can to help leaders prepare for the changes that the new Youth Programme will require. For the immediate future we would strongly urge everyone not to implement any radical changes in anticipation of the new programme.

This is a time for reflection and planning.

There is still much work to be done, but as more and more people hear of the plans for the future, there is a growing sense of optimism. This is, after all, a popular movement for change, built firmly on the experiences of thousands of Leaders and Commissioners throughout the UK. With your support and enthusiasm we will be able to provide better Scouting to more young people. It is after all...

'Our movement, our future......'

Daragh O'Malley

PRI Management Team