;

17th May 2000

Dear Colleagues,

Uniform Consultation: and Programme Review

This letter is to bring you fully up-to-date on the arrangements for consultation about our proposed new uniform, and to give you early information on major decisions about our new programme.

At its meeting last weekend the Committee of the Council gave further consideration to the arrangements for the Movement-wide consultation about uniform. The Committee confirmed the timetable. The consultation will start following the Committee's June meeting, and will run for the period July to November as already notified to County and Area Commissioners. The consultation will be supported by the distribution of a questionnaire to the Talking Points distribution list of some 34,000 recipients; inserting the questionnaire in Scouting Magazine; and making it available on ScoutBase UK, in Scout Shops branches, and upon request from the Information Centre. It is not too soon to put in place local arrangements for appropriate discussions in Counties/Areas, Districts and Groups.

The Committee spent most of its time considering the final report of the Programme Review Group, which is based on the receipt of over 17,000 responses to its questionnaire, and on further work with focus groups. On the basis of the recommendations in the report the Committee agreed:

that Scouting for young people should in future be provided in five age ranges, or Sections, with core ages 6 - 8; 8 - 10½; 10½ - 14; 14 - 18; and 18 - 25, with considerable flexibility in transfer ages especially between the third and fourth sections;

to an outline programme plan for all five Sections, culminating, as now, in a (revised) Queen's Scout Award;

to the centrality of Scoutcraft and camping throughout the revised programme, with strong cross linking with the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme in the relevant age ranges;

to reaffirm the importance of peer leadership, as given, for example, by Sixers and Patrol Leaders;

to the retention of the Group structure as the local basis for providing Scouting for young people, particularly in the first three Sections; and

to a widening of leadership opportunities for both young people and adults.

Within this 'headline' framework there is a considerable amount of further detailed work to be undertaken, especially where the Committee modified the recommendations of the Review Group. Some of the further detail will, it is hoped, be reported to the Committee at its meeting in June; and it is planned to make a substantial presentation to the Council in Conference in September. That presentation will begin the full roll-out to the Movement of the new programme, which will continue through the planned regional meetings, dates for which have already been notified to all Counties and Areas. The new programme will be a vital ingredient in the future development plans for Scouting at all levels.

The Committee is determined not to introduce the new programme at an operational level until the necessary support materials and framework are sufficiently in place. Accordingly, the Committee has asked me to emphasise that the implementation of the new programme is not a race! A planned and phased implementation will take place over the period 2001 to 2003, and key 'milestone' dates will be shared with the Council in September.

Yours sincerely,

John Bevan Chairman, Committee of the Council