The magazine for Beaver Scout Leaders

December 2009/January 2010

All SaintsIdeas to celebrate our

Wales and Ireland

Get ready for 2010Create a calendar for

your Colony

HAVE FAITHHAVE FAITHActivities, games and insights to make

the most of the Beliefs and Attitudes Zone

OUR TOP THREEOUR TOP THREEKNOTS:

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INTRO

Contents 4 Keep the faith

Ideas and activities to help your Beavers achieve the Faith Activity Badge

8 A year in picturesCreate a 2010 door calendar

10 POPA healthy eating programme on a plate

12 Leeks and shamrocks Ways to celebrate St Patrick and St David

14 Top knots Knots and what to do with them 16 Bridging the gap We drop in on a dynamic duo

who are developing the diversity of Scouting

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

Contact them at:programme@scout.org.ukTel: 0845 300 1818

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

Contributions to:scouting.magazine@scout.org.uk

This issue’s contributors:Maggie Bleksley Charlie DaleRuth HubbardJenny WinnEmma Wood

ADVERTISINGRichard Ellacottrichard.ellacott@thinkpublishing.co.ukTel: 020 8962 1258

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

ist Britwill Beaver Scouts travelled

to Stoke Poges to help out with the

conservation of the heathland. They

helped to clear dozens of birch trees,

which are blocking the sunlight to the

heather. The Group is recycling the

trunks, using them as pioneering poles.

Jenny Winn introduces this issue’s magazine, designed to help you

with the most difficult Programme Zone

Many of the programme ideas and activities in this issue fall into the Beliefs

and Attitudes Programme Zone. We hope these will help you with this zone,

which we know leaders find difficult to use.

We also visit a multi-faith Colony in the North West, and find out how they

run the Colony and deal with some of the issues they have encountered.

InTouchAs detailed in the main magazine (p64), the existing Home Contact system

is being replaced by a new system called InTouch. It is important to note

that although InTouch should make the lives of Beaver Scout Leaders easier

through its flexibility, it is a requirement for all Beaver activities, including

normal weekly meetings, and not something that can just be ignored. This means there is no longer a specific requirement to appoint a third

party Home Contact to sit at home by the phone whenever you take the

Beavers away. Instead you will need to put in place the most appropriate

system for any event, activity or meeting you run. This doesn’t mean lots of

extra work, but should mean increased flexibility in the way you can manage

your communications.

InTouch will be implemented across the UK between now and 1 September

2010, and your District Commissioner will be able to let you know when your

District will be moving across from the Home Contact system.

Full details of InTouch can be found at www.scouts.org.uk/intouch and in the

factsheet InTouch (FS120075).

Beliefs and Attitudes

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4 Beavers December 2009/January 2010

The requirements1. Write a prayer or reflection.

2. Read or share a prayer at the opening or

closing ceremony or some other time.

3. Find and tell a story that relates to the Beaver

Scout Promise.

4. Tell others in the Colony about the story in an

interesting way, for example, as simple drama,

picture, cartoon, or part of a game.

5. Visit a place of worship and show evidence of

their visit with photographs, drawings,

handouts, leaflets or information sheets.

Keep the faithGet spiritual this issue, as Emma Wood

guides you through the Faith Activity Badge

M any Beaver Scout Leaders have told me

that this is a badge they initially shy

away from, mainly because they are a

bit scared of getting it wrong and

offending people. They needn’t be, though, as this

badge gives a golden opportunity to explore the

fascinating similarities and differences between world

faiths and understand why their celebrations and

traditions exist.

The following activities are tied in with the

requirements for the Faith Activity Badge, but can also

be slotted in to your balanced programme to help

provide a spiritual element.

1. Write a prayer or reflection.

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programme ıdeas

StoriesThere are many stories that relate to the Beaver

Scout Promise, and which come from the many

faiths that make up our nation’s identity. Here is

a snapshot:

• The Good Samaritan (Christianity). The

classic tale of the man from Samaria who,

unlike the others who passed by, helped a man

in desperate need. www.tinyurl.com/l9rdd8

• The snake in the wall (Judaism). A tale

about a girl who was especially kind and

helpful and who was rewarded with her life.

www.tinyurl.com/l3oqju

• A brother like that (Islam). A modern

parable about thinking of others and being

kind. www.tinyurl.com/lofm36

• Six blind men and the elephant (Hinduism)A great poem about how you shouldn’t make

decisions based on one piece of evidence.

www.tinyurl.com/ly89f5

Read some of these stories to the Beaver Scouts

and they can then act them out in small groups

or draw the story for themselves in cartoon form.

Celebrating the seasonsHindus hold festivals to celebrate the seasons

changing. Holi is a two-day spring festival held

in February or March. On the first day, people

light bonfires, on the second, they honour the

playful god Krishna by playing practical jokes,

such as throwing coloured water.

Celebrate the arrival of spring with a bonfire

party. Instead of throwing coloured water

around, let the Beaver Scouts take it in turns to

throw handfuls of different powder carefully

into a small fire to see what happens. Iron

filings, custard powder and flour all sparkle or

burn quickly with different colours – experiment

beforehand to find some impressive safe

powders to use.

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6 Beavers December 2009/January 2010

Circle prayerYour Beaver Scouts will have great fun

constructing their own instant prayer:

1. Standing in a circle, the first person starts the

prayer by saying one word – probably ‘Dear’.

2. The person next to them says another word,

such as ‘God’.

3. The next must then continue the prayer with

a third word, such as ‘Thank’.

4. This continues around the circle, with each

person saying just one word, which follows on

sensibly from the previous one. Hopefully the

prayer will keep going around the circle more

than once before coming to a full stop. Leaders

placed in the circle at intervals can help keep it

on track, and a certain amount of prompting

may be needed at times.

5. Perhaps this could become the new way of

closing your weekly meetings – try it!

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Find more faith-related activities on Programmes Online, visit www.scouts.org.uk/pol and search ‘faith’.

Like this?

Game – RunaroundLabel the four corners of the hall a different faith

(eg Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism and Islam.)

Call out a fact specifically related to one of

the faiths and Beaver Scouts have to decide

which faith the fact relates to. The Beaver Scouts

then run to the corner of the room they think is

correct.

This is a good way to round off a Faith

Activity Badge course. You may wish to remind

them of what they have discovered before

playing the game…

• Hindu priests are called brahmins.

• Christian leaders are called vicars.

• Christingle is a Christian service that looks

forward to Jesus’ birth – the orange represents

the world, the candle the light.

• Sikhs wear five special things to show their

faith: Kes – uncut hair; Kirpan – a small sword;

Kara – a steel bangle; Kanga – a wooden

comb; Kacch – white shorts.

• Jewish men wear special clothes as a sign of

their faith: Kippah is a little cap that covers the

crown of the head and is worn as a mark of

respect for God.

• For praying, Jewish men may wear a tallit

or shawl.

• Pesach or Passover is a Jewish festival held in

March or April. It commemorates the time

when the Jews escaped from slavery in Egypt.

• Mosques are buildings where Muslims meet

to pray.

• Islam teaches that it is a religious duty to pray

five times a day. They face in the direction of

Mecca, the Holy city of Islam.

VisitsAll faiths have at their heart the desire to be

good citizens and to help others in the

community. This spirituality lies at the heart of

Scouting and is what sets us apart from youth

clubs and many other organisations.

Demonstrate this by visiting an old people’s

home and planting bulbs in their gardens.

Alternatively, decorate flowerpots at a Colony

meeting, plant bulbs in these and then take

them to the home.

Rather than visit for the Faith Badge, you

could visit two places from different religions

such as a church and a mosque. Make a Colony

poster to show the differences and similarities of

the places visited, using drawings, words and

pictures cut from magazines. Perhaps you could

pair up elements of each faith you look at. For

example:

Christianity Judaism Islam

Bible Tenakh Qu’ran

Vicar Rabbi Imam

Church Temple Mosque

Visual treasure huntBefore you visit as a Colony, go to the places of

worship and take some photographs of details

in and around each building. Print these off

and create a visual treasure hunt for the Colony

visit, where groups of Beaver Scouts have to

find each item pictured and then answer a

simple question. For example, a photograph of

the font asking what date is carved into it.

PROGRAMME IDEAS

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8 Beavers December 2009/January 2010

A year in picturesCreate a door calendar for 2010.

By Charlie Dale

2 009 is nearly over and we’re on the edge of 2010.

This is a special time of year for thinking and

planning. Did you know that December used to be

the tenth (and last) month of the year, before

January and March existed in the Roman calendar? Did you

know that the month of January is named after an ancient

Roman god called Janus, who was worshipped as the god of

beginnings and endings, and of doors? His name, Janus,

meant ‘door’ in a very ancient Italian language called

Etruscan. January became the doorway of our new year. But

not everybody is living with the same calendar, and their New

Year celebrations happen at different times of year. People

today are living in the year 5769 (Jewish calendar), 1430

(Islamic calendar) or in 4706 (Chinese calendar). The Western

or Christian calendar marks the year in which Jesus is

believed to have been born, 2009 years ago.

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Make a Janus door calendar

This style of calendar is very popular for advent, but

you can adapt the idea to the life of your own Beaver

Scout Colony over a year, with 12 big doors to open!

What activities have you got planned for 2010?

What will the Beaver Scouts be looking forward to

each month? Making the calendar will take some

teamwork between adults and Beaver Scouts.

you will need• large piece of paper and large piece of card

(matching sizes)• 12 sheets of paper – coloured or white• craft knife • cutting surface• paints or coloured pens• pencil• ruler• sticky tape or glue.

1. Lay the card down on the cutting surface and

use the pencil to mark out the positions of 12

rectangular doors, all the same size, either

randomly or evenly arranged over the area.

2. Using the craft knife (adults only) cut three sides

of each rectangle, leaving one side for the door

hinge. Don’t fold the doors back yet! Score the

hinge side very lightly.

3. A door-sized rectangle should then be marked

in pencil in the middle of each of the 12 sheets

of paper.

4. Beaver Scouts can decorate the whole card area

with whatever designs they like, whether it’s

individual pictures or a collaborative artwork

reflecting a year of their activities. This is what is

going to show all the time, so they need to think

about what they are going to draw. Are they going

to highlight the doors or will they be hidden in the

design? The name or number of each month needs

to be marked on the doors.

5. When the design is finished or the layout sorted,

an adult needs to lay the card over the paper and

gently lift the edges of the doors to mark the

position of each door on the paper. Don’t forget to

write a month too. Close the doors again, in time

for January’s opening ceremony.

6. Divide the Beaver Scouts into 12 small groups (or

if you have fewer than 12 in the Colony, Beavers

can draw more than one window). This is where

the surprise element comes in! Each group is

allocated a month to illustrate, a piece of the paper

with a rectangle marked on it, and some paints or

pens. They need to keep their drawing/painting

inside the pencil rectangle, and it must be kept a

secret from the other Beaver Scouts. They should

hand the finished pictures to the leaders without

anyone else seeing. Leaders should help with ideas

– are they celebrating a festival, or going to an

event, or on a group visit next year?

7. Once the pictures are finished, a leader should

stick the pictures in the correct places on the large

sheet of paper so that they appear behind the right

door for each month.

8. The front card should now be fixed carefully over

the illustrated paper so that the doors match the

pictures, with no gaps at the side edges for Beaver

Scouts to peep through.

9. If possible, hang the calendar so that the Beaver

Scouts can see it and enjoy it all year. There will

now be something else to look forward to at the

first meeting in every month!

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Programmes on a platePOPThis issue’s theme is healthy eating,

written by Emma Wood

Opening ceremony 5 mins N/A Follow themes Introduce the theme for the evening. Talk about healthy eating, including fruit pancakes.

Game: Pancake race 10 mins Global Play games You will need: A flour tortilla (they are stronger than real pancakes!), small frying pan or small tennis racquet per Lodge.•Inrelayformation,thefirstBeaverScoutracesfromoneendofthehall

to the other, flipping their ‘pancake’ at least four times.•TheypasstothenextBeaverScout,whorunsbackflipping

the pancake.•Thiscontinuesuntileveryonehashadaturn.

Activity: Cook pancakes 30 mins Creative Follow themes To make 24 pancakes: 375g (12oz) plain flour; large pinch of salt; 3 eggs; 900ml (1 ½ pints) milk; oil to cook with. Forpancakefillings:Strawberries;blackberries;raspberries;raisins;lowfat fruit yoghurts.

Make sure you have checked with parents for food allergies before this meeting. Also have an adult or Young Leader with each group.

•Insmallgroups,theBeaverScoutsmaketheirpancakes:Mixtheflour and salt and break in the eggs.

•Addhalftheliquidandthengraduallyworkintheplainflour.•Beatuntilsmooth–addingtheremainingliquid.•Heattheoilinafryingpan(itneedstobehottoworkwell)andpour in a little of the batter. •Cookononeside,thenflipoverwithafishsliceandcookonthe

other side. •Addhealthyfruitfillingsandeat!•Asanalternativetopancakes,youcouldmakesmalldropscones

with raisins and lemon juice.

Activity:Healthyeatingplate 15 mins Fitness Follow themes Youwillneed:SmallunwaxedpaperplateperBeaverScout;picturesof healthy foods from magazines/newspapers; scissors; glue; felt-tipped pens.•EachBeaverScouthasaplate.•Theychoosetheirfavouritepicturesofhealthyfoodandcut

them out.•Gluethepicturesontotheplate.•Iftheycan’tfindtheirfavouritehealthyfoodthentheycandraw

this onto the plate.•Displayonthenoticeboard.

Game: Raisin the stakes 10 mins Fitness Play games You will need: 30 raisins/sultanas per Lodge; lots more raisins/sultanas; an adult or Young Leader per Lodge if possible.•EachLodgehastheir30raisins.Onepersonholdsalltheraisins.•ThefirstBeaverScoutchoosestohave2or3raisinsclosedintheir

right hand. •Theyrunuptotheirleaderandtheleaderhastoguesshowmany

raisinstheBeaverScoutisholding.•Iftheleaderiscorrect,theytaketheraisins.Iftheleaderiswrong,

theleaderhastogivetheBeaverScoutthesamenumberofraisinsthat they were holding.

•TheBeaverScoutreturnstotheirLodgeandthenextBeaverScoutchooses their raisins. This continues until all have had a few turns.

•CountuptheraisinsandseewhichLodgehasmorethanthe30they started with.

Closing ceremony BeliefsandAttitudes Follow themes

Activity/Game Time Zone Method Instructions

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36292 BeaverOlympics

48635 Balloonpoweredcars

50385 Fireworks scraper boards

245 Mark’sfirstpoppy

49000 BeaverPromiseGame

Ref Activity name

Beavers December 2009/January 201010

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

Opening ceremony 5 mins N/A Follow themes Introduce the theme for the evening. Talk about healthy eating, including fruit pancakes.

Game: Pancake race 10 mins Global Play games You will need: A flour tortilla (they are stronger than real pancakes!), small frying pan or small tennis racquet per Lodge.•Inrelayformation,thefirstBeaverScoutracesfromoneendofthehall

to the other, flipping their ‘pancake’ at least four times.•TheypasstothenextBeaverScout,whorunsbackflipping

the pancake.•Thiscontinuesuntileveryonehashadaturn.

Activity: Cook pancakes 30 mins Creative Follow themes To make 24 pancakes: 375g (12oz) plain flour; large pinch of salt; 3 eggs; 900ml (1 ½ pints) milk; oil to cook with. Forpancakefillings:Strawberries;blackberries;raspberries;raisins;lowfat fruit yoghurts.

Make sure you have checked with parents for food allergies before this meeting. Also have an adult or Young Leader with each group.

•Insmallgroups,theBeaverScoutsmaketheirpancakes:Mixtheflour and salt and break in the eggs.

•Addhalftheliquidandthengraduallyworkintheplainflour.•Beatuntilsmooth–addingtheremainingliquid.•Heattheoilinafryingpan(itneedstobehottoworkwell)andpour in a little of the batter. •Cookononeside,thenflipoverwithafishsliceandcookonthe

other side. •Addhealthyfruitfillingsandeat!•Asanalternativetopancakes,youcouldmakesmalldropscones

with raisins and lemon juice.

Activity:Healthyeatingplate 15 mins Fitness Follow themes Youwillneed:SmallunwaxedpaperplateperBeaverScout;picturesof healthy foods from magazines/newspapers; scissors; glue; felt-tipped pens.•EachBeaverScouthasaplate.•Theychoosetheirfavouritepicturesofhealthyfoodandcut

them out.•Gluethepicturesontotheplate.•Iftheycan’tfindtheirfavouritehealthyfoodthentheycandraw

this onto the plate.•Displayonthenoticeboard.

Game: Raisin the stakes 10 mins Fitness Play games You will need: 30 raisins/sultanas per Lodge; lots more raisins/sultanas; an adult or Young Leader per Lodge if possible.•EachLodgehastheir30raisins.Onepersonholdsalltheraisins.•ThefirstBeaverScoutchoosestohave2or3raisinsclosedintheir

right hand. •Theyrunuptotheirleaderandtheleaderhastoguesshowmany

raisinstheBeaverScoutisholding.•Iftheleaderiscorrect,theytaketheraisins.Iftheleaderiswrong,

theleaderhastogivetheBeaverScoutthesamenumberofraisinsthat they were holding.

•TheBeaverScoutreturnstotheirLodgeandthenextBeaverScoutchooses their raisins. This continues until all have had a few turns.

•CountuptheraisinsandseewhichLodgehasmorethanthe30they started with.

Closing ceremony BeliefsandAttitudes Follow themes

Activity/Game Time Zone Method Instructions

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12 Beavers December 2009/January 2010

Leeks and shamrocks

Enjoy activities celebrating Wales and Ireland

ST DAVID, PATRON SAINT OF WALES1 MARCH St David was born in Wales in the sixth century. During his

lifetime, he founded a monastery, became the Archbishop

of Wales and healed many sick people by faith. He

converted many of the Celtic tribes to Christianity.

Leek skittles

When the Welsh were at battle with the Saxons,

St David advised the soldiers to wear leeks so that

they were easily distinguished from their enemies.

The Welsh were victorious and the leek became

their national emblem along with the daffodil.

These skittles are very easy to make, so there will be

plenty of time to play a game with them

afterwards.

you will need (per skittle)• kitchen roll tube • A4 sheet of white paper• A5 sheet of green paper• scissors• sticky tape.

1. Roll the white paper tightly round the tube, so

that only the top is uncovered. Secure with tape.

2. Roll the green paper round the top half, extending

it about 6cm past the top of the tube.

3. Make vertical cuts around the extended part and

bend back slightly.

4. Now play a traditional skittles game or try the

following alternative:

Skittles with a twist1. Split the Beavers into two equal teams, each

team at either end of the hall.

2. Number each team member.

3. Place a chair next to each team.

4. Leek skittles are placed in the middle.

5. When a number is called, the two relevant

Beavers race to pick up a leek and place on their

team’s chair.

6. The first Beaver to collect three skittles wins the

round and scores a point for the team.

7. The game continues, with the leader shouting a

different number.

8. When there are no more leeks in the middle,

Beavers may take them, one at a time, from their

opponent’s chair.

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all saints

ST PATRICK, PATRON SAINT OF IRELAND17 MARCH St Patrick grew up in south Wales, but, according to

legend, he was kidnapped by pirates, who took him as

a slave in Ireland, where he remained captive for six

years. He claimed that God spoke to him in a dream,

telling him how to escape on a ship, which he did. He

then went back to Ireland, where he spread the news

of Christianity, setting up churches and schools to

facilitate this.

Irish Beaver Scouts

Irish Beaver Scouts wear grey jerseys and shorts

with a green scarf, regardless of their group

colours. Celebrate St Patrick’s Day with green

scarves and shamrock woggles.

you will need• For the scarves:

triangles of green crepe paper or good quality tissue paper.

• For the woggles: coloured card, including green card, sticky tape, double-sided foam sticky pads.

1. Download the template from

www.scouts.org.uk/pol (search

‘shamrock’), copy and cut from the

green card (it may be best to do this

in advance).

2. Cut 12cm x 3cm rectangles from

card of any colour.

3. Help the Beavers to roll the paper

into scarves (don’t fold flat as this will make it too

difficult to pass through the woggles).

4. Roll the rectangles of card around a plain plastic

woggle and tape in place.

5. Slide out woggle.

6. Stick the shamrock on top of the overlap with a

foam pad.

Leprechaun’s crock

A leprechaun’s most improtant possesion is his crock

of gold. The story goes that if you try to steal a

leprechaun’s pot of gold, you must keep your eyes

on him at all times. He will try to trick you into

looking away, then he will disappear, crock and all!

If you have any suitable hiding places in your

meeting place, the ‘crock’ could be a jar of crisps,

chocolate coins or other goodies. If not, hide

something smaller, like a thimble or a picture of a

pot of gold.

1. The Beavers are the thieves and a leader is the

leprechaun.

2. The thieves must keep watching the leprechaun,

who will shout out a string of instructions in the

manner of ‘Simon Says’.

3. Every so often, sneak in a something like ‘Turn

around three times’, or, even more sneakily, ‘Billy,

what are you doing?’ Any Beaver caught looking

round drops out and forfeits a chance to win the

crock.

4. The winner gets first pick but the ‘gold’ should

be shared.

Find more Welsh and Irish ideas on Programmes Online:

Search ‘Ireland’ or ‘Wales’ on www.scouts.org.uk/pol

more info

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14 Beavers December 2009/January 2010

B eing able to tie the right knot for the right

job is a basic Scouting skill. Mastering even

a couple of knots is immensely satisfying

and will elicit big grins of triumph from even

the youngest Beaver. My aim is not to tell you how to

tie the knots, just how to get your Beavers interested.

The keys to success are to choose just a couple of

knots which are sufficiently different not to be

confused; the reef knot and sheet bend look,

superficially, similar and can be confusing. You must be

proficient in the chosen knots and be able to explain

when the knots are used.

Top knotsDo you tie yourself up in knots when

it comes to one of the longest serving

Scouting skills? Ruth Hubbard helps

you untangle your fears with a fun

guide to her top three knots that

Beavers will love to learn

KNOT 1: The reefThe reef knot is the basic Scout knot. If you use

cord of two different colours, and tell your

Beavers to tie ‘blue over red and under, blue

over red and under’, they will not need to

know their left and right. Show them that it

must only be used when both ropes are under

equal strain or it will become a lark’s head knot

and slip. The reef knot is used to tie the two

ends of a sling because it lies flat and doesn’t

dig in.

Materials- Nice, substantial cord – nylon washing line is

very cheap and available in different colours.

- Clear step-by-step pictures (see factsheet

Scout Skills – Simple Knots (FS315082),

available from www.scouts.org.uk/infocentre

- Sample knots, for the Beaver Scouts to follow.

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skılls

KNOT 3: The clove hitchThe clove hitch is essential for lashing and is

easy to tie. Along with the bowline and the

sheet bend, it’s often considered one of the

most essential knots.

Once mastered, the clove hitch seamlessly

leads on to the constrictor hitch – a hugely

useful means of bracing two lengths of wood,

whether it’s a broken tent pole or a split

kettle handle.

Games with knotsKnow your knots

you will need• per team: a set of cards showing a picture of a

knot, its name and purpose. Each team’s set should be a different colour.

• props, such as a teddy bear and fishing line (optional).

1. Before the meeting, tie several different

sample knots and place them around the hall,

ideally demonstrating the use of the knot (eg a

bear in a sling with a reef knot, a fisherman’s

knot in a fishing line).

2. Give each team a set of cards showing a

picture of a knot, its name and purpose, then

ask the Beavers to leave the right card with the

right knot – if each team have their own colour,

you can decide which team are right or wrong.

A simple knot raceSplit your Beavers into teams, making sure

there are a couple in a team who have

mastered the reef knot. Each team has several

lengths of cord and, in five minutes, has to

make the longest piece of rope it can using

only reef knots.

Eat your knotsHave some strawberry laces to hand and

challenge the Beaver Scouts: ‘If you master

your knot in cord, I will give you a strawberry

lace. If you succeed again, you can eat it!’

Factsheet Scout Skills – Simple Knots (FS315082)

Part of the Scouting Skills series showing how

to teach yourself and train others.

www.scouts.org.uk/infocentre

There are also some useful step-by-step videos

to tying knots on www.youtube.com

Simply search ‘knots’.

more info

KNOT 2: The bowlineThe bowline makes a loop which will not slip.

It looks tricky but it has a story which Beavers

readily grasp: ‘first there was a tree. At the

bottom of the tree there was a rabbit hole,

which spelled ‘b’ for bunny. The rabbit came

out of his hole, ran round the back of the tree

and back down his hole. Then the tree grew.’

Show the Beavers how to tie this.

Once you’ve mastered the clove hitch, you could try the constrictor

- the perfect rope ladder knot.

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16 Beavers December 2009/January 2010

Bridging the gap

Scouting should be reflective of the surrounding community,

but this is not always the case. Hilary Galloway meets a

leader who is helping to redress the balance

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17scouts.org.uk/pol

Bridging the gap W e’re not a white, Christian and boys

only organisation, and that’s what we

had to convince parents of.’ So says

Nigel Parkinson, Group Scout Leader at

Wensleyfold Beaver Colony in Blackburn, who recently

set up a new Colony and Group.

‘The Blackburn community is very diverse, with

people from different enthic backgrounds and with

different faiths. The District Commissioner identified

that the ethnic make-up of Scouting in the area wasn’t

really representative of this community. So, myself and

Ian Cross, a leader at a nearby Group, decided we

wanted the challenge of setting up Scouting in that

particular community.’

The first task was to secure a meeting place that

would be accessible to everyone in the community.

‘One of the local schools seemed like the obvious

choice,’ says Ian. ‘It was relatively easy to organise –

finding the children proved more difficult.

‘Our focus was to get everyone from the local

community interested in joining but initially a lot of the

parents had misconceptions of what Scouting was

about.’ So to attract potential members, Ian and Nigel

went on the charm offensive. They did a serious of

events at the school: a mobile zoo, taster sessions of

activities and a parents’ evening.

Setting the programmeSeveral months later, the Colony was ready to launch.

Saturday was chosen as the meeting day, as a lot of the

children had other commitments in the evenings. Eleven

Beavers joined on the first day.

Once they had Beaver Scouts and a meeting place,

they focused on the programme, and addressed how to

include the multi-faith element.

‘We make sure we cover all the main faiths and they

are an integrated part of the programme. Over the last

few months, we have done Eid cards for Eid and come

Christmas we’ll do Christmas cards. We’ll probably also

do a larger event around something that promotes

diversity, such as Chinese new year.’

‘We also held a mass investiture for the Beaver

Scouts,’ explains Nigel. ‘Because we knew there were

multiple faiths, we spoke to the parents in advance

about which version of the Promise their child would

like to use.’

Nigel and Ian also make sure that there’s lots of

adventure packed into the programme. ‘We’ve had our

first sleepover, and they have tried archery and grass

sledging,’ adds Ian.

Getting parents onboardOne parent who has witnessed the benefits of Scouting

for her children is Mekka Dakak. Originally from France,

she has two children in the Group – one in Beavers and

one in Cubs. ‘When we moved here I couldn’t find any

clubs or activities for my kids but then the Colony

opened – I was very happy about that. I want my

children to discover lots of new things.’

‘My eldest one, Imame used to be very reserved. I

saw the difference in her when she returned from Cub

camp – she became more independent and outgoing.’

Mekka also helps out when she cans. ‘I ferry the

Beavers around or cook at barbecues – whenever Ian or

Nigel need me.’

Future plansThe Group has been running for just over a year and it

is growing all the time. But there is still some way to go.

‘We’re now focusing on attracting parents to the

leadership team as we’d very much like the leadership

to be representative of the make up of the community,’

says Nigel. ‘That’s our next challenge.’ Ian sums up

what will mean true success for them. ‘We promised

ourselves that once the Colony was up and running,

with leaders from the area, we would be able to move

on ourselves. Once myself and Nigel can leave the

Colony, we know it’s been a success.’

‘

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The Wensleyfold Beavers and Cubs

enjoy a wide range of activities

All profi ts go back into Scouting. The Scout Association Registered Charity number 306101 (England and Wales) and SC038437 (Scotland).

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In 2008, UK Scouting’s Black, Minority and

Ethnic (BME) membership increased from three

to four per cent of our total. While an

improvement it is recognised our BME make-up

still falls far short of the national average of nine

per cent.

If you would like some advice or information

in setting up a new Colony please contact your

Regional Development Service, call 0845 300

1818 or check factsheet Opening a new Scout Group or Section (FS500011).

more info

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