scouts by The Scout Association

PATROL SKILLS

ou r Pass on y g S c o ut i n e g knowled

ine The magaazders for Scout Lbeer 2011 tem August/Sep

Globe Trekker

Tips and advice for those overseas trips

Knot enough

A different way of teaching an old favourite

D N A S G A B D N HA S G A R GLAD vening e e v i t a e r c hionably s a f a n u r o How t

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re... Iceland, Croatia and many mo d, lan er itz Sw y, an rm Ge , Belgium See for yourself what a Venture Abroad summer adventure is really like as you follow the blogs of our resort representatives based at De Kluis - Belgium, KISC - Switzerland and Sweden, home of the 2011 World Scout Jamboree.

blog.ventureabroad.co.uk Contact us today to find out more about our fantastic summer destinations and what your Troop can experience in 2012.

www.ventureabroad.co.uk 01332 342 050 | tours@ventureabroad.co.uk in partnership with 224 - Scout_Supp.indd 1 SCOUTSUPP_AUGSEPT_2011_FINAL.indd 2

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Published by The Programme Team The Scout Association Gilwell Park Chingford London E4 7QW Tel: 0845 300 1818 Contributions to: programme@scouts.org.uk Advertising Richard Ellacott richard.ellacott@thinkpublishing.co.uk Tel: 020 8962 1258 Contributors: Daisy Charlton, Louise Henderson, Eddie Langdown Cover photo: Theresa Prevost For ease of reading, this supplement refers to all variations of ‘county’ groupings simply as County. You can read all the section supplements, and the main magazine, online at www.scouts.org.uk/magazine

WELCOME INTRO

Supporting success Deputy UK Commissioner for Programme Graeme Hamilton takes an overview of camps, programme, activities and involving young people Summer’s well under way now and thousands of young people have experienced the thrills of camps both in the UK and abroad. This ranges from first time Beaver Scout residential experiences to the life-changing fun being had by those attending the 22nd World Scout Jamboree in Sweden. I’ve had a great time getting out and about and visiting camps and events wherever I can. The excitement, fun, friendships, and development I’ve witnessed is a stark reminder of what makes our voluntary roles so special as we guide and mentor young people through their lives for the few hours a week that they engage with us. We’ve now completed the recruitment for the various programme project teams and the UK Programme support team. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this effort. Everyone is now hard at work undertaking a huge range of tasks to ensure that we have the right up-to-date support for leaders across the country. This is also a good time to let you know about a special project which will appear in the October/November supplement. We’ll be including some ideas for activities to run with your Scouts to ensure that we get great feedback about what they think could make the Programme better. We don’t want to run activities for young people without involving those young people and this will form part of our drive for greater youth involvement. So, be prepared and build some time in your programme during October or November to run these activities and send the responses back to the Programme team.

Contents 4 News Updates and happenings from across the UK

6 Overseas adventure online Globe Trekker has advice and tips on international trips

7 Have Mersea Hertfordshire Scouts spend a week on the water

8 Dedicated followers of fashion A creative activity to bring out your Troop’s hidden diva

12 Knots: practical and practised

14 Skilling time The Patrol process towards successful Scouting

17 Partnerships NatWest, Venture Abroad, Cotswold Outdoor and B&Q

New ways to teach a classic Scouting skill

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News and updates Scout is charity champion A UK Scout has received a prestigious award for her charity work. Tess from the 8th Muswell Hill Group in London received the Jack Petchey Foundation award for fundraising to help finance a shelter in South Africa. The Scout, who was the first female member of the Scout Troop, was inspired by her experiences when she visited Soweto with her mother, Astrid. Tess appealed to staff and parents at her school for help and, by the end of her fundraising drive, around £5,000 had been raised. The orphan shelter now has running water, electricity, toilets, a vegetable garden and currently houses up to 18 children aged 16 and under.

CANDID CAMPER

A Hampshire Scout has challenged himself to sleep in a tent for a year to raise money for a new meeting place. Will from Petersfield will camp under the stars in a field at his parents’ farm. The 1st Sheet Scout Group is in need of new premises so the intrepid camper decided to make his adventure a fundraising one. ‘Sometimes it’s hard to go out of the tent because it’s cold, but it’s not too bad really, he said. ‘Some of my friends think I’m mad, but quite a few of them go to Scouts so they are alright about it.’ Will has already been promised sponsorship by customers at Durleigh Marsh Farm shop and he hopes to raise £250 by March 2012. Good luck Will. 4

Three is the magic number

The 16th Edgware, stars of our last issue, enjoyed an investiture three times the fun recently. Among the eight new Scouts were triplets Natasha, Benjamin and Amy. We’re not sure if this is the first time in our history that triplets have been invested but if you know, we’d like to hear from you. Just email programme@scouts.org.uk.

Don’t miss a thing Scouting Plus is your weekly window on the Scouting world. News, updates, competitions, programme ideas and great offers all delivered to your inbox. Make sure you’re registered to receive Scouting Plus on your membership record on www.scouts.org.uk

Scouts August/September 2011

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NEWS

Faith and awareness events October/ November

October Black History Month World Blindness Awareness Month 1 International Day of Older Persons 4 World Animal Day 6 Dasera (Hindu) 8 Yom Kippur – Day of Atonement (Jewish) 10 World Mental Health Day 13 Sukkot begins (Jewish) 19 Sukkot ends (Jewish) 20 Birth of the Báb (Bahá’í) 20 Shemini Atzeret (Jewish) 21 Simchat Torah (Jewish) 26 Diwali (Jain, Hindu, Sikh) 31 Halloween

November 1 All Saints Day (Christian) 5 Arafah Day (Islamic) 6 Eid al Adha (Islamic) 10 Guru Nanak Dev Sahib Birthday (Sikh) 11 Armistice Day 12 Birth of Bahá’u’lláh (Bahá’í) 13 Remembrance Sunday (UK) 14 World Diabetes Day 14-25 Anti-bullying week 16 International Day for Tolerance 20 Christ the King (Christian) 20 Universal Children’s Day 24 Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur (Sikh) 24 Thanksgiving Day (USA) 26 Al Hijira Muharram – Muslim New Year (Islamic) 27 First Sunday of Advent (Christian) 30 Saint Andrew’s Day (Christian, Bank Holiday Scotland)

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Overseas adventure G online

lobe Trekker is an online interactive world map, where people submit their reviews of international trips they’ve been on. It’s a great way of passing on information on your overseas trips and experiences, or of finding out more about a country you’re thinking of going to. Reviews are left by all sorts of people – from Beavers who’ve been on a day trip to France to Explorers who’ve been to stay with families in Japan. If your Troop has been on a trip and has anything to pass on about your experience (good or bad), this is a place where you can share it.

All experiences wanted

Share your experiences of your overseas . adventures and help other Scouts along the way ker Daisy Charlton wants you to visit Globe Trek

more info

Globe Trekker can be accessed online at www.scouts.org.uk/globetrekker es For extended featu res on Scouting experienc ite abroad, visit the Scouting maga zine webs at www.scouts.org.uk/magazi ne

Your feedback could encourage other Scouts to undertake similar trips. There’s even an option for you to leave your email address so, if you want, other people can get in touch with you for further advice. Also if you have endured a place that you wouldn’t recommend to fellow Scouts, this is one of the only places where you can pass on warnings to others. If you’re thinking about going abroad but are not sure where or how, you can browse the map looking at different countries. If you know where you want to go but want advice on campsites and activities – you can see where other people have been and what they thought. This resource is only as good as the information provided so the more reviews, the more useful it is for everyone. Check it out, and if you can – leave a review.

Scouts August/September 2011

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SAILING

Have Mersea Just plain sailing for Hertfordshire Scouts

he Annual Hertfordshire Scouts Sailing Week took place from 28 May to 4 June. Scouts from all over Hertfordshire made their way to this normally peaceful corner of Essex to take part in Mersea Live 2011. The weather stayed fine for most of the week and the Scouts basked in soaring temperatures. In fact Friday, when the boats were finally pulled out of the water, was probably the hottest day.

Sail away In all, 97 participants took part in the activities in 77 sailing dinghies of varying size and make-up (plus 16 powerboats). Six attendees were undergoing their RYA Instructors Course, which will serve as a massive boost for their Groups. ‘This was the 35th year that the course has run from very humble beginnings when all I was trying to do was train instructors,’ said event organiser Richard Watson. ‘As the Instructors enjoyed the week so much they kept coming back to sail. ‘We needed to keep them occupied in some way so we started to run the various RYA courses during the week and so it goes on. I now receive so many enquiries to attend well before any details are published that I hardly have to advertise anymore.’ Scouts from Hertfordshire, Essex and Buckinghamshire all enjoyed their water adventure.

scouts.org.uk/pol

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Dedicated followers of fashion When you have a big Troop, how do you get everyone to join in a single creative activity? 12th Cambridge came up with the answer. Scout leader Graham Steed talks us through it When three Scouts began turning up every week having ‘pimped’ their uniform to a different theme (the St Patrick’s Day leprechauns were particularly funny) it was suggested to them that they might like to turn this into

an activity for the whole Troop. A fashion show featuring models, stylists, make-up artists and X Factor-style judges was quickly born. Photos: Theresa Prevost

Preparation 1. Hit the shops

Decide on a budget for clothes and dispatch a small group of Scouts to hit the charity shops two or three weeks beforehand. Snap up anything going cheap, preferably as colourful as possible. The three that planned this for us needed no extra encouragement. Make sure they bring receipts back.

2. Select your judges This is a great way to get parents involved. You’re looking for those with plenty to say and, most importantly, a big sense of humour. You’ll probably find that the Scouts themselves know the best ones to select. Make sure they are properly briefed.

Scouts August/September 2011

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INTRO PROGRAMME IN PICTURES

3. Get everyone involved The week before, ask your Troop to raid the back of their wardrobe for old and new clothes, make-up and anything else that might be useful. Their parents or siblings may want to help by donating some clothing too. Invite parents to watch the show unfold. Bring a CD player or iPod/ MP3 player to pump out the all-important music.

On the night 4. Divide

Break the Troop down into groups of three. Each one will contain a model, a stylist (responsible for clothes) and a make-up artist. It is probably advisable to let them go with their immediate friends rather than basing it on Patrols. Some Scouts may feel awkward with this activity so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s better to make sure they are with people they trust.

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5. Get stuck in Set a time limit for each group to create two looks for their model. Also get them to rehearse their strutting and posing, and select the music that they want on for their turn. In practice this took around 40 minutes. Meanwhile set up your catwalk (a couple of rows of chairs for the audience will do nicely), music and your judging area. A few cards for the judges to hold up for the scores are a useful prop.

6. Showtime Each model takes it in turn to strut down the catwalk and strike a pose for the judges. This is likely to end up very tongue-in-cheek. Invite the stylist and make-up artist to join the model on stage and have each judge award a mark out of ten and make a few comments. Allowing these to be as humorous as possible will relax those who are a bit more timid.

10 Scouts August/September 2011

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INTRO PROGRAMME IN PICTURES

7. Awards ceremony To finish off, get the judges to dish out awards for the best clothes, make-up, strut and pose.

THE LEADER’S PERSPECTIVE What went well? It gave a real opportunity for the Scouts to be quite uninhibited with their creativity. It is quite amazing how enthusiastic 13-year-old boys can get over make-up. Graham Steed, Scout Leader I thought some of the Scouts would be quite reserved but it was very much the opposite. It definitely broke down some barriers and you saw lots of the Troop in a new light. Very entertaining. Theresa Prevost, Scout Sectional Assistant What would you do differently next time? I don’t think we appreciated quite how well this would go so next time I would try and make our hall a bit glitzier and make a bigger show of the whole thing. Graham Steed Would you do it again? Definitely, although the nature of it probably means you need to wait a year or two between times or it may lose its novelty. Theresa Prevost

WHAT DID THE TROOP THINK?

Rosa: We had so much fun, planning the event beforehand and on the night. It went a lot better than we thought it would. We were pleased that everyone got so involved, we wondered if some people might find it a bit odd but everyone got really into it. We obviously didn’t realise how much everyone, even Scouts, love a chance to dress up. Charlie: It definitely made a change from the normal Scouting activities. I really enjoyed it, we had a lot of laughs.

HAVE YOUR PROGRAMME IN PICTURES FEATURED

Do you have an interesting programme coming up which you would like us to feature? Get in touch at programme@scouts.org.uk and let us know your plans.

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Knots: practical and practised Eddie Langdown takes a look at the teaching of knot tying and offers his top tips on this fundamental Scouting skill

have no time for Scouting skills taught to the point of boredom in a Scout hall and never used in the great outdoors. The same goes for skills taught without any explanation as to their practical use at all. I challenge all leaders to be totally honest and make a list of five knots they have actually used the most in the past year. Mine would be 1. Clove hitch for starting lashings and tying things to the roof-rack. 2. Reef knot for joining ropes and string. 3. Timber hitch for pulling bundles of wood. 4. Over-hand loop when trying-up rolls of canvas. 5. ... no number 5.

The best policy I could tie an entire knot directory behind my back as I am sure most of you can. But, to tell you the truth, I rarely have to use a sheepshank for shortening a guy rope, a round turn and two half hitches for fixing an aerial runway, or a sheet bend for hauling a rope swing hawser over a high branch with a thinner rope.

But I can, and it’s good that I can and, provided we are up front and honest with our Scouts from the start, it is no bad thing that they can too.

It makes perfect Almost as important as being honest with your Troop is to learn the knots yourself. Practise in the front room until you can dazzle the young people with your dexterity. Challenge them to race you; that’s always fun. And, remember to always continue to tell them what the knot is used for.

Knotting ropes Don’t tie knots on string. Have a set of knotting ropes, about a metre and a half long, just enough to comfortably tie a reef knot around the waist. With climbing ropes going out of date every few years, they can be cut up to make great knotting ropes. Have a separate set of longer, thinner ropes for lashings, and a few thicker ones for trying sheet bends – thin rope to thick rope.

12 Scouts August/September 2011

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SCOUTING SKILLS

The fun of knots Make it exciting. Scouts (and in fact all young people) love pulling the middle of a sheepshank open, doing a bowline with one hand or making the highwayman’s hitch disappear in a flash, with Black Bess charging off into the night. You can hold ‘behind the back relays’ and Patrol challenges where they have to tie clove hitches around trees keeping two metres away. Tie knots in spaghetti, tie miniature knots – I once met an American leader who had an entire knotting board on the front of his woggle.

TOP TIPS

• Practise until you can tie the knot behind your back • Always teach the use of a knot • Start with your most useful knots • Have a set of knotting ropes, never use string • Make it fun.

Revision Scouts forget so have big practise sessions and knotting relays every few weeks. Keep it skilful but fun. I usually take the Patrol Leaders aside, refresh them and then get them to teach the others. We also have a huge ‘knots fest’ with everyone teaching everyone else, because we all forget and sometimes remembering how to do tie a knot is as enjoyable as learning it the first time.

Scouting Skills If you need a little refresher of how to tie a certain knot, why not get your hands on A Complete Guide to Scouting Skills. Available now from Scout Shops – www.scouts.org.uk/shop

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Skilling time A

t last year’s Scottish National Camping t asking for Competition I heard a young Scou ther for gaffer tape to bundle his staves toge when it g derin transport. I couldn’t help won of part ral integ that gaffer tape became such an

was Scouting. more than a few At the same competition there were d and even square woo clean pe Patrols using broomstick-ty ets. wood to make their gadg le staves using Of course it makes life easier to bund finished dresser your And . knot a using tape rather than and look a whole lot will be more straightforward to build clean. and neater if the wood starts off straight

Just why do we teach some of the skills we do and what benefit does it actually bring? Is there not usually a quicker alternative? Louise Henderson examines the process behind successful Scouting

Quick and easy

al conclusion we end If we take that argument to its logic ing on gas and using cook up with prefabricated gadgets, use it’s obviously beca s, tent l hike tents rather than Patro ? skills e thes h teac we easier. But is that why t a Patrol tent erec to y abilit the that ve Do we really belie or firelighters, or make perfectly, light a fire without paper than sticks and string, a functional dresser using no more age young person will are going to be skills that your aver find essential in their future life? spending time living No. Aside from the satisfaction of we teach Scouting that ons reas life very simply, one of the ess. A young proc a of part form skills is because they

14 Scouts August/September 2011

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PATROLS

s up to a Patrol Scout comes in to the Patrol and look the course of a few Leader who has an array of skills. Over along with the skill of years, the young Scout learns these next generation. the leadership as they are passed on to

Confidence boost

attainable by Scouts The skills that we teach are all very ty of them is that beau The e. across the whole age rang within the Scout ons icati appl tical prac they have very real, Patrol Leader to the setting and yet can be taught by the Patrol. esteem goes, it is As far as raising a young personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s selfface as they tâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Scou hard to beat the look of pride on a

a well-made gadget show a new adult how to construct e point at inspection. or pitch a tent that loses not a singl d things up so that Using gaffer tape may indeed spee experience some new the Patrol can get away quicker to iding adrenaline adventure. However, aside from prov t something abou is e rushes, the Scouting adventur

altogether different. as a Patrol, to build The experience of working together, t exchanging a Scout environment is more abou s us nearer to the bring this end, the in experiences and, knowledge and goal of helping Scouts to grow in their rstanding of others. belief of themselves and their unde

AGREE? k page is full of DO YOU ciat ion Faceboo

The Scout Asso mat ter to disc ussion about the topics that .uk/facebook .org outs w.sc Scouts. Join in at ww

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6-8 January 2012

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PARTNERSHIPS

Help Scouts understand money The Scout Association has teamed up with NatWest to create a series of activity packs which will teach your Scouts more about money

he packs cover five areas of money management and will provide exciting ideas for you to do within your Troop. They will also give young people an opportunity to relate money management to their own lives. This will include information and activities specific to Scouting and will help towards achieving a number of activity badges. Specific activities will teach Scouts about fundraising and how to help budget for camp.

THE PACKS ARE: • • • • •

Making the most of your money Money and event management (including fundraising) Fundraising Money and your life Running your own business

To find out more and to download the activity packs (available from 1 September), please go to: www.scouts.org.uk/natwest

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Outdoor experts As sponsors of the Hikes Away Staged Activity Badge, Cotswold Outdoor is the ideal high street place to visit for equipment, advice and great discounts for your Scouting adventures

he Hikes Away Staged Activity Badge is a fantastic opportunity to equip young people from all age groups with essential knowledge and experience to allow them to become confident on the hill and find all there is to offer in Britain and further afield. It allows Scouts of all ages the opportunity to undertake different levels of hikes or journeys depending on their level or ability. As sponsors, Cotswold Outdoor would like to ensure that the correct clothing and equipment is readily available to Scouts and leaders. The advice that Cotswold Outdoor can give ranges from expert knowledge and advice, planning and navigation right through to what to wear.

DISCOUNT OFFER

Scouts receive 15 per cent discount* and Scout Leaders receive 20 per cent discount* at Cotswold Outdoor. *Not to be used in conjunction with any other offers or discounts. Discount only valid on production of a leader’s appointment card or scarf. more info Cotswold Outdoor has over 60 stores nationwide. Call 0844 557 7755 or visit cotswoldoutdoor.com to find out more

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