and for those with special circumstances and needs.

By making the promise a young person becomes a Member of the worldwide Movement; they become a Scout.

The Motto

The motto for all Members of the Movement is: Be Prepared.

The Beaver Scout Uniform

Beaver Scouts wear a turquoise sweatshirt. They also wear a scarf (sometimes called a “necker”), which varies in colour from Scout Group to Scout Group. They also have a woggle, to keep their scarf up. Traditionally all Beaver Scouts wear a maroon coloured woggle, but they may also wear a woggle of the colour of the Lodge they are in (see below on how Beaver Scouts are organised).

There are several other items of optional uniform.

How Beaver Scouts are organised

Beaver Scouts meet together as a Colony and work within a variety of small groups called “Lodges”. A team of adults will run the Beaver Scout Colony. Some will be uniformed Leaders, others may be informal Assistants or helpers.

Explorer Scouts who are Young Leaders might also assist the leadership team in the running of the Colony.

Investiture

Making the Promise is the most important act in Scouting and is common to every Section.

Scouting has a special ceremony for making the Promise called Investiture or being invested.

When a young person makes their Promise they receive their Group Scarf, The Membership Award

and are welcomed as a new Member into the Scout family.

What do Beaver Scouts do?

Beavers take part in a wide range of activities. These include making things, singing, playing games, going out on visits, investigating nature, listening to stories, learning how to be safe and most importantly, making new friends. They do this through taking part in a programme of activities provided by the leadership team.

Beaver Scout Programme

The philosophy underpinning the programme is that every Beaver Scout should participate in a Balanced Programme over a period of time. This ensures that all young people experience a quality programme covering a wide range of subjects, so that they develop in all of the Personal Development Areas. To help, the Balanced Programme is divided into a number of Programme Zones and Methods.

Programme Zones

The following are the six Programme Zones for Beaver Scouts.

As part of the Balanced Programme they will take part in activities from all the zones regularly.

Beliefs and attitudes

Community

Creative

Fitness

Global

Outdoor and Adventure

Methods

These Zones are delivered using 12 methods, which give the programme variety and range.

The Zones give Beaver Scouts the opportunity to:

Help others

Play games

Explore their world

Undertake prayer and worship

Listen to stories

Follow themes

Go on visits

Make things

Meet new people

Act, sing and make music

Chat

Go outdoors

Badges and Awards

Even though the emphasis is on a Programme that is balanced with a variety of activities,

there are still badges and awards for Beaver Scouts to aim for during their time with the Colony.

Badges and awards are given in recognition of the effort made by each young person at their own level.

The Membership Award

This Award helps the young person understand the commitment they are making when they make the Promise

and become a Member of the Movement. It covers the history, traditions and practices of Scouting.

Joining In Awards

The Joining In Awards recognise a commitment to Scouting. They celebrate Beaver Scouts participating in a

Balanced Programme over a period of time. They are awarded on the anniversary of the young person joining Scouting.

Challenges

The Challenges complement the Balanced Programme. These have been developed to extend

Beaver Scouts' skills and experience in a particular area. There are six Challenges in the Beaver Scout Section:

Outdoor Challenge

Friendship Challenge

Promise Challenge

Fitness Challenge

Creative Challenge

Global Challenge

Activity Badges

Activity Badges are optional, but they provide an opportunity to reward a young person who has taken part in an activity over a period of time. They should raise interest and extend a young person's skills throughout their time in Scouting.

There are 12 Beaver Scout Activity Badges:

Adventure

Air Activities

Animal Friend

Creative

Experiment

Explore

Faith

Health & Fitness

Healthy Eating

Hobbies

Imagination

Safety

Staged Activity Badges

In addition to the Beaver Scout Activity Badges, there are six Activity Badges staged across all the Sections,

which gives a young person the opportunity to develop an area of interest throughout their time in Scouting from 6 - 18. They are:

Emergency Aid

Hikes Away

Information Technology

Musician

Nights Away

Swimmer

Partnership Awards

Partnership Awards are designed to encourage Sections to work together, and for Scouts to work

with other young people in their community. There are three Partnership Awards:

The International Friendship Award

The Environment Award

The Faith Award

Chief Scout’s Bronze Award

This badge is the highest award available in the Beaver Scout Section. It is gained by completing:

Creative Challenge

Fitness Challenge

Friendship Challenge

Global Challenge

Outdoor Challenge

Promise Challenge

The Chief Scout’s Bronze Award can be worn on the Cub Scout Uniform once they move onto Cubs.

The Moving-On Award

This helps ease the transfer of a Beaver Scout to the Cub Scout Pack. It also allows the Beaver Scout

 to be invested into the Pack immediately, recognising that they are already Members of the Scout Movement.

Beaver Scout Sleepovers

Sleepovers give young people their first experience of a night away from home without their parents/carers.

They are intended to plant a ‘seed’, which then grows as the young person moves through the Sections.

Leaders have to be specially trained before they may take young people away, so you know they will always be in safe hands. Sleepovers in the Beaver Scout Section must be indoors and must not exceed 24 hours.

They provide an excellent opportunity for young people to try out activities that are not possible at the regular Colony Meeting.

As you might imagine, the whole atmosphere of living together even for a short while as a Colony

 is very special for the young people involved.

Beaver Scouting…it’s just the start!

While a young person is in Beavers they will have fun, make friends and get to do

exciting activities that they wouldn’t get to do anywhere else.

But this is just the start! Beavers is the first step in Scouting for future development as individuals and Scouts.

It will seem that they have only just started before it will be time to ‘swim up’ to Cubs!

Beavers on-line

Beaver Scouts have their own colourful pages on The Scout Association’s website where they can

find out information, play games, puzzles and quizzes. Find out more at:

www.scouts.org.uk/beavers

Resources for Beaver Scouts

Beaver Scouts have their own special handbook called The Beaver Scout Logbook. 

It is a Beaver Scout’s guide to the programme and has lots of space for them to colour things in, draw and learn about Scouting.

                  Beavers… dive right in!