Young people are at the very heart of what we do here at ScoutsCymru. This is why we are working hard to make Scouting more youth shaped throughout Wales. We know that young people should be involved in decision making, programme creation and all other elements of our organisation. We want ScoutsCymru to reflect the fast-paced and ever-changing world facing our young people today.
We caught up with Lisa Reynolds, from Flintshire, whose Beaver section are a perfect example of Youth Shaped Scouting. Take a look at what she had to say –
How do you embed youth shaped scouting in your section?
“We have lots of ways of putting the Beavers at the heart of what we do. One way is by asking the children to choose the Beaver name for every new Leader that joins. We begin by asking the Leader themselves to choose three names they would like to have, and the selection is then passed to the children who put the names to vote to make a final decision.
“This feeds into our Democracy badge and gives all our Beavers a sense that they have a say in how things are run. It’s also a really nice way to bring new Leader into the team and make them feel like they belong.
“We also run log chews towards the end of every term on what they have or haven’t enjoyed. We gather around a white board and the Beavers write their thoughts and feelings, which we then capture to help us as a leadership team to see how we are doing.
“We also ask our Beavers to come up with a ‘kind thought or prayer’ to read out each week. They take a folder home which contains all our previous ones, and the following week they read out their message to the rest of the leaders and their peers. This helps them with their Beaver promise and is really personal to them. It also helps them with growing their confidence of speaking in front of people which is a key skill for life.
“Our most recent success has been printing off pictures of the activity and stage badges and adding the basic criteria next to each badge. We discuss in small groups of 4 or 5 Beavers with a Leader, what badges they want to achieve and what ideas they have around meeting the criteria. Then we as a leadership team come together for our planning meeting and use this information to plan our following terms activities.
“All of these ideas and more mean that we focus on what matters to our young people and ensure each Beaver has the best chance and achieves their Chief Scouts Bronze award.”
Why do you think youth shaped scouting is important?
“I have always been passionate about our Beavers getting involved more in decision making and they always come up with some amazing challenges for us to try and complete. I love seeing ideas from the Beavers being picked up by the Leaders as challenges to investigate, plan and then deliver.
“I believe it youth shaped Scouting gives the children that important sense of ownership, which helps them to earn badges and understand the needs of their fellow Beavers. If we have to put things to a vote, they understand that sometimes not everyone wants to do what they want to do, and we need to go with a majority. In the end it is the team decision that goes forward and everyone has had a say in it.”
What is the wackiest idea one of your young people has come up with as an activity?
“Probably driving a Lamborghini – we haven’t managed to do it yet though!”
