A view on the UK system....

[Cambridgeskip 658]

So I thought I’d pick some brains of semi outsiders on what is effectively the UK “advancement†process which is somewhat different to yours. But a fresh pair of eyes is exactly what I’m after….

 

First a bit of background.

 

Our systems works by each age group having a small number of “challenge†badges, which make up the core of the pogram and a larger number of “activity†badges. Within each age group there is then a Chief Scout’s award which, for beavers, cubs and scouts is gained by earning all the challenge badges and selection of activity badges of the scout’s choice.

 

So;

 

Beaver Scouts, 6-8 year olds – Chief Scout’s Bronze

Cub Scouts, 8-10 year olds – Chief Scout’s Silver

Scouts, 10-14 year olds – Chief Scout’s Gold

Explorer Scouts, 14-18, and Network Scouts, 18-25, Chief Scouts Diamond, Chief Scout’s Platinum and Queen’s Scout (Broadly equivalent to your Eagle Scout).

 

So far so good.

 

Most of the challenge badges, and activity badges (broadly equivalent to what you would call a merit badge) are age range specific and geared to be attainable but stretching to young people of that age. And that’s fine. 

 

Also worth remembering that the activity badge requirements are a very recent addition and it was just about the challenge badges until about 8 months ago.

 

However…. There are also “staged†activity badges where, theoretically at least, any stage can be earned by any youth member in any age range. The reality is of course a little different. For example First Aid stage 1 is clearly aimed at Beavers with requirements being things like how to make an emergency phone call and how to treat a cut finger. Certainly I have never seen first aid training for the scout age range geared for anything less than stage 3, which includes major bleeds, CPR and mouth to mouth.

 

I run scouts, 10-14 year olds so it’s 9 Challenge Badges and any 6 activity badges.

 

So we are now in a situation where someone that comes straight into scouts without having been a beaver or a cub can, by the strict wording of the requirements, say “I can demonstrate that I can do everything in first aid stage 1, can I have the badge as one of my 6 towards my Gold awardâ€. By age 10 I would hope full well they could make a 999 call and put a plaster on a cut finger! Similarly we have nights away badges which you earn as you rack up nights away on camp. They are awarded at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15. 20. 35. 50, 75, 100 then every 25 after. Again strictly they all count towards CSG. Similar system for number of hikes. So a kid that comes straight into scouts goes on one weekend camp and hey presto! has earned 2 activity badges towards CSG. Whereas the kid that went through beavers and cubs could arrive with 20 nights away and need to rack up 30 nights to get his or her 35 and 50. It seems rather unfair!

 

The sensible and pragmatic part of me is considering a policy of minimum requirements for the troop. Eg stage 1 of any staged award doesn’t count and nights or hikes below 5 or maybe 10 don’t count, or at least asking the PLCs to think about it.

 

I just wondered what an outsider looking in thought?

[qwazse 4346]

Well, it all sounds as baffling as counting service hours to me .

 

My general principle: inasmuch as scouting is a game, play by the rules as written. Inasmuch as scouting provides personal growth, guide each scout towards the next big thing.

 

I'm barely keeping up with our Guide to Advancement, so I'm not about to dig through yours. You need to determine what latitude the written rules give you -- all the time following my Rule number 1: Don't ask for a ruling. Someone will give you one, and you'll regret it! Then you need to walk through those rules with the PLC in the most efficient way possible. (Best practice: have them read the pertinent articles to each other.) Then ask "How can we make it fair for Jane, but not too easy for Robert?"

 

With your first aid example, I'd think you would want to plan a first aid meet or wilderness first aid weekend where scouts have to demonstrate skills from lowest to highest stages. (This includes totems for "best portrayal of a 3 year old with a cut finger", etc ...).

 

Your camping nights example is confusing to me. That may be that is a hot-button issue on this side of the pond, as this year-full of replies to this blog post attests: http://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2015/06/24/ask-expert-isnt-camping-night-camping-mb/,

[Beavah 205]

Yah, interestin' @@Cambridgeskip.    I wasn't aware that da stage awards got computed that way over on your foggy isle.

 

I think I'd tend to agree with you, eh?  That seems like a bug rather than a feature.  

 

What I'd say is this...   I'd expect your new scouts to earn Chief Scout Gold by meetin' da same basic expectations for skills as their peers.   Anything else seems destructive of group dynamic and da quality of your program.   So yah, absolutely, a new 12-year-old should learn First Aid skills appropriate for a 12-year-old, eh?  Not a beaver.

 

The one area I'd make an exception is if somethin' was structured in such a way as to be an unreasonable hurdle.   Camping nights might be an example.   It's probably not reasonable for a new scout to have to "make up" 5 years of camping activity that his or her peers had as beavers and cubs, eh?   At the same time, makin' up some of that seems OK and will help them feel like "real" scouts rather than "baby" scouts to their fellows.   So perhaps a two-for-one system of some sort?   Yeh have to meet da age-appropriate requirements, but yeh get credit for 2 campout nights for every 1 you do until you catch up?  You could justify it in terms of more recent experience bein' twice as valuable as experience from 5 years ago as a beaver.

 

In da U.S. at the Scouts level it's supposed to be skills-based, eh?  Our campout requirements are trivial, what should matter is that the scouts have the specific camping skills to be able to camp well in all da local weather.  Sometimes lads who have done a lot of family camping can get through those fairly quickly, but mostly it takes quite a few campouts for ordinary kids to build those skills, eh?  Way more than our minimal required nights of camping.   Yeh could try to do somethin' like that which is more demonstrated-skills based.

 

Thanks for sharin'!

 

Beavah