1st Dawley Scout Group

We’ve opening a new provision for four to six year olds called Squirrels, to help young people gain skills for life at a time when it matters most and where it's most needed. 

From your very first day at Squirrels to your last day at Explorers, being a Scout is all about trying new things.  You can work towards as many badges as you like, at your own pace. And once you've earned them, here's where to sew them on.

Each award is packed with awe and awesome, perfect for anyone who’s ever asked ‘Why?’ (or ‘Why not?’). You’ll think about what makes you unique and learn to be the best friend you can be, enjoy your first campfire and meet some new people.

There’s something for everyone – and that means that there’s something for you.

We’re really excited to share the Squirrels programme with you!

Each badge is packed with wow and wonder, perfect for anyone who’s ever asked ‘Why?’ (or ‘Why not?’). You’ll tell stories and play games. Get active and explore the outdoors. Become a brilliant builder and a super chef. There’s something for everyone – and that means that there’s something for you.

When designing the badges and activities for Squirrel Scouts, our goal was to create: 

• an age-appropriate programme,
• that meets the Theory of Change,
• and is respected by Early Years practitioners,
• without compromising our Scout values, ​ 
• which encourages community and home learning,​ 
• and works in areas of deprivation and for diverse ethnic communities. 

To do this, we wrote, tested and updated a programme proposal with nearly 400 people to create badges full of adventure, fun, and, of course, skills.

Inclusion is at the heart of our Squirrels story. Here at Scouts, we’re open to people of all genders, backgrounds, and faiths (including people of no faith). We’re committed to reaching out to new and different families and communities and include people who have never tried Scouts before.

That’s why we’re starting Squirrels in the places it’s needed most – our most underserved areas – so we can offer young people skills for life when and where they need them. We showed our impact in pilot groups in these places, and we’re proud to be prioritising support for Squirrels in underrepresented communities. This includes those from areas of deprivation and Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.

As part of our commitment to inclusion, we’re keeping the cost of uniform (a single jumper) low, and we’ll be supplying uniforms at a discount to groups in underprivileged areas. All of the resources, including the badges themselves, have been tested for accessibility and religious and cultural suitability to make sure they’re suitable for everyone.

 Develop new skills. Soar to great heights. Being a Cub opens up a whole other world.

Cubs are young people aged 8 to 10½ who:

• Master new skills and try new things
• Have fun and go on adventures
• Make friends
• Are curious about the world around them
• Help others and make a difference, in their own communities and beyond

Every week, they gather in groups called Cub Packs to take part in lots of interesting and challenging activities – achieving anything they set their minds to, and having lots of fun along the way.

Being a Cub is all about growing and learning in small but mighty ways. Here are some of the things you’ll get up to with your new friends.

Race down a river. Tell stories by torchlight. Fall asleep beneath the stars. Alongside your Pack, you’ll spend plenty of time in the great outdoors. Together, you might build a den in your local park, or create an edible raft out of sweets, or go on a moonlit hike through your hometown. And even though you might not be ready to climb Mount Everest just yet, you’re guaranteed to have plenty of adventures on your own doorstop, because being a Cub is all about making the most of what you have, wherever and whoever you are.

Cubs learn by doing, and so will you. Some of the skills you develop will be practical, like knowing how to cook a delicious meal or give someone first aid. Others will allow you to become a master at your chosen hobby, or help you to succeed in whichever job you decide to do when you grow up. But the most important skills you’ll learn at Cubs are the ones that will make you feel confident and happy in your own skin. We call these character skills, and they include things like integrity – which means being honest and doing what you think is right – and initiative – which means knowing how to take the lead on something without being asked. Whatever skills you’d like to learn, it’s all about having the courage to try new things and learn from them.

Cubs work as a team to help other people. Together, you’ll learn about global issues and what we can all do to help solve them. You’ll also make an impact in your own community, through activities such as campaigning to save your local library, collecting donations for a food bank, or planting trees in a neighbouring park.

Discover Promises and Ceremonies
Being a Beaver is all about growing and learning in small but mighty ways. Here are some of the things you’ll get up to with your new friends.

You’ll spend lots of time outside with your Colony. Together, you might build a den, or go on a trip to the seaside, or host a Beaver sleepover beneath the stars. And even though you might not be ready to climb Mount Everest just yet, you’re guaranteed to have plenty of adventures on your own doorstop, because being a Beaver is all about making the most of what you have, wherever and whoever you are.

Going to Beavers is very different from going to school. Instead of learning from books, you’ll figure the world out by exploring, playing and doing.  

The most important skills you’ll learn at Beavers are the ones that will make you feel super strong standing on your own two feet. We call these character skills. They include things like integrity – which means being honest and doing what you think is right – and initiative – which means knowing how to take the lead on something without being asked. It’s all about having the courage to try new things and learn from them.

Beavers work as a team to help other people, in their local communities and beyond. Whether they’re changing the whole world or helping a friend take the leap to try something new on a rainy Tuesday night, they always lend a hand.

Discover Promises & Ceremonies

 All Cubs are members of the global Scout family. Closer to home, they’re also part of a wider local Scout Group, alongside Beavers (aged 6 to 8) and Scouts (aged 10 ½ to 14). When they're older, they can join Explorers (for 14 to 18 year olds) and - eventually - Scout Network (for our young adult members aged 18 to 25). 

Each Pack is made up of young people aged 8 to 10, led by an adult Cub leader traditionally nicknamed Akela after the wise leader of the wolf pack in Rudyard Kipling’s novel, The Jungle Book.

As well as the Cub leader, other adults are on hand to supervise activities, share their skills and keep everyone safe. Other young people aged 14 to 18 might help out, too. These are Explorer Scouts taking part in the Explorer Scout Young Leader programme. Within their Pack, Cubs are also part of a Six. A Six is a smaller group of Cubs, headed up by a Sixer and a Seconder. Sixers and Seconders are Cub Scouts who are chosen to take on leadership responsibilities, such as welcoming new people to the Pack, being extra helpful on camp, or taking charge of a particular game or activity.

Each Colony is made up of young people aged 6 to 8, led by an adult Beaver leader. Other adult volunteers are on hand to supervise activities, share their skills and keep everyone safe. In some groups, Beaver leaders are nicknamed after characters from nature, books or films. In others, Beavers call their leader by their real first name.

Within their Colony, some Beavers are also part of a Lodge. A Lodge is a smaller group of Beavers, usually headed up by a young person who takes on a peer leadership role (sometimes known as a Lodge Leader or Junior Leader).

Being a peer leader is about being a superhero for a little while – doing things like welcoming new people to the Colony, being extra helpful during a camp, or taking charge of a game or activity. Everyone takes it in turns to take on the challenge. 

Beavers usually stand together in their Lodges at the beginning and end of meetings. They tend to stick together on trips away, or during certain activities.

There are Scouts all over the world. From the rainy rainforests of the Amazon to the smallest of the Scottish Isles, Beavers are a part of this worldwide Scout family. Closer to home, they’re also part of their wider local Scout Group, alongside Cubs (aged 8 to 10 1/2), and Scouts (aged 10 1/2 to 14). When they're older, they can also join Explorers (for young people aged 14 to 18) and Scout Network (for young people aged 18-25). Although both of these are closely associated with the younger sections, they are not part of the local Scout Group.

Being an Explorer is all about discovering the world on your own terms and making the most of what you have, wherever and whoever you are.

Alongside your new friends, you’ll master the skills that will make you feel stronger and happier in the long run, and try things you’d never get the chance to do at home or at school.

Whether you’re hiking to faraway lands or building a robot in your local town hall, you’ll have the freedom to choose what you’d like to do, and work together with adults to make it happen.

Explorers stand up for what they believe and make a difference on their own doorstops, confident in the knowledge that their daily actions add up.

Explorers seek out the answers to the big questions, and to the smaller questions that don’t seem to matter but really should.

Most importantly, they say yes more often than they say no - whether they’re signing up for their first major hike across Europe, or writing their first line of code, or accepting the last of the toasted marshmallows.

Sound like fun? That’s because it is. All that’s missing is you.

Discover Promises and Ceremonies

Each Explorer Unit is made up of young people aged 14 to 18, led by adult volunteers who are on hand to share their skills and keep everyone safe.

Within their Unit, Explorers are part of a Patrol - smaller groups of Explorers who look out for one another, and help each other grow. Explorers usually gather in their Patrols at the beginning and end of meetings. They might also stick together on expeditions or trips away, or during certain activities.

Absolutely. If taking the lead sounds like something you’d like to try for yourself, sign up for the Explorer Scout Young Leader’s Scheme to get some hands-on experience volunteering with the younger Scout sections.

Explorers are part of the global Scout family. Closer to home, they’re part of their wider local Scout District, alongside Network members (aged 18 to 25). Some Explorer Units may have a close link with a Scout Group in a local area.