Rationale for proposed Scout
Program structure
Alison Griffiths
Scout Program workstream
Perceived problems
• Too linear – have to complete all small clauses to
be able to move from level to level
• Too many levels
• Scouts don’t necessarily know why they are
having to learn some clauses
• Losing service culture – second line of promise
• Patrol system and COH not demanded or
supported by program
• Leadership training not systematized
• Air and sea scouts and rural scouts marginalised
currently
Proposed new structure
Useful member of
patrol – I know stuff
1
Patrol leader – leads
people in learning
2
3
Project leader – plan
and lead a task
Pathfinder and
adventurer - scoutcraft
Discoverer and First class
– interest badge level
Explorer and Springbok
11-13y
13-15y
15-17y
Themes
• Personal (includes leadership, mind, body and
soul)
• Living outdoors (Camping, cooking and
backwoodsman)
• Survival (urban and natural)
• First Aid
• Service (environmental, movement and wider
community)
• Navigation (currently mapping and hiking)
• Skills
Total matrix
Living
outdoors
Personal
Service
Survival
Navigation
Skills
First Aid
Level 1
Level 1
Level 1
Level 1
Level 1
Level 1
Level 1
Level 2
Level 2
Level 2
Level 2
Level 2
Level 2
Level 2
Level 3
Level 3
Level 3
Level 3
Level 3
Level 3
Level 3
Badges
• Each level of each theme is a separate badge
• Need to complete each level before staring
new level due to need for previous level skills
for next level. Tasks at next level may need
skills learnt in a different theme
• No extra interest badges required as all
included in program – will have six interest
badges at Springbok.
• Benefits:
– Scouts get badges quite quickly
– Theme structure would help plan term programs
LO – living outdoors
SE – service
FA – first aid
SK – skills
PD – personal development
SS – Safety and survival
N - navigation
LO
Level one
SE
FA
SK
PD
SS
N
LO – living outdoors
SE – service
FA – first aid
SK – skills
PD – personal development
SS – Safety and survival
N - navigation
LO
Level two
SE
FA
SK
PD
SS
N
LO
Halfway
through
level three
SE
FA
SK
PD
SS
N
LO – living outdoors
SE – service
FA – first aid
SK – skills
PD – personal development
SS – Safety and survival
N - navigation
Other features
• Some sections of the themes use interest badges
as requirements. Extras can be worn as interest
badges and / or go towards challenge awards.
• Theme badges are the same and get taken off
and re-awarded / different colours for next level –
so just replaced on arm
• Can earn individual theme badges after first class
even if don’t earn complete Springbok – still have
sense of achievement
Advancement levels
• Level 1 – Pathfinder has to complete all level 1 badges
– Done to the satisfaction of the patrol leader / troop
scouter and examined by means of personal log book to
court of honour
• Level 2 – First class – has to complete all level 2 badges
– Done to satisfaction of troop scouter and approved by
court of honour and examined by means of patrol log
book
• Level 3 – Springbok – has to complete all level 3 badges
– Done to satisfaction of provincial / regional
representative for scout program and examined by
means of project log book.
Points of exit
• Pathfinder – scout has skills which can be used by
the community
• First class – scouts have skills and can use those
skills to lead and teach a small group of people
who are younger than them and with whom they
have developed a good relationship
• Springbok – scouts leadership abilities go beyond
a small group to getting a project done and
finding the right people to help them with the
project. In most cases this may still be the patrol.
Underlying rationale for program
1. Any scout no matter what resources should be able to
find their own path to Springbok
2. The program uses many of the current clauses as
these embody what we want in the final product.
3. Clauses have been included based on what we want
the scout to become- not on what is currently
available. We should create a wish list and work form
that.
4. All scouts are basically the same just some have
different skill sets to others.
5. Clauses are in the program even if they are “done at
school”
Skills theme
• Skills – 6 different ones: pioneering, construction,
boating, flying, climbing and food for life.
• Often done by means of scoutcraft and interest
badges
• Many different ways to complete this level
• At level one and two scouts do two options
– Not too narrow a focus.
• At level three only one option required.
Safety and Survival
• New theme
• Urban and natural disaster based – floods, fires,
etc. Will use skills form living outdoors as well.
• Level 2 has most of safety code interest badge
included – safety of buildings and road safety
• Need new badges for level 3
– Badges at level 3 aimed at preparation for disaster not
actual disaster. For example – decide what the most
likely natural disaster for a certain area and come up
with a comprehensive plan.
• Better equips scouts for service in community
First aid
• Scoutcraft badge and interest badge included
in advancement program
• No need to earn extra interest badges for
explorer
• Options at level 3 for specialisation
– Standard first aid
– Wilderness first aid
– Medicine (public health)
Living outdoors
• Biggest theme
• Focus changed from “nights of camping” to
patrol and troop camps
• Camps can be held wherever safe
– Live outside of a house – don’t need tents
– Be able to light a fire – warmth and food
– Be able to cook well
– Know equipment and planning
• Numbers of camps flexible but need to keep
patrol camps high to enforce patrol system
Personal development
• Includes leadership and true personal
development
– Leadership development
– Duty to God
– Physical fitness
– Participation in patrol / troop activities.
– Documentation – log books encouraged
• Assessed within troop
Navigation
• Includes hiking and mapping but made more
adaptable for any mode of expedition
– Traditional hiking, all-water expeditions, walk or
bicycle. Limit to people power – no power boating
or quad bikes.
– True mapping comes in at level 2 only.
• Level 1 – three times one day expeditions
• Level 2 – two expeditions (one overnight)
• Level 3 – current Springbok expedition (three
day two nights
Service
• Needs expansion because is currently buried and
not visible but should be core focus of program
• Each level has three types of service:
– Movement – recruiting scouts, marketing the
movement
– Community – helping the wider community
– Environmental
• Project and on-going service as well – each patrol
and troop should have an ongoing service project
Challenge awards
• Either one big challenge
– i.e. one big service project – single / patrol / troop
– Maybe completing Cederberg is OK for hiking
challenge award – wear Cederberg badge for a while
and replace with permanent hiking challenge award
badge.
– Messengers of peace for service challenge award
• Or obtain a group of interest badges
– Do three of the following interest badges to earn the
navigation challenge award
• Orienteering
• Geocaching
• advanced navigation etc etc
Suggested challenge awards
• Hiking
• All-rounder – one interest badge from all five /
four out of five / three out of five skills at level 2
• Navigation – three specific interest badges
• Vocational – three community skills badges
• Water – three boating interest badges
• Air – three flying interest badges
• Service – outside agencies e.g. Messengers of
peace or Habitat for humanity
Participation badges
• These remain as previously discussed to
reward scouts who help others achieve
advancement
• Start at point above current program
maximum
– Hiking – 100km, increase by 50 km
– Camping – 40 night, increase by 10 nights
– Service – 100 hours and increase by 25 hours
– Boating – x nautical miles and increase
appropriately
Process
• This program to be sent out for comment to
everyone involved in scout troops
– Please cc me on all emails so I can keep track of who
the documents have been sent to – this should stop
whingeing later on
• Comment required separately from three groups:
– Current scouts – court of honours – whether troop /
district or provincial COH. Thus any court of honour
can give feedback even if their province does not have
a provincial COH
– Young scouters both with and without a Springbok –
aged 18-30
– Mature scouters both with and without Springbok
Feedback rules
• No individual feedback will be accepted
– Otherwise individuals count more than the collective
– “he who shouts the loudest wins” will not work here
– I cannot collate the views of 20 000 people
• Must be from group of people:
– Court of honour for scouts
– district / province combined adult groups
• The feedback from the three groups must be
separate – no combined provincial feedback
– Because the court of honour feedback is probably the
most important and could be buried
– A register should be taken
Feedback template
• Fill in feedback form as completely as possible.
– Additional pages can be added on
• Information important to confirm
– adequate feedback from all players.
– Numbers of people involved in feedback process
– Feedback from all provinces
• Specific groups can be prompted in order to
create equal distribution
• Provides credibility to the process. All members
of the scout association will know how much
feedback was given.
Deadline
• All feedback needs to be returned to me by end
May
• I will collate all feedback and adapt program
according to feedback
• Program version 2 will be created with
explanatory document indicating response to
feedback.
• Program version 2 sent out and posted on web
for comment.
• Final comments collated and final program
presented to National Scout Council
Still needed after “final” program
• All scoutcraft and Interest badges need to be
looked at and changed to be appropriate
• New Interest badges need to be written
• Criteria for challenge awards need to be
written
• Scout trail and guidelines for scouters need to
be written
• Lots of work still to do – workgroups to be set
up.
Thank you for taking on this project with me I
look forward to your feedback on the template
attached
Please send all feedback or cc emails to
alison@scouting.org.za
Or fax to 086 594 2366
Or post to P O Box 900, Northlands, 2116
Please phone the Gauteng scout shop on 011 440 6490
on Wed, Thurs or Fri to let them know that you have
sent your comments through