Instructions

• Get the young people to take part in an activity that makes them think about what they enjoy and don’t enjoy about Scouting – rating badges, washing line of thoughts, ‘cool wall’.
• Split the young people into groups – lodges, sixes, patrols or random groups.
• In the groups gets them to plan:
  • Beavers: which badges they might want to earn over a term and one activity to help achieve a badge.
  • Cubs: a session based around a badge.
  • Scouts: a term of activities – the troop could come up with a theme for the term and then each group can plan some of the sessions.
  • Explorers: a programme to achieve a skill or badge –  decide on the skill or badge as a unit and delegate sessions to groups or individuals.
• When planning these sessions and terms, use badge books, the internet and past programmes to help the young people come up with their activities.
• If the young people struggle to know where to start, use these steps:
  • Get them to think about the first activity and what they want to do more of or try.
  • Get them to look in the badge books or online for badges to try and use the programme planner for activity ideas.
  • Help them plan out how much time they have for activities and games each week taking into account starting and ending ceremonies and handing out badges.
  • Start with an overview of the term and then start building up each session – think about how you as leaders programme plan and use this to help the young people.
  • Don’t forget to ask them what equipment they might need or if any activities will be taking place away from the normal meeting place.