Cubs
Cub Scouting began in 1916, and has gone from strength to strength ever since. Currently there are somewhere in the region of 140,000 Cubs in nearly 8,000 Packs! Many Cub Scouts will have been Beaver Scouts, but some will join Scouting for the first time as Cubs looking for fun, adventure and friendship.
Cub Scouts is open to young people aged between eight and ten and a half years old who want to join and can make the Cub Scout Promise.
Cubs Promise
Scouting differs from many organisations in that it requires its Members to make a Promise, the wording for Cub Scouts is slightly simpler than that of the Scout Promise, which is worded as follows:
I promise that I will do my best
to do my duty to God and to the Queen,
to help other people and
to keep the Cub Scout Law.
Different wordings of the Promise are available for those of different faiths who may prefer not to use the word ‘God’ and for those with special needs and circumstances. By making the Promise a young person becomes a Member of the worldwide Movement; they become a Scout.
The Cub Scout Law
Every Cub should know their Cub Scout Law, put simply it is something they should try to remember in their everyday lives. The Cub Scout Law is:
Cub Scouts always do their best,
think of others before themselves and
do a good turn every day.
The Motto The motto for all Members of the Movement is:
Be Prepared
The Cub Scout Uniform
Cub Scouts wear a green sweatshirt. They also wear a neckerchief in green with a burgundy border. They also have a woggle, to keep their scarf up. A woggle will be provided at their investiture and with reflect the colour of the Lodge they are in (see below on how Cub Scouts are organised). There are several other items of optional uniform.
For official public events and Church parade, Cubs should also wear smart dark trousers and dark polished shoes.
How are Cub Scouts organised?
Wolf Cubs, as they were originally called in 1916, used Rudyard Kipling’s story The Jungle Book as their theme. Some Packs continue to do this today. They use characters and events as an inspiration for the names of Leaders (such as Akela for the Cub Scout Leader) and activities.
Cub Scouts meet together as a Pack and work within a variety of small groups called “Sixes”. A team of adults will run the Cub Scout Pack, usually led by an Akela. Some will be Uniformed Leaders, others may be informal Assistants or helpers. Explorer Scouts who are Young Leaders might also assist the Leadership team in the Pack.
Investiture
Making the Promise is the most important act in Scouting and is common to every Section. Scouting has a special ceremony for making the Promise called Investiture or being invested. When a young person makes their Promise they receive their Group Scarf and the Membership Award or their Moving-On Award and are welcomed as a new Member into the Scout Family.
The investiture usually takes place on the sixth week of attendance with the section, and parents are invited to attend to watch the ceremony.
What do Cubs do?
Cubs take part in a wide range of activities that are designed to be interesting and to challenge them. At the same time they have fun, adventure and make friends along the way. They do this through taking part in a programme of activities provided by the Leadership team such as: camping, playing games, trying new things and exploring the outdoors.
Every Cub Scout participates in a Balanced Programme over a period of time. This ensures that all young people experience a quality programme covering a wide range of subjects. To help, the Balanced Programme is divided into a number of Programme Zones and Methods to ensure Cubs develop in all the Personal Development Areas.
The following are the six Programme Zones for Cub Scouts. As part of the Balanced Programme they will take part in activities from all the zones regularly.
- Beliefs and Attitudes
- Community
- Fitness
- Creative
- Global
- Outdoor and
- Adventure
You can see what’s on the programme at Beacon by looking at our calendar on the website.
Church Parade
Beacon Scout Group is sponsored by The Beacon Church Centre. All members of the group are expected to make every effort to attend the five church parades held at The Beacon Church, and St Georges Day Parade, organised by the Scout District.
Badges and Awards
Badges and awards are given in recognition of the effort made by each young person at their own level.
The membership Award helps the young person understand the commitment they are making when they make the promise and become a Member of the Movement, if they have not been a Beaver Scout. It covers the history, traditions and practices of Scouting.
The Challenges Awards complement the Balanced Programme. These have been developed to extend Cub Scouts’ skills and experience in a particular area. The seven Challenges in the Cub Scout Section. The Chief Scouts Silver Awardis the highest award availablein the Cub Scout Section. It is gained by completing all the Challenge Awards plus six activity badges.
Activity Badges are optional, but they provide an opportunity to reward a young person who has taken part in an activity over a period of time. They should raise interest and extend a young person’s skills throughout their time in Scouting. There are 37 Cub Scout Activity Badges, ranging from Book Reader to Navigator to Water Activities. In addition there are 15 Staged Activity Badgeswhich gives a young person the opportunity to develop an area of interest throughout their time in Scouting from 6 – 18.
The Joining In Awards recognise a commitment to Scouting. They celebrate Cub Scouts participating in a Balanced Programme over a period of time. They are awarded on the anniversary of the young person joining Scouting.
The Moving-On Award helps ease the transfer of a Cub Scout to the Scout Troop. It also allows the Cub Scout to be invested into the Troop immediately, recognising that they are already Members of the Scout Movement.
You can see all the badges and awards on the Scouts Website
Position of badges on the Cub Scout Uniform
Uniform can be purchased from Scout Shops.
Behaviour
We have a responsibility to make sure Scouting is safe for all members. If any child behaves in a manner which could jeopardise the safety of the activity we are running, they will be removed from that activity. If necessary we may call you as parents to collect your child.
Please do ensure that you alert us in advance to any health or emotional issues your child may have, whether permanent or temporary, so we can avoid issues where at all possible. This will help us to plan our activity to make sure it accommodates the needs of all the children without singling any individual out.
Beacon Cub Pack
Beavers meet every Monday during term time. Most meetings are held 7.15pm – 8.30pm at The Beacon Church Centre, Whetty Lane. Some meetings may be held outside the Church or timings to achieve a balanced and exciting programme.
To contact the Cub leaders please email: cubs@beaconscoutgroup.org.uk