Scouts

An assembly from the Culham St Gabriel archive

Suitable for Whole School (Pri)

Aims

 To reflect on the Scout Movement.

Preparation and materials

• Gather some or all of the following:
  
  – some background information about the Scouts and what activities they do (at: http://scouts.org.uk/home) and make a note of its aims by looking at its mission statement, where there is a description of its purpose, values and method
  – some images of activities children take part in in Scouts, the symbols used on the badges and so on (to provide a helpful visual focus for the children) and the means to show the images during the assembly
  – some traditional Scout songs (see: www.scoutsongs.com for a virtual songbook), though this is optional 
  – some children who belong to Scout organizations (Beavers, Cubs) could bring in their uniforms, handbooks and so on and talk to the group about their experiences.

Assembly

1. Start by encouraging the children to share their experiences of Scouts. You might like to give them free reign to talk about what being part of a Scouts organization means to them or you could ask them specific questions – about what they wear, what they do at meetings, what badges they work towards and why and so on.
   
   
2. Provide some background to the Scout Movement, such as the following. 
   
   Lord Robert Baden-Powell was the founder of the Scouts. Baden-Powell was in the army and was impressed at the initiative many young boys showed in times of difficulty and pressure. He was keen to set up some kind of training programme for young people back home in the UK. He began in 1907, with an experimental camp on Brownsea Island for 20 boys. He wrote a handbook intended as a training aid for organizations that already existed, but it was so popular, it became the handbook for his own new movement instead. 
   
   
3. Mention that the Scout Association is over 100 years old. There are more than 450,000 members in the UK, boys and girls. Ask the children, 'Why is something so old still so popular today?'
   
   
4. Encourage the children to think about the sorts of goals they have for themselves. Then encourage them to think about the hopes and dreams they have for the world they will live in when they are older.
   

Time for reflection

Describe the aims of the Scout Association as given in its mission statement. Try to encourage the children to see any similarities between these and their own dreams and goals. Alternatively, you could ask them if they think the mission statement seems good and sensible. 

Follow up ideas

1. Provide the children with some more time to reflect on the mission statement of the Scout Association and at each point also think about their own dreams and goals, using the same focus on their ideas and questions.
   
   
2. The success of the Scout Association relies on people listening to what they are told, then understanding and acting on the messages they hear – it's a bit like religion! Read the parables of the Kingdom in Matthew 13. Note how the stories about the farmer sowing seeds, the mustard seed and the yeast are all true for both religion and Scouts. In both cases, it is not just a case of hearing good ideas but also acting on what we hear and showing others that we are making good decisions and enjoying ourselves so they become interested and are able to share the good news and fun, too.