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The Bloggers
be.PREPARED
- Active 2009–2018
- Posts 29
- Words 8,376
A UK Scouter's opinions on camping, faith, inclusion and fundraising.
A blog's life in posts
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Showing 1–29 of 29. Each title opens the post in a new tab.
Revising the Fundamentals of Scouting
I have just completed the questionnaire on the revised Fundamentals . I think that new updated Fundamentals are much more suitable for modern Scouting, especially regarding the big ticket change of "Duty to God" to "we explore our faiths, beliefs and attitudes".
Scouting Themes 4 WordPress on Scouting+
You may have seen (and it may be how you got here!) that Scouting Themes 4 WordPress has been mentioned in the last Scouting+ email nationwide. This was to announce the launch of the Scouts 4 WordPress theme and encourage new people to make use of the resource.
My Duty to God
The Scout Promise is a core part of the movement. But the National Secular Society (NSS) is claiming that atheist children are being excluded. But that is not the case. This is the Scout Promise: On My Honour, I promise that I will do my best To do my duty to God and to the…
More Scouting Themes 4 WordPress resources released
Over the last few months, I have been working on a secret project with Gilwell. We are now able to launch a brand new Scouting Theme 4 WordPress, called Scouts 4 WordPress , to add to my existing stable of themes available for download .
When a "new uniform" is just new casual active Scouting-wear…
Sometimes I just have to wonder if journalists even read press releases properly before writing a story based on them. Just look at the headlines from reputable news sources below: The problem with these stories? They're wrong. There is no change to the Scout uniform at all – that remains the same.
Our newest volunteer (opens in a new tab)
It really is great news that the Duchess of Cambridge is making the Scout Association one the five charities she is supporting in her new role in the royal family. The Duchess will be helping out at groups close to where she lives, with Beavers and Cubs, at a time which suits her busy lifestyle.
I wish I'd gone to the World Scout Jamboree in Sweden!
The 22nd World Scout Jamboree was held in Sweden – and I wish I'd been able to go! I did get an opportunity to attend a selection weekend fo the IST (service team), but was unfortunately unable to make the weekend.
So the summer break is here…
Now that summer is here (even though we wouldn't know it – but we are in Britain…), local Scouting is taking a break. As usual, the final evening before the summer for my Troop was a family BBQ where we invite all member of a Scouts family to come and enjoy the (hopefully sunny) summer evening.
A Guide to Becoming a Scout Leader (opens in a new tab)
I was flicking through my Google Analytics stats when I came across one interesting keywood search that came to this blog. The keyword was: a guide to becoming a scout leader This intrigued me, so the first thing I did was go and Google the keyword myself.
It's OK to be a Scout and be gay!
I am pleased that the Scout Association has launched an initative to make it clear that being gay is no bar to being involved in Scouting, as a Young Person or as a Leader. There was never the case – despite popular perception and resistance from religious groups.
Thousands more girls are joining the Scouting adventure! (opens in a new tab)
The latest census of Scouts has revealed that nearly 10,000 new people joined the adventure in 2010. Almost half of the number – 4,330 – were girls. This number for the first time exceeded the number of boys who joined (3,796). There are now more than half a million Scouts in the UK, a 14% rise from…
Scouts Leaders should always be prepared
A couple of weeks ago, I was on a camp (well, one-night competition camp) where I was there merely to help out. One of my fellow leaders was running our camp and I was specifically there to help out but not interfere and run it myself – it was his turn to do it!
Please don't raise our rents!
Whilst the Big Society is the good-feeling political buzzword of the moment. Yet some councils seem to be lacking the will to live up to this ideal and are planning to use rent increases to cover the cuts that are being applied to their budgets – and this impacts directly on Scout Group, with some massive…
You can't be too old to Scout or Guide
The news that a Guider has been told that she is now too old to run her Rainbow group, now she has turned 65. The reason being that by turning one year older she is now no longer a suitable "role model" for the girls.
My Scouting New Year Resolutions
I don't normally make New Year's Resolutions. Usually because I end up forgetting about them by the end of January. But this year, I'm going to make some resolutions regarding my Scouting. Get my Wood Badge validated Earn my Nights Away Permit Teach new Scouts about their Promise and Law before they get invested Learn…
I'm having a very Scouting Christmas
Christmas is always a busy time, in Scouting as much as everywhere else. This year, my Scouting Christmas is very nearly over. My group's annual Christmas Bazaar was very successful, making over £400 – our best ever! I also found out that the Scouts are submitting bids to paint the leader's faces, and apparently I've got…
Scouts won't stop camping in favour of computer games
Sometimes newspapers really do publish things which are just complete and utter rubbish. Just read this Telegraph article , which claims that Scouts are abandoning traditional scouting activities such as camping in favour of video games. As if! The "data" the journalist is basing this on?
Remembrance Sunday
Every year, my group attend the Remembrance Sunday ceremony at Watford Town Hall. This year, it was rather wet as we stood outside the cenotaph – nigh on pouring, in fact. Which was quite annoying, since the morning had been totally dry!
Too busy to volunteer? (opens in a new tab)
Volunteering can be a time-consuming activity. It takes time and effort to make a real difference to our society. And, according to the BBC : Some 60% of 25 to 34-year-olds said they were too busy [to volunteer], rising to 66% among 35 to 44-year olds, and falling to 53% of those aged 45 to 54.
Designing Scouting WordPress themes
I have recently spent some time designing WordPress themes for UK Scouters and Scout organisations . I have designed them in order to help Scouting webmasters easily set up a website that looks good, is user-friendly, and matches the branding guidelines of the Scout Association.
Being a Volunteer (opens in a new tab)
I give my time freely as a Scout Leader because I enjoy it, benefit from it, and am able to give back to the community through it. No-one who volunteers is doing it entirely selflessly; all volunteers gain from their volunteering in at least one way.
A Scout's Anthem (opens in a new tab)
This is the song/poem my Scouts are performing for the Group Christmas Carol Concert tomorrow evening. It is a bit old fashioned (it refers to a Scout as male the whole way through, but the first verse is being read by a girl and the gender will be changed to suit) and refers to Scout…
Ending the Jambo (opens in a new tab)
World Scouting Jamborees – the name being derived from "jambo", the Swahili term for "hello" – of which there have been 21 since 1920 the latest held in the Uk in 2007, may be coming to an end. The new ISA (Independent Safeguarding Authority) requirements may well mean that Jamborees in the UK are no longer able…
Scouts and penknives
The Daily Mail is, as usual, misrepresentating people. This time it has picked on the Scout Movement and is " reporting " as the fight against Britain's growing blade culture intensifies, Scouts have been told not to take penknives on camping trips.
A centenary of Guiding
Scouting celebrated its centenary two years ago, and now it is Guiding's turn . Originally set up because Victorian morals would not allow boys and girls to be mixed in Scouting – something which has now been corrected in the Scout Association.
Donation success!
Great news! As I wrote in my post on fundraising last month, we recently purchased a new garage tent and I was requesting a donation from my employers to cover the cost. And I have had good news – they have given us a donation of £600!
Why i.SCOUT: Part 1
As it's summer, and Scouts has stopped until September, I have an opportunity to sit back and take a break. But where's the fun in that? What the summer break does give me the opportunity to do is reflect on the reasons why i.SCOUT.
Fundraising
Raising money for a scout group is always very important and hard work – and its even more important with the threat of the rain tax hanging over our heads. My group has our own hut, on grounds rented from Watford Community Housing Trust (with whom we are trying to get a new lease – our current…