International Partnership Award

To gain this award, the young person must complete the following requirements:
  1. Identify a partner and a project or activity that relates to the International Friendship theme.
  2. Together with those involved, set objectives for what you wish to achieve and plan the project.
  3. Take part and successfully complete the joint activity.
  4. Assess the benefits to those involved.
  5. Award the Partnership Award to those Members taking part.

Time requirement

There is no set time requirement associated with the award. Project Leaders should work with partners to establish a realistic timetable bearing in mind the ages and availability of the sections or partners involved.
Leaders should be guided by the principle that young people should make a significant time contribution, while experiencing new and challenging personal development opportunities, as is appropriate to their age and availability.
For example, Beaver Scouts might undertake one hour per week for four weeks at their Colony meeting, with a two-hour project one Saturday. However, Explorer Scouts might contribute 32 hours over the course of two weekends within the same project.

Example activities

  • Beaver Scouts and Cub Scouts organise an ‘unfair games’ event with the local Oxfam Committee to draw attention for the need for Fair Trade.
  • Scout Groups spend a weekend bag packing to raise funds for a charity.
  • Beaver Scouts and Cub Scouts organise a penny fair to buy goats for an African family.
  • A local Scout Troop acts as a host to Dutch Scouts for a weekend camp at a local site.
  • Explorer Scouts perform a two-mile walk for charity.

Faith Partnership Award

To gain this award, the young person must complete the following requirements:
  1. Identify a partner and a project or activity that relates to the faith area.
  2. Together with those involved, set objectives for what you wish to achieve and plan the project.
  3. Take part and successfully complete the joint activity.
  4. Assess the benefits to those involved.
  5. Award the Partnership Award to those Members taking part.

Time requirement

There is no set time requirement associated with the award. Project Leaders should work with partners to establish a realistic timetable bearing in mind the ages and availability of the sections or partners involved.
Leaders should be guided by the principle that young people should make a significant time contribution, while experiencing new and challenging personal development opportunities, as is appropriate to their age and availability.
For example, Beaver Scouts might undertake one hour per week for four weeks at their Colony meeting, with a two-hour project one Saturday. However, Explorer Scouts or Scout Network Members might contribute 32 hours over the course of two weekends within the same project.

Example activities

  • Scout Troop builds links with the local Sikh community culminating in a Scout’s Own and campfire.
  • A Jewish Cub Scout Pack pairs with a Chinese community youth group for a special festival, in each culture eg Jewish New Year and Lunar New Year. Together they prepare their place of worship, make decorations for homes and explore the stories of each tradition.
  • A Catholic Scout Group works with their Parish team to organise a series of special youth liturgies during Holy Week.
  • A Scout Group participates fully in the local Parish’s harvest festival and distributes the produce after the service to those in need.
  • A Muslim Scout Troop shares details about one of its festivals and an Open Scout Troop illustrates how it celebrates a variety of festivals with its members.

Environment Partnership Award

Serco sponsor the Scout Environmental Partnership Award. Some great resources are available which include activity ideas that leaders can use to help Scouts gain their badge.
To gain this award, the young person must complete the following requirements:
  1. Identify a partner and a project or activity that relates to the themed area.
  2. Together with those involved, set objectives for what you wish to achieve and plan the project.
  3. Take part and successfully complete the joint activity.
  4. Assess the benefits to those involved.
  5. Award the Partnership Award to those Members taking part.

Time requirement

There is no set time requirement associated with the award. Project Leaders should work with partners to establish a realistic timetable bearing in mind the ages and availability of the sections or partners involved.
Leaders should be guided by the principle that young people should make a significant time contribution, while experiencing new and challenging personal development opportunities, as is appropriate to their age and availability.
For example, Beaver Scouts might undertake one hour per week for four weeks at their Colony meeting, with a two-hour project one Saturday. However, Explorer Scouts might contribute 32 hours over the course of two weekends within the same project.

Example activities

  • Scouts link with young ornithologists to make and set up bird boxes in local woodland
  • Explorer Scouts work with the Waterways Trust on canal restoration project
  • Cub Scouts work with local villagers to clear and renovate a churchyard
  • Explorer Scouts work with a local building contractor to paint a historical mural on the temporary wall surrounding the building site
  • Scouts and Guides design and decorate a float for the local carnival on a local heritage theme.

Chief Scout’s Gold Award

This badge is the highest award available in the Scout Section.

It is gained by completing:

  • The Promise Challenge
  • The Community Challenge
  • The Fitness Challenge
  • The Creative Challenge
  • The Global Challenge
  • The Outdoor Challenge

and two of the following:

  • The Outdoor Plus Challenge
  • The Adventure Challenge
  • The Expedition Challenge

If a Scout has not quite completed the requirements for the top award before they move on to the Explorer Scout Unit, they may complete it in their early weeks in the Explorer Scout Unit.

Notes

Scouts can earn the same challenge badge more than once while working towards this award, but the challenge must be more progressive. If this is the case, Scouts can wear more than one of the same badge on their uniform.
View Template for Chief Scout’s Gold Award certificates (Word document)

Entrepreneur Challenge

The Entrepreneur Challenge has been developed by The Scout Association in conjunction with Richard Harpin.
 
The Entrepreneur Challenge aims to develop Scouts’ nature for enterprise through activities which enable them to set up, or create an idea for, a Scouting enterprise or business. Scouts will need to demonstrate an aptitude for understanding the Mind for Business principles.
To request an activity pack call the Information Centre on 0845 300 1818 or email info.centre@scouts.org.uk

News

On 10 November 2010, Scout Leaders took part in a teleconference with entrepreneur Richard Harpin, who shared why entrepreneurship is important, and how activities can help your Scouts learn entrepreneurial skills.

Listen to the teleconference (starts around 3.30)

Launch of the Entrepreneur Challenge with Chris Evans

Activities

These activities can be used to help the Scouts develop their Mind for Business while having fun and being challenged:
You may recognise some of these, and also find that there are other activities that you regularly undertake with Scouts that can be adapted slightly to help develop their Mind for Business.

Other ideas

It doesn’t matter if you choose to use your own activities to help the Scouts complete the Entrepreneur Challenge. It is most important that they can identify what they learn from the activities, and can make the link to how it can be used in a business context.
For some inspiration about activities you could adapt to bring out entrepreneurial learning, look at Scout Games, The Troop Programme Plus, The Troop Programme Plus: Volume 2, Scouts Taking the Lead or Programmes Online
If you have success with your own adaptations, upload them to Programmes Online, so that other leaders can try them.

Completing the Challenge

The badge will be awarded to Scouts for demonstrating a Mind for Business, doing one of the following:
• Create a successful Scouting enterprise as part of a small group
• Create a business idea and present it to a small panel of relevant people (leaders, parents or local business people)
• Present, as a case study, a successful business that they are involved in running

Community Challenge Award

The Community Challenge Award, sponsored by the Police, links with the Community Zone, and encourages Scouts to find out about some aspect of their local community
Complete the activities in the two following areas. Examples are provided below but other activities can also be undertaken.

Area 1 – Exploring the local community

Explore one aspect of how the local community works and is organised to the benefit of its members.
The project should include some factfinding, a visit to or from a community facility or group and some form of report back.
For example: visits to see the workings of a theatre, tourist attraction, railway station, airport, local industry; chances to meet people involved in local government, charities, faith groups, interest groups; opportunities to hear about or take part in community traditions or customs, local clubs and interest groups.

Area 2 – Community service

Take an active part in some form of local community service totaling at least six hours. The time may be spent doing a number of different projects or by showing commitment to a single project over a longer period of time.
For example: running a fund-raising stall or game, delivering leaflets, clearing an area, gardening, collecting materials for recycling, helping with activities for younger children, moving furniture, clearing debris, painting fences, environmental projects.
Where possible the service should link in with the visit in Area 1.

The Promise Challenge

To gain this award, Scouts must complete five activities in total, taken from at least two areas.
Examples are provided below but other similar activities can also be undertaken.

Area 1 – Commitment to the Promise and Scout Law

  1. Explain how you have recently ‘done your best’ on at least three occasions and how this has made a difference.
  2. Explain to a new Scout in your Troop the meaning of the Scout Promise and Law.
  3. Assist with the planning and take part in an investiture ceremony or similar.
  4. Demonstrate that you can be trusted by taking on a special responsibility on behalf of the Troop. This might involve the management of money, or the Troop’s reputation.

Area 2 – Relationship with your God

  1. Take part in a number of acts of worship with others in the Troop, such as Scout Parades at your place of worship, and/ or Scouts’ Owns.
  2. Complete a course that furthers your understanding of your own faith community.
  3. Choose and read prayers and/ or reflections for your Troop’s opening and closing ceremony.
  4. Hold the My Faith Activity Badge.

Area 3 – The life of the Troop

  1. Take an active part in at least two Troop Forums and express your views on at least one item being discussed.
  2. Contribute to the writing or reviewing of your Troop’s ‘Code of Conduct.’
  3. Play a full part in at least two Troop Leadership Forums and help to implement a decision of the forum.
  4. Successfully run a learning experience for other Scouts.
  5. Successfully lead a group of Scouts at a two-day camp or other similar event.

Area 4 – Developing beliefs and attitudes

  1. Honestly review an event or activity and decide how it might be done better in the future.
  2. Visit an act of worship of another faith community and compare the traditions and customs with your own.
  3. Investigate a political or world issue, such as climate change, smoking or fair trade, and explain your views on the subject to others.
  4. Take part in a debate on a topic of local or national interest.
  5. As a Scout, give freely of your time to help someone less fortunate than yourself.

Outdoor Plus Challenge

To gain this award, Scouts must complete the following activities:

1. Hold the Outdoor Challenge.
2. Have spent at least eight nights away as a Scout, four of which must be camping.
3. Take an active part in further camp(s), which should include many of the following:
  • Lead or help to lead a group of Scouts in setting up a well-organised site that includes sleeping tents, food and equipment stores, fire/stove, kitchen and eating area.
  • Plan a balanced menu for a short camp.
  • Show how to use safely an axe and/or a saw.
  • Lead the cooking of a meal for the group.
  • Show knowledge of the safety precautions for the use of lamps and stoves.
  • Cook a backwoods meal with the group.
  • Build a working camp gadget, such as an altar fire, camp oven or a gateway to a campsite.
  • Take a leading role in the construction of a pioneering project.
  • Build a bivouac and sleep in it.
This list gives an idea of the type and style of the activities that the nights away should include.
Depending on the activity there may be extra ideas that could be included, which can be agreed in the Troop forum.

In addition to the above, demonstrate knowledge in emergency aid for the outdoors and be able to:

  • Demonstrate how to open an airway and give CPR.
  • Know how and when to put a patient in the recovery position.
  • Know how to recognise and treat fractures and severe bleeding.
  • Know how to use direct pressure to stop bleeding.
  • Demonstrate an awareness of the dangers of temperature extremes such as sunstroke, dehydration, heat exhaustion and hypothermia and know how to prevent and treat them.

Outdoor Challenge

To gain this award, Scouts must take an active part in at least two nights away, preferably camping, to include many of the following activities:
  1. Help to pitch and strike your tent.
  2. Light a fire and cook at least one meal using an open fire.
  3. Set up a suitable stove, and prepare a meal using a stove.
  4. Demonstrate personal hygiene.
  5. Keep your belongings organised and tidy within your accommodation.
  6.  Maintain a tidy and orderly site.
  7. Take part in a wide game.
  8. Take part in a campfire or other entertainment.
  9. Build a simple pioneering project.
  10. Build a useful camp gadget.
  11. Explore the environment of your camp.
  12. With others, successfully complete a two hour activity or project.
  13. Provide a service commitment to the site for about an hour.
This list gives an idea of the type and style of the activities that the nights away should include.
Depending on the activity there may be extra ideas that could be included, which can be agreed in the Troop forum.
In addition to the above, demonstrate the following basic emergency aid skills during the nights away experience:
  1. Understand the initial actions to take in the event of an accident.
  2. Understand the importance of getting adult help and when to call the emergency services.
  3. Know how to treat minor cuts, burns and scalds, stings and insect bites.

Global Challenge

To gain this badge, Scouts must complete all the activities in one of the following two areas:

Area 1: International contact

Make contact with Scouts from another country outside the United Kingdom, then either:
  1. Take part in a Troop or Patrol activity with these Scouts.
  2. Take part in a Patrol or Troop activity based on things found out during the international contact.
This can be done in a number of ways, for example through nights away in the UK or overseas, the internet, pen pals, Jamboree-on-the-Air (JOTA), Jamboree-on-the-Internet (JOTI), or Lands of Adventure.

Area 2: International issues

Choose and investigate an international issue.
For example:
  • trade 
  • health
  • water and sanitation
  • environment
  • conflict
  • refugees
  • peace
  • tourism
  • homelessness
  • poverty
  • animal welfare
  • conservation
Then complete the following:
  1. Show an understanding of the issues involved.
  2. Take some action as a result of research.
  3. Compare how the issues affect the UK and countries overseas.