What Are Some Of The Implications For Programme Implementation ?

While its function as an educational tool may seem quite complex, it is not difficult to apply in everyday life with a group of young people. The Scout law is deliberately phrased in simple, everyday terms, often referring to qualities, so that each young person can easily understand what is meant and can do his or her best to reflect these in everyday life. As the Scout law is a personal code of living and a collective one, it needs to be the foundation on which the Scout unit is structured and operates if the young people are to be helped to discover for themselves the values on which it is based. Concretely, the Scout law translates into the rules of the group: the rights and duties of each member, the sharing of responsibilities, decision-making processes, conflict management, and so on. Young people should be involved as much as possible, and in ways appropriate to their level of development, in establishing the rules of the group. For one thing, this helps them to deepen their understanding of the Scout law and, for another, young people have much less difficulty in accepting, even enforcing, rules that they have contributed to establishing. Evidently, the adult leader needs to ensure that rules concerning safety measures, etc., are included.

The Scout law provides an excellent evaluation tool, both in terms of bringing out the connections between the degree to which the code of living was adhered to and what went well or badly with activities, camps, projects, group life, etc., and what could be improved; and in terms of a personal evaluation of the extent to which each young person feels he or she has made progress in reflecting the qualities. When a young person breaks a rule, he or she should be encouraged to reflect on whatever consequences it may have caused. The purpose is not to make the young person feel terrible, but to understand and, if possible, to remedy the situation.

The code of living applies to both adults and young people. The code of living is not a set of rules which apply only to young people because “they have got to respect rules”. The code of living reflects basic ethical principles or values which Scouting believes are valid in life in general. If the adults do not reflect the code of living, why should the young people?

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What Are Some Of The Implications For Programme Delivery ?

Preparing adults for their work with young people at local level should involve opportunities for them to explore the values underlying the Scout law and how this code of living translates into their everyday work with the young people. This would include examining the kinds of relationships to be promoted, the implications of the Scout law on the way in which the group should function, etc. For example, any practice that could be potentially humiliating would not be consistent with respecting the dignity of others.     

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What Are Some Of The Implications For Programme Development ?

From an educational point of view, the Scout law needs:

• To express the qualities of a person who lives according to Scouting’s principles;

• To be expressed in everyday language that is appropriate to the culture in which the national Scout association operates and to the level of maturity of the young people concerned, i.e. very simple for the younger age groups, and formulated in a slightly more mature way for the next age group, and so on;

• To be formulated so as to be relevant, inspirational and attractive to young people. It therefore needs to be expressed in positive terms, i.e. “A Scout is” as opposed to “A Scout is not”;

• To be sufficiently short so as to be easily remembered – it is not intended to be a long, exhaustive list.

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How Does Law Work ?

A Personal Code Of Living

By trying to reflect the code of living more often in a young person’s daily life and in the growing number of new situations which a young person encounters, the young person is in fact developing him or herself. As this code of living is based on the principles of Scouting (and thus on the values underlying Scouting), it guides the direction of the young person’s development towards a personal exploration of these values. This code of living is therefore personal, related to each person’s development.

A Collective Code Of Living

In addition to being a personal code of living, the Scout law is also a collective code of living. It therefore serves as the law of a micro-society of young people in which each person has the same rights and duties towards him or herself and others. As the Scout law is the basis on which their small community is founded and operates, the young people are exposed to a way of living with others which is democratic, respectful of each person and which promotes a sense of belonging, sharing, solidarity and cooperation.

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What Is Law Intended To Do ?

As a concrete personal and collective code of living, the Scout law provides a simple way of helping each young person to become familiar with what Scouting seeks to help him or her to achieve and to discover the meaning of the various aspects of this personal and collective code of living through experiencing it in practice. Ultimately, the Scout law can serve as a reference in the subsequent development of a young person’s value system.

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What Is Law ?

The Scout law is a code of living based on Scouting’s principles. It is a personal code of living in that it serves as a reference, guiding the way in which each member of the Movement lives his or her life today, and guiding the direction of development for tomorrow. It is also a collective code of living in that it is the basis on which the Scout unit functions. The Scout law is therefore at the heart of the Scout Method.

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