Berkshire Scouts @home challenge
Challenges to complete whilst Scouting at home
We have been hugely impressed with the creativity and enthusiasm that we have seen around the County during the lockdown period. But we are also aware that constantly coming up with new programme ideas can be somewhat demanding!
So, that’s why we are issuing the ‘Berkshire Scouts @home challenge’ open to all members of Scouting in Berkshire. The challenge can be completed as a section, as a Group, or by individual members, but the main aim is to have fun and give leaders some new ideas to try.
More than 500 awards have been issued across 25 sections.
Congratulations to the following sections on achieving the award:
7th Windsor (Beavers)
19th Maidenhead (Beavers, Cubs, Scouts)
1st Lower Earley (Cubs)
3rd Newbury (Beavers, Cubs, Scouts)
3rd Chieveley (Beavers)
1st Twyford (Beavers)
1st Woodley (Beavers, Cubs, Scouts)
3rd Upton (Scouts)
3rd Chieveley (Cubs)
1st Inkpen & Kintbury (Cubs)
1st Cookham (Scouts)
2nd Thatcham – Great Oak (Beavers)
1st Reading YMCA (Beavers)
2nd Sandhurst (Beavers)
1st Ufton Nervet (Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Explorers)
1st Easthampstead (Cubs)
What do I need to do to take part?
To complete the challenge, you should complete one activity from each of the following six sections (full details can be found below):
| 1 Helping others | 2 Nights Away | 3 International Scouting |
| 4 Youth Shaped Scouting | 5 Learning new skills | 6 The Scouting family |
Can we back date activities?
Yes, of course. If you have already completed activities since the suspension of face to face Scouting came into force, that’s fine. But to keep things fresh you might like to consider challenging your Scouts to do other activities too!
What do we do when we have completed the challenges?
Celebrate! Leaders can request a certificate of completion and the @home badge and issue them to each Scout that has completed the challenge. Sharing your programme ideas on the Scout Leaders in Berkshire Facebook page is also encouraged as you may inspire others to follow in your footsteps!
To claim your certificate and badges – please list the activities that have been completed together with the number of required badges to:
Contact Programme Team
Staying safe online
Don’t forget to apply normal safety rules to events that you run, even if they are online or remote. Click here for further information.
Resources to help you . . .
| 1 Helping others | Take part in an activity to support your local community. For example: – try some of our Million Hands partnerships, like kindness in every community; – if Scouts are working on finishing off their Chief Scouts’ Gold Award, they could pick a Personal Challenge that helps the local community. | Kindness in the community |
| 2 Nights Away | Take part in an ‘at home’ camp. And try some outdoors cooking while you are at it! | The great indoors |
| 3 International Scouting | Complete an activity from the County Join-in badge or the Project Africa Global Awareness Programme (or another international activity as agreed with your leaders). Scouts from Berkshire would have been travelling to Poland this summer had it not been for the pandemic. Why not cook a Polish meal at home? | Berkshire Join-in badge Global awareness programme |
| 4 Youth Shaped Scouting | 1. See if you can help your leader run a game or an activity for others in your Troop either live online or a suggestion through your Facebook page 2. Complete an activity from the County You-shape pack. Why not pick your Scouts’ brains on what socially distant Scouting could look like . . . what activities would work . . . or how could they adapt some of their favourite games? | Berkshire Youth Shape Activity Pack |
| 5 Learning new skills | Learn a new skill, and demonstrate it to your Troop or leader. Get every Scout to find their own mug cake recipe and make it during your virtual meeting, then compare the results. Or give the Scouts a digital photography challenge and see what they come up with. | Scout activity badges |
| 6 The Scouting family | Take part in an activity with Scouts from another Troop or District. Is there a Troop in your District that is not meeting digitally currently, whose Scouts might like to join one of your sessions? |
All the above information is available in pdf format for downloading and printing.