1st Oakdale Scout Group

The Scout section in its current form is for young people between the ages of ten and a half (when they leave cubs) and fourteen (when they can join the Explorer Scouts).

Scouts are split into patrols, with an older scout acting as Patrol Leader (PL) assisted by an Assistant Patrol Leader (APL). First Oakdale Patrols are named after wild animals:- Cobra, Panther etc. The scouts have a patrol badge on their arms together with their other insignia to distinguish them.

As well as uniforms, scouts differ from other sections of the group by being able to take part in more adventurous activities (under the correct supervision). In the recent past our troop has taken part in night hikes, incident hikes (with overnight camps) and canoeing trips.

Like Cubs, Scouts have a series of Badges and Awards towards which they can work. Some of these are for particular activities, such as Swimming or Music, and it may be that individuals joining Scouts may already have effectively earned these elsewhere, in which case they will be given the badges as soon as they have enrolled. These badges are called "Activity Badges", and are worn on the left sleeve.

There are also a number of Challenge Awards; the Outdoor, Outdoor Plus, Adventure, Expedition, Creative, Fitness, Global and Community Challenges, all of which are designed to test a different area of scouting skill. By completing 5 Challenge Awards plus personal challenges, scouts can gain the Chief Scouts Gold Award, the highest award available to this section. This award is carried forward to Explorers.

If a scout has a particular problem or disability which makes it difficult for him / her to achieve a particular award, then the requirements can be adjusted to reflect the ability of the individual.

All in all there are many opportunities for Scouts to gain awards of different types. Scout badges are not easy to earn however, and are not lightly given away - there is generally some effort required - it would belittle the efforts of those who have legitimately earned the badge if we were to simply give them away!

The Scout Promise is similar to the Cub Scout Promise, but is preceded by the very important words "On my honour". This is in recognition of the fact that as a Scout, the individual should be old enough and responsible enough to take an oath which he / she is bound by honour to try to keep. The full promise is as follows:

On my honour, I promise that I will do my best
To do my duty to God and the Queen,
To help other people,
And to keep the Scout law.

The Scout Law is much more involved than the simpler Cub Law and more difficult to remember.

· A Scout is to be trusted

· A Scout is loyal

· A Scout is friendly and considerate

· A Scout belongs to the worldwide family of Scouts

· A Scout has courage in all difficulties

· A Scout makes good use of time and is careful of possessions and property

· A Scout has self-respect and respect for others