Scouting in Northern Ireland is represented by three Scouting associations:
33-809: The Scout Association has seven Scout Counties covering the 6 counties that make up Northern Ireland plus the City of Belfast . These counties are overseen by the Northern Ireland Scout Council, known as "Scouts NI", which is a registered charity in Northern Ireland with charity number 103542. The Scout Association, Northern Ireland was an observer member of the Federation of Irish Scout Associations (FISA). Scouting Ireland incorporates Northern Ireland as part of its Northern Scout Province and has five Scout Counties. Scouts NI and Scouting Ireland has run
66-709: A County Commissioner (who is appointed by the Chief Scout ), who is supported by a team of Assistant County Commissioners and an Executive Committee. Counties are themselves divided into Districts. The average County will have around 10 Districts, and around 3,900 members (of which 3,150 are under 18). Counties are responsible for the provision of the Scout Network , as well as supporting all Scouting activities within their member Districts. There are currently 58 counties in England. They are: Beavers (Scouting) Beavers
99-640: A Scout Citizenship project to improve the relationship between the two Scouting associations in Ireland. 120 Northern Ireland Scouts, along with 12 leaders, took part in the 21st World Scout Jamboree to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Scouting at Hylands Park near Chelmsford, Essex in 2007. The Scout County of County Antrim covers the County of Antrim in Northern Ireland . The three Scout Districts are Lisburn & District, South East Antrim and Slemish. Prior to
132-424: A distinct identity for children of this age. Instead, over time, their Cub programme has expanded to fill this age group. Others, such as some Traditional Scouting organisations, have never adopted programmes for younger children at all, typically on the grounds this was not one of Robert Baden-Powell 's original programmes. A pre-Cub scheme was set up in Northern Ireland by the 1st Dromore Group in 1963 and it
165-638: A fully-fledged Beaver section in Northern Ireland since 1966, plus informal colonies in other parts of the UK for many years before 1986. The programme is run for 5¾ to 8-year-olds and precedes Cubs . The Beavers section currently makes up the largest proportion of participants within The Scout Association in the United Kingdom, with many colonies having waiting lists, some of which may have several times as many waiting as there are actual members. The uniform
198-433: A programme called Koalas, although some Groups do not operate Koalas as they were not part of Baden-Powell 's concept. The programme serves 5 to 8-year-olds and is followed by Wolf Cubs . The Koalas programme uses a catchphrase and themes around "Koalas climb high" with participants reciting the phrase and mimicking the motions of a climbing Koala. Scouts Australia has a programme called Joeys for 5 to 7-year-olds. A joey
231-492: A promise ceremony where the Beaver, generally, must demonstrate that he has joined the unit. From that moment, the new Beavers have entered the Beaver programme. Beavers collect individual badges following a four-step programme: They can also collect two technique badges which are called buchettes (splint): Security and Environnement. When they climb to Cubs, they receive a badge called "Castor découvreur" (discovering beaver). In
264-406: A total of 9 Groups. 1st Armagh (Armagh) 8th Armagh (Portadown) 12th Armagh (Slieve Gullion) 1st Down (Rostrevor) 1st Dromore (Newry) 5th & 6th Dromore (Lurgan) 7th Dromore (Craigavon) 1st Tyrone (Dungannon) 6th Tyrone (Cookstown) 14th Tyrone (Pomeroy) Down & Connor Scout County covers County Antrim, County Down and Belfast with a total of 15 Groups. The 2006 Phoenix National Patrol Challenge
297-1108: Is a programme associated with some Scouting organisations generally for children aged 5/6 to 7/8 who are too young for the Cub programme. Beavers programmes had their origins in the Northern Irish organisation The Little Brothers , founded in 1963 and renamed "Beavers" in 1966 to provide a programme for boys who were too young to be Wolf Cubs. A Beavers programme for Scouts Canada was designed and tested in 1971 and adopted in 1974. Since then, other scouting organisations in some countries have developed their Beavers or similar programmes. Some organisations do not call their programmes "Beavers" and often use an animal local to their region instead. Many share common ideas between them, such as: Many Beaver groups that began as boys only now allow girls into their programmes as well, and many Beaver programmes which were not initially considered official parts of their parent scouting organisations are now fully embraced by them. The Boy Scouts of America never created
330-489: Is a turquoise sweatshirt or T-shirt, with the group colours for the neckerchief. The motto, shared with the rest of the UK Scout Association sections, is "Be Prepared". The Baden-Powell Scouts' Association recognised Beavers in 1982, although some Groups do not operate Beaver colonies as they were not part of Baden-Powell 's concept. The programme serves 5 to 8-year-olds and is followed by Wolf Cubs . The uniform
363-527: Is a vest that can be of many colours, with the group colours for the neckerchief. Some groups also issue Beavers with caps. The Boy Scouts of America never organized a multi-year Beavers programme separate from Cubs . While the modern incarnation of Cubs in the United States contains programmes for grades K through 5, the path to this structure was evolutionary. As of 1981, the earliest program available in Cubs
SECTION 10
#1732851183569396-444: Is an infant kangaroo . The Joeys' programme uses a catchphrase and themes around "Hop, Hop, Hop" such as Help Other People with participants reciting the phrase and mimicking the motions of a hopping joey kangaroo. In Scouts Canada , Beavers are aged five to seven. Members normally wear a brown vest as a uniform with a brown Beaver coby hat. The Scouts Canada Beavers programme is based on the specially written short story Friends of
429-536: Is based on the upright posture of a meerkat standing guard near its burrow. Various troops in Switzerland also have Beavers (in some Cantons also called Fünkli , Füchse or Murmeli ), but they are not officially recognised by the Swiss Guide and Scout Movement . They usually only wear the troop's neckerchief but have no uniform. The Scout Association officially recognised Beavers in 1986, but there had been
462-708: The Baden-Powell Service Association in Canada , the corresponding section for this age group is called Otters. Beaver Scouts (Japanese: ビーバースカウト) started in Japan in 1986. Like all of the Scout Association of Japan units, Beavers have been coed since 1995. Beavers are the youngest age group in Scouting Japan, a 2-year programme that covers 1st and 2nd grades. In Asociación de Scouts de México, A.C. there
495-587: The United Kingdom . There are currently 115 Counties and Areas in the United Kingdom. These bodies are responsible for providing programmes and support for their member Scout Districts . The term County is used by England and Northern Ireland , while Area is used in Wales and Region in Scotland . For the purposes of this article, the term County is used where County, Area or Region can be applied. Counties are led by
528-565: The Baden-Powell Scouts' Association see B-PSA Organisation . Within Northern Ireland there was an affiliated feeder organisation, The Northern Ireland Squirrel Association , (NISA) which was for young people aged four and five years living in Northern Ireland. Following the launch of the Squirrel section across the UK in September 2021, NISA Dreys were merged into Scout Association Groups in
561-600: The City of Belfast . The four Scout Districts are East Belfast, North Belfast, Lagan and West Belfast. The Scout County of County Down covers the County of Down in Northern Ireland . The three Scout Districts are Strangford, South Down and North Down. The county has a current membership of 2279 young people and 445 adults. North Down district has a dedicated headquarters and training facility in Balloo Industrial Estate, Bangor. The Scout County of County Fermanagh covers
594-552: The County of Fermanagh in Northern Ireland . The county has no Districts and has nine Scout Groups. The Scout County of County Londonderry covers the city of Derry and the surrounding county of Londonderry in Northern Ireland . The three Scout Districts are Coleraine, Londonderry and Mid Ulster. The Scout County of County Tyrone covers the County of Tyrone in Northern Ireland . The four Scout Districts are Clogher Valley, Dungannon, Omagh, and Strabane. Brian Boru Scout County covers parts of County Armagh and County Tyrone with
627-581: The Forest written by Harry McCartney. McCartney was the Manitoba Executive Scout Director in 1971. With the help of two others, Alan Jones, and Gordon Hanna, the Beavers programme was tested and successfully brought to Scouts Canada officially and country-wide, by 1974. A five-year-old Beaver is a brown tail, a six-year-old is a blue tail and a seven-year-old is a white tail. The tail is attached to
660-646: The Membership Badge as the organization was not a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement . Many Squirrel Leaders wore navy tops. After 2013 a new navy and lime Squirrel Association logo badge was worn on the right breast of such uniform. Scout Counties (The Scout Association) A Scout County (also Scout Area ) is an administrative division within The Scout Association of
693-548: The Northern Ireland Scout Council which is part of The Scout Association . Each unit is called a Squirrel Drey and some are linked to Scout Groups. Following a piloting exercising from 2019, The Scout Association launched its Squirrels nationally in 2021. The operations of the Northern Ireland Squirrel Association were merged into the Scout Association's Squirrels. From late 2014 a badge programme
SECTION 20
#1732851183569726-537: The Province. Beaver Scouts started in The Scout Association in Northern Ireland in 1965. With the help from the Northern Ireland Scout Association, Scouting Ireland started Beaver Scouts in 1979. The Northern Ireland Squirrel Association was a youth organization which operated solely within Northern Ireland . It was a feeder organization to the Scout Movement in Northern Ireland as its membership
759-852: The back brim of the Beaver Hat on a Beaver's uniform. Beavers, at the end of their third (white tail) year, participate in a "swim-up" ceremony to become Cubs. In the Association des Scouts du Canada Castors (Beavers in French) are aged from seven to nine. Members normally wear a yellow T-shirt and tan or brown pants. The programme is based on a specially written story called Les aventures de Cartouche et Namor ( The Adventures of Cartouche and Namor ). Castor Promise: Je m'engage à faire des efforts pour jouer avec et comme les autres. (I promise to do my best to play with and like others) Castor Motto: Effort (Effort) The new Beaver receives his neckerchief and uniform at
792-493: The recent merger the four Scout Districts were Antrim and District, Lisburn and District, Mid Antrim, South East Antrim. Slemish District was formed in April 2017 with the merging of Antrim District and Mid Antrim District. The Scout County of County Armagh covers the County of Armagh in Northern Ireland . The three Scout Districts are Lurgan and District, Armagh and District, and Portadown. The Scout County of City of Belfast covers
825-540: The rest of the province, it was given the official name of Beavers in 1966, having been a name considered by Robert Baden-Powell when creating Wolf Cubs. A Canadian Beaver programme was designed and tested in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1971 by Harry McCartney, Alan Jones, and Gordon Hanna. and in 1972 it was expanded across the Scouts Canada organisation. It was made an official programme of Scouts Canada in 1974. This
858-405: The right arm. The Squirrel membership badge was worn on the left breast of the sweatshirt. Following the affiliation with the Northern Ireland Scout Council there was a suggestion that Squirrel leaders should wear the adult uniform shirt of The Scout Association. This brought its own confusion for leaders who were also adult members of The Scout Association, as Squirrel Leaders were not able to wear
891-522: Was a Beaver Section, but it has been closed down. However, there are many beaver groups or "castores" in Spanish working unofficially in parallel. Scouts New Zealand has a programme called Keas for this age group. Kea is a New Zealand parrot. In 2019, Scouts South Africa launched a Meerkats programme initially started by Sherley Southworth, and officially recognised under Chief Scout Dr. Brendon Hausberger, for children aged 5 and 6. The motto "Stand Tall"
924-498: Was called The Little Brothers spreading to Belfast with seven groups two years later. The creation of an under-eight provision was sparked by the launch of other younger sections in other youth organisations at the time including the Anchors section of the Boys' Brigade which some feared was partly causing a drop in numbers of Cubs experienced at the time. As the scheme expanded throughout
957-516: Was closely followed by the Republic of Ireland in the same year. Beaver became an official section of the Scout Association of the United Kingdom in 1986. Beavers and programmes for similar ages spread to a few other Scouting organisations around the world. Beavers were not formally adopted by many Scouting organisations until well into the 1980s. The Baden-Powell Scouts' Association in Australia has
990-540: Was held at Tollymore Forest Park County Down. Erne Scout County covers County Fermanagh with a total of 7 Groups. Covers part of Counties Tyrone, Londonderry and Donegal with a total of 17 Groups. Covers part of counties Tyrone, Londonderry and Antrim with a total of 9 Groups. For details of sections in The Scout Association see The Scout Association Sections . For details of sections in Scouting Ireland see Scouting Ireland Sections . For details of sections in
1023-468: Was limited to four and five year olds who lived in Northern Ireland. The Aim of the Association was '...to promote the development of young people in achieving their full physical, intellectual, social and spiritual potential, as individuals, as responsible citizens and as members of their local, national and international communities.' The Northern Ireland Squirrel Association became affiliated in 2009 with
Scouting in Northern Ireland - Misplaced Pages Continue
1056-673: Was the Wolf Scout programme, intended for boys 8 years of age. In the fall of 1982, BSA introduced the Tiger Cubs programme for 7-year-olds, as a programme distinct from the Cubs. When BSA participation was changed to grade-based instead of age-based in 1986, Tiger Cubs became the 1st-grade programme, effectively changing the eligible age of most Tiger Cubs boys to 6. Tiger Cubs were opened to Cub Packs in 1993, and Tiger Dens were introduced in 1995. By 2001, Tigers (as they are now called) were fully integrated into Cubs and had their merit badge. In 2016
1089-475: Was used which more closely aligned with the programme of The Scout Association. Four Smile badges could be awarded: The development of this programme was funded by the Big Lottery Fund . Youth members wore a loose-fitting navy sweatshirt and were allowed to wear the scarf of a Scout Group with which they were linked. The provincial, county and district badges of The Scout Association could also be worn on
#568431