The Beaver Colony is the first and youngest section of the Scout Group and generally meet for an hour per week. They enjoy all that Scouting has to offer; being introduced to outdoor activities, having the opportunity to be creative, explore their local community and experience the excitement of a Beaver Scout sleepover with their friends.
Beaver Scouts are young people aged between 6 and 8 years old. There is core flexibility in the age range: young people can join from age 5¾, and can move to Cubs between age 7½ and 8½. It may sometimes be appropriate to extend this flexibility for young people with additional needs. For further information, see our guidance on age range flexibility.
Structure
A Beaver Colony may be organised into smaller groups called Lodges. Lodges can be used in a number of ways to facilitate the organisation of the Beaver Scout Colony. They may provide a ‘home’ area for Beaver Scouts to gather at points at the start, during or at the end of the Colony meeting.
The Beaver Scout Promise
There are a number of variations of the Beaver Scout Promise to reflect the range of faiths, beliefs and attitudes in the UK within Scouting. The promise for Christians, Jews and Sikhs is :-
I promise to do my best
To be kind and helpful
And to love God.
Hindus and Buddhists replace the last line with “and to love my Dharma”, Muslims with “and to love Allah” and those with no defined faith with “and to love our world”.
The Beaver Scout Motto
“Be prepared”
Activities
During their time in the Colony, Beaver Scouts will get a chance to try a wide range of different activities as well as going on trips, days out, and on sleepovers. Participation, rather than meeting set standards, is the key approach, and there are a range of badges and challenge awards that Beaver Scouts can gain to recognise their achievements.
Chief Scout’s Bronze Award. This is the highest award a Beaver can earn, and it’s something you work on gradually throughout your whole time in the section. To get your hands on one, you’ll need complete all of the Challenge Awards, as well as any four Activity Badges of your choice (including Staged Activity Badges).
Click on the red link to see a full explanation of each badge :- Beavers Activity Badges | Scouts
Uniform and Badge Placement
Beaver Scouts may wear a turquoise sweatshirt with a Group scarf (often called a necker) and a maroon woggle, or one of another colour which identifies their Lodge or team.
Uniform and other clothing items can be purchased from Scout Store.
Flag
The Beaver Scout flag is light blue, bearing the Scout symbol and the Scout Motto.