Objectives
The educational approach mainly aims to:
• Make each child aware of his/her potential, acquire self-confidence
and develop assertiveness.
• Make each child able to recognize dangers and to ensure
his/her safety.
• Make each child able to choose personal objectives starting
from short-term decisions to long term projects.
• Help each child develop positive relationships with peers
and with adults and acquire increasing readiness to take responsibilities
in the community.
• Help each child to develop progressively a personal set
of values.
• Help each child to be progressively responsible for his/her
personal development in the various growth areas: physical, intellectual,
emotional, social and spiritual.
• Enable each child to understand how to deal with emerging
issues like HIV/AIDS, drug abuse and poverty eradication.
Principles
• Each child builds his/her own range of strengths
• Key abilities are more easily acquired by a sequenced
format/scheme of personal progression.
• Leaders work in a team to be able to assess the needs
of each child, help them to set up personal objectives and evaluate
their progress.
• Provide developing activities and assessing the results.
Process
Scouting has the commitment to support a process of personal progression
for each child, in which there is a beginning – level of
development at which a child enters the movement – and the
end – point at which measurable benefit to the child must
be established. The process will be developed through the following
steps:
• Intensive and regular contacts with the young people.
• Recreational activities.
• Providing a healthy environment and intensive socialization
through group life and outdoors activities (travels, camp..)
• Following up through contacts with social services, families
and tertiary institution, and continued counseling.
SCOUT METHOD
This is a system of progressive self-education through the promise
and Law, learning by doing, membership of small groups under adult
guidance, progressive discovery and acceptance of responsibility
and training towards self-government, the development of character
and the acquisition of competence, self-reliance dependability
and capacities both to co-operate and lead. Progressive and stimulating
Programmes of varied activities based on the interests of the
participants, including games, useful skills, and services to
the community, taking place largely in an outdoors setting in
contact with nature. It is the means through which the objectives,
purpose and principles of the movement are achieved.
SEVEN (7) ELEMENTS OF THE SCOUT METHOD.
1. The Patrol System
The main result of applying the Scout method as a whole is that
a special environment is created in the unit in the patrols. This
special atmosphere is generated by working in small groups called
patrols, usually of 8 members under leadership of an adult (Scout
Leader). Patrol System facilitates interaction thus enhancing
socialization. They learn to appreciate others. They develop the
skills of common understanding. It provides an opportunity for
each member to develop responsibility independence, co-operation,
leadership skills ans self-governance.
2. Learning by doing
This means that in the patrols and the Scout unit everything is
done through activities, which emphasize discovery. It involves
active learner centred education – learning by participation.
A Scout is exposed to a succession of congenial
activities and achievements largely in outdoor setting and opportunities
for serving others.
In dealing with young people, the scout
leader must always bear in mind that they remember more of what
they do than what they hear.
The activities selected must always be simple
and tied to the young people’s personal development objectives.
3. The Progressive Scheme
The Progressive Scheme is the growth pattern for all the members
of the movement from cubs to rovers.
It is easy to forget, at times, that what
is done in the troop is only a part of a young person’s
development. To get the most from Scouting, individuals should
ideally do more through all four sections developing as they go.
This is a progressive and stimulatius programme
for the youth which allows the scouts to develop and progress
in totality at their own pace within the section of scouting they
are in. The programme must be stimulating through use of a balance
of relevant varied activities based on the scouts interest. The
activities are programmed in the badge system.
4. Promise and law.
It is important that Scouts clearly understand the meanings of
the Promise and Law and are prepared to accept them because they
cannot become members of the movement otherwise.
Every activity undertaken by the Scout must
be with the promise and Law at the back of their minds. This will
make the Scouts to understand their meaning and make a commitment
to live by them.
The Scouts and Scouters on their own free
will make a personal commitment to a given code of behavior and
accepts before a group of peers, the responsibility to be faithful
to the given word and to observe ethical values.
5. Symbolic Framework.
Symbols represent and educate. The role of the symbolic framework
is to encourage imagination and developing sensitivity; strengthen
the sense of belonging to a community that is pulling in the same
direction, give the leaders an attractive way to present scout
values and help the young people to identify with them; give cohesion
to activities and finally to encourage the achievement of personal
objectives and make them important to the young people.
6. Life and Nature.
Nature is the Scouts laboratory. It is more than just trees, rivers
and blue skies. Nature is three things in one. Nature is a club,
a laboratory and a temple where a Scout can feel close to God
and worship Him in their own ways. Contact with nature is intended
to contribute to the development of the young person in all of
the areas of development in a holistic way; provide an ideal setting
in which the Scout method can be applied.
A Scout Leader should always strive to make
sure that most, if not all, activities are programmed to take
place in an outdoor setting.
7. Relationship between Adults and
Young people.
Adults offer invaluable support to the young people in the movement.
They provide financial, human and material
support to the young people.
It is of paramount importance to know that
the movement is for the young people and that the only point the
adults come in is to support.
Logically, therefore, all Scout activities
must have the guidance of an adult while the participants must
be the young people.
