Who are Beavers?

Beavers are young people, aged 6 to 8, who:

• Master new skills and try new things
• Have fun and go on adventures
• Make friends
• Are curious about the world around them
• Help others and make a difference, on their own doorsteps and beyond

Every week, they gather in groups called Beaver Colonies to hop, skip and jump their way through lots of different games and activities – achieving anything they set their minds to, and having lots of fun along the way.

What do Beavers get up to?

Their activities are based around making things, outdoor activities, singing, playing games, going out on visits, investigating nature, listening to stories, learning how to be safe and most importantly, making new friends.

Who leads Beavers?

Each Colony is led by an adult Beaver leader. Other adult volunteers are on hand to supervise activities, share their skills and keep everyone safe. Leaders at 12th Chichester are all called by their first name.

Within the Colony, our Beavers are also part of a Lodge. A Lodge is a smaller group of Beavers, headed up by a young person who takes on a peer leadership role (sometimes known as a Lodge Leader or Junior Leader).

Being a peer leader is about being a superhero for a little while – doing things like welcoming new people to the Colony, being extra helpful during a camp, or taking charge of a game or activity. Everyone takes it in turns to take on the challenge. 

Beavers usually stand together in their Lodges at the beginning and end of meetings. They tend to stick together on trips away, or during certain activities

Investiture and promise

When you join the 12th Chichester Colony, you’ll start thinking about making a promise. A promise is a set of words that mean something to you, which you try to follow everyday.

Making the promise is a big celebration within the Colony. Every time a new Beaver decides to join, they chat through their promise with their leader before saying it out loud in front of their fellow Beavers. Family and friends are invited to come along to see this, too. Doing this is called being ‘invested’ into Beavers, and it usually takes place once you’ve had a few weeks to settle in.

The Beaver Scout Promise

Beavers choose the promise that best suits them.

A list of all the Beaver promises can be found here.

Uniform

On your first night at Beavers, you’ll be taking part in lots of activities, and should just wear something you feel comfortable in.

Eventually, you’ll get your own Beaver uniform to wear to meetings and on trips and nights away. Wearing a uniform is comfy and practical. It means no one feels uncomfortable or left out and helps everyone to feel a part of the Colony. It also gives you a place to show off all the Beaver badges you earn.

For Beavers at 12th Chichester, the uniform consists of a blue sweatshirt with your badges sewn on and a blue and gold scarf. The blue is worn on the left. Uniform can be purchased from the official scout shop online, the district scout shop or there is usually some preloved uniform available to purchase via the Beaver leaders.

Badges

Beavers take part in many activities at colony meetings that work towards badges. Beavers can also earn badges in their own time. A list of all the current Beaver badges can be found here. There are also challenge award badges and details about these can be found here. When a Beaver is awarded a badge, it is needs sewing onto the uniform in the positions outlined below.

Our code of conduct?

We agree to:

• Be kind and helpful
• Listen to each other
• Be safe
• Try new things
• Have fun

As a group we have adopted the West Sussex Scouts behaviour police which can be found here: https://www.westsussexscouts.org.uk/youth-programme/west-sussex-behaviour-policy

How much does it cost?

There is a basic fee covering the upkeep of the head quarters and weekly meetings. Trips, camps and activities that take place away from the head quarters are usually charged separately.

Beavers is designed to be an accessible and affordable way for young people to learn lots of new skills through a single membership. Nobody should feel excluded from Beaver activities because of money worries. If your parents/carers are concerned about costs, they should speak to their leader in confidence, to see what they can do to help. In most cases, support is available to make sure nobody misses out.