In this Topic: Participation Promise and Law Scout Uniform, Scout Salute and Scout Handshake Scouts and Flags Scouting History Discussion with the Scout Leader Introducing Tenderfoot Level The Journey Life in the Troop is a journey. As in any journey one embarks on, there needs to be proper preparation for the adventure ahead. This is important so as to steer clear of obstacles and perils, which, with good foresight, can often be avoided. As Scouts we follow our simple motto: Be Prepared! With this in mind you can start your preparations for the journey ahead… The Tenderfoot This level offers a starting point for a new member in the troop. For those Cubs whose time has come to move up from the pack, the Tenderfoot level is a stepping stone linking the pack with the troop. For those scouts who have joined from outside the group, this will be the beginning of their scouting life. How do I achieve this level? The five sections in this level can be done in any order. If you are a Cub Scout moving up from the pack, you will have already started the Cub Scout link badge. The Tenderfoot level is started at the same time. As you can see some of the requirements are the same for both awards. If you have just joined the scouting movement as part of the troop, this level will provide you with all the basic information to help you learn what scouting is all about. Look at the sheet on the next page so that you are able to keep track of your progress. 2 My Progress Sheet When did I When did I Topic Leader for learn about it? complete it? Participation: Meeting 1 Meeting 2 Meeting 3 Meeting 4 Meeting 5 Promise & Law Scout Uniform, Scout Salute and Scout Handshake Scouts and Flags Scouting History Discussion with the SL 3 Participation Requirements Attend at least 5 meetings with the troop including an outdoor meeting (i.e. outside your HQ). a) Attend 5 meetings After joining the troop you will be assigned to a Patrol under the guidance of a Patrol Leader. Together with your patrol you will be able to fully benefit from the scouting experience. b) Outdoor activity The ‘out’ in scouting is very important! By attending an outdoor activity you can see how scouting adapts to situations that are different from those which we are used to in today’s urbanised society. Aim Scouting is best experienced in a group. In the troop these groups are called patrols, each one led by the Patrol Leader, with the help of the Assistant Patrol Leader and the other scouts in the patrol. It is as part of a patrol that you will experience life in the troop. Therefore this topic of participation will help you develop a sense of belonging to your patrol. Can you do it? Attend 5 meetings with the scout troop and get the Scout Leader or leader in charge to sign your attendance after each meeting. One of the meetings that you attend has to be an outdoor meeting (e.g. hike, cookout, wide game, environment clean-up etc). After attending 5 meetings with the troop, talk to your leader to discuss these meetings. 4 Promise and Law Requirements Show that you know and understand the Scout Law and Promise. Aim The Scout Promise and Law are central to every scout’s life. They do not only apply to you as a scout but also to you as a citizen of a society. Abiding by the Scout’s Law and Promise is not something to be reserved for the troop meeting alone, but should form part of every aspect of your life. Can you do it? Discuss the scout promise and Law with your leader in charge. Talk about what they represent to you now that you are in the troop. 5 Introduction The Scouting Movement has had an astonishing Promise growth in membership; from small beginnings to a and Law global membership which today stands at 28 million members in 216 countries. Every scout is invested, reciting the same promise and law that our founder Lord Baden-Powell had proposed. People all over the world have unwritten laws which bind them just as much as if they had them printed in black and white. These laws come down to us from our ancestors. Thus the Japanese have their Bushido (or laws of the old Samurai warriors), the Native Americans have their laws of honour and we have chivalry (or rules of the knights of the Middle Ages). The following are the rules which apply to Scouts. You swear to obey them when you take your oath as a Scout. The Promise and Law Scouting is a game and like every other game it has rules which must be followed. It is not really much fun to play games which have no rules. Even those games which you make up with your friends will have particular rules because without them you will not know what you can or cannot do. The game of scouting does not have many rules, but the ones that exist are all important. These rules are the promise and the law. The first time you make your Scout Promise is one of the most important things you do as a scout. Before you are invested as a scout, you must be able to recite the Promise and the Law and explain them in your own words. Everyone involved in Scouting has to accept the Scout Law and as you grow older you will come to understand more fully the meaning of these important guidelines. 6 Promise and Law The Scout Promise ON MY HONOUR, I PROMISE THAT I WILL DO MY BEST, TO DO MY DUTY TO GOD AND MY COUNTRY, TO HELP OTHER PEOPLE AT ALL TIMES, AND TO OBEY THE SCOUT LAW. It is important to learn and understand the meaning of these words, and then to always try to fulfil this promise. You make this promise ‘on your honour’ and that means you yourself are entrusted to carry it out. No one, be it your mother or father, teacher or scout leader, is going to be with you all the time, so you must rely on your honesty to yourself to keep your Promise. Honouring this promise is not something impossible to realise and you should try as hard as you can to do so. In the first part of the Promise you agree to get to know God and to learn all that you can about your religion. This will include attending religious services, offering prayers of praise and thanks with other Scouts and respecting other persons’ beliefs. To help others at all times is the service a scout undertakes, often by beginning to do a good turn every day. There is always someone who needs a helping hand. You will soon find that by doing good deeds you, in turn, feel better too! The Scout Law The Scout Law sets out how you should behave in your every day life. Accepting it as your code will award you many happy and worthwhile days. 1 A SCOUT’S HONOUR IS TO BE TRUSTED. 2 A SCOUT IS LOYAL AND OBEDIENT. 3 A SCOUT’S DUTY IS TO BE USEFUL AND TO HELP OTHERS. 4 A SCOUT IS A FRIEND TO ALL AND A BROTHER TO ANY SCOUT. 5 A SCOUT IS COURTEOUS, KIND AND CONSIDERATE. 6 A SCOUT IS CHEERFUL IN ADVERSITY. 7 A SCOUT MAKES GOOD USE OF HIS TIME AND AVOIDS WASTE OF AND DAMAGE TO PROPERTY. 8 A SCOUT IS CLEAN IN THOUGHT, WORD AND DEED. 7 Promise 1 A scout honour is to be trusted and Law A Scout is the kind of person on whom everybody can depend. When you ask a trusted friend for help, you can rely on getting that help. If you want to be trusted yourself, you always have to behave in a way that shows others that they can rely on you. Thus, when you agree to go on a hike, you are there on time; if you become ill and are unable to attend an activity you inform your Patrol Leader; if you have a job to do for the patrol, you do it to the best of your ability and by the time promised; if you are told something in confidence, you keep it to yourself; if you are trustworthy, you will never lie, cheat or steal. Above all, there is no need for parents, teachers or scouters to check on you, as they all trust you. 2 A scout is loyal and obedient Loyalty means that you are faithful to someone or something. When you believe that something or someone is right you will speak up for them even when they are not popular. It may involve doing things that may not be popular because you believe that those things must be done. Loyalty starts at home. You behave as your parents would like you to behave. You show appreciation for what your parents do and speak to others about your home in a way that shows your love for it. In scouting a troop can only be at its best when every member is loyal. Therefore it is important to support your leaders and patrol leaders. A Scout is loyal to the government of his country. This means upholding the laws, which are there for everyone’s good, and doing what you can for the community in which you live.