The ''ONE Programme'' personal progression system for youth members of
Scouting Ireland
Scouting Ireland () is one of the largest youth movements on the island of Ireland, a voluntary educational movement for young people with over 45,000 members, including over 11,000 adult volunteers . Of the 750,000 people between the ages of 6 ...
has been designed and refactored since the merger of earlier organisations, using a number of key underlining principles. Activities and personal progression (badges) are designed to make use of the
Scout method, maintain a consistent structure across the
five youth programme sections, involve
youth participation and personal experiences.
One Programme for all
The principle of 'ONE Programme for all' means that each age range section delivers the programme in a similar way. Small groups are present in all Sections. Documentation is designed to appeal to the age range of the Section but presents the same concepts to young people in appropriate visual presentations and language. The badge scheme is also similar and the badge designs only signify different age ranges via different coloured designs.
Programme creation
Young people are fully involved in the creation and management of their Scouting experience. This is done via the team and Section Council gatherings. They suggest, design and implement their own adventures and experiences assisted and facilitated by Adult
Scouters. This collective experience is the programme of the group.
Personal Journey
Every Scout is responsible for their own Personal Journey/experience of Scouting and plays a hand in designing and planning that journey. The Personal Journey ideal draws a young person to explore the
SPICES
In the culinary arts, a spice is any seed, fruit, root, Bark (botany), bark, or other plant substance in a form primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of pl ...
(social, physical, intellectual, character, emotional and spiritual development areas) and enable them to learn, acquire knowledge and develop while participating in the Scout programme. The programme, that young people have designed with the help and assistance of
Scouters follows a simple process PLAN, DO, REVIEW. Programmes are planned, activities are executed and the whole process is reviewed. The review process is an important stage as it allows young people to learn by doing, reflect on what has been learnt and carry this knowledge through to the next programme cycle. The review and reflection process is an important part of the personal journey of young people. It allows them to position themselves on their chosen path and provides them with pathways to future discoveries and experiences.
Badges
There are four types of badges available to young people.
* Progress Award Badges
* Adventure Skills Badges
* Special Interest Badges
* Boatman Badges Scouter
Personal Progress badges
Personal Progress Badges are awarded to young people in recognition of how they have developed and travelled along their personal Scouting journey. The badges are roughly linked to a 'Scouting years' programme. It is not based on individual tests but rather on a concept of bringing young people 'one step forward'. For some young people this will be easy for others more challenging. It will also be related to maturity of young people as they grow and develop.
Scouters therefore need to be fully aware of 'where their Scouts are at' so they can have a fuller understanding of how far a young person has travelled in a particular Stage.
Adventure Skills badges
The Adventure Skills are a set of 81
badges developed as part
Scouting Ireland
Scouting Ireland () is one of the largest youth movements on the island of Ireland, a voluntary educational movement for young people with over 45,000 members, including over 11,000 adult volunteers . Of the 750,000 people between the ages of 6 ...
's
ONE Programme
The ''ONE Programme'' personal progression system for youth members of Scouting Ireland has been designed and refactored since the merger of earlier organisations, using a number of key underlining principles. Activities and personal progression ( ...
. Adventure skills badges set prescribed detailed requirements to young people to achieve a set standard in a particular adventure skill. The requirements are progressive and ultimately reflect and pave the way to outside recognition by a governing body of a chosen skill. There are currently nine adventure skills badges:
Sailing
Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, Windsurfing, windsurfer, or Kitesurfing, kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (Land sa ...
,
Rowing,
Paddling
Paddling, in regard to waterborne transport, is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using at least one hand-held paddle. The paddle, which consists of one or two blades joined to a shaft, is also used to steer the vessel via generatin ...
(Kayaking, Canoeing and Rafting),
First aid
First aid is the first and immediate assistance given to any person with a medical emergency, with care provided to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening, or to promote recovery until medical services arrive. First aid is gener ...
,
Camping
Camping is a form of outdoor recreation or outdoor education involving overnight stays with a basic temporary shelter such as a tent. Camping can also include a recreational vehicle, sheltered cabins, a permanent tent, a shelter such as a Bivy bag ...
,
Pioneering,
Backwoods,
Hillwalking
Walking is one of the most popular outdoor recreational activities in the United Kingdom, and within England and Wales there is a comprehensive network of rights of way that permits access to the countryside. Furthermore, access to much uncultiva ...
and
Air
An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosph ...
with 9 stages within each of these skills.
The badges are awarded based on demonstrated competencies at a given level for a given skill.
Scouting Ireland established a
memorandum of understanding with recognised external organisations (in both the
Republic
A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...
and
the North) such as
Irish Sailing Association,
Canoeing Ireland, and
Mountaineering Ireland to develop the respective criteria, and for those skills in which Scouting Ireland is a natural leader (Camping, Backwoods, Pioneering), the criteria were developed in-house.
Paddling, Sailing and Rowing form a large part of the
Sea Scout programme, and the Air adventure skill is derived from
Air Scouting. Badges are open to all
programme sections, although some of the higher levels are age-restricted.
The criteria are set out so that they can be approved by non-Scouts.
Scouting Ireland's campsites, as well as private companies, have developed training schemes which are aligned to the Adventure Skills.
An independent
app has been developed which shows the full list of criteria.
Equivalent external qualification
Hillwalking
Paddling
Sailing
Special Interest badges
Special interest badges are open ended badges that reflect the interest of the young person undertaking them. Any subject is possible and the requirements are designed by the young person in consultation and agreement with their Scouters.
There are five badge designs, badges are presented under a number of heading into which the special interest subject will fall. Heading include -Skill, Physical, Adventure, Community, Environment.
Badge requirements will differ depending on the individual, the main requirement being 'doing one's best', recognising personal effort, rather than achieving a prescribed standard.
Badge requirements are broad enough to allow youth members to set agree their own criteria with their Scouter.
Chief Scout Award
The Chief Scout Award is the superlative youth programme award in each of the Programme Sections. It is designed to tie-in with the
Gaisce Award, and the Chief Scout Award for Scouts, Ventures Scouts, and Rover Scouts are awarded jointly with the
Bronze
Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...
,
Silver
Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...
and
Gold
Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
awards respectively.
Requirements for the award are a number of Adventure Skills, Special Interest Badges, an Expedition, and camp with an inter-cultural aspect.
Role of Scouters
The role of the Scouters is one of assisting, supporting, facilitating, motivating, being a role model rather than directive. Younger age ranges will require more facilitation and direction but this should be reversed in older age ranges to one of 'mentor or coach'. The Scouters need to be aware of the young people in their Section, and understand 'where they are' in relation to their development as young people. Scouters will assist in reviewing activities and help young people to reflect on their experiences and personal journey through Scouting.
Predecessor badges
ONE Programme's
Adventure Skills
The ''ONE Programme'' personal progression system for youth members of Scouting Ireland has been designed and refactored since the merger of earlier organisations, using a number of key underlining principles. Activities and personal progression ( ...
and
Special Interest badges (along with a set of Nautical Badges in each section to tie-in with the
Sea Scout symbolic framework) replaced the legacy attainment and merit badges.
Attainment badges
Attainment badges were awards earned by youth members, based on a variety of adventurous outdoor activities. These badges were originally developed by the former
Scouting Ireland S.A.I. for its sectional programmes in the Scout section and the Sea Scout section.
Badges
A core of 7 attainment badges ("The Magnificent Seven") were developed by the
SAI which are universal across the Scout programme and the Sea Scout programme. A further 7 badges were developed by the Sea Scout team which are mostly specialist water activities badges that aid the Sea Scout programme, supplementing its primary progressive badge scheme. These badges, while developed for just one of the programmes, were open to members of both the Scout and Sea Scout section to achieve. The 14 attainment badges are listed below.
Merit badges
Merit badges were awards earned by youth members, based on activities within an area of study by completing a list of periodically updated requirements..
Merit badges were a universal award for achievement within the Scouting movement. The purpose of the merit badge programme was to allow Scouts to examine subjects to determine if they would like to further pursue them as a career or as a vocation. Originally, the programme also introduced Scouts to the life skills of contacting an adult they hadn't met before, arranging a meeting and then demonstrating their skills, similar to a job or college interview. Increasingly, though, merit badges were earned in a class setting at troop meetings and summer camps.
Many of the badges were more advanced versions of
Cub Scout (Macaoimh) badges.
References
Sources
* ''The Scout Badgebook'' (
Scouting Ireland
Scouting Ireland () is one of the largest youth movements on the island of Ireland, a voluntary educational movement for young people with over 45,000 members, including over 11,000 adult volunteers . Of the 750,000 people between the ages of 6 ...
)
See also
{{Scoutorg SI
Scout and Guide awards
Scouting Ireland
Scouting uniform