The Whitburn Badge

This year, we are setting up a new badge for Scouts called The Whitburn Badge. It will reward Scouts who develop traditional Scouting skills to a point where they can undertake them confidently and safely. That means learning the skills, practising them over time, and demonstrating that they can carry them out independently, without needing a leader to prompt or guide them through the task.

We have decided to set the badge up as a way to give Scouts a clear framework to help them develop their Scouting skills. In recent years, we have found that Scouts really enjoy activities such as pioneering, orienteering, fire lighting, backwoods cooking and similar skills. However, the skills are often forgotten before we return to them. The Whitburn Badge is intended to help Scouts to develop and retain these skills through regular practice.

We will also be running a competition over the next two months to develop a design for the new badge.

What Scouts will need to do to complete the badge

The aim of the badge is that it is something that enthusiastic and committed Scouts can achieve alongside their Chief Scouts Gold award towards the end of their time in the section. That means during their first few years they will learn and practice the skills several times and as they get older they should be able to tick off the challenges.

The badge is based on a series of ten challenges which I’ve attached to this letter. Each challenge is based on a particular Scouting skill and we will want to see that each Scout is able to undertake the challenge either on their own or as part of a small group which they are involved in leading. In all cases, leaders will assess the challenges, and make sure that Scouts are safe, but the Scouts will be expected to complete the challenge without leaders directing the task.

Over the next few months, we will build up a library of resources to help the Scouts. For example, ‘how to guides’ that the Scouts will be able to access via the website or take printed versions home. Please bear with us as we do this.

As with other badges, we want the Whitburn Badge to be accessible to all Scouts, with the condition that Scouts will need to commit time, effort and concentration to achieving the outcomes. For any Scouts with additional support or accessibility needs, we will of course work with those Scouts and with parents or carers to ensure that the challenges are appropriate and achievable.

As the focus of the Whitburn Badge is traditional Scouting activities, many of these will be outdoor activities. We will make sure that there are plenty of opportunities throughout the year for Scouts to practise and improve these skills. This will include Tuesday evenings at the Craigs and other outdoor activities, all appropriately planned and supervised inline with Scout Association guidance and rules.

The badge will complement the existing badges that all Scouts in the UK undertake and Scouts will continue to work towards their challenge badges, activity badges, staged badges and the Chief Scouts Gold award.

The Whitburn Badge Challenges

The Whitburn Badge is a new Scout badge which encourage Scouts to develop strong, practical Scouting skills. It focuses on learning traditional outdoor skills, practising them regularly, and being able to demonstrate them confidently and safely.

The key principle of the Whitburn Badge is independence. Scouts are expected to completethe challenges either on their own or as part of a Scout team, without leaders instructing them step by step. Leaders will always be present to supervise, assess progress, and ensure safety, but the responsibility for learning and applying the skills rests with the Scouts themselves.

For team challenges, passing the challenge will involve a Scout taking a leading role in the activity including organising the team and helping younger scouts to learn and participate.

The challenges are designed to be completed gradually over time, typically as part of normal Scout meetings, camps, and outdoor activities.

1. Light a fire using natural materials collected by the Scout, together with a small fire lighting kit. The kit may contain a small amount of tinder, cotton wool, three matches and a lighting strip, or a flint and steel. This is an individual challenge.

2. Build a shelter and sleep in it for a full night. The shelter may be made from natural materials or from ropes and waterproof materials such as ground sheets. This is a group challenge and leaders will be staying close by.

3. Lead a patrol to put up a patrol tent: The tent should be sturdy and tidy with tight guy ropes tight and the brailling pegged out, ready to sleep in. Part of this challenge is about leading a team as either a Patrol Leader or an Assistant patrol leader, making sure that less experienced Scouts are supported and that everyone contributes. This is a group challenge and two scouts acting as team-leaders can pass the challenge at any one time.

4. Cook a backwoods meal. Cook a meal on an open fire without traditional cooking pots or utensils. Examples include food cooked on a spit, in foil in the embers, or wrapped in natural materials such as orange skins or cabbage leaves. This is a group activity. A patrol or similarly sized group should choose their food, build the fire, cook the food and eat together.

5. Deal with a (simulated) first aid emergency: take the right actions to respond to the situation remembering your first aid basics (DR. ABC) and keeping yourself and others safe as well as helping the casualty. Each scenario will be different. You need to be able to respond to emergencies relating to obstructions to the airway, difficulties breathing, circulation problems, hypothermia, bleeding or broken bones. This is an individual challenge.

6. Use an axe and knife safely and whittle something useful: demonstrate the safe use of an axe by chopping a piece of wood, and the safe use of a penknife by whittling a simple, useful item such as a tent peg or a cooking spatula. Then make use of your whittled item. This is an individual challenge and will be closely supervised for safety.

7. Demonstrate how to tie ten knots: Scouts should be able to tie each of the knots from memory and explain where you would use it. This is an individual challenge.

8. Build a pioneering project and use it: Design, build, and use a simple pioneering project using poles or staves and ropes and put it to the use it was designed for. This is a group challenge.

9. Navigate a route with a map and compass: it should include at least three checkpoints and reach the agreed destination safely. This may be completed individually or in pairs.

10. Lead a Scout activity: Plan and deliver a 45-minute Scout activity for the troop during a Scout evening or camp. This is a group challenge and may involve two or more Scouts working together.

Safety and supervision

All challenges will be carried out: • As part of organised Scout activities • With leaders present to supervise and assess • In line with Scout Association safety guidance

Scouts will only attempt activities such as fire lighting, tool use, or overnight shelters after receiving appropriate instruction and with suitable safety measures in place.

Accessibility and support

The Whitburn Badge is intended to be accessible to all Scouts. We recognise that Scouts progress at different rates, and there is no expectation to rush. Where a Scout has additional needs, leaders will work closely with parents or carers to ensure that challenges are appropriate and achievable.

Knots

Download the knot sheet to learn

Whitburn Badge Knot Sheet PDF