For details of where to sew badges on the uniform please refer to the Beaver, Cub or Scout pages
Members of all ages work towards attaining awards both in their chosen activities, and are awarded badges. From Circus Skills and Street Sports to Imagination and Public Relations, there is a wide range of choice of Activity Badges for all Sections. Hobbies that your child has can also be used to help both “activity badges” and progressive training awards.
These are generally awarded for trying new activities and doing their best at them for the younger sections whilst Scouts do have some badges that specific standards have to be met. Generally the effort needed to obtain the badge or the standard required increases as your child progresses through the sections. In addition though, there are six staged Activity Badges these have been designed to provide a unified approach throughout the Sections.
These staged Activity Badges are:
All the Staged Activity Badges have 5 stages, with the exception of the last two. Nights Away has 12 and Hikes Away has 6 stages. This means that a young person can gain whichever badge is appropriate to the level they have reached. It is possible, for example, for a Beaver Scout who is an excellent swimmer to gain a higher-level badge than a Scout who has just taken up the activity.
There are “Joining In” awards which are presented with the numbering indicating how many years the Member has regularly attended and participated in the balanced programme across the whole Scout Movement. Only the highest numbered badge is worn.
Each section has a number of Challenge Badges; these can either be done individually or in groups. On completion of a number of these your child can earn the relevant Chief Scouts Award, the highest award earned worn on their uniform.
Beaver Scouts Bronze Chief Scouts Award
Cub Scouts Silver Chief Scouts Award
Scouts Gold Chief Scouts Award
When your child is ready to move onto the next section there are moving on awards for each section.
Occasionally your child may be asked to undertake things at home to go towards badge-work or challenges being undertaken on a section night.
A Scout Association (UK Programme) app called My Badges gives details of all the badge requirements and is free to download from the App Store.