Scouting Program Standards

What are they and when are they used?

October 11, 2007

In 2006, the National Program Standards Committee, made up of volunteer scouters from across Canada, developed and released a set of Quality Program Standards for Scouting. In this article, we will take a look at what they are and how we use them.

Program Standards for Excellent Scouting Programs were developed by Scouts Canada to provide a reference document for each of our youth sections. Having these minimum standards in place, and working with leaders and parents to meet or exceed them, will ensure that we deliver programs at a high level of consistency across the country.

There are different program standards available for Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, and Venturers in both english and french.

What is in a program standard?

Each program standard has been developed to meet the age appropriate requirements of the applicable youth pragram. Although there are different program standards for each section, each standard uses the same generic categories.

Standards Categories

Let's take a look at what is contained in a "Program Standard":

• Program Planning ensures that each Section conducts the proper levels of planning for a successful year.
  
  
• Outdoors is a primary element in the activites for each Section. This category ensures that youth participate in the appropriate level of challenging and fun outdoor activities like rambles, hikes, and camps.
  
  
• Youth Input is essential to ensure that the activities or relevant and of interest to the participating youth. The level of youth input will vary with each Section.
  
  

• Badges and Awards describes standards for offering opportunities for the youth to earn badges and awards.
  
  
• Environmental Awareness defines standards to ensure that youth actively participate in projects and/or activities that support protecting the environment and adapting to climate change.
  
  
• Spiritual Awareness ensures that we continue to emphasize an understanding of and appreciation for an individual's personal spiritual faith.
  
  
• Community Service emphasizes the importance of contributing back into our community.
  
  
• Membership / Retention / Growth focuses on increasing membership through recruiting, active participation and following the individual's promise, motto and law.
  
  

• Linking provides opportunities for youth to participate in activities of the next higher program, for example, Cubs invite Beavers to some activities run by the Cub Pack.
  
  
• Family / Parental Involvement encourages parents and siblings to participate in family oriented activities. The success of our youth programs is directly related to the time and energy of the parents who volunteer as leaders or helpers.
  
  
• Training / Leadership indicates the requirements that Scouts Canada expects for leadership training including program training (Woodbadge courses) and safety training (first aid).
  
  
• Administration ensures that the proper administration of the Section is being properly performed, and that time is allocated to attend Group Committee meetings and perform fundraising campaigns.
  
  

When are Scouting Program Standards Used?

Scouting Program Standards can be used by many different people, including parents, leaders, Section Leaders, and the Group Commissioner:

• Group Commissioner makes use of these standards when preparing the Group Annual Activity Plan, when visiting individual Sections, when planning major Group Activities like the spring camp, and when preparing the Group Annual Review.
  
  
• Section Leaders uses these standards as a reference when designing their activity plans, to ensure that regular meetings contain components from the standards, and when preparing their Section Annual Review.
  
  
• Leaders uses these standards as a reference when planning regular meetings or special activities to ensure that the scouting mission is preserved in every activity conducted.
  
  
• Parents can use these standards as a reference to ensure that the program being offered is meeting Scouts Canada standards and is meeting their expectations.