2 thoughts on “Just parking this here for a while… :)”
We have received an enquiry from a concerned Nights Away Advisor about how Damboree was supposed to work.
The NAA was worried that Districts were centrally organising big events and Beaver Leaders were going to be given Permits off the back of this.
To be clear what the idea behind the Damboree is, this is my reply:
“Many thanks for your enquiry.
The concept of the Beaver Damboree is to raise general awareness that Beavers are now able to camp under canvas and are also allowed to camp for longer than a ‘single night’ only, as was previously the case and is a myth that is lingering in many areas.
This is simply a way to bring Beaver section camping into the limelight in a fun and exciting way and using this particular weekend to focus the Leaders towards.
The idea is to promote the Campsite Nights Away Permit within the Beaver Section and to encourage all other sections within their group to support and assist where they can, possibly by being the Nights Away Permit holder on their assessment camp or mentoring new leaders through the process.
This is absolutely not a shortcut to Beaver Leaders getting a permit as part of a centrally organised event, it is expected and indeed, required, that all Leaders who wish to be assessed for their Campsite permit do so on their own merit within the guidelines of the Permit Scheme.
It is possible though, for Districts to play a part in helping with the event, after all it may be quite probable for 3, 4 or more colonies to be planning camps at the same time, for the same weekend at the same campsite, so having a joint activity, such as say a campfire, run and supported by the District team would be a perfect way to support an event.
I totally understand your concerns about the mass centrally organised camp, this is not how it is intended to be at all. Where the mass element concept comes in is where a number of individual camps are being held on the same weekend.
The Beaver Leader will still need to show competence in the 8 core skills in accordance with AC120990 exactly as any other assessment.
Both County and District Nights Away Advisors around the Country will have a pivotal role in the whole process and we are hoping that by supporting Beaver Leaders to get Campsite Permits, we can show that it is both allowed and encouraged for all sections.
If there are any concerns or questions you may have, I would be happy to help or answer them, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Again, I would like to thank you for raising your concerns and hope that I have managed to answer your query.”
If any leader on here is unclear about what is expected, please shout up, we want this to be be a positive experience and don’t want anyone feeling disappointed if they have misunderstood something
Thanks
Andy Sissons
UK Scout Association Technical Advisor for Nights Away
We have received an enquiry from a concerned Nights Away Advisor about how Damboree was supposed to work.
The NAA was worried that Districts were centrally organising big events and Beaver Leaders were going to be given Permits off the back of this.
To be clear what the idea behind the Damboree is, this is my reply:
“Many thanks for your enquiry.
The concept of the Beaver Damboree is to raise general awareness that Beavers are now able to camp under canvas and are also allowed to camp for longer than a ‘single night’ only, as was previously the case and is a myth that is lingering in many areas.
This is simply a way to bring Beaver section camping into the limelight in a fun and exciting way and using this particular weekend to focus the Leaders towards.
The idea is to promote the Campsite Nights Away Permit within the Beaver Section and to encourage all other sections within their group to support and assist where they can, possibly by being the Nights Away Permit holder on their assessment camp or mentoring new leaders through the process.
This is absolutely not a shortcut to Beaver Leaders getting a permit as part of a centrally organised event, it is expected and indeed, required, that all Leaders who wish to be assessed for their Campsite permit do so on their own merit within the guidelines of the Permit Scheme.
It is possible though, for Districts to play a part in helping with the event, after all it may be quite probable for 3, 4 or more colonies to be planning camps at the same time, for the same weekend at the same campsite, so having a joint activity, such as say a campfire, run and supported by the District team would be a perfect way to support an event.
I totally understand your concerns about the mass centrally organised camp, this is not how it is intended to be at all. Where the mass element concept comes in is where a number of individual camps are being held on the same weekend.
The Beaver Leader will still need to show competence in the 8 core skills in accordance with AC120990 exactly as any other assessment.
Both County and District Nights Away Advisors around the Country will have a pivotal role in the whole process and we are hoping that by supporting Beaver Leaders to get Campsite Permits, we can show that it is both allowed and encouraged for all sections.
If there are any concerns or questions you may have, I would be happy to help or answer them, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Again, I would like to thank you for raising your concerns and hope that I have managed to answer your query.”
If any leader on here is unclear about what is expected, please shout up, we want this to be be a positive experience and don’t want anyone feeling disappointed if they have misunderstood something
Thanks
Andy Sissons
UK Scout Association Technical Advisor for Nights Away
Nicely phrased..