Squirrels is a program for four to six year old infant children operated by

The Scout Association The Scout Association is the largest Scouting organisation in the United Kingdom and is the World Organization of the Scout Movement's recognised member for the United Kingdom. Following the origin of Scouting in 1907, the association was form ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. The program was launched in September 2021. Squirrels is a program with aspects imitating the

Scouts Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...

for much younger, infant children. Squirrels make a simple promise to suit members' young ages, wear

neckerchief A neckerchief (from ''neck'' (n.) + ''kerchief''), sometimes called a necker, kerchief or scarf, is a type of neckwear associated with those working or living outdoors, including farm labourers, cowboys and sailors. It is most commonly still see ...

s in group colours, have award badges, short meetings with early finishing times and are taught moral lessons through indirect means. A group of Squirrels is called a Drey which is run locally by a Scout Group. After reaching the age of six, a Squirrel can move on to

Beavers Beavers are large, semiaquatic rodents in the genus ''Castor'' native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. There are two extant species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers a ...

History

Northern Ireland Squirrel Association

The Northern Ireland Squirrel Association was an independent association that operated as a feeder organisation for some Scout Groups in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

from the late 1990s. Like the Little Brothers and

in Northern Ireland before them, the Squirrel Association provided a model for the Scout Association's later programs for younger and younger children. Dreys which were part of the Northern Ireland Squirrel Association will be merged into local Scout Groups.

2019—2021 pilot and launch

The Scout Association launched its pilot after competition from

Girlguiding UK Girlguiding is the operating name of The Guide Association, previously named The Girl Guides Association and is the national guiding organisation of the United Kingdom. It is the UK's largest girl-only youth organisation. Girlguiding is a char ...

's Rainbow Guides which, since 1987, accepted members from age 5 (4 in Northern Ireland). Following the Scout Association's launch of Squirrels, Girlguiding UK reduced their entrance age to four in October 2021. From 2019, the Scout Association piloted a program, initially under the name Hedgehogs, as a way to increase participation, opportunities for volunteers, and initially targeted black, Asian and minority ethnic (

BAME A number of different systems of classification of ethnicity in the United Kingdom exist. These schemata have been the subject of debate, including about the nature of ethnicity, how or whether it can be categorised, and the relationship betwe ...

) communities. The trials included some led by parents, schools and other early years settings and by the Scout Association itself. The trials were considered successful in reaching parts of the population previously underserved by the Scout Association and 60% of participants had no previous involvement with the Scout Association before the pilot. The impact of the

COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom The COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom is a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the United Kingdom, it has resulted in confir ...

on wellbeing and development of young children, particularly in more deprived communities, influenced the decision to launch the program. The Squirrels program was launched on 9 September 2021. The name, Squirrels, was influenced by the children's TV show ''

Hey Duggee ''Hey Duggee'' is a British animated educational preschool television series aimed at two to five year olds. Created by Grant Orchard, it is produced by Studio AKA, in association with BBC Studios (formerly BBC Worldwide). The show is narrated b ...

'' and the site of

Robert Baden-Powell Lieutenant-General Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, ( ; (Commonly pronounced by others as ) 22 February 1857 – 8 January 1941) was a British Army officer, writer, founder and first Chief Scout of the worl ...

's 1907

Brownsea Island Brownsea Island is the largest of the islands in Poole Harbour in the county of Dorset, England. The island is owned by the National Trust with the northern half managed by the Dorset Wildlife Trust. Much of the island is open to the public and ...

camp Camp may refer to: Outdoor accommodation and recreation * Campsite or campground, a recreational outdoor sleeping and eating site * a temporary settlement for nomads * Camp, a term used in New England, Northern Ontario and New Brunswick to descri ...

having a thriving colony of

red squirrel The red squirrel (''Sciurus vulgaris'') is a species of tree squirrel in the genus ''Sciurus'' common throughout Europe and Asia. The red squirrel is an arboreal, primarily herbivorous rodent. In Great Britain, Ireland, and in Italy numbers ...

s. At launch, in September 2021, there were 200 Squirrel dreys across the United Kingdom and, by the end of November 2021, there were more than 350 registered. The Scout Association piloted its first weekend camp for squirrels in October 2021. Squirrels participated in services for

Remembrance Day Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces members who have died in t ...

in November.

Program

The Squirrels program includes activities, games, exploring nature, visits and residential experiences with a focus on children "having outdoor adventures, making friends and learning" the program's founders emphasise the importance of experiences in

child development Child development involves the Human development (biology), biological, developmental psychology, psychological and emotional changes that occur in human beings between birth and the conclusion of adolescence. Childhood is divided into 3 stages o ...

to the age of five years. Squirrels can earn badges. Squirrels meetings may "start with a welcome ceremony, then... storytime and activities linked to that" and "lots of craft, music, singing and there’s a real push to have community involvement, getting them involved in projects helping others." Children at a Squirrels launch event made "their own campfires using recyclable cups and tissue paper, a scout activity for small people."

Organisation

The core age range for Squirrels is between four and six years of age which can be flexible in order to meet inclusion requirements. Squirrels are attached to local Scout groups, led by a Squirrel leader often supplemented by basically trained assistants, regular helpers (14-18 year old Young Leaders) and occasional helpers who may be parents assisting as part of a rota. A group of Squirrels, referred to as a drey, usually has no more than 24 children and meet early in the evening for 45 minutes to an hour.

Promise

Squirrels make a promise when they join the program, normally in a ceremony in front of family members. The Squirrel promise used for

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

and

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

is: :''I promise to do my best,'' :''To be kind and helpful,'' :''and to love God.''

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

s can replace the word God with Allah.

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

s and

Hindus Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

can make no mention of a deity while those of no faith can substitute the word God with 'our world'. Squirrels are not

as they do not make the

Scout Promise The Scout Promise (or Oath) is a spoken statement made by a child joining the Scout movement. Since the publication of '' Scouting for Boys'' in 1908, all Scouts and Girl Guides around the world have taken a Scout (or Guide) promise or oath to liv ...

and the

Scout Law Scout Law is a set of codes in the Scout movement. Since the publication of ''Scouting for Boys'' in 1908, all Scouts and Guides around the world have taken a Scout Promise or oath to live up to ideals of the movement, and subscribed to the Sco ...

is not mentioned in the Squirrel promise but the program aims to begin teaching participants the ideals of the Scout Association through informal means such as games and stories.

Awards and badges

Squirrels can gain awards and badges. These include twelve activity badges for specific skills and experiences, four challenge awards and a top award, the

Chief Scout A Chief Scout is the principal or head scout for an organization such as the military, colonial administration or expedition or a talent scout in performing, entertainment or creative arts, particularly sport. In sport, a Chief Scout can be the prin ...

's Acorn Award. Squirrels can also earn staged activity badges which chart the development of specific skills.

Visual identity

Uniform

Squirrels have a uniform consisting of a red

jumper Jumper or Jumpers may refer to: Clothing *Jumper (sweater), a long-sleeve article of clothing; also called a top, pullover, or sweater **A waist-length top garment of dense wool, part of the Royal Navy uniform and the uniform of the United State ...

and a

in group colours. This style is based on the appeal of

primary colours A set of primary colors or primary colours (see spelling differences) consists of colorants or colored lights that can be mixed in varying amounts to produce a gamut of colors. This is the essential method used to create the perception of a b ...

to young children as well as being designed to help keep track of participants.

Logo and branding

The Squirrels logo consists of the word 'Squirrels' in red, with the initial 'S' forming a tail of a squirrel. The logo and other branding were modelled on the wildlife of

where

held his 1907

and also drew inspiration from fashion brands. The branding was designed by Supple Studios for the Scout Association.

References

External links

Official Squirrels website
{{authority control The Scout Association Early childhood education in the United Kingdom Squirrels in popular culture