Badge Opportunities
There are badge opportunities with the special interest groups and the Chief Scout Awards across all Sections
The World Scout Movement also have a series of badge opportunities based around community actions.
Scouting Ireland has a partnership badge with Dublin Biosphere. This badge is open to Scouts and non Scouts
Within the Scouting programme there are many opportunities for Scouts in all Sections to explore and instigate service based actions in their community. Each of the Stage Badges within each Section provide opportunities and challenges to our members. There are two Special Interest Badges - community and environment and the Chief Scout Award also requires the gaining of these badges in the requirements for each Section.
In the Better World Programme, There are the Messengers of Peace, World Environment badge and the Scouts of the World badge. So, one or multiple actions can be recognised at different levels.
Similarly, our partnership badges with Dublin Biosphere offer local actions opportunities.
Messengers of Peace
The MoP is a global initiative of World Scouting, which aims to inspire millions of young people throughout the world to do amazing things in their communities to create a better world. Since 2012, Scouts have been sharing their community service initiatives online on www.scout.org.
To date, more than 2 billion service hours have been registered in over 1 million community service initiatives. This has contributed to building a common sense of purpose among Scouts worldwide.
Throughout the world, Scouts work towards establishing peace in their communities in many different ways — from solving conflicts in schools by preventing bullying in the UK and Ethiopia, encouraging interactions between divided communities in Kashmir, leading social mobilisation initiatives in Ebola stricken Sierra Leone, or finding solutions to environmental issues along Indonesia’s shores.
The total number of Messengers of Peace community service projects registered online is over six million, where the vast majority of these projects are designed, funded and resourced locally.
In an Irish context many opportunities exist for service in our communities, small daily good deeds to complex community based actions. These actions can relate to people of all ages, environment, local issues and concerns. A discovery survey of your community will highlight those things that require action.
Scouts in all sections who participate in a service action in their community minimum of 10 hours (one or more projects allowed) and log their action/project online (here)are entitled to wear the Messenger of Peace badge on their uniform
Be inspired by some of the actions of Scouts worldwide
The programme focuses on the environment in a broad sense and encourages Scouts to have a wider awareness of the natural world and how their day to-day actions can impact upon this, progressively building a sense of personal responsibility for the environment. The process for earning the World Scout Environment Badge is presented in this diagram.
The process for earning the World Scout Environment Badge:
1. Explore and Reflect: Complete activities based on each of the five aims for environment education in Scouting:
Scouts are working towards a world where:
a. People and natural systems have clean water and clean air.
b. Sufficient natural habitat exists to support native species.
c. The risk of harmful substances to people and the environment are minimised.
d. The most suitable environmental practices are used.
e. People are prepared to respond to environmental hazards and natural disasters.
World Environmental Badge
Scouts of the World Award
The Scouts of the World Award challenges all young people, Scouts and non-Scouts, to think about global issues and act upon them in their local community.
It is the only award for young people provided by World Scouting.
As part of the learning experience, you can
gain the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to help solve global issues at local level. The award requires a commitment from you to make your community a better place.
On completion, you will be part of a network that provides inspiration to others to take action.
Inspire a positive future by connecting people and nature today.
Dublin Bay Biosphere is an awesome playground, right on our doorstep.
Biospheres are places where nature and culture connect. Places where people can discover and connect directly with nature.
The Dublin Biosphere Badge is a challenge to young people to enter these wild and special places and discover and connect with nature. To map your discoveries and take action to preserve it for al
Biosphere Badge
The Biodiversity badge is open to all sections.
Spend Time - Spend at least 1 hour in a wild location - open your senses to your surrounding and experience the awe and wonder of nature.
Discover the wildlife in your chosen wild place and identify species and diversity. ( 2 hours )
Discover unique features and habitats and Man’s impact on your chosen wild place. Make a map of the area and mark your discoveries. ( 2 hours )
Make a preservation and conservation action plan and undertake your action. ( 1 hour and action time )
Log your action on the Better World website and log identified species on the citizen science site via their app.
Action plans are team and section based and undertaken in consultation with local park officials and Biosphere rangers.