Cubs – 8 to 10½ years
When you join Cubs, you’ll be introduced to lots of new activities, people and things. Here's everything you need to know.
When you join Cubs, you’ll be introduced to lots of new activities, people and things. Here's everything you need to know.
Cubs is the second section in the Dunblane scouting family, after beavers and before scouts. Cubs are young people aged 8 to 10½ who:
Being a Cub is all about growing and learning in small but mighty ways. Here are some of the things you’ll get up to with your new friends.
Race down a river. Tell stories by torchlight. Fall asleep beneath the stars. Alongside your Pack, you’ll spend plenty of time in the great outdoors. Together, you might build a den in your local park, or create an edible raft out of sweets, or go on a moonlit hike through your hometown. And even though you might not be ready to climb Mount Everest just yet, you’re guaranteed to have plenty of adventures on your own doorstop, because being a Cub is all about making the most of what you have, wherever and whoever you are.
Cubs learn by doing, and so will you. Some of the skills you develop will be practical, like knowing how to cook a delicious meal or give someone first aid. Others will allow you to become a master at your chosen hobby, or help you to succeed in whichever job you decide to do when you grow up. But the most important skills you’ll learn at Cubs are the ones that will make you feel confident and happy in your own skin. We call these character skills, and they include things like integrity – which means being honest and doing what you think is right – and initiative – which means knowing how to take the lead on something without being asked. Whatever skills you’d like to learn, it’s all about having the courage to try new things and learn from them.
Cubs work as a team to help other people. Together, you’ll learn about global issues and what we can all do to help solve them. You’ll also make an impact in your own community, through activities such as campaigning to save your local library, collecting donations for a food bank, or planting trees in a neighbouring park.
All Cubs are members of the global Scout family. Closer to home, they’re also part of a wider local Scout Group, alongside Beavers (aged 6 to 8) and Scouts (aged 10 ½ to 14). When they’re older, they can join Explorers (for 14 to 18 year olds) and – eventually – Scout Network (for our young adult members aged 18 to 25).
Each Pack is made up of young people aged 8 to 10, led by an adult Cub leader traditionally nicknamed Akela after the wise leader of the wolf pack in Rudyard Kipling’s novel, The Jungle Book.
As well as the Cub leader, other adults are on hand to supervise activities, share their skills and keep everyone safe. Other young people aged 14 to 18 might help out, too. These are Explorer Scouts taking part in the Explorer Scout Young Leader programme. Within their Pack, Cubs are also part of a Six. A Six is a smaller group of cubs, headed up by a Sixer and a Seconder. Sixers and Seconders are Cub Scouts who are chosen to take on leadership responsibilities, such as welcoming new people to the Pack, being extra helpful on camp, or taking charge of a particular game or activity.
Cub uniform consists of a green sweatshirt with your badges sewn on and a coloured scarf or ‘necker’ to represent your local group. There are lots of other optional accessories you can wear such as hats, hoodies, navy blue trousers or shorts.
Wearing a uniform is comfy and practical. It means no one feels uncomfortable or left out and helps everyone feel part of the Pack. It also gives you a place to show off all the badges you earn.
Uniform can either be bought from our online shop – Scout Store – or from a local supplier such as the Glasgow Scout Shop. If you’re stuck, ask adult volunteers to tell you more about what to buy and where to buy it. If cost is an issue, we keep a reuse rack in the hall for members to make use of.
Core Badges and Investiture The core uniform badges and neckie will be awarded at your young person’s first investiture with the Dunblane Scout Group. New members to a pack may be offered the chance to renew their Scout Promise under the leadership of their Sixer.
A Scout investiture is a welcoming ceremony where a new member formally makes their Scout Promise, receives their group neckerchief (scarf) and badges, and becomes an official part of the pack and the worldwide Scout movement. It is a significant, yet personal and often simple, milestone marking the start of a Scout’s journey and usually takes place only after your young person feels settled within the pack. Investitures, even if only renewing the Scout Promise, are important to us and our young people, so parents and guardians are invited to attend.
Our Cubs take part in lots of activities that go towards various “activity” and “challenge” badges. You can enlarge the Cub uniform diagram below.
More information about scout badges can be found on the scouts.org.uk website.
Dunblane Scout Group is home to two cub packs: Monday Cubs and Wednesday Cubs. Both sections meet weekly from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM at the Dunblane Scout Hall next to the Dunblane Sports Club’s tennis courts, although both sections will meet outdoors as much as possible.
Cubs do a wide range of activities, including the occasional camp. Activities range from arts and crafts to climbing and abseiling to kayaking and sailing – we like to give the cubs an experience of the adventure that scouting has to offer!
Our programme is carefully planned according to the “Balanced Programme” philosophy that scouting promotes in order to provide a wide range of activities and experiences.
Dunblane Scouts use Online Scout Manager (OSM) to maintain personal details, communicate programme and event details, and take payment for both regular subscriptions and event fees. When you begin cubs, your young person’s OSM record will be sent to your new section, and your new section volunteers will email and invite to join your new section’s OSM system. After you accept, you will be able to view your new section’s programme and event plans, make payments for subscriptions and events, as well as enter important personal details such as allergies, diet requirements, and emergency contact information for your young person.
Emergency contacts The emergency contact in your young person’s OSM record is the first person your young person’s section volunteer will call if they need to speak to a responsible adult. The emergency contact is expected to change as much as needed and can be different for each event the young person attends. For example, if your young person is away at camp for the weekend, their emergency contact should not take a holiday themselves or drink to excess at an evening meal, yes, those are actual experiences a scout leader has encountered.
After your young person turns 10½ they will be asked which of Dunblane Scout Group’s two scouts sections they prefer. Unfortunately, there is more interest in the scouts sections than we can accommodate, so the wait list can be long. Changing section usually happens at the end/start of a term. Dunblane Scouts follow the local school calendar with terms running from Aug-Oct (Term 1), Oct-Dec (Term 2), Jan-Apr (Term 3) and Apr-Jun (Term 4). The Membership Secretary manages our waitlists and will notify you when a place for your young person becomes available.
Everyone’s welcome here. All genders, races and backgrounds. Regardless of physical ability – there’s a Scout adventure out there waiting. And we’ll help find it.
An explorer, adventurer and TV presenter, Dwayne's been seen in BAFTA nominated Channel 5 series Race to the Pole, on BBC Springwatch, Countryfile, National Geographic and Disney+.
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