The International Friendship Award

The International Friendship Award was introduced in 1992 to promote international awareness and to reinforce the links within a Scout Group. The Venture Scout Unit may be part of a Group, or may be a District Unit or be registered as a Group in itself. However, to emphasise the family nature of Scouting, the Unit should establish a link with the other Sections either as part of their own Group or from the Groups which feed into it. This will help in retaining membership through the age range 6 to 20 as Venture Scouting will be viewed as the natural progression from the Scout Section and ultimately from the Beaver Scout Section too.

The international awareness aspect, which hopefully will promote international understanding, fits well into the Venture Scout ethos of providing new, stimulating challenges which will further develop the individual.

Venture Scouts have long responded to the challenges which an increasingly international community poses; whether it is by direct participation in a development or work project in another country, or through gaining an understanding of situations which affect the lives of many people in the world, with a resultant change in behaviour. A good example of which is environmental issues.

Unite is a project which can involve, not only the Unit, but all the other Sections as well. This publication is one of a series of five which supports the project in promoting an understanding of the issues facing Uganda, but which it is hoped, will encourage interesting programmes for all Scouts.

The Venture Scout Unit can often offer a wealth of talent to other Sections. Whether it is in the area of skills training or in boundless energy for staffing events, Venture Scouts can provide a useful catalyst for encouraging other Sections to participate in Unite. There are lots of programme ideas for the Unit. This section aims to encourage the Unit to participate, with other Sections in the Unite project, particularly to encourage support for the immunisation and AIDS education programmes promoted by UNICEF and undertaken by the Uganda Scout Association.

Below are a few ideas which may help to encourage cross-Sectional and inter-Sectional activities to fulfil the criteria for the International Friendship Award. A full set of the guidelines for the International Award are available from the Resource Centre at Gilwell Park.

Programme ideas

The Friendship Knot
Other Sections have been encouraged to have a Friendship Knot tied in their neckerchiefs. This may be difficult for the Beaver Scouts and Cub Scouts to do by themselves. The Unit can show its expertise by demonstrating this to the younger Sections. This can be a good way of introducing Uganda 2000 and the International Friendship Award to the other Sections and making the Venture Scouts better known to the younger Members. The device on the International Friendship Award Badge is four interlinked Friendship Knots representing the four training Sections working together.

Sharing information
To promote immunisation and the AIDS education, the Uganda Scouts Association has to use imaginative ways of putting information across to all communities. You could devise a'Nine o'clock News' bulletin using a borrowed camcorder or video camera to highlight some issues which effect both Uganda and the United Kingdom.
For example water is of paramount importance to health everywhere in the world.
Prepare a story on the provision of water services in the United Kingdom and highlight the problems encountered in a hot, developing country such as Uganda. Alternatively, put on a play or mime for the Cub Scouts or Beaver Scouts on how to deal with an emergency such as using the 999 service, making the casualty comfortable, reducing stress and shock and so on. For Scouts, the message could be the hazards of using hard drugs or smoking.

Group camp
With Scouts, devise and run a weekend camp featuring Ugandan Scouting methods bivouacking, good quality gadgets and an emphasis on hygiene.

The Beaver Scouts and Cub Scouts could be invited for a day to experiment with cooking on open fires (under very close supervision), participate in a camp fire with international songs and be part of inter-Sectional teams reIssues
With the Patrol Leaders Council have a discussion on drug abuse or the problems of under age sex, looking at the moral and health issues with which young people will be faced with as they grow up.

You may wish to contact your regional officer for UNICEF for information on how they are helping in the developing world and there are many local experts who can advise or talk on your local situation such as health workers, and the Police and the such like.

The ideas above are by no means exhaustive. You will have ideas of your own which are all part of developing a personal understanding. Unite will have a partial impact on the immunisation and AIDS education programmes. By participating in Unite and completing the requirements for the International Friendship Award, everyone can have a real sense of achievement which reinforces the family nature of Scouting, whether locally or internationally

The Resource Centre
Gilwell Park
Chingford
London, E4 7QW

Programme & Training Department
Gilwell Park
Chingford
London, E4 7QW

International Department
Gilwell Park
Chingford
London, E4 7QW

Don't forget to involve your Assistant County or Area Commissioner (International) who will be able to help you with your planning and supply you with lots of useful information.

Good luck with your planning - remember the UK Uganda network is available to give support to any events, camps or expedition either in Uganda or involving Uganda Scouts visiting the UK.