Beavers – Participate with joy
The Beavers section was created in the late 2000s in the Swiss Scout and Guide Movement. This additional age group was founded to allow younger children to participate in the movement. Beavers are between 5 and 6 years old, afterwards they progress to the Cub Scouts and Brownies section. Since the Beaver section was only introduced recently, not all local groups have a Beaver section yet.
Uniform and scarf
Beavers usually do not wear any specific clothing beside their scarf, which is sometimes a little smaller than the usual one to fit their smaller size. Some groups also have dedicated Beaver T-shirts. Beavers do not have any dedicated badges.
Types of activities
The motto of the section is «Participate with joy». Their activities teach them to get to know their surroundings and to discover new things, in a playful way. Their imagination and curiosity take them from adventure to adventure, which they experience as a group. Beavers might follow a trail through the forest to invite forest animals to the beaver's birthday party, build little dwarf homes from natural materials, listen to stories or bake cookies together.
The beaver and the related frame stories make up the main leitmotiv of the section and are usually used in all Beaver activities. Recurring characters, which can be represented by physical people or dolls, allow the beavers to relate to the beaver’s story and the respective quarterly theme.
The Beaver colony is usually led by 3–4 older leaders, who are responsible for the program and the well-being of the children they look after. They regularly attend training courses to best meet the needs and abilities of the children.
Meetings and camps
Beaver activities usually take place on one or two Saturday afternoons every month and are two or two-and-a-half hours long. Beavers usually do not participate in camps but may have day excursions or weekends.