Squirrel Scouts (The Scout Association)

The Northern Ireland Squirrel Association was an independently organised association that operated as a feeder organisation for some Scout Groups in Northern Ireland from the late 1990s.[2][3][4][5] Like the Little Brothers and Beavers in Northern Ireland before them, the Squirrel Association provided a model for the Scout Association's later programs for younger and younger children.

From 2019, the Scout Association piloted a program nationally, initially under the name Hedgehogs, as a way to increase participation, opportunities for volunteers, and initially targeted black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities.[6] In choosing a name for the section, an official report cited children's TV show Hey Duggee as an influence[7] and referred to Brownsea Island (where Robert Baden-Powell's initial scouting experiment took place in 1907) as having a thriving colony of red squirrels.[8][9] Girlguiding's Rainbow Guides have accepted members from age 5, (4 in Northern Ireland[10]) since 1987 and reduced their entrance age to four in October 2021.[11]

The pilot trials included programmes led by parents, schools and other early years settings and by the Scout Association itself. They were considered successful in reaching areas of the population previously underserved by Scouting and 60% had no previous involvement in Scouts before the pilot.[12] The impact of the Coronavirus pandemic reportedly affected the decision to make the pilots an official part of the provision in September 2021 as the youngest had been hardest hit by lockdowns affecting their ability to discover and play as normal leading to a loss of confidence and increased anxiety in the communities the Scout Association was targeting with the Early Years childhood program.[13]

The program was launched for younger participants on 9 September, 2021, with particular emphasis on the existing Scout Association appeal for volunteers, #GoodForYou.[6] the Scout Association's Chief Scout Bear Grylls and CEO Matt Hyde made appearances on television outlets to promote the launch.[14][15] Dreys which were part of the Northern Ireland Squirrel Association will be merged into local Scout Groups.[5][16] At launch, the rollout focused on reaching children in more deprived areas and particularly places which were felt to have been more affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.[13]

Squirrels make a promise when they start in the program, normally in a ceremony in front of family members. The Squirrel promise is different to the Scout promise and makes no reference to the Scout law. The promise originally devised for the program and the promise still used for Christians and Jews is:

I promise to do my best,

To be kind and helpful,

and to love God.[19]

Muslims replace the word God with Allah, Buddhists and Hindus make no mention of a deity[19] while those of no faith substitute the word God with 'our world'.[19]

It has been reported that Squirrels meetings are typically early in the evening and limited to 45 minutes to an hour long. They participate in games and indoor and outdoor activities such as exploring nature. One leader said as a program was launched in her area that “Sessions will start with a welcome ceremony, then we’ll have our storytime and activities linked to that... There will be lots of craft, music, singing and there’s a real push to have community involvement, getting them involved in projects helping others.”[21] Another leader described how children at a squirrel launch event made "their own campfires using recyclable cups and tissue paper, a scout activity for small people."[22]

Squirrels can gain a number of awards and badges covering the range of the programme.[23] These include twelve activity badges for specific skills and experiences, four challenge awards and a top award, the Chief Scout's Acorn Award. Squirrels can also earn staged activity badges which chart the development of specific skills.[24]

The Scout Association has said that it piloted it's first weekend camp for squirrels in October 2021 and that squirrel groups also participated in services for Remembrance Day in November.[18]

Squirrels have a uniform consisting of a red jumper and neckerchief for the group.[25] This style is based on the appeal of primary colours to young children as well as being designed to help keep track of participants.[21]

The Squirrels logo consists of the red word 'Squirrels' with the initial 'S' forming a tail of a squirrel on the left side of the logo.[9] The colour palette for the program used in promotional material is predominantly red to reflect the vibrant nature of the progam and their uniforms but also uses a leaf green, brown and yellow to reflect the natural environment, Brownsea Island and to tie into the wider Scout Association.[9] The visual identity for the program uses textures found in nature, cut out shapes of leaves and other natural forms and took its inspiration from fashion brands like Mini Boden rather than other youth groups and schools.[9] It was designed by Supple Studios for the Scout Association.[9]