Beavers (Scouting)

Beavers is one name for programs associated with Scouting for very young children usually aged 5 to 8. A participant in the program is called a Beaver. A group of Beavers is often called a "Colony". The programme is based on co-operating and sharing. Some Scouting organizations have programs for similar ages but use different names such as Keas or Joeys.

The Beavers program was originated by the Boy Scouts of Canada in the 1960s to provide a program for boys who were too young to be Cubs. Beavers or similar programs were adopted by a few other Scouting organizations. Most Scouting organizations, including the Boy Scouts of America and many Traditional Scouting organizations, have not adopted programs for ever younger age children. Baden-Powell-ist Traditional Scouting rejects Beavers or similar programs because they are not one of Robert Baden-Powell's programs. Some organizations have adopted Beavers or similar programs but distinguish and disassociate them in identity from Scouting.

Beavers include a ceremony with a "beaver dam" in which the Beavers work together to fix a breach in the dam.

Originally, the Beavers program was open only to boys but, in most organizations operating Beavers or similar programs, the programs have been opened to both girls and boys.

The Beaver program was originated by the Boy Scouts of Canada in the 1960s. A Beaver program was started in Northern Ireland in the 1960s. Beavers and programs for similar ages spread to a few other Scouting organizations around the world. Beavers were not formally recognized by many Scouting organizations until well into the 1980s.

The Baden-Powell Scouts' Association in Australia has a programme called Koalas, although some Groups do not operate Koalas as they were not part of Baden-Powell's concept. The programme serves 5 to eight year olds, and is followed by Wolf Cubs. The Koalas program uses a catch phrase and themes around "Koalas climb high" with participants reciting the phrase and mimicking the motions of a climbing Koala.

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