Scouts launch new ‘Shaping Us’ Badge in partnership with The Centre for Early Childhood

The badge is designed to raise awareness of the need for children and young people to gain social and emotional skills for the future and recognise those supporting them.

Built around the Shaping Us Framework, the special blanket badge aims to raise awareness of the vital role these skills play in shaping who we are – how we manage our emotions and thoughts, communicate with and relate to others, and how we explore the world around us.

These skills begin to develop during early childhood, which is why it presents such a golden opportunity to get this right from the start. However, they continue to be enhanced and refined throughout our lives, so it’s never too late.

Social and emotional skills are fundamental to our future mental and physical wellbeing, shaping everything from our ability to form positive relationships, to our capacity for learning, working, and coping with adversity.

As part of the initiative, Scouts will use the Shaping Us Framework to help volunteers, parents, and supporters understand the benefits of Squirrels, their section for 4- and 5-year-olds. Activities in these programmes support young children to build social and emotional skills that underpin healthy relationships, resilience, and lifelong learning.

Scouts have mapped activities from the Squirrels programme to clusters of skills within the Shaping Us Framework, to help families and volunteers see how everyday experiences contribute to children’s development.

You can find out more about the badge and the framework on the Scouts website.