Seniors
For 13 to 21 year olds
The Seniors is the fourth and final section of the Brigade which follows on from the JTC. This is for members aged between 13 and 21 who are typically in school years 9, 10, 11 and beyond. During their time in the Seniors section, members can work on their leadership skills taking on the role of a Young Leader to assist at Brigade evenings.
The Seniors welcomes young teenagers as they approach adulthood and encourages them to develop further the skills, knowledge and attitudes to become confident and responsible young adults and members of Church and society.
Wherever possible, opportunity is given to build up leadership skills, help with other Sections within the Brigade Company, participate in camps, sports, bands and other activities which take them beyond their local group.
Seniors Activities
Their needs are addressed through an ongoing varied programme which helps them to explore their own personal developmental needs as well as the people and places around them.
The Seniors section has a balanced and flexible programme covering key areas such as:
- exploring the Christian faith with stories, games and talking points to help them relate to everyday life
- considering their place within our local and worldwide community, caring for the environment and finding out about the lives and needs of others.
- developing skills, creativity and craftmanship in many fields
- helping them to grow up into a healthy and fulfilling adulthood
To meet the aims of the Seniors and the aims of the Church Lads’ and Church Girls’ Brigade, Brigade evenings should be structured and use some of the following methods:
- Christian Leadership
- Balanced Programme
- Awards
- Uniform
- Groups
- Worship
Within the balanced programme groups should be organised to do badge work and non-badge work and where no one type of activity dominates over another.
Activities
Some activities that work well with members of the Seniors section at a typical Brigade company evening are:-
- Arts and Crafts for all different occasions.
- Indoor games such as, races, team games, hockey, football, basketball/netball, giant games, cricket.
- Outdoor games such as, dodgeball, cricket, rounders, football.
- Trips out such as, bowling, ice skating, going to the park, indoor climbing, swimming
- Duke of Edinburgh Award (DofE)
Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
CLCGB is an Operating Authority for this Award which is similar in concept to our own Achievement Awards
What is the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award?
A life-changing experience. An opportunity to have fun with friends. A chance to discover new interests and talents. A tool to develop essential skills for life and work. A recognised mark of achievement, respected by employers. The DofE is many things to many people, supporting generations to successfully navigate life.
14-24 year olds can do a DofE programme at one of three progressive levels which, when successfully completed, leads to a Bronze, Silver or Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. There are four sections to complete at Bronze and Silver level and five at Gold. They involve helping the community/environment, becoming fitter and healthier, developing new skills, planning, training for and completing an expedition and, for Gold only, working with a team on a residential activity.
Any young person can do their DofE. Achieving an Award isn’t a competition or about being first. It’s all about setting personal challenges and pushing personal boundaries.
Through a DofE programme you will have fun, make friends, improve self-esteem and build confidence. You will gain essential skills and attributes for work and life such as resilience, problem-solving, team-working, communication and drive, enhancing CVs and university and job applications.
Seniors Badges
The aims of the award scheme are:
- To add fun, interest, variety and balance to the programme.
- To give members something to aim for and to reward achievement.
- To encourage members to explore new things and try new activities
- To help develop a sense of cooperation and teamwork in the group.
The first badge achieved in Seniors is the membership badge. To achieve this the members will explore The Brigade history, its beginning, progression and current involvement with the local community. The Seniors Membership badge looks like this:-
The Seniors section has a wide variety of badges for members to achieve including geocaching, expedition, tech, water safety and hiking. To gain a badge the member will need to complete all sessions associated with it.
Examples of badges that can be achieved:-
Badges are to be worn on members uniform so they can be proud of what they have achieved. This can either be simply sewn on to dress uniform or on to a sweatshirt armband that can be worn over the sweatshirt of the casual uniform.
All the badge work schemes can be developed by the Seniors Leader to adapt to meet the needs and abilities of the company and members.
