West Wickham Scouts

• The Scouts have partnered up with the education charity Raspberry Pi Foundation to teach more young people digital skills by earning their Digital Maker badge
• 2500 Scouts from all over the country attended Scarefest for a weekend (26–28 Oct) of fun and skill development, learning how to code to prepare them for the future of technology

Last weekend, Scouts from West Wickham joined other groups from around the country to experience Scarefest, a Halloween camp event at Gilwell Park, the home of the Scouting. At the camp West Wickham Scouts got a coding lesson from the new partners of the association, Raspberry Pi, where they improved their digital skills and started earning their Digital Maker badge.
Shyanne Rimell-Bukanya and Jamie Jelnicki both aged 12 were able to try their hands at some of the activities that will contribute to them earning their digital maker badge. The badge was introduced in May this year and focuses on using digital skills to solve problems, build resilience and express themselves through the use of current technology.

The day was also filled with tons of fun, including traditional Scouting activities such as the high ropes, archery, and the 3G swing, as well as some themed activities such as the forbidden forest maze and ghost walks. Jamie Belnicki aged 12 from Suffolk, said:
“I’ve never done coding before but this Raspberry Pi stall has been a great start. It’s been really fun to try and it’s the sort of thing you never think you’ll learn in the Scouts.”
Craig Morley, the managing director for Raspberry Pi said: “Earlier this year, the Raspberry Pi foundation teamed up with the Scouts to launch the new Digital Maker Staged Activity badge. This helps people learn about technology and have fun with digital making. We were thrilled to meet hundreds of young people and leaders at Scarefest and help them take part in some of the new activities.”

The Raspberry Pi stall was open all weekend, and Scouts from all over the country visited to have a go at learning coding skills while trying out the hands-on activities. One of the tests on offer was to code a set of LEDs that would respond to movement. Using their new skills learnt at the Raspberry Pi stall, the Scouts also created a wire buzzer game that they then tested out themselves — and they had a lot of fun doing it!The Raspberry Pi Foundation is a charity with the mission to put the power of computing and digital making into the hands of people all over the world. They help young people acquire digital skills through compelling learning resources, a thriving network of volunteer-led clubs, exciting competitions and events, and partnerships with youth organisations such as the Scouts.

Raspberry Pi also provide low-cost, high-performance single-board computers and free software so that computing and digital making are accessible to all.