The St John Ambulance Guernsey is extending the opportunities for Guernsey’s young people by introducing a new Badger section for younger children.

From January 2020 the joining age for new Badgers is being lowered from 6-years-old to 5-year-olds, to allow more youngsters to enjoy the activities offered by St John locally.

The Badger Cubs, will meet at the same time as current Badgers, but will work in smaller groups with children of the same age and will focus on fun activities which are designed to introduce them to the organisation and help prepare them for the full Badger programme. Activities will follow a simplified version of the Badger lesson plan and involve games, crafts and some very basic first aid.

Youth Co-ordinator Colleen Lowe said: “In the past we’ve had a lot of interest from families with younger children who want to join, but until now we’ve not had the opportunity to extend the age range. We hope to give the younger children an introduction to Badgers and give them experiences to prepare them for the full Badger programme.”

Local pre-school teacher and long-serving Badger leader Michelle Bihet will be running the new Badger Cub section and is looking forward to using her experience of working with pre-school children in this new project.

Michelle said: “The focus will be on having fun while learning about how to be healthy, helpful, caring and active. We have lots of exciting games planned to help introduce the children to Badgers and I’m looking forward to my new role, sharing my passion for the work of St John with more people.”

As well as working in smaller groups there will also be some opportunities for the Badger Cubs to mix with the older children and get involved with some of the same games and activities.

Badgers follow a programme of different subjects, including Active Badger, First Aid Badger, Eco Badger, Healthy Badger and Community Badger, earning badges and certificates for each one. For every three subjects a Badger completes they can receive a bronze, silver or gold award.

Chief Operating Officer, Nikki Harrison added: “Our youth sections have grown a lot in recent years and Badgers and Cadets are continuing to go from strength to strength. I am delighted that we are now able to extend our youth programme to younger children and introduce more young people to work of St John Ambulance Guernsey. As we continue to grow in the future we will also need for more adult leaders to work alongside the existing team of dedicated volunteers, so we’d be delighted to hear from anyone who wants to find out more.”

Badgers meet on either a Tuesday between 4.45pm-6.15pm or Friday between 4.45pm-6.15pm.

For more information about Badgers or to find out about becoming a youth leader email info@stjohn.gg  or call 727129.