The day I wasn’t entirely certain we would see has arrived, Noah has finally joined the Scout Association, as a Squirrel Scout! He joins a long line of family members who have been involved in Scouting for (far too many) years, and I am so incredibly proud of how far he’s come.
I wasn’t sure about sending him along, I didn’t really know what he might get from being there, but the ladies who run the section all have lots of experience with SEN children in their day jobs, and were more than prepared to help him join in.
The group itself is a new one, so all the children started at the same time in September. With a little guidance and open discussion from the Squirrel leaders, they have all come to understand that Noah is a little bit different, and doesn’t use his words to communicate. They don’t particularly notice much else about him, and they include him anyway, such is the innocence of babes. Sometimes, they even discuss how they can help Noah to complete the activities they are up to that week.
So this week, when the investitures rolled around, it was time for Noah to make his promise and recieve his kneckerchief, sealing his membership of the largest youth movement in the world. Traditionally, the youngest members make a sign with their right hand, hold on to the flag with their left, and repeat the simple promise:
“I promise, to do my best, to be kind and helpful, and to love god.”
Noah is still not functionally verbal, and so instead, the rest of the Squirrels thought about how they can help him do this activity. As Noah stood at the front of the hall, before our Group Scout Leader (and also his Grandfather, I told you this was a family affair!) The entire group said the promise together;
“Noah promises, to do his best, to be kind and helpful, and to love god.”
To say I was touched was an understatement! I found the whole thing so overwhelming in such a lovely positive way, and afterwards Noah was so excited and proud of himself, smiling from ear to ear and stimming all over the hall. This was true, functional inclusion in a mainstream world and it meant the world to us as a family.
I still don’t know how far through Scouting Noah will get, and that’s okay. We will take it a week at a time, section by section, and if one day the benefits stop out-weighing the challenges, we can review our decision, but to see him included so beautifully and easily shows how simple it really is to accommodate those who are a little different.
Don’t ever let any youth groups, sport or after school club tell you that it’s too hard to make adjustments for your child, because sometimes it’s as simple as coming together and speaking a promise for them.
