We’re excited to launch #BBatHOME a new programme concept to enable us to continue to engage our members with opportunities to learn, grow and discover through a balanced programme of activities in their own homes supported by their parents/carers.

Introduction to BB at home

Through this alternative programme we believe we will see…

• opportunities for all our members to engage in a fun and exciting programme of activities.
• children and young people getting into the Bible and having the opportunity to come to know Jesus for themselves.
• leaders continuing to engage with the BB family and build on the well-established relationships with children and young people and their parents/carers.
• The Boys’ Brigade sharing a positive message of hope by showing how we care for and support our members and their families.
• opportunities for children and young people to be recognised for their participation and achievements.
• engagement by non-members, recognising that this will be a difficult time for children and young people who are restricted in their activities.

Guidance

We would encourage all leaders to read the Leaders Guidance, which provides more detail about what the #BBatHOME programme offers and will provide you with ideas about how you deliver the programme to members through their parents/carers.

Virtual Sessions

To support our #BBatHOME programme, we have put together guidance and resources to support leaders and young people to stay safely connected through ‘Virtual Sessions’ during this period. Using online video conferencing platforms such as Zoom and Facebook Live will enable leaders to maintain that all important regular engagement with children and young people during the challenging weeks and months ahead.

Check out the guidance along with programme ideas and other support on our dedicated Virtual Sessions page.

Summer Adventures

We’ve put together a list of 20 activities for children and young people to have a go at over the summer.

The Summer Adventures resource is available for both the Under 11’s (Anchors & Juniors) and Over 11’s (Company/Seniors) age groups.

Find out more and download the Summer Adventures resource.

Fundraising Challenge

As social distancing measures start to ease, we are starting to look at how we prepare for the session ahead and we would like to invite you to do the same, specifically looking at your fundraising needs. As part of this we’re launching our Fundraising Challenge!

It will be a great opportunity to bring your group together virtually – not just children and young people but also leaders, parents/carers, Church members and the wider community. We hope it will not just raise vital funds, but also help to raise the profile of your group in the local community.

To help, we’ve created a range of resources including social media graphics, a template sponsor form, template press release and editable certificates for you to use. 

For more information about how your group can get involved as well as resources and ideas to get you going, on our dedicated Fundraising Challenge page at boys-brigade.org.uk/fundraising-challenge

Running a #BBatHOME Camp

This year, thousands of children and young people will be missing out on the opportunity of going on a BB camp, residential weekend or night away. Help to fill that gap by running a #BBatHOME Camp instead. Giving members the opportunity to still take on challenges, have fun, make memories and strengthen their relationships at BB. 

Check out guidance, activity cards and more at boys-brigade.org.uk/bbathome-camp/

Recognising Achievement

It’s important that we recognise the participation and achievements of our children and young people as they get involved with #BBatHOME. In the first instance we want to encourage leaders to build this into awards children and young people are already working towards (where they are already a BB member) through the core programmes for age groups. But we also want to encourage leaders to consider additional ways they could recognise achievement.

Click here to find out more about recognising achievement including find out what Companies are already doing.

OBM – Launching ‘Programmes & Badges at Home’

We are pleased to announce the launch of two new areas of functionality to help support BB activities continue virtually through the Parent Portal on Online Brigade Manager.

Programmes at Home – Enabling you to upload activities and create a programme for children and young people through the Parent Portal, which parents/carers can access and can share photos/videos of their child(ren) participating in the activities. This new functionality is a great way of sharing the #BBatHOME programme with parents/carers, and you can now find #BBatHOME activities on OBM so you can easily add them into your programme each week. Find out more by watching the tutorial video at vimeo.com/402609630

Badges at Home – Enables leaders to link activities to badges and awards, with parents/carers able to upload videos and photos of their child(ren) completing badge requirements at home. They can tick off the activities they have completed and receive recognition through OBM. Find out more by watching the tutorial video at vimeo.com/399992119

Log in to OBM and check out this new functionality now and see how it can help support you in keeping in touch with members during this period.

Getting into #BBatHOME Programme

There will be a number of elements to the #BBatHOME programme including: