SPICES: Why We Do It
The areas of Social, Physical/Mental, Intellectual, Emotional, and Spiritual make up the fundamental basis of a person’s Character, making six areas total. This concept is called SPICES for short. Our goal is to have a well-balanced programme in which all of these dimensions have attention given to them throughout the year.
SPICES are used in Kirikiriroa and St. Peter’s Kea Club, Cup Pack, Scout Troop and Venturer Unit in age-appropriate ways. Each of the SPICES have defined educational objectives which represent the ultimate picture of the growth and development that a young person should reach through their time in Scouts. They also each have two to four ‘sub-categories’ with their own educational objectives, which are listed below.
These objectives are then further broken down for each section, which represents the growth and development that each young person should be able to reach by the end of their time in that section.
The language used in each of the statements is active and focuses on the learner. Hence, you will read statements like “I will develop my ability…” or “I will learn how.” This intentionally links the statements back to our purpose; to develop young people.
Social Development
(Te Whanaketanga Pāpori)
Developing my ability to cooperate and lead in a variety of ways, while gaining a sense of identity and the understanding that we live in an interdependent world.
Social development is all about belonging, understanding relationships with others, and developing leadership skills. Through the programme, young people learn to understand how others can depend on them and how they can depend on others. They develop a sense of community at a local and global level and understand and celebrate differences between people.
There are four sub-categories of this; Interpersonal Development, Civic Engagement, Leadership and Cooperation, and Global Citizenship.
Physical & Mental Health Development
(Te Whanaketanga Ā-Tinana, Ā-Hinengaro)
Being active and developing responsibility for the care, health, and well-being of my mind and body.
Physical and Mental Health development is about giving youth members the tools to value and understand their mental and physical health. As youth members progress through the Sections, it is likely that the focus of this area of development will shift from more physical health in the younger Sections to have an increased focus on mental health in the older Sections.
The two sub-categories are; Keeping Healthy and Understanding Capabilities.
Intellectual Development
(Te Whanaketanga Ā-Hinengaro)
Developing my ability to think, analyse, shape, and apply information to adapt to new situations.
Intellectual development encourages young people to have opportunities to think, plan, innovate, review, and apply information to adapt to different situations. This is split into the three areas of Finding and Processing Information, Applying Information, and Reflecting Critically.
Character Development
(Te Whanaketanga Rangatira)
Accepting myself and recognising my own potential for growth and development. Developing myself in a manner consistent with a set of values and with mutual respect and understanding for others.
Character development encapsulates the other five SPICES and refers to rangatahi accepting and recognising their own growth. This includes their own personal and social identity and how they can understand and practice their personal and shared values.
Character is split into three sub-categories; Values for life (The Scout Law and Promise), Personal Identity, and Social Identity.
Emotional Development
(Te Whanaketanga Kare Ā-Roto)
Exploring and gaining my understanding about emotions to develop emotional resilience.
Emotional Development is all about youth members understanding their own emotions and the emotions of others. Our programme provides opportunities for rangatahi to be aware of their emotions, feel comfortable expressing their emotions, and understand the importance of maintaining an emotional balance.
There are four sub-categories of Emotional; Awareness, Expression, Empathy, and Balance.
Spiritual Development
(Te Whanaketanga Taha Wairua)
Developing my understanding of personal beliefs, as well as the diversity of beliefs that makes up our communities (local, national, global) while practicing the art of reflecting and showing gratitude in a genuine way.
Spiritual development is about rangatahi developing and understanding their personal beliefs, as well as the diversity of beliefs that make up their communities.
Spiritual is made up of four sub-categories; Exploring Beliefs, Respect for Others, Reflection, and Gratitude.
Mixing the SPICES
It is important to achieve a mix of all six SPICES areas across the programme, throughout the year. While not every activity will relate to all aspects, you may be able to tie in a few at once by learning to identify them in different settings. For example, a physical activity could also develop emotion and spirituality through the integration of rules (e.g. if you hurt someone during this ball-throwing game, you have to sit with them until they feel willing to join in again), or the use of gratitude during a physical hike. The same activity will provide different development outcomes for different rangatahi. For example, one Scout may find participating in an outdoor rock climbing adventure could be purely a physical development activity, while another who, through the same activity, conquers their fear of heights, may find that they develop emotionally and spiritually. Different Sections will likely use a different mix of each of the six areas across their programme.