How the Rebel Badge Club Works
We have lots of new Rebels each month, and as the Club is getting busier and more complicated, here's a quick summary post of everything going on.
Rebel Badge Club - this is our free Facebook group, available to anyone with a copy of Rebel Badge Book. It's designed for badge accountability and support. You will get the most out of the books by joining the group, however they were designed as stand alone books, so you don’t have to join the Facebook group to complete the badges. We try to keep the Facebook group a safe, pleasant space - so there are clear rules, which include only using the group to discuss badge work, being kind and positive, and avoiding discussion about religion or politics (because there are plenty of other places on the internet where these things can be debated!)
The Rebel Council - a subscription-based optional Facebook group you can join if you'd like input into badges, events and merchandise. The Council helped me write book two and regularly help with the monthly challenge badges. They get priority booking, pre-sale and discounts on various RBC bits and bobs. We recently started doing Council zoom meet ups, and you get a special badge and membership card after three months.
Rebel Badge Book Volume One (Blue Book) - this is the book you need to get started, and all you really need. You need the book called the Badge Book. The Journal is an optional book created at the request of Rebels in the club. It does not work on its own - it’s more like a workbook to accompany the badge book.
Rebel Badge Book Volume Two (Green Book) - this is designed to follow on from book one. Each badge book has 52 badges in, but some in book two need you to have completed a badge from book one first. You can do badges from both books at the same time if you like, but book two won’t make sense without book one.
Merit badges - when you finish a badge (or while you're working on it) you can claim a fabric merit badge. They are sew on and iron on, and can be bought in bundles of 5, 10 and 52. Badge Roulette is where I pick 5 badges at random for you to complete!
Stickers - there are 3 sets of stickers - one for each badge book, and then a Workbook sheet which can be used with either journal. If you get the Wall Chart you need the corresponding set of badge stickers, and the patches from the Workbook Sheet for the centre. The Workbook sheet changes every year as it includes the annual badge and the quarterly badges.
Section Patches - there are six different types of badge - represented by the colours used and sections of the badge book. At the start of each section of the book it tells you how many of that colour badge you need to earn to get a section Patch. For example - if you earn 3 Self Aware (pink) badges, you earn the Self Aware patch. You can do badges more than once, but you can't use more than one of the same badge for a patch. You can use a mixture of the relevant colour badges from both Volume One and Volume Two to complete a patch.
Ultimate Rebel - you earn this when you have all 6 patches (they sew in a circle around it, it's a very cool gold and white badge) If you order all six patches at once from the shop, Ultimate Rebel is free.
Maverick Awards - these are longer awards, created because many Rebels mentioned they wished they had done the DofE Awards - a scheme for teenagers in the UK. The Bronze Maverick is the first award and is designed to take 6-12 months. We currently have around 300 people completing the award.
The Rebel Cup - a free game I've launched this year in the Facebook Group to help encourage people to finish all the badges they have started! You can claim points for badges and patches, attending meet ups, and completing fun silly challenges each month. At the end of the year there will be a winning patrol. There will be medals and badges to collect along the way too. You can get milestone badges for hitting 25, 50, 75 and 100 personal points.
You can join the Cup at any point in the year - to join, simply choose your patrol and submit your points for them on the form at the end of that month. Once you are counted ‘in’ a Patrol, you will be in that Patrol for the entire year, for the purposes of team averages.
Patrols - we currently have 5 teams, which are used at events and for the Rebel Cup. You can join Bader (named after RBG), Greta (Thunberg), Rosa (Parks), Nelson (Mandela) or Mercury (named after Freddie). It's totally down to personal choice, though they are assigned randomly at events. There is a flowchart available if you need help choosing, or you can just choose according to your favourite person or colour. Greta and Nelson currently have the least members.
Monthly Challenges - these are limited edition badges, designed to be simpler than the merit badges. The badges are larger and not available with an iron-on back. I only order one batch at a time, so they are available on a first-come, first-served basis, so order them before you start the badge. We have bundles and subscription options. Previous examples include Halloween, Christmas, Scavenger Hunt, Chocolate Challenge and Rebel Health Check. Monthly badges go on sale a week before the start of the month.
Quarterly Challenges - these are 3 month badges, designed to help point you in the direction of which badges to do next. They have different themes but all match the yearly badge - so this year they are all pink (last year they were purple). Again, these are first-come first-served and I only order one batch so please order early to avoid disappointment.
Quarterly Subscription - Because of the first-come first-served limited edition nature of the monthly and quarterly badges, Rebels asked for a subscription option. Every three months there is the option to sign up for a quarterly subscription. The window is only open for 2 weeks, and you can sign up to buy all 3 of the next monthly badges, and the next quarterly badge at once, saving on postage. Exactly three months later, your next automatic payment will be taken for the next batch.
Rebel Fest - A two-day, virtual event, for Rebels all over the world. The next event is on December 2nd and 3rd. There will be over 18 hours of talks by experts, entertainment, activities and break out rooms. Tickets available here - limited to 500 people due to Zoom restrictions.
Big Rebel Meet Ups - fun days organised by me around the UK, with 5 activities designed specifically for adults. Previous events have included dance lessons, life drawing, mechanic skills, terrarium making, cross stitch, foraging, escape rooms, CSI skills, apothecary, abseiling, archery, applique, board games, circus skills, samba drumming, sweet making, sign language choir, burlesque and screen printing. Our next Meet Ups are in Reading in October and Stockport in November - tickets are available on the Events Page.
Rebel Summer Camp - a three day event in August in Bromsgrove. We have exclusive hire of the Blackwell Adventure activity centre, and the event will include 18 activities for everyone and evening entertainment. Get your ticket here - we have space for 500 Rebels!
Local Rebellions - these are unofficial local groups created by members to connect with other Rebels and meet like-minded people. Please only ever meet strangers in public places, do not arrange to meet other Rebels at their homes if you do not know them! There are a couple of pinned posts in the Facebook group if you'd like to find a link to your local Rebellion.
Rainbow Rebels - our LGBTQ+ Rebels. We have Rainbow Rebel meet ups as part of Rebel Fest and Summer Camp.
Rebel Readers - an online bookclub started by one of the Rebels
YA Rebel Book Club - a YA online bookclub started by a Rebel
Spoonie Rebels - a group for disabled and neurodiverse Rebels where you can discuss medical modification of badges
I think that's about everything for now!
Charly xx