The name Peggy Aprahamian is peppered throughout the late 1970s songs, plays, and educational material held in the Woodcraft Folk Archives at UCL Special Collections. Given her influence, it is no surprise to find her name pencilled at the top of a final draft for the re-edited Leaders’ Manual Part 1 – a formidable, inch-thick A4 typed document designed to guide a new generation of leaders.
‘Modernising’ and ‘Growing’ Woodcraft
Before its publication, Peggy outlined her vision for modernizing the Folk and growing a ‘mass movement’ of young working class people:
“Whilst not wishing to change in any fundamental way the character of the Folk, we are nevertheless convinced that some aspects of our traditions are out of date and lacking in appeal to the children of today. We need new songs of our own making and our Creeds need redrafting in language more understandable to the children of this decade…”
Education for Social Change
The Leaders’ Manual, updated periodially, added to existing ‘Woodcraft Way’ by Basil Rawson. Both looked towards ‘Education for Social Change’ – While Basil’s book broke down learning towards badges, The Leaders’ Manual was a more collective venture. It encouraged peer-to-peer debate and led more by the young people themselves. This shift brought the Folk’s curriculum into a ‘modern progressive’ political area. The manual and the new constitution of the era introduced critical sections on The rights of the child, Gender equality and environmentalism.
Building on Woodcraft traditions
As historian Richard Palser notes, the early 1980s saw the emergence of a more progressive ‘modernising’ element within Woodcraft. We moved from a more traditional educational program, to a more experimental exploration with broad themes, incorporating materials from the peace, anti-racist, and women’s movements emerging then.
As one of our “100 Objects Spanning 100 Years,” this manual drew significant attention at the Trailblazer tent during Camp 100. It deserves its place in history alongside the foundational guidance of Basil Rawson and Leslie Paul, marking a moment Woodcraft Folk evolved and grew.
100 Objects spanning 100 years
Over the next month look out for more stories about our 100 Objects used as part of our ‘100 Objects Spanning 100 Years’, building up to the launch of our completed e-book and resources in March 2026.
Read more about The Leaders Manual Part 1.
