Scouts – 10½ to 14 years

Jump in and get muddy. Give back and get set. Scouts ignore the butterflies and go for it, and soon so will you.

Scouts are a go-getting group of young people aged 10 ½ to 14 who:

- Master new skills and try new things
- Make new friends
- Have fun and go on adventures, at home and abroad
- Explore the world around them
- Help others and make a difference, in their own communities and beyond

Week in and week out, they gather in groups called Scout Troops to conquer the small task of changing the world.

What do Scouts get up to?

Discovering the world

Being a Scout is all about discovering the world on your own terms and making the most of what you have, wherever and whoever you are.

Alongside your new friends, you’ll master the skills that will help you weather the storms of life, and try things you’d never get the chance to do at home or at school – working with trained volunteers to achieve whatever you set your mind to.

Starting small, thinking big

Scouts start small but think big. They stand up for what they believe in and make a difference on their doorstops, confident in the knowledge that their daily actions add up. In a society that can often feel increasingly isolated and inward facing, Scouts build bridges and break barriers. Throughout history, they’ve played all sorts of useful roles in society, and this legacy continues today.

Listening in, lending a hand

Scouts seek out the answers to the big questions, and to the smaller questions that don’t seem to matter but really should. Most importantly, they say yes more often than they say no – whether they’re taking part in their first ever camp away from home, or writing their first line of code, or accepting the last of the toasted marshmallows.

Sound like fun? That’s because it is. All that’s missing is you.

Who leads Scouts?

Each Scout Troop is made up of young people aged 10½ to 14, led by trained adult volunteers who are on hand to share their skills and keep everyone safe. Traditionally, Scout leaders were nicknamed ‘Skip’ – an abbreviation of ‘Skipper’, which is a name given to a ship’s captain. In some Troops this name is still used, but these days it’s more common for Scout leaders to just use their real names.

Within their Troop, Scouts are part of a Patrol – smaller groups of Scouts who look out for one another, and help each other grow. Scouts usually gather in their Patrols at the beginning and end of meetings. They might also stick together on expeditions or trips away, or during certain activities.

Promises and ceremonies

Every Scout is unique, but they find common ground in their shared Scout values, and make a promise to stick by them.

Making a promise when you join the Troop is a way of celebrating these values. Every time a new Scout decides to join, they chat through their promise with their leader before saying it out loud in front of their fellow Scouts.

The process usually takes place once you’ve had a few weeks to settle in, and is known as being ‘invested’ into Scouts. Usually, the promise ceremony happens in a place you’ve chosen, or in a memorable place that means a lot to the group. It could be held in your usual meeting place, or it could happen around the campfire, or it could happen on a boat sailing the seven seas.

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