What is Scouting?

Scouts are do-ers and give-it-a-go-ers. Yes, we go camping, hiking, swimming, abseiling, cycling and canoeing.
But, we also get to hang out with our friends every week – having fun, playing games, working in a team and taking on new challenges.
Every week we give almost half a million 4-25 year olds the skills they need for school, college, university, the job interview, the important speech, the tricky challenge and the big dreams: the skills they need for life.
Everyone’s welcome here. All genders, races and backgrounds. Regardless of your young person’s physical ability – there’s a Scout adventure out there waiting for them. And we’ll help them find it.
Sign up to help your young person discover their ‘thing’: from archery to coding to performance art and everything in between.

Our Vision: To empower more young people through adventure, teamwork and shared values, to take the lead on making a positive difference in the world.

Our Purpose: To actively engage and support young people in their personal development, empowering them to make a positive contribution to society.

Our Values: Integrity, Respect, Care, Belief, Cooperation

Our Pillars: Delivering an adventurous and inclusive Programme and supporting our volunteers.

Scouting Values

Aims

Gain...

A place to belong
Skills for life

Become...

Happier, more connected, resilient, employable

Contribute to...

Closer, kinder, more cohesive communities

History

1907 Robert Baden-Powell, hosts an experimental camp on Brownsea Island for 20 boys to test his ideas for his new book.
1908 Scouting for Boys is published. It’s intended to be used by existing youth organisations, but Scout Patrols begin appearing all over the country.
1908 Robert Baden-Powell announces the formation of the Boy Scout Movement in Birkenhead.
1909 The idea is formed for Girl Guides.
1916 Cubs (then known as Wolf Cubs) is launched, after 2 years of pilot programmes.
1970 New versions of the Scout Promise are introduced for Scouts of various faiths and non UK citizens.
1972 For the first time since 1910, girls are welcomed to the movement as Venture Scouts (now called explorers).
1986 Beavers is launched after 2 years of pilot programmes.
1992 Scout Groups can choose to become co-educational.
2007 Scouting becomes fully coeducational - all units must now accept girls.
2021 Squirrels is launched after 2 years of pilot programmes.

Scouting is now available in 176 countries with over 60 million members worldwide!

Setup / Glossary

Sections: The different age groups in scouting.

Squirrels: Age 4-6. Groups are known as Squirrel Dreys
Beavers: Age 6-8. Groups are known as Beaver Colonies
Cubs: Age 8-10. Groups are known as Cub Packs
Scouts: Age 10-14. Groups are known as Scout Troops
Explorers: Age 14-18. Groups are known as Explorer Units
Network: Age 18-25. Groups are known as Scout Network Units

Patrols / Sixes / Lodges: The teams within a group - patrols for scouts, sixes for cubs and lodges for beavers. These stay consistent between meetings.
Neckers: Also known as neckerchiefs or scarves, they are the rolled neck scarves we wear. Designs vary for different groups.
Woggles: A small tube, often made of plastic, on a necker keeping it together. They come in various colours. Often these are used to denote which patrol/six/lodge someone is in.
Investiture: A ceremony where a child makes their promise and is "invested" into the group.