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Young people

As a young person, Scouts is a place to have fun, make new friends, learn new skills and have the kind of adventures that you can’t have anywhere else. It’s exciting being involved with us. We believe that through everyday adventure of Scouting, young people regularly experience new challenges that enrich their lives.

We offer many activities as diverse as kayaking, abseiling, staged performance, archery, orienteering. There is something for every young person.

Every young person in Scouting enjoys a balanced range of activities, events and experiences, based around subject areas called Programme Zones. The zones vary depending on the age of the young person and the section they are in, but they cover a huge range of activities, from outdoor and physical pursuits to community involvement, creative expression and learning about the wider world.

There are 450,000 young people in Scouting spread across six sections:

• Squirrels (4-6)
• Beaver Scouts (6-8)
• Cub Scouts (8-10)
• Scouts (10-14)
• Explorers (14-18)
• Network (18-25)

Volunteers

Volunteering for The Scout Association is easy, fun, offers opportunities to get externally-recognised qualifications, and gives you the chance to have a real impact on the development of young people. How much time you give is up to you, and you don’t need any previous experience – we’ll make sure you’re properly trained and supported. We have a huge variety of volunteer roles to suit everyone, some examples given here.

• Become a  leader within a local Group for one of the Sections and help to directly influence and mentor young members.
• Become a member of a Group executive committee and help to support the Group and its property without direct interaction with young members.
• Volunteer at the District Scout Shop – a non-profit service running once per week in term-time to provide all local Groups with easy access to uniforms, badges and programme material.
• Volunteer at Jordans Close, our District Campsite in Great Barford, to help maintain the site and buildings and to allow the activity centre to offer our young members the best experience.

Please feel free to register your interest in Scouting within Bedford and Ouse Valley Scout District, and our District Team will get in touch with you.