Being a Scout helps build and develop young people’s confidence, sense of adventure and outdoor skills, as well as encouraging them to explore their beliefs, attitudes and creativity. It offers them the independence to put these skills into practice at weekly meetings, camps and sometimes international trips.
Scouts are encouraged to work together and are given the opportunity to direct their own activities, from planning games and activities for their meetings to community-based projects and camp programmes.
The Scout Troop is the fourth section of a Scout Group, after Squirrels, Beavers and Cubs. The Scout Section is for young people aged between 10½ and 14 years. There is flexibility in the core age range: young people can join as soon as they are 10 and can move on to the Explorer section between the ages of 13½ and 14½. It may sometimes be appropriate to extend this range for young people with additional needs.