Explorers – Options at 18

From the County Commissioner, Andrew Donn:

The past year has been a difficult one for Scouting but we have certainly turned a corner. We are seeing a good resurgence of young people attending face to face section meetings, all eager to get back to Scouting.

The most pressing issue for many Groups and Units is a real need to recruit more adult volunteers.

One of the most successful recruitment techniques is to encourage our Young People to continue Scouting once they turn 18.  Many wish to continue their Scouting journey but are unsure about all of the options and opportunities that are available to them.

Here in the County Office we have created the GLN Options-at-18-Booklet that sets out all of those opportunities and who to contact to pursue any of them.

Want to know more?

Contact our ACC 14-25 year olds:

Chris “Fozzy” Foster 14-25@gln-scouts.org.uk

Scouting does not have to stop when one of our young people reaches their 18th birthday. Whether they are still at school or college, moving to university, or entering into the workplace, there are many ways for them to continue to enjoy Scouting.

To make best use of the material requires a County wide effort to ensure that every young person receives a personal copy 12 – 18 months before they turn 18. Not just as a one-off now but on an ongoing basis.

Explorer Scout Leaders and Assistant Explorer Scout Leaders – yours is the most important input of all.

All other Section Leaders who enjoy the benefit of having a Young Leader help on a regular basis –  they too need to know what their options are.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What options are available to an 18 year old who wants to continue in Scouting?

Once a Young Person turns 18, they can join a local Scout Network Unit or the National Scout Network Unit, become a Section Leader or a Section Assistant in a Group, join the Student Scout and Guide Organisation, become a Scout Manager or an Executive Member, become a Campsite Crew member, train to be an Adventurous Activity Instructor or join an Active Support Unit. Opportunities are available at Groups, District, County and National level.

How should I use this resource?

To make the best use of this resource, we encourage all Leaders County-wide to ensure that every Young Person receives a copy of the resource 12 – 18 months before they turn 18.  In most instances, this will be the responsibility of their Explorer Scout Leader; however, all Section Leaders who enjoy the benefit of having a Young Leader to help them on a regular basis should ensure that they are given a copy of this resource too.  The resource can be circulated by email.  However, it has been set up so that if you wish to print hard copies, it will print seamlessly in portrait format in any size, in colour or in black and white. The resource will also shortly be available to download from the GLN County Website and will be updated regularly to ensure that all of the contact details and the content remain accurate.

We are seeking to recruit more Adult Volunteers at our Group – how do I let Explorer Scouts know?

The best solution is for you to let the Leaders of ALL of your District’s Explorer Scout Units know what vacancies you have available.  It is also advisable to let them know about any opportunities that you can offer Explorers for them to undertake as part of their volunteering service for any Top Awards (eg. Diamond/Platinum Chief Scout’s Award, Queen’s Scout Award, Duke of Edinburgh’s Award etc).  It is important that you actually have tasks available for them to perform or a specific role to fill, so please be clear about what you actually need.

How does an Explorer Scout or a Young Leader know who to contact to discuss their options further?

Contact details for our ACC Adventurous Activities can be found below or on the back page and throughout the resource.  You can also contact our ACC for 14-25 year olds, Chris “Fozzy” Foster at 14-25@gin-scouts.org.uk

Contacts and Links

ACC 14-25 year olds Chris “Fozzy” Foster: 14-25@gin-scouts.org.uk

ACC Activities Georgina Barrett: activities@gin-scouts.org.uk

County website www.gln-scouts.org.uk

National Scout Network website www.scouts.org.uk/network

District Explorer Section:

DESC Jonathan Cumming desc@barnetscout.org

• Evolution ESU Anne Chauhan evoesu@gmail.com
• Les Apache ESU Sarah Evans sara_eva71@hotmail.co.uk
• Merlin ESU Kevin Wells wellskr@hotmail.co.uk
• Vernon Venturers ESU Liz Glindon lizglindon@talktalk.net
• Woodside ESU James Brereton brereton.james@googlemail.com