Introduction to Scouts

Scouts aims to build and develop young people’s confidence, sense of adventure and outdoor skills, as well as encouraging them to explore their beliefs and attitudes and be creative.  It  offers them the independence to put these skills into practice at camps and even on international trips. Scouts are encouraged to work together and take the lead on all sorts of projects, from community based work to planning games and activities for their meetings.

The Scout Troop is the third section in the Scout Group, above Beavers and Cubs. The Scout Section is for young people aged between 10½ and 14 years.  There is flexibility in the age range:  young people can join from age 10, and can move to Explorers between age 13½ and 14½.

Further information about the structure and ethos of Scouts (and scouting in general), including information on flexibility for young people with special needs, can be found on the UK scout website.

Meetings

Our Scout Troop meets on Fridays 7.30 pm to 9 pm during school terms at our Headquarters on The Ridgeway, Tonbridge. Drop in or register your interest on the Join page.

Activities

Scouts are encouraged to take part in a wide range of activities as part of their programme including traditional Scouting skills, such as camping, survival and cooking, as well as a wider spectrum of adventurous activities, from abseiling to zorbing. Recent highlights have included microlighting, pizza making and camping.

Scouts can work towards a range of different badges. There are two main types of badges: Challenge Awards and Activity Badges. There are nine Challenge Awards for Scouts, which cover the primary areas we focus on in our programme: Adventure Challenge, Creative Challenge, Expedition Challenge, Outdoor Challenge, Skills Challenge, Teamwork Challenge, Team Leader Challenge, World Challenge, and Personal Challenge. Each requires Scouts to complete a number of different tasks which can be spread across their time in the Troop. Successfully gaining all of the Challenge Awards (together with 6 activity badges) entitles a Scout to the Chief Scout’s Gold Award, the highest award available in Scouts and an achievement to be very proud of!

Activity Badges are more specific, aimed at particular interests and activities. Whatever your Scout is interested in, there will be a badge for them to work towards. There are the “classics”: Camper, Hill Walker and Lifesaver for example, but also badges as wide-ranging as Electronics, Media Relations, and Street Sports. Although we work towards these in meetings from time to time, most can also be completed at home –  we love to hear about all the exciting activities our young people get up to in their own time.

Please follow these links if you would like to see the full requirements for Awards and Activity Badges.

Click for more information about Uniform and our Programme.