Could you help children and young people learn and grow?
Did you know that there are over 100,000 children and young people aged 4 to 17 on waiting lists to join get involved in Scouting?
Scout Groups and Explorer Units around the Country are looking for more volunteers so more children and young people can join. In November 2025, the Bourne Explorer Unit (young people aged 14 to 17) was established and is growing. With more young people from Scouts (ages 10 to 14) due to move up in the next few weeks, the Unit are looking for some more volunteers to help manage the increase in numbers.
Volunteer Georgia said, “There are opportunities for people to volunteer for roles with any of the other sections, Squirrels (ages 4 to 6), Beavers (ages 6 to 8) and Cubs (ages 8 to 10). There are also opportunities in the background. This could be with fundraising, trustee, administration, IT or just helping when needed.” Georgia added, “Volunteering with Scouts is a great opportunity to help young people learn and develop skills along with having fun and trying out new activities. It’s also a great opportunity to learn and develop new skills yourself, make friends, try new activities and take pride in seeing young people develop.”
Scouting provides over 250 activities ranging from air activities to cooking, emergency aid to global issues and pioneering to water activities. In a recent report, Stephanie Simmons gave twelve reasons why joining Scouts helps with a child’s development. These included, builds confidence and self-esteem, promotes outdoor skills, enhances social skills, provides a safe environment and offers adventure and fun.
Volunteer Nigel said “As volunteers we can help put foundations in place. We then encourage the children and young people to build upon them as they try new activities and learn skills for life. Children and young people want adventure, and we provide the opportunity to have those adventures. He added, “Volunteering with any of the sections allows you to see changes in the character of young people, see them becoming more confident and see them coming out of their shells. As a volunteer, we can be a role model for children and young people. We can help them learn values and skills, have experiences, opportunities and challenges and interact face to face with others. We can help children to learn and grow, and we can create experiences for young people.” Young people can also learn and develop skills such as communication, independence, leadership, problem solving, social skills and teamwork and these will help with applications for apprenticeships, college, employment and university.
For further information about any of the sections or volunteering, please contact Georgia on [email protected]