Scout Groups are made up of Beavers, Cubs and Scouts. The young people in those youth sections are part of a specific Scout Group. Explorer Scout Units differ slightly from Scout Groups. Explorer Scout Units are centrally managed at a District level. In our case Barnsley District Scouts.
There are Explorer Units dotted around the Barnsley District. In many cases, they have a link or partnership agreement with a Scout Group in that area. Once an Explorer Scout, a young person aged between 13.5 and 18 years old can opt to move to their local unit, or indeed around any of the Explorer Units within their District.
The majority of young people move from Scouts to Explorers around their 14th birthday. The earliest they can move is 13.5 and the oldest they can be in Scouts is 14.5. Where a young person is coming from a Scout Group, we work with the leaders of that group to aide a smooth transition.
Young People do not need to have been a Scout before becoming an Explorer Scout. In both cases, given the centrally managed provision, we ask the following form be completed by parents/guardians of young people interested in becoming an Explorer Scout.