Explorer Scouts (The Scout Association)

Explorer Scouts, frequently shortened to Explorers, is the fifth section of The Scout Association in the United Kingdom for 14- to 18-year-olds. The section was introduced in 2001 and formally launched in February 2002, alongside Scout Network, to replace the former Venture Scout section for fifteen-and-a-half to twenty-year-olds.
Following on from the Scout section, Explorer Scouts are run in Units at a District level as opposed to the more local Group level that run the younger sections. In addition to earning activity badges in common with younger sections, Explorers are able to attain the highest awards in the movement such as the King's Scout Award.
Part of the programme for the section is the Young Leader's scheme, which trains Explorer Scouts in leadership methods and allows them to volunteer with the younger sections of the movement.

History

The Explorer Scout section was established in the early years of the 21st century. The previous decade had seen a decline in the Scout Association's membership, with an annual loss of 30,000 members, prompting a programme review that commenced in 1995 and was implemented from 2001 onward. The section officially launched in February 2002 with the previous sections, notably Venture Scouts, and age ranges being phased out by December 2003. The new Explorer Scout section is run at the district level, with units strategically placed to cover the entire area, unlike the younger sections and the former Venture Scout section, which were run at the local Scout Group level. When it was set up, the activity programme for the section followed eight programme zones that matched those of the Scout Network section. This was to change however in 2008 when the first four sections began using six programme zones covering the same themes.
In 2003 the programme for the section was expanded with the launch of the Young Leaders scheme, allowing Explorer Scouts and those of a similar age to volunteer with the younger sections as part of the leadership team. The scheme was an unexpected success and the number of Explorer Scouts volunteering as Young Leaders had reached 10,394 by 2012, within the first 10 years of the scheme. In 2012 the section, along with Scout Network, celebrated their tenth anniversaries with a uniform badge available to celebrate the occasion.
Between August and December 2013, a youth consultation was held into the future of Scouting under the title of Be... initiative. While not making any specific recommendations about the Explorer Scout section, the consultation focused on increasing community action and youth input into all sections and changing the perception of Scouts to encourage more people to join. The report fed into the Scout Association's strategy for the next four years which had key aims matching the outcomes of the Be... report. In 2015 the programme for Explorer Scouts was updated along with the logo and visual identity for the section. The programme now focused on 15 challenge areas around three broad themes concurrent with all the other sections.
In 2018 the Scouts published their Skills for Life plan which acknowledged that young people drop out of the Scout's 6-25 programme between 14 and 25 years. In response, they planned a number of changes to the Explorer Scout provision before 2023 including "review the Explorer Scout programme to increase retention", "ensur that Young Leaders are well supported, recognised and can articulate the benefits of their experience" and "review our uniform starting with the Explorer Scout uniform."

Organisation

Unlike the younger sections and the Venture Scouts before them, Explorer Scout Units are controlled by a Scout District covering a larger area than the more local Scout Groups. Districts are able to have as many Explorer Scout Units as they see fit with members able to participate in the programme of other units in their area. Some units have formal partnership agreements with local groups, where access to equipment and meeting places are negotiated, while other units may be more specialised with a focus on a particular activity or a certain part of the programme such as providing a Young Leader unit to deliver the Young Leaders Scheme.
Explorer Scout Units are run by volunteer leaders and supported by volunteer managers at the district level. An individual unit is run by an Explorer Scout Leader with a team of assistant leaders and helpers, with the team in charge of the overall programme of the unit and ensuring adequate safety of members. Each unit is supported at a wider district level by a District Explorer Scout Commissioner, who supports the effective running and cooperation of the units, and a District Explorer Scout Administrator, whose main role is in the transfer of membership between sections at 14 and 18 years of age.

Young Leaders

Young Leaders are Explorer Scouts who choose to provide leadership in Beaver Scout Colonies, Cub Scout Packs or Scout Troops alongside adult volunteers as a part of the leadership team. Training of Young Leaders is achieved through eleven lettered modules covering the necessary skills to play an active part of the leadership team, with members challenged to apply what they have learned through four 'missions' in their sections.
Recognition of the scheme is achieved through a series of badges and culminates in the Young Leader belt buckle award which is worn with their uniform. The Young Leaders Badge is awarded upon the completion of the compulsory training module and is surrounded by one of four mission badges as each 'mission' is completed; the buckle is awarded only through the completion of every module and mission. The design of the awards was initially the letters 'YL' on blue and purple but was updated in 2015 to an acorn and oak leaves to reflect the Gilwell Oak and the role of Young Leaders as future leaders of the movement.
The scheme has been popular with young people looking to volunteer in their community. Since its launch in 2002, the scheme has grown from 1,245 young leaders to 10,394 a decade later with transferable skills being highlighted as a benefit. It is also used by young people taking part in extra-curricular award schemes such as The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, with volunteering with the Scouts including as a Young Leader the fourth most popular way for young people to achieve this part of the award in 2019.

Membership

The launch of the Explorer Scout section was seen as a success following its launch and after 10 years, the membership of the section had grown beyond the highest peak of the previous Venture Scout section of 39,000. In the later years of the 2010s, membership of the section steadied off to become more consistent. The section has always been coeducational, and as of January 2023 33.5% of its young people are female.

Year	Members	Number of Explorer Scout Units
2002-03	15,292	1,224
2008-09	31,948	2,141
2009-10	34,689	2,291
2010-11	36,346	2,344
2011-12	38,801	2,436
2012-13	40,490	2,520
2013-14	43,043	2,591
2014-15	44,356	-
2015-16	44,349	-
2016-17	43,749	-
2017-18	43,514	2,850
2018-19	44,032	2,881
2019-20	45,907	2,958
2020-21	36,582	3,035
2021-22	41,226	3,037
2022-23	44,273	3,020

Promise and law

Explorer Scouts, in common with other Scouts, make a promise soon after joining the section. This promise is the same as that used for any member of The Scout Association from age ten and a half and includes a promise to do their best, help other people and a duty to a higher purpose. There are different variations of the promise to accommodate members of different faiths and whether they are a resident of the United Kingdom.
The promise also requires the member to follow the Scout law. These seven statements are also common to all members of the Scout Association from age ten and half upwards and, with the promise, reinforces the values of the movement.

Awards

In common with other sections of the Scouting movement, progress and achievement is recognised through badges worn on the uniform shirt. Membership of the section is marked with the membership award, a purple badge with the scout symbol worn on the left chest that is common to scouts across the world, with years within the movement marked through a series of participation awards.
Proficiency in particular skills is marked through the award of 25 activity badges, covering activities as diverse as caving and street sports, and 15 staged activity badges which are common across the younger sections and are designed to mark progression of skills.
Between 2002 and 2015, Explorer Scouts could also work towards the International, Environment and Faith partnership awards that required completing a longer-term project in partnership with another section or unit. These awards were discontinued in the 2015 programme refresh and the idea of community projects linked into other awards and areas of the programme, in particular the Community Impact staged activity badge.
There are also badges and awards linked to the Young Leaders scheme, awarded through completion of training, missions and culminating in the Young Leader Belt Buckle and a series of awards linked to youth empowerment within the section.

Top Awards

Explorer Scouts continue the programme of progressive top awards which members are encouraged to achieve in the section. Three which are available to the Explorer Scout section, in order of difficulty, are the Chief Scout's Platinum Award, the Chief Scout's Diamond Award and the King's Scout Award. All three are linked to the Duke of Edinburgh's Award with completion of certain sections of either award contributing to the other.
The awards all require Explorer Scouts to, over a length of time, volunteer with a community organisation, learn or develop a skill and undertake physical activity. In addition, they must train, plan and complete a self-sustained expedition, have spent a number of nights away from home and completed activities linked to international scouting, the environment and exploring their beliefs and values. The Queen's Scout award also requires the member to spend time away from home on a residential experience with strangers.