Welcome to the Young Leaders pages!

So what is a Young Leader?

They are young people aged between 14 and 18 who are part of the Explorer section and give up their time to help with Beavers, Cubs and Scouts.

Some Young Leaders (YLs) have been in Scouting for a while, others have joined as teenagers and still more start as part of their Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme service. Whatever they have already done in Scouting, they are always welcome in Groups around Brentwood District.

Are Young Leaders Explorers?

Yes, to be a YL, you need to be registered with the District Explorers however you do not have to join any of the "normal" units, you can just be a member of the YL Unit. Of course, YLs are very welcome to join one of the Explorer Units and join in with their activities.

Being registered is important because it means that you are entitled to wear a uniform and the membership badge (once you have made or renewed your Scout Promise), you are covered by Scouting insurance and you will receive the training and support you need to get the most out of being a YL.

Training

There are lots of things you need to learn to be a good Young Leader and hopefully move on to become an adult leader. Everyone needs to do the first Module within three months of starting as a YL - it entitles you to wear the badge above. See the "Getting Started" entry in the menu.

The rest of the training can be done at any time although in Brenwtood we offer it as an annual weekend event at Thriftwood - see "Other Training" on the menu. If you are doing your service as part of the DofE scheme, then they require you to do a certain number of modules for each award. 

Missions  

The best bit of being a YL is working with the young people in the section you help with. We hope that you will be supported by the section leader(s) so that you continue to develop your leadership skills. To record your progress and to help you focus on the skills required to becoem a really good leader, we encourage you to work towards a series of 4 Missions - for more details look at the menu item on "Missions".  

Postscript

Well that seems like a lot to do but remember Scouting is FUN and we want to share that with the young people we work with.