Scouts Scotland Young Leader Award

Why this award?

The Young Leaders' Scheme is just one of the exciting programme elements in the Explorer Scout section. All leaders in the Beaver Scout, Cub Scout and Scout Section who are between the ages of 14 and 17 are considered to be Young Leaders. They are Explorer Scouts who choose to devote a large proportion of their time in Scouting to service in another section. The Young Leaders' Scheme helps Explorer Scouts to develop and grow as individuals. It allows them to make a valuable contribution to their community and give service to others. The scheme also helps them fulfil the service elements of their awards.

Who is it for?

The Young Leaders’ Scheme is for young people aged between 14 and 17 who wish to volunteer to help with one of Scouting’s junior sections. You can do this without becoming a member of The Scout Association if working towards your Duke of Edinburgh’s Award or a Girlguiding Award (although only for the timescale required) or you can join Explorer Scouts and receive all of the benefits of being a member.

What time commitment is required?

Volunteering as a Young Leader is typically a weekly commitment; however it can be flexible to fit in with other commitments and a Young Leader should agree with the leadership team how often they can volunteer. If working towards an award, it may be necessary to make the weekly commitment for required periods of time.

Additional commitments such as weekends or evenings will be required for training or supporting weekend activities or nights away experiences.

Is the award externally accredited?

A Young Leaders’ Badge is available after basic training and additional badges should be presented after further training and validation. These additional badges are placed around the Young Leaders’ Badge as shown in image.

A Young Leader belt buckle should be awarded on completion of the entire scheme (completion of ALL training modules and missions) alongside a Young Leader Certificate, which will record all training completed. This training will count as prior learning for The Scout Association’s Adult Training Scheme should a Young Leader wish to continue volunteering.

The Young Leaders’ Scheme is externally recognised by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) as a Development Programme. The ILM is one of the UK’s leading providers of leadership and management qualifications and the accreditation shows the quality of the Young Leaders’ Scheme to any external organisations that Young Leaders might apply to in the future.

The Young Leaders’ Scheme can also be used as the practical aspect for a SCQF Leadership Award. This is at level 6 of the Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework (SCQF), which is the equivalent level of a ‘Higher Grade’ qualification.

Case study: Explorer Scout Young Leader Scheme