explorers – Page 5 – Southampton City Scouts News Archive

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, and other members of the royal family, are attending the Diamond Jubilee Service of Thanksgiving on Tuesday morning. The service is being broadcast on BBC One.

Caitlin, a top Scouting achiever, was recently awarded the highest award possible by the movement – the Queen’s Scout award – at a ceremony in Windsor.

She helped out in her community and went on a three-week expedition across north Wales to walk, sail, camp and climb with young people from around the world.

Caitlin said: “I’ve been in Scouting for nearly seven years now, starting off in Hoosiders Explorer Scout unit in Penrith.

“I’d always been jealous of my brother going off to do fun and exciting camps and once or twice I’d been able to tag along as my parents were both occasional helpers.

“Scouting has given me the opportunity to climb mountains, canoe rivers and walk many miles with a huge smile on my face for the whole journey. Scouting has given me that optimism and energy.”

Caitlin is a member of the Scout Network as well as an assistant Scout leader at home. She is also an assistant Explorer Scout leader in Southampton, where she is at university studying French and Spanish.

She said: “It seems bizarre now to think that I’d barely speak up in meetings when I first joined Scouting. Yet when I went to Windsor to collect the Queen’s Scout award, there I was speaking in front of hundreds.

“I went from being shy and quiet to being the loud one bringing all the others out of their shells. I’ve been pushed to be a better person than I thought I could be and I appreciate all the support I’ve had.

“To have been invited to be part of the jubilee thanksgiving service is just beyond my wildest dreams – and all thanks to Scouting.”

First published at 14:11, Friday, 01 June 2012
Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk

SCOUTING in Southampton has never been better – lots of young people and loads of adults are having great fun every week.

Membership increased by three per cent in Hampshire with a seven-percent increase in the Explorer units, 14 to 18-year-olds, and more girls joined Scouting last year than boys.

Why is-that? It is because Scouting offers today’s Scouts an opportunity to prepare for the job market by working for a range of skills-based badges?

Traditionally in Scouting we were renowned for being able to tie a variety of knots, read maps and light camp fires effectively.

But the modern day Scout is now focusing on skills that can lead to a modern day job. The trend towards more jobs-based badges is attracting growing numbers of savvy girls many of whom want to boost their CVs for college and university applications.

Each year our leaders and young people canoe, climb, sleep in shelters, camp, cook, build and burn things kayak, sail, play games and above all, have fun!

Our younger sections for the Beavers, six to eight-years-old, and Cubs, eight to 11-years-old, and Scouts,11 to 14-years-old, we offer them great fun, a wide range of challenge badges and awards and Scouting is a super way to make very good friends, which are very helpful when at school and colleges and later in life.

But we need more adults to join the adventure to help get the young people of Southampton outside, having fun and developing away from home and the classroom. We are looking for Leaders, people to help with maintenance, administration, activity instructors, anything! Previous experience is optional, having fun is compulsory!

Forty-five percent of our adults come from parents of our young people who give us a hand but the majority of volunteers are people just wanting to offer something to their community and what could be better than investing your time in the young.
Why don’t you help a group near you for as much time or as little as you like?

To find out more visit our website southamptoncityscouts.co.uk