Explorer Scouts (14–18)
Scouts can move up to Explorer Scouts once they are at least 13½ years of age and leave on their 18th birthday when they can move up to Network. Our Explorer Scout Units also welcome members who have previously been in Girlguiding or those with no Scouting background who wish to benefit from all that Explorer Scouting has to offer.
There are 7 Explorer Scout Units spread around our district, the locations and contact details can be found on our Groups and Units page (Click in Explorer Units check box, enter your postcode and click Search – you may want to change search radius to find all Units). This age range also includes our Young Leaders Unit, where young people are able to train for and take on a leadership role in one of the younger sections in a local Scout Group. In our district we also have a specialist unit where young people are able to train to lead activities – see the paragraph on Intrepid Explorers at the bottom of this page.
Explorer Scouts are encouraged to lead themselves in deciding the programme and direction of the Unit, with support and guidance from leaders.
There is wider scope for activities like offshore sailing, kayaking, campaigning, performing, gliding, parascending, scuba diving, camping, mountaineering and expeditions.
To support the Chief Scout Platinum, Chief Scout Diamond and King’s Scout Awards, which are linked closely to the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards, all of our Explorer Scout Units are registered DofE Award Centres. For more information about the DofE Award scheme, and how to register, see our District Explorers DofE page.
Cotswold Edge District Explorers also enters teams into the annual TenTors Challenge on Dartmoor, the teams being open to members of any of the Explorer Units in our District.
The contact for Explorers is the District Explorer Scout Commissioner, Derek Forward on Email: DESC
Find us on Facebook: Cotswold Edge District Explorers
The Information for Scouts in or moving up to School Yr 9 leaflet is aimed at scouts approaching the end of school year 8, and their parents, to let them know what is available to them through scouting as they move up into school year 9.
More general information about Explorer Scouting, including activity and staged badges, can be found at: scouts.org.uk/explorers
Intrepid Explorers is a specialist unit meeting once a month, at Woodhouse Park, with a specific focus on teaching young people to instruct and lead activities, be involved in instructing at events and lead to gaining activity permits. This unit is open to youth members (Explorers and Young Leaders) from our district and the wider area around (Avon, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire and Gwent), we ask that those attending should have already experienced the opportunities within Explorers and Young Leaders and have the confidence and communication skills to be able to instruct others. For this reason we ask that you do not attend Intrepid Explorers until you have been an Explorer Scout for at least one year and are at least 15 years of age and continue to attend your Explorer Scout Unit / Young Leaders.
