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Young Leaders

The Young Leader Scheme Badge

Please note this page is aimed at young people from outside of Scouting who wish to be a Young Leader; Explorers wishing to be a Young Leader should refer to the Young Leaders' Scheme page under Explorer Information.

Overview

Young Leaders are young people between the ages of 14 and 18 who help at Beaver Scout, Cub Scout or Scout section meetings on a regular basis, providing a useful service to the younger sections while having a great time as part of the adult leader team.

Being a Young Leader helps you to develop and grow as an individual and allows you to make a valuable contribution to your community and give service to others. The scheme also helps you fulfil the volunteering section of your Duke of Edinburgh award.

What Does a Young Leader Do?

As a Young Leader, you will regularly attend the section's weekly meetings, taking a full role in the adult leader team for the section, working alongside other adult leaders. You will find yourself running games, instructing younger people during activities, helping to organise activities, perhaps even taking responsibility for planning a whole series of meetings.

Volunteering as Part of the Duke of Edinburgh Award

1st Cheddington welcomes young people who wish to help at Beavers, Cubs or Scouts to complete their Volunteering section of the Duke of Edinburgh Award.

Any young person undertaking the Award is expected to meet the requirements of the Volunteering section in full including:

The requirements for the Service Award are as follows:

At the end of the placement, participants have to stop being Young Leaders or join an Explorer Unit, as described below.

If you would like to help at 1st Cheddington as part of your Duke of Edinburgh Award, please contact the Group Scout Leader to request a placement.

Membership of the Scout Association

As a Young Leader you must either be a member of the Scout Association or be currently undertaking the volunteering section of the Duke of Edinburgh Award.

If you wish to be a Young Leader and are not an Explorer Scout nor undertaking the Duke of Edinburgh Award, then you can still be a Young Leader but will have to become a member of the Vale of Aylesbury Young Leader Explorer Unit. This does not mean you will have to attend weekly meetings of the Explorers but it will ensure you are a member of the Scout Association (and thus insured) and provide support to you as a Young Leader.

Child Protection 

The Young Leaders' Young People First card (orange card) is a version of the Young People First card (yellow card) which Adults in Scouting are issued with. The orange card has the main Child Protection policy written in language which 14-18 year olds will find more suitable. This card is handed out before the young person becomes a Young Leader, even if they are only trying out the role. The guidence is designed to safeguard the welfare of all Members. You can view the Young People First card (orange card) here.

Training

As a Young Leader, you can receive training on your special role. This training is different to the training given to other leaders and is focused on the needs of Young Leaders helping in the Beaver Colony, Cub Pack or Scout Troop. There are a total of eleven training modules, covering the following subjects.

  1. Module A: Prepare for Take-off!

  2. Module B: Taking the Lead

  3. Module C: That's the Way to Do It!

  4. Module D: Kids Behaving Badly

  5. Module E: Game On!

  6. Module F: Making Scouting Accessible

  7. Module G: Programme Plans

  8. Module H: Programme Plans Plus

  9. Module I: What did They Say?

  10. Module J: Awards and Badges

  11. Module K: First Aid Masterclass

Once you have completed Module A you will be awarded the Young Leader badge. 

Module A is compulsory for all Young Leaders and you are encouraged to do as many of the other modules as you can. All of these modules can count towards the training element of your Duke of Edinburgh Award which requires you to complete Module A plus at least a further two hours of training from these modules.

The modules will be provided by adult leaders and the County Training Team; if you want to find out more, please speak to one of the leaders.

The Scout Association has produced a Young Leader's Scheme log book which can help track your training and development.

Missions

The Young Leader training modules are supported by a series of four missions in the Young Leaders' Scheme. The different missions enable you to put some of the new skills and knowledge learnt on the modules into practice. By doing so, you will gain in confidence and become an integral part of the leadership team within your chosen Section and Group.

On completion of each of the missions, you will be presented with a Mission Badge. This badge fits round each of the four sides of your Young Leader badge. More information on the Missions can be found here.

More Information

More information on being a Young Leader is available from the Group Scout Leader or the Scout Association.