Nearly all of us are at least aware of the Scout Association, they have existed for over a hundred years and are often imagined as young boys in a uniform siting around a campfire whilst tying knots. However, what is less commonly known, is what group exists for those who grow out of their neckerchief’s. This group is called Explorers and it accommodates both male and female teenagers from the ages of fourteen to eighteen and they co-exist alongside Scouts taking in those who have reached the age of entry.
To find out more I interviewed a leader of a local explorer group called 41st Epping Forest Scouts. He introduced himself as Martin, an assistant leader to the explorer group. We began by discussing some of the key differences between Scouts and Explorers, he said that Explorers were “far more independent” and were also given additional responsibilities allowing them to be able to venture out by themselves.
This then lead how explorers had much more “casual” atmosphere with this group in particular being less about traditions then Scouts and even some other explorer groups as compared to them, the 41st doesn’t use a strict timetable of regime with the additional absence of badges and uniform which helps create the comfortable and more relaxing atmosphere the group is aiming for.
We also talked about some other common misconceptions that people not involved with Scouts or Explorers tend to have, such as how most people are not fully aware of Explorers as a nationwide group existing and if they did, they would often imagine it as being more traditional and “very outdoorsy”. Whilst the group may not adhere to all of these values (most of their sessions take pace indoors for convenience), they still do “real things” as their leader puts it.
Overall, Explorers may have strayed from their traditional scouting origins, but they still succeed in their aim of providing a safe and relaxing for mid to older teenagers.
