Adult Volunteers
As Scouts, we believe in preparing young people with skills for life. We encourage our young people to do more, learn more and be more.
We are part of the UK’s biggest mixed youth organisation. We change lives by offering 6- to 18-year-olds fun and challenging activities, unique experiences, everyday adventure. Scouts helps children and young adults reach their full potential. We help young people to get jobs, save lives and even change the world.
To do this we need your help – All adults welcome.
#GoodForYou – A message from Bear Grylls from Scouts on Vimeo.
Our award-winning training scheme for volunteers means that adults get as much from Scouting as our young people.
Scouting’s quality depends on its volunteers and our volunteers depend on Scouting to teach them the skills they need. Our modular training scheme delivers the full spectrum of required skills. Volunteers can choose training modules that are relevant to the role that they do, ranging from leadership to running residential experiences and first aid.
Our training scheme was recognised with a National Training Award from UK Skills. It is one of the reasons why we have managed to increase our volunteer numbers over the past few years, against the national trend.
Over 90% of our volunteers believe that the skills and experiences they have gained through Scouting have been of relevance to their working or personal lives, so we’re certainly doing something right.
A study of volunteers found that more than two thirds of respondents reported a direct correlation between their volunteer experience within Scouting and gaining employment or career development.
Training in Scouting has also enabled volunteers to gain accreditation for Open College Network awards in Youth Work, and helped them to become associate members of the Institute of Leadership and Management and the Institute for Training and Occupational Learning.
If you’ve been involved with scouting before, you may be in for a surprise at the range and quality of our activities, but our values remain the same.
We have a vibrant, active, and committed leadership team at the 21st Warrington West (1st Appleton) Scouts. We are all dedicated to providing the children with the absolute best possible experience, with lots of fun, and done in a safe and supportive way.
Our combined Scouting experience within the leadership team is over 100 years! We have a mix of very experienced, new, young, and older leaders, all of whom work together as one wider leadership team. There is always room for more support in the leaders team. What skills or interests do you have and would like to share with us?
Leaders undertake dedicated Scouting training, culminating with an award of Wood Badge. This training covers many areas to help them ensure the best experience n scouting for them as Leaders and the young people in the Group.
In 1919, Scouting Founder Baden-Powell introduced a standardised system for leader training at Gilwell Park, near London. Those who completed the course were awarded a ‘Wood Badge’. This wasn’t a cloth badge, but a pair of wooden beads. One came from the ceremonial necklace of the Zulu chief, Dinizulu, and recipients carved their own second bead.
In 1987, four Wood Badge beads were given to Dinizulu’s grandson as a symbolic act of returning the beads to their rightful heir. Today, leaders throughout the world continue the tradition of the Wood Badge and receive replica wooden beads. Leaders are also enrolled as members of the 1st Gilwell Park Scout Group, and can wear the distinctive Gilwell scarf and woggle.