Try more. See more. Do more. At Explorers, you’ll stand on your own two feet, and make memories to last a lifetime.

Explorers are a go-getting group of young people aged 14 to 18. Together, they make up the fourth section of the Scouts.

Week in and week out, they gather in groups called Units to try new things, make new friends and conquer the small task of changing the world.

What do Explorers get up to?

Discover the world.

Being an Explorer is all about discovering the world on your own terms and making the most of what you have, wherever and whoever you are.

Alongside your new friends, you’ll master the skills that will make you feel stronger and happier in the long run, and try things you’d never get the chance to do at home or at school.

Whether you’re hiking to faraway lands or building a robot in your local town hall, you’ll have the freedom to choose what you’d like to do, and work together with adults to make it happen.

Start small but think big.

Explorers start small but think big.

They stand up for what they believe and make a difference on their own doorstops, confident in the knowledge that their daily actions add up.

Seek out the answers to big questions.

Explorers seek out the answers to the big questions, and to the smaller questions that don’t seem to matter but really should.

Most importantly, they say yes more often than they say no – whether they’re signing up for their first major hike across Europe, or writing their first line of code, or accepting the last of the toasted marshmallows.

Sound like fun? That’s because it is. All that’s missing is you.

Who leads Explorers?

Each Explorer Unit is made up of young people aged 14 to 18, led by adult volunteers who are on hand to share their skills and keep everyone safe.

Can young people become leaders?

Absolutely. If taking the lead sounds like something you’d like to try for yourself, sign up for the Explorer Scout Young Leader’s Scheme to get some hands-on experience volunteering with the younger Scout sections.

The bigger Scout family

Explorers are part of the global Scout family. Closer to home, they’re part of their wider local Scout District, alongside Network members (aged 18 to 25). Some Explorer Units may have a close link with a Scout Group in a local area.

Promises and ceremonies

Every Explorer is unique, but they find common ground in their shared Scout values, and make a promise to stick by them.

Making a promise when you join the Unit is a way of celebrating these values.

Every time a new Explorer decides to join, they chat through their promise with their leader before saying it out loud in front of their fellow Explorers. Family and friends might come along to see this, too. The process usually takes place once you’ve had a few weeks to settle in, and is known as being ‘invested’ into Explorers.