Each Scout Troop is made up of young people aged 10½ to 14, led by trained adult volunteers who are on hand to share their skills and keep everyone safe. Traditionally, Scout leaders were nicknamed ‘Skip’ – an abbreviation of ‘Skipper’, which is a name given to a ship’s captain. In some Troops this name is still used, but these days it’s more common for Scout leaders to just use their real names.

Within their Troop, Scouts are part of a Patrol – smaller groups of Scouts who look out for one another, and help each other grow. Scouts usually gather in their Patrols at the beginning and end of meetings. They might also stick together on expeditions or trips away, or during certain activities.

Depending on local arrangements, their troop might be partnered directly with an Explorer Unit. If this is the case for your troop, you might run your meetings alongside Explorers, and work together to organise things like trips, nights away and expeditions.

When they’re older, they can also join Explorers (for young people aged 14 to 18) and Scout Network (for young people aged 18-25). Although both of these are closely associated with the younger sections, they are not part of the local Scout Group.