Scout Network is Scouting for young adults aged eighteen to twenty-five. It's the most flexible section by far — there's no weekly meeting you have to be at, no uniform requirement, and no fixed programme. Network is built around what members actually want to do and the time they realistically have around study, work and life.
In practice, Network is two things at once. It's a way to keep doing the adventurous stuff — hillwalking, climbing, paddling, expeditions, trips away, and socials — with people your own age, organised between yourselves. And it's a route into volunteering, on your own terms.
Lots of Network members help run a younger section, either regularly or just for camps and events. Others take on a specific district role — helping with training, events, communications, equipment, or supporting new leaders — which can be a few hours a month rather than a weekly commitment. It's a good way to give something back without it taking over your life.
Network is also where members can finish the awards that carry real weight: the King's Scout Award and the Queen's Scout Award, and the Explorer Belt for those who take on an overseas expedition. National and international Scouting events are open to Network too.
For a lot of people this age, moving to a new town for work or university, Network is a ready-made group of people who share an outlook — a place to belong when the structures that used to provide that have fallen away.
You can join Network whether or not you've been in Scouting before. Get in touch and we'll put you in contact with the district's Network.
What it looks like
- Adventurous activities, trips and socials, organised by members
- Flexible volunteering — a section, a camp, or a district role
- The King's Scout Award, Queen's Scout Award and Explorer Belt
- National and international Scouting events
Uniform: Network polo, or the uniform of any volunteer role held.