Young Leaders: Frequently Asked Questions

How do I join Young Leaders?

• Contact Iain (above), and come along to one of our meetings.  Come along at 7:30 to start your Module A (essentials) training.

What is Module A?

• Module A is the first part of your Young Leader training, and covers the basics you need as a Young Leader to start helping at a section.  You need to cover this within three months of becoming a Young Leader.  In Southampton, we run this at the start of the Young Leader monthly meeting, and it takes two meetings to complete.  You need to complete module A to be a Young Leader or a Duke of Edinburgh helper.

• When you complete your module A, you receive this Young Leader badge to wear on your Explorer uniform.

I know where I want to help, is that OK?

• Yes!  Please discuss it with the section leader, to make sure they are happy to accept you, and that they have enough space (sections can usually only accommodate a certain number of young leaders).  Then contact Iain (above), and come along to a meeting!

I don’t know where I want to help, but I want to be a Young Leader – is that OK?

• Yes!  Please get in contact with Iain (above), and he’ll put you in touch with a section that needs help.

I already attend an Explorer unit, is it OK to also be a Young Leader?

• Yes!  Young Leaders can be members of both an explorer unit (where they are a participant), and join the Young Leader unit (where they train to be a Young Leader), and help out with a section (as part of the leadership team).

• Some Young Leaders decide just to be a Young Leader, and not participant in an Explorer Unit.  This is OK too.

I’m just about to leave scouts, can I start being a Young Leader straight away?

• Yes!  You can start your Young Leader Training straight away with the Young Leader unit, and if you are planning to join a Beaver or Cub unit, you can join them as soon as you are ready.  If you want to help with a Scout Troop, you may start the training immediately, but must have a six-month break before you return to the Scout section as a Young Leader.  Contact Iain if you want to help somewhere else in the meantime.

I can’t come on a Thursday night – how to I do my module A?

• Please contact Iain about this.  We run right through the holidays, when many other clubs/commitments finish, and this allows a lot of people to be occasional attendees at the Young Leader Unit, while maintaining their other interests, and we can be flexible if needed to ensure that a new Young Leader can complete their Module A.

I’m a section leader – how do I know if my young leader is attending the Young Leader unit and has completed module A?

• Please contact Iain – he will confirm registration and attendance if needed, and help you out with any other queries/problems you may have regarding young leaders.  No question is too silly (even down to sleeping arrangements for camps/holidays, what can a YL do, ratios etc), someone else will have asked it before!