Young Leaders · aged 13½–18

Lead the fun. Learn to lead.

Help run Beavers, Cubs or Scouts on a Monday night. You’ll plan games, lead activities and become the person the younger ones look up to — with real training and a team of adult leaders behind you.

Open to our Explorers and to young people who aren’t in Scouts — especially if you need a Volunteering section for your Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

Apply to be a Young Leader Read the full role
Explorers laughing together at camp
Two ways in

Who it’s for

Already an Explorer?

Step up in your own group

  • Help run Beavers, Cubs or Scouts on a Monday, before or around your Explorer night
  • Counts towards your Platinum and Diamond Chief Scout’s Awards and the King’s Scout Award
  • Counts as the Volunteering section of your DofE too
  • Explorers from other units are welcome

Not in Scouts? Doing your DofE?

Your Volunteering section, sorted

  • No Scouting experience needed — we train you
  • A regular weekly placement that fits the DofE’s hour-a-week pattern
  • We can be your DofE Volunteering assessor
  • No membership fee for a DofE placement — and you can stay on afterwards if you love it
What happens

Your Young Leader journey

  1. Step 1 Apply online Ten minutes, with a parent or guardian’s contact details. Tell us which section you’d like to help with.
  2. Step 2 Come and meet us A friendly chat with a leader — a parent or guardian is welcome to come too. We agree which section and when you start.
  3. First 3 months Getting started You get the Young Leaders’ “Orange Card” safety guide and complete Module A, the essentials — and receive your Young Leader badge and woggle.
  4. From 16 Your free PVG check Scottish law says anyone 16 or over helping with younger children needs a PVG check cleared before they help. We start it at 15 and 8 months so it’s ready in time, and it’s free.
  5. Ongoing Modules and missions Work through the rest of the 11 modules and put them into practice with 4 missions — earning a mission strip for each.
  6. The finish Belt and certificate Complete the scheme to earn the Young Leader belt buckle. Everyone gets a certificate when they finish or turn 18.
The Young Leaders’ Scheme

11 modules, 4 missions

Every Young Leader works through the Scouts’ Explorer Scout Young Leaders’ Scheme. The modules are short, practical sessions, often run with Young Leaders from other groups in the District. The missions are where you put it into practice with your section.

The modules

  1. A Prepare for take-off
  2. B Taking the lead
  3. C That's the way to do it!
  4. D Understanding behaviour
  5. E Game on!
  6. F Making Scouting accessible and inclusive
  7. G What is a high quality programme?
  8. H Programme planning
  9. I What did they say?
  10. J Communicate it!
  11. K First aid masterclass

Module A comes first, within your first three months.

The missions

  1. 1

    Game. Plan and run at least three games — at least one indoors and one outdoors.

  2. 2

    Activity. Plan and run an activity: a badge, a camp challenge or one of your own hobbies.

  3. 3

    Programme planning. Gather the section’s ideas and take them to a planning meeting.

  4. 4

    Delivery. Plan, run and review a whole themed part of the programme.

Duke of Edinburgh’s Award

It fits your DofE

Young Leading counts as your DofE Volunteering section. The DofE asks for about an hour a week, and one Monday session covers it. Here’s the minimum time for Volunteering at each level:

Bronze

3 months

or 6 if it’s the section you do for longer

Silver

6 months

or 12 if you’re starting straight at Silver

Gold

12 months

or 18 if you’re starting straight at Gold

Timescales from dofe.org. Check with your DofE Leader which section you’re doing for longer. A 144th leader can act as your Volunteering assessor.

For parents and guardians

Safe, supported, never on their own

  • Always alongside trained adults. A Young Leader is never left in charge of a group on their own.
  • You’re kept in the loop. We ask for a parent or guardian’s details and copy you into everything we send.
  • Safety training first. Every Young Leader gets the Scouts “Orange Card” and completes the safety and safeguarding module within three months.
  • PVG from 16, by law. From 16, a free PVG check must be cleared before they help. Under 16s don’t need one.
  • Still a young person. Adult leaders never meet a Young Leader one-to-one, and never message them without copying another leader in.
  • Where we meet. St Andrew’s Church hall, Bredisholm Road, Baillieston. It’s a church hall, but Scouts is for everyone — all faiths and none.
Good to know

Common questions

How old do I need to be?
At least 13½ and under 18 when you apply. If you’re 18 or over, have a look at our adult volunteer roles instead — there’s lots of overlap, and plenty of our leaders started as Young Leaders.
How much time does it take?
One Monday evening a week in term-time with the section you choose — Beavers (6–7pm), Cubs (7–8:15pm) or Scouts (7:30–9pm).
Will I be on my own with the children?
Never. You always work alongside trained adult leaders, and you’re never left responsible for a group on your own.
Why do I need a PVG check?
Since April 2026, Scottish law says anyone 16 or over helping with younger children in Scouts must have a PVG check cleared before they start helping. It’s free, we guide you through it, and a parent or guardian can come to the ID check. Under 16s don’t need one.
Do I need a uniform?
Not to start. Explorers wear their Explorer uniform; if you’re here for your DofE, we’ll talk you through what to wear when you start.
What happens when my DofE placement ends?
You’re welcome to stay! To keep going as a Young Leader after your placement, you join Scouts as an Explorer — and you keep everything you’ve earned.
What happens when I turn 18?
You can carry on as an adult volunteer. The modules and missions you’ve done count towards adult leader training, and your PVG check carries over.

Ready to give it a go?

Apply online in ten minutes. We’ll be in touch to arrange a chat.

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