
Scouts and explorers of Milton Keynes had an adventurous weekend at The Quarries campsite, building life skills like cooking, building, teamwork and so much more.
Over the weekend, 100 Scouts (aged 10-14) and 50 Explorers (aged 14-17) spent an adventurous weekend at The Quarries campsite, located on the boarder of Milton Keynes. The Quarries site has over 8 acres of camping fields, amazing facilities, and a raft of activities you can use to your advantage, and that is what the scouts and explorers did.
To start of their weekend, the MK Scouts and Explorers had to build their own accommodation for the night, having to incorporate team work, but also independence in some instances. The Scouts and Explorers had the opportunity to do some frame racing, go-karting, and archery. With the fun also came responsibilities as they had to band together to cook a three course meal for everyone. However, the most challenging activity for them was having to keep an egg “safe” for the 30 hours they were at the camp site. As a build-up to the event, the young people were able to choose a theme for their base. They also had to think of the meals they were going to cook, which had to be linked to the theme.
Each of the Scouts’ teams had an Explorer Scout to support them and this gave the older Scouts a great opportunity to learn more about what type of activities Explorers did. This was the first time the District had run one of these events for the age Group and everyone left in a very happy frame of mind.
Nicholas, aged 14, who had not been involved in Scouts before, joined Explorers six months ago. When asked why he joined he said, “Some of my friends were involved and they spoke about it at school. I decided to come along and have done several things I have never done before. This is my first Scout camp. I’ve also done hiking, climbing and I’ve learned about cooking and map reading. I’ve been able to develop social skills, along with communication and building my confidence. I’ve also made new friends.”
When asked how being volunteers had helped them, Alex and Robbo both said that it helped them get apprenticeships as they were able to give some examples of team-work, leadership and decision making they had experienced as an Explorer Scout. They added, “Becoming a volunteer helps you to learn and develop new skills. For young people, the ages of 14 to 18 can be very stressful and Explorers gives them time away from exams and gives them the opportunity to just chill. In the four years they are an Explorer, you see them grow and develop. We try to be role models for them and to encourage them to develop skills that will help them when applying for further education, apprenticeships or employment.” They added, “If you’ve never been an Explorer or volunteer, come along for a few weeks and we’re sure you will want to stay.”
The Scouts and Explorers left the campsite fulfilled with some major life skills under their belt.
For more information about becoming a scout or explorer, please visit https://mkscouts.org/ or Buckinghamshire County | Skills for Life (bucks-scouts.org.uk)
For further information about any of the sections (4 to 17) or becoming a volunteer, please visit www.scouts.org.uk/join