Youth voices: Scarlett's story 

One of my clearest memories from my time as an Explorer is of sitting on the beach at Portchester Castle after a litter pick with my group. We'd spent the evening collecting rubbish around the historic site and we finished by sitting with the castle behind us and the sea in front. I remembered being at that same spot as a kid, crabbing with people I'd grown up with. I thought about all the stories that must have happened at this place over hundreds of years, all the people who've added to it. Later, when I was asked to create a reel for Youth United Foundation about this experience, I realised something: I was part of the heritage of the castle just by being there and caring for it. When I shared the video and a friend from college DM’d me saying it made her reflect on how she'd grown up there too and had her prom pictures taken at the castle, it clicked. The same place, different stories - all of us connected to it in our own ways. 

But my journey started somewhere completely different, in my bedroom during lockdown, with a paper aeroplane.

Grounded?

I joined Scouting when I was 13, but quite quickly ended up in lockdown and experienced the transition from Scouts to Explorers online. My weekly Scout meetings consisted of my leader putting tasks on Facebook for us to complete and share. It gave me a sense of structure in the chaos and got me out of my room at a time which I found quite mentally challenging, like so many other young people did. Explorer calls were Zooms that gave me a chance to break up who I was talking to and have a bit of fun. The call I remember most was a scavenger hunt where we got a prompt and then raced to find an item in our homes. These digital spaces became lifelines.

Cleared for take-off

Coming out of lockdown, I went to Explorers and had a space to go on adventures, build memories with friends, and get support from amazing leaders. That litter pick at Portchester Castle wasn't just about picking up rubbish. When I went back to film that video, I realised it was about caring for a place with history so it can keep providing a setting for more beautiful memories. My offline Explorers life consisted of going skating with others across the district and going to camps that turned into inside jokes and conversations I still think about. I found a sense of belonging that enabled me to connect with people in my area in ways I hadn't been able to before. Alongside all of this, I also became a Young Leader with Cubs and Squirrels. Being someone closer to their age meant I could speak with the young people in ways adult leaders sometimes couldn't. As well as the chance to do some craft and play some games myself, it helped me build skills and gave me a sense of purpose at a time when I really needed one.

Breaking through the clouds

This gave me the passion to join the county team. I became one of the first Hampshire Explorer Ambassadors in the new team, which we call HEAT (or, more lovingly, “Mike's Minions”). Suddenly, my community expanded from my local area to people across the county: making friends from Fareham and Bishops Waltham all the way to Blackwater Valley. We ran events like County Chaos Camp and supported the delivery of events like Kudu (an overnight hike competition for groups across Hampshire) and Fun Days at the local Scout site, Ferny Crofts. Through working together and running things like a Passport Camp, which we organised ourselves, and Christmas socials, the HEAT team became a tight-knit group who supported each other through life challenges as well as all the adventures and fun.

My favourite project has been taking on a sub-role of Top Awards Co-Coordinator, with a friend of mine. We recognised that not everyone had the same level of district support, and we wanted to make Top Awards accessible for everyone. We put together Zoom call drop-in opportunities for people to ask questions about their own Top Awards journeys and get advice when they didn't necessarily know who to talk to. We aimed to signpost them to opportunities, help them come up with action plans, and make the list of requirements for each award seem less overwhelming.

International airspace

I've been on two international trips as an Explorer. The first was to Kandersteg in Switzerland, with people from my district. I made friends with a Scout from the Netherlands and managed to make the most of my German GCSE with broken conversations in the town shops. My second trip was the World Scout Jamboree in Korea. My unit was made up of people from both Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, so during our training period I got to explore parts of the island I'd never been to before, doing hikes and camps and challenges in places I wouldn't have otherwise experienced. I remember, on the day that we were evacuated from the site, being given a hug by a Scout from the Netherlands, whilst we had a cry from the overwhelm of everything that was happening that hadn't been in the original plan. I ended up in a fancy hotel ballroom on the floor with what felt like hundreds of other Explorers, playing games, singing songs, and sharing experiences. This trip gave me close connections, personal resilience, and memories that will last me a lifetime of ‘two truths and a lie’. It taught me that community can form anywhere, even in crisis, even on a ballroom floor, even when nothing is going to plan.

Co-piloting my journey

I then used my Scouting experience to apply to be a national DofE Scouts Ambassador. I’d been supported by my district to complete my Bronze and Silver Awards, despite having a long-term condition which affected my Silver and led to me having to do an adapted expedition. This opportunity led me all over the UK to share my story at events, such as the Labour Conference, Buckingham Palace, fundraising events, and various panels. My time all led to speaking inside Buckingham Palace to those who support the programme through donations. Despite doing public speaking before, I had never felt nerves like it. The project coordinator supported me in the moments before my speech to combat my nerves, which was something I’d really struggled with when I was 13. I got through the speech, was offered work experience by the Permanent Secretary at the Department of Education from it, and was incredibly proud of myself. The 13-year-old doing Facebook tasks in their bedroom would never have believed they'd end up here.

Next destination

At the end of my term as DofE Scouts Ambassador, I was nominated by a leader in my district for the role of National Scout Ambassador, which I was successful for, following an interview. At 18, I'm now balancing this national role with being District Youth Lead alongside Anne. Through the DYL role, I'm working to set up a district youth council (the first of which will run in January) to ensure young people in my district have a voice and the support systems they need.

Looking back at that paper aeroplane I launched from my second-floor window during lockdown, I had no idea where it would land. Scouting caught it and helped me grow. From online scavenger hunts to heritage sites, from supporting Cubs to coordinating county-wide programmes, from adapted expeditions to speaking in palaces, every step built on the last.

Sitting on Portchester beach that day after the litter pick taught me something. We're all adding our stories to the places and communities we're part of. Social action doesn't have to be grand gestures. It can be showing up for your community, creating the support systems you once needed, and making space for others to find their own sense of belonging.

I'd encourage you to think about your own journey. How have you grown in recent years? What's helped you get there? What communities have you been part of, and what have they given you? And, maybe more importantly, how do you want to give back to the groups that supported you?

For me, that's what the district youth council and a lot of the projects I have been a part of have been about for me. Creating the kind of space that I needed, and thrived because of, when I was younger. Little me crabbing at Portchester Castle, the teenager picking up litter there, the young person having prom photos taken there, me sitting on that beach feeling peaceful. We're all part of the same story. And through Scouting, I've learned that the best stories are the ones we write together. The question is: what will you add to yours?