What are Scouts/Guides like these days?

Ours use phones at explorers sometimes for “manhunt” type games where they need to track their location. And they have a lot of instruction on how NOT to rely on phones for navigation in the wilds!

Find out about different groups closer to the time though. All groups are somewhat different because they reflect the volunteers who are leading those groups. It’s not the same everywhere.

guides - we don’t use tech,
get the girls to put phones away so they can be fully into the games / activities / chatting with friends / involved in the trips / events etc

we definitely don’t want them on their phones at guides 🤩

Can’t speak for guides but both my son and daughter have loved being in scouts.

its very outdoorsy and our group ban phones.

they camp loads, hikes, watersports, light and cook over fires etc

scouts starts at age 4 with squirrels and there can be long waiting lists so look to join a list by age 3

I’m a Guide leader. Occasionally my Guides ask if they can use their phones to take a photo but other than that, we don’t use any technology at all. We’re a very outdoorsy group so we spend a lot of evenings at our local campsite doing fire based activities and playing wide games.

My daughter has been a rainbow for almost two years and absolutely loves it. She'll join Brownies after Christmas.

They do a wide range of activities - her group has taken part in robotics, fruit tasting, physics experiments, making bath bombs, cinema trips, nature trails, wide games, and scavenger hunts in the local park.

Some of the interest badge are technically based (in the older sections) but they are a choice rather than a necessity.

My DD1 is a scout and DD2 is a cub. Both started at beavers. I think it’s absolutely fantastic. They have so much fun. Loads of outdoor activities and skills and a real change from the academic at school and their other interests (singing dancing etc).

Rainbow leader here; we are making apple crumble (with 24 five year olds 😱) this week. Last week, the local girls' rugby team visited to teach us simple tag rugby. Apart from my phone/Bluetooth speaker when we need music for a game, tech doesn't make an appearance.

Our local Guides all have to put their phones in a basket on arrival at their sessions (and have expressed how much they generally enjoy 1.5 hours away from the demands of their group chats/notifications).

Scouts, at all sections from Squirrels (4-6) Beavers (6-8) Cubs (8-10) Scouts (10-14) and Explorers (14-18) all have boys and girls so whether your child is a boy or girl they’d be very welcome in the Scouting family. All sections do hikes (long walks for the little ones), fires, cooking, pioneering - building models. The older sections do axe work and proper hikes. All sections do camping, although Squirrels and Beavers can be indoors or outdoors.
No tech used in any of our meetings or camps. I’m sure your child will have fun whichever she/he joins, Scouts or Guides!

I was a beaver leader until recently. Leaders use an app for the register and to record badges etc. No other tech used

My eldest is a scout leader now and I wouldn’t say it was technology centric. They seem to do a lot of the same activities they did in the old days, camps, campfires etc.