Opinion

Scouting skills for life

The Scouts are piloting a scheme for the early years that will see four- and five-year-olds reap the benefits of the movement, says Matt Hyde

The pilot scheme for four- and five-year-olds in Scouting is exciting news. But we need to have the courage and wisdom to learn from our partners and keep an open mind while drawing on our experience as the UK’s largest youth movement.

We’re well used to supporting young people’s development. The idea of bringing together children from different backgrounds to build confidence, key skills and help them learn to interact isn’t a new one. Some 111 years ago, Robert Baden-Powell brought together 20 young people for an experimental camp, and a phenomenon was born. Cubs, for younger children, soon followed, and today there are 460,000 boys and girls in the Scouts across the UK and 50 million worldwide. But supporting four- and five-year-olds is new territory for us.

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