A group of Scouts from across Hampshire who have never met before have come together to speak up and gain valuable teamwork and confidence skills.
Scouts Speak Up is a two day experience held at Runway’s End in Aldershot for any Scout in Hampshire aged 13-18. Free for them to attend, all they needed to bring was a sleeping bag and a smile as they prepared to learn valuable skills for life.
Public speaking is really hard and, for most of our Scouts, learning to challenge themselves is half the battle. By working together as a team, twelve young people reached new heights, pushed their limits and through several adventurous activities, they excelled at this.
Chiron, a 13-year-old scout from Totton, said.
“My favourite part was caving because it pushed me out of my comfort zone. I’ve met lots of new people and feel more comforted around them.”
Everyone who came along had a lot of fun crawling through the caves, reaching new hights crate stacking and focusing on the archery range. After all, if you can crawl through a tight cave tied to someone you've just met then you've got the courage to tell others about it afterwards. It might even encourage them to join the Scouts too.
Lewie, a 14-year-old scout from Hamble, said.
“The best adventure I’ve had at Scouts Speak Up has been Crate stacking, because we all had to work as a team to ensure that we were having lots of fun while keeping safe. Before I came here, I was very nervous but now I feel braver than I once was”.
Arthur, a 16-year-old scout from Chandler's Ford, said
“Caving has been the best part for me. Even if my first thought was not being too keen on tight spaces, the thing I take away from Scouts Speak Up is a big confidence boost”.
The weekend was led by a team of volunteers, including young people who came along to last year's event and this time were teaching the skills first hand after a year of speaking up.
Delivering the weekend was Steven, an adult volunteer from Hampshire:
“Watching the confidence of these young people grow is a real privilege and a key part of why I volunteer, because its as good for me as the young people. This weekend couldn’t happen without my amazing volunteer team, some of whom are trying this for the first time. It’s been so rewarding, we’d love to see more people get involved”.
Thank you Aldershot, hopefully we'll see more young people learning these skills next year.
Text by Lewie Wilson, supported by Steven Osborn.
