My Scout role includes speaking engagements; representing England Scouting in policy making; and supporting the strategic management and development of the Movement. I am also a Training Adviser locally in Oxfordshire and occasionally help at the local Scout Activity Centre – Youlbury.
That’s enough about me, now for the blog...
My name is Tim Kidd and I am a Scout. I have been a Scout for 40 years –there has not been a moment since I was eight years old that I have not been a Scout. Like many of you reading this blog, I feel that Scouting is a part of my very being.
Scouting changed my life as a young person; it helped me to try activities that I would never otherwise have contemplated. I really have stood on the top of mountains simply because I was a Scout. Scouting gave me skills and confidence that I use as an adult – in fact I wouldn’t have the job that I have today if it wasn’t for what I have learned in Scouting.
It is odd, but true, that I feel somehow connected to the 28 million Scouts in the world through some invisible thread. And as I ponder what that invisible thread might be, it strikes me that it is the ethos or values of Scouting – something that you can’t see or touch, but you can see the result of in the way that people act or treat one another.
Every week across the UK more than 500,000 people enjoy their Scouting. Scouting gives young people the chance to taste adventure in a safe environment and to build skills for life. Young people take part in a huge range of activities – but Scouting’s purpose is much more important that simply giving young people a great time.
For me, the most important thing that Scouting does is to give young people the chance to grow in their understanding of themselves and the world around them – and to use that understanding to help make the world a better place.
In the quiet moments of the evening, I think about what it is that makes what we do really 'Scouting' rather than simply 'activities'. My take is that it is about how we do things, not so much about what we do or what we wear when we are doing it.
If I think back to my time as a Cub Scout, what stands out to me are the friendships that I formed, the conversations that I had and the skills that I learned (together with my inability to catch a ball eight times out of ten that somewhat held up my award of the Bronze Arrow!). My main memory of uniform as a child is that the Cub jersey of the day scratched me intensely and was very uncomfortable. So if I had not worn the Cub jersey, would it mean that I was no longer doing Scouting?
If I was asked to define Scouting, I would say something like 'young people working together based on the values of Scouting', along with learning by doing, taking part in activities indoors and outdoors, and taking responsibility together with making the Promise and living by the Promise.
I think that we sometimes get sidetracked by the things that we can see (and are easier to complain about) than the really important point of Scouting: how we help young people to make a positive contribution to society.
As I have travelled around England over the past few months, it is exactly the people that I have met that have reminded me of the importance of Scouting. From Stratford-upon-Avon’s District centenary celebration to Northumberland’s boating extravaganza and from Greater London North East’s AGM to the opening of a new building at Ferny Crofts campsite in the New Forest, it is always the commitment and values of the adults and young people that impress me and make me proud to be a Scout.
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By Dr.Stu.
on 11/08/2010 14:19 Yes I like your notion of 'Scouting being part of My Very Being'
As it fits so well with what I suggest 'Scouting Does To People'
I also like the way you focus on 'Scouting as a way of gaining confidence' which many Children and Young People either lack or have had knocked out of them.
Dr.Stu..
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By Raksha
on 11/08/2010 21:32 To me personally - Scouting is a way of conducting myself in my own life, and it is about providing others (adults and young people) with opportunities to see what they are capable of, and then when at the end of camp you have a Cub who tells you they are proud of what they have managed to achieve that week, well, that's just the icing on the cake.
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By Tricky W
on 11/08/2010 22:11 To me Scouting is represented by the feeling you get when you hear a young person enthuse about their experience and what it has done for them. It's never in words that would appear on a marketing poster but it's raw and passionate and most importantly fun.
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By Philip
on 12/08/2010 11:10 I think perhaps the one thing left out that Scouting is also about the development of long term friendships. If you become part of the Scout Movement you develop friendships that you never lose and never forget. Not just with other adults - but also with lots of younger members. Who 20 years after they leave still stop and talk to you in the street.
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By Rusty
on 12/08/2010 21:11 Scouting is, challenge, adventure, everyday situations and so much more that this dyslexic cannot put it into words. For some of us its sharing our knowledge and skills to benifit all.
But Scouting can be uneventfull meetings and planning, Scouting is many things to all. For me its promotion and media possibilities of how we can be best seen by all.
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By Bob
on 12/08/2010 22:32 Tim that is so familiar! I'm 63 and became a Cub at 8 and been a Scout ever since. My Cub jumper was itchy, some of my meals at patrol camps were raw or burnt but I would not have changed it for the world. I know so may people who have lives have been changed by B-P's vision - and the impact upon the young people of the world is immeasurable. And with Wayne and Bear's leadership with a more relaxed, user friendly approach we can only get to involve more young people. Scouting is cool - and long may it remain so!!
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By Oliver
on 13/08/2010 11:23 Scouting is opportunities - to meet people you wouldn't otherwise meet, to try new things and go to new places. Opportunities to develop the young people and ourselves, to bring out the best in people. Most importantly, Opportunities to have fun!
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By Anne
on 13/08/2010 16:17 Scouting to me is about opportunities. Opportunities to access and provide many different skills, challenges, places and beliefs and to meet many different people. All of our family, adults and children alike have had opportunites through scouting they would never had come accross elsewhere and it has changed us and our lives for the better and will continue to do so.
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By Skip EG
on 13/08/2010 17:17 Its the little things. The mother who complains with a smile that her son prepfers his PL's Custard they made in a field over an open fire. The Father that Demands to see you late at night after a camping competition just to shake your hand because for the first time his son won something. The Cub that came up to Scouts that you thought hated it but is still there four years later and wants to come back as a young leader.
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By smudge
on 13/08/2010 17:33 Scouting is about the kids and having fun. It is about giving something back to the next generation so they can experience adventures as they get older the same as we all did ,sometimes life is too short to sit back and do nothing go out there and enjoy it !!!
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By Peter (Poj) Rowlands
on 13/08/2010 17:36 Scouting's given me self confidence, tolerance, friendship and fun for 63 years - and still does, despite the growing number of rules & regulations!
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By Charlie Barnes, Menston, W Yorks
on 13/08/2010 17:39 Our Scouts defined this for us when we did the Expedition Challenge a few months ago. We had a campfire and we talked about what "Scouts" was. Everyone had to give a key word or phrase. This is a new troop and last September we just had a bunch of boys who wore the unform and came to the scout hut every Thursday, and we've had some challenges along the way. But these scouts, sitting around this campfire after a hard day on the moors, told us 'scouts' was 'friends', 'team work', 'looking after each other', 'having fun', 'reunited' (they all went to the village primary school but now go to different high schools). 'Cool' and 'awesome' came up a lot too, as did 'adventure' and 'try new things', but it was at this point that we knew that they all 'got it' and that we had a proper scout troop and not just a load of boys who'd joined scouts. Scouts is definitely who they are, and not just what they do.
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By D.P.
on 13/08/2010 18:19 Imaging Scouting as a youngster in a room made entirely of doors, a leader shows them what is through all of the doors, all the different paths they could take in life and give them the skills to make informed choices. Not to lead them on any particular path but show them all choices and give them the belief that they can change the world if they really want to.
In 30 years of Ventures/Explorers in expeditions i've seen young men cry at the beauty of the mountains, heard young women rage against poverty in the slums of the world, listened to their hopes and fears - should they sleep with their boyfriend, are they gay and many other soul searching questions.
For all this I feel immensly privilaged, I know there are many for whom Scouting has changed their lives. By being there to see it happen, it has changed mine.
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By Jim B North Yorkshire
on 13/08/2010 18:19 I am a little pripheral to Scouting nowadays but that is not necessarily a handicap when trying to evaluate the organisation.
I believe that there is a huge portion of the non-Scouting public out here that will never be a part of the organisation, but in a quiet moment, regret that fact.
Scouting appears to be a solid foundation of values and skills for young people to build on and an organisation that motivates adults who are led into it. I came back into Scouting in my late 40's after a lifetime in law enforcement and was impressed to find so many good people, who were determined to do the best that they could for those that they led in Scouting. Even though some of the young people appeared to resist the values that were offered to them, they were clearly assimilating things that would serve them well throughout their lives.
If you find a better organisation to show me, give me a buzz and I'll have a look at it. I might have a very long wait!
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By Keith Cruickshank
on 13/08/2010 18:38 Scouting to me is all about making knew friends and learning new skills and passing on skills and trying to teach youngsters how to take a constructive part in society.
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By MaC
on 13/08/2010 20:15 To me Scouting is working to help make Scout and Guide events happen. I'm a member of the SAS and normally work on fundraising and PR. I've just got home from almost 2 weeks working on the Infrastructure team of the Fusion event at the Girl Guiding Centenary camp. It was really hard work, but it was a fantastic experience, being part of a team of dedicated Scouts and Guides working with a single aim and seeing the site grow. The word NO just didn't exist. The smiles on the faces of the Guides and Brownies at the event made it all worthwhile. Even spending 4 hours the next day helping to shovel 15 Tonnes of sand away from the beach we had made just 36 hours earlier! So for me Scouting is being part of a team, working to give Young People experiences they will remember for a long time.
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By christina marr
on 13/08/2010 21:06 What is scouting, that is a good question.
My answer is growing from the child to an adult. I think I am an adult, but some how a part of me will allways stay a child. It is this part that helps me pass on what I have learned. It is all so that part of me that still love the adventure and doing new things. Friendships that are golden, as they can last a life time.
Scouting also gives children of today something positive to focus on.
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By richard ansell
on 13/08/2010 21:51 Scouting is away to help young people in their early years of learning and it helps keep them on the straight and narrow way of life. A few years ago at a St . Georges day church service the guest minster told a true story for quite a few years he was a prison chaplin and in that time all the prisoners he met none of them were ever a scout . And that has stuck in my mind ever since
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By Aspen
on 13/08/2010 21:52 Scout Leaders are not paid in money but our wages consist of smiles and laughter, observing a young person's growing confidence and the look of personal triumph on the face of a young person who has achieved more than he/she thought he/she could!
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By Martyn
on 13/08/2010 23:30 Scouting is about being at a presentation evening a few years ago and a 6'2" young person coming up to you and saying " Hi Kim you don't remember me do you" It is also about watching young people providing support for a friend and their family while they were dying of cancer and the way they supported each other at the funeral and after. It is about the pride in a person who told me the other day, (when I called in to a mobility centre in N.Devon to ask about widths of wheelchairs and door sizes) that he was in a troop in manchester and in Bulldog patrol many years ago. It is about adults taking an interest in young people and being able to excel in what they are taught and eventually want to pass it on to the next generation.
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By Phill T.
on 13/08/2010 23:38 To me Scouting is all about looking at Beavers ,Cubs, and Scouts faces when they have achieved something they would not have achieved outside of Scouting, the look of pure enjoyment, if you could bottle and sell that look it would make a fortune
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By Shirley Cairney
on 13/08/2010 23:55 Dear Stu,
I.Scout here in Scotland and have to say that I joined 5 years ago, as parent of a group who was about to fold, delighted to say we are now we have gone from a village group of 56 young people who had three leaders to a group of 193 with 24 leaders. What makes me proud is community with a true heart in delivering a programme of sheer adventure!! for all involved.
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By Mr A
on 14/08/2010 00:24 Scottish Education (bear with me) is undergoing a transformation, called Curriculum for Excellence.
Curriculum for Excellence aims to ensure that all young people develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they will need if they are to flourish in life, learning and work, now and in the future. The purpose of Curriculum for Excellence is encapsulated by its four capacities - to enable each young person to be a successful learner, a confident individual, a responsible citizen and an effective contributor.
Something Scouting has being doing since 1907.
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By richard leacg
on 14/08/2010 05:18 scouting is all about teamwork.based on the patrol system which no longer exists since the SA took the older scouts out of the troop
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By Smithers
on 14/08/2010 08:19 I, like you, have been in Scouting a long time. Come December this year I will have been in for 60 years. To me Scouting is the biggest family in the world, tied together, not separated by colour, class or creed. A family in which we learn together, share experiences, have fun together, and when needed, we are there for one another. It can be summed up by the words I used to use when opening a campfire. 'As the flames rise upwards, so be our aims, as the red logs glow, so be our endeavours, and as the good fire warms the circle so may our ideals warm the world'. My best wishes to you and all scouts everywhere!
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By maureen austin
on 14/08/2010 09:14 Scouting is a way of life, a promise made as a brownie and later as a Scouter. Seeing young members develop skills and confidence in themselves. An ever increasing circle of freinds who are there for you in stressful times. Long may Scouting continue.
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By Jim Slater
on 14/08/2010 10:13 I have been connected with Scouting since the ealy 80s when my oldest son became a cub and from being a parent helper to GSL and then full time campsite warden and now a fellowship member and having been IST on the last Jamboree and will be again in Sweeden I feel part of another worldwide family . I was also a cub and scout but like so many left at the age of 15 in 1962. I am glad I came back.
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By Richard Pratt
on 14/08/2010 11:59 A way of life and a code for living. An international movement for young people that gives great pleasure to adults too.
Just last week I was in a local supermarket, with a couple of Explorer Leaders from Portugal, helping them with the shopping for their Unit's stay in England. We were all three in uniform. What was it about Scouting that made one gentleman come over to introduce himself as having been a King's Scout? How many years ago must that have been?
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By dave
on 14/08/2010 12:46 Its about having FUN! Its about how we live our lives and encourage others, its about friendships and new experiences, and of course its about memories.
Uncle Pat running the scout troop at Youlbury, the young scout unsure about an activity given the confidence to take part and returning with a grin from ear to ear "can I go again", and its realising there are 28 million of us in the world. The diversity of peoples, cultures and beliefs, the sense of community
Must be doing something right!
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By Jenny Rees
on 14/08/2010 13:19 'One of the best days of his life!' That was how one of my Beavers described on of his Beaver meetings to his Mum.
What had we done that evening? Been to the local woods on a bug hunt and spent some time kicking leaves! That's what Scouting is about!
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By Jill
on 14/08/2010 17:01 Scouting is the best form of personal development ever. It helps young people grow in confidence, develop values for life, take responsibility for themselves and for the world they live in. It is as true today to expect someone to 'do their best and help other people' as it was when scouting started. It has become a part of what makes me ME and I truly believe we develop better people as a result of scouting.
One blogger said no-one in that particular prison had been a scout- ALL my leadership team at school was in scouts!
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By Jeremy H
on 14/08/2010 23:21 I have been going to new places, meeting new people and trying new activities since I was eight years old as well - I believe this helped me form an sense of independance and adventure, the ability to cope with most situations and integrate into groups of strangers - this has taken me Surveying around the World, often turning up in obscure countries with only myself to rely upon (well, until I had intregrated myself into the group of strangers). Without the skills I learnt in Scouting, much of this work would have been a lot more difficult. I hope by continuing as a leader, I can help provide young people with the same skills and abilities.
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By Michael
on 15/08/2010 00:44 My hope for the scouts in my troop is that their scouting will give them the chance to do many varied experiences and activities that they would never have the chance in everyday life nor in any other youth group. It will give them self confidence, leadership skills, friendships and will hopefully create confident, well mannered, decent members of society.
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By BigAL
on 15/08/2010 21:11 Scouting: for young people it allows them to learn and do things which will help them as they grow in society outside of their home and school experiences.
For older people it is an opportunity to to pass on skills/experiences to young people but also while 'learning and growing' with them in this special forum which we call scouting.
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By Sheila from Durham
on 15/08/2010 22:23 Scout gives people of all ages the opportunity to do things they would never otherwise do, to meet people they would never otherwise meet and to make friends they would never otherwise make.
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By Stu Gorilla
on 16/08/2010 19:30 What other Organisation in the world brings people from every background, part of the World and every Religon and greets them all as equals and part of their family. That is the magic of Scouting
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By Anna Weekes
on 16/08/2010 20:57 Hey Tim - I so know what you mean - I feel like I am a born Scout - I feel it has given me a life I would have missed out on if I hadn't joined back 24 years ago - I am now along with 100s of other people passing on my skills to others - I am proud to be a Scout and proud of my achievements
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By Matt
on 16/08/2010 21:24 I believe Scouting is about community; about facilitating personal development in our future adults; about fun and exploration. Providing a balanced programme for the people attending may be a challenge, but the rewards are plenty. I'd even hazard that Scouting can be education by stealth! I love it and genuinely hope that all of my Scouts and Explorers feel the same. I feel privileged to be a part of it.
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By Maureen Ouma
on 17/08/2010 11:26 Hallo everyone, i have read all the comments on what scouting means to different people and the conclusion is they really promote scout values. I am not a scout myself but the organization i work with in Kenya www.cadamik.org promotes scouts work within our district. I really like Tim's idea and i would love to have the same discussions with the scouts that we support here. Am thinking of supporting different projects in the schools we work with and then asking the scouts to tell us what scouting meant to them using the different projects. Am sure it will generate a lot of stories and interests. I hope to share that with all of you in the future. Thanks to everyone.
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By Robin
on 17/08/2010 12:52 To me Scouting is a way of life, I firmly believe that if everyone lived by the Cub Scout Law and Promise the world would be a much better place..... 'Think of others before themselves' says it all to me.
A better man than me once said "once a Scout always a Scout".
It's a shame that in our district many who are new to Scouting see it as a empire to build for themselves no matter how many people they 'tread on' and upset in the process.
I have found the comments here quite uplifting.
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By Darren Hamlyn
on 20/08/2010 11:24 Scouting has come a long way since it began, I think the young people are learning about respect and morals also I think Scouting is a organisation for young people to grow
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By Mark Turner
on 27/08/2010 13:35 I like many have been in Scouting since 8, and the trail of this blog leads me to start thinking am I a Scout above being a Yorkshireman? One is a choice we make the other a birthright. But only one has a support structure to encourage and develop the individual to flourish.
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I’m Tim Kidd, my volunteer role in Scouting is Chief Commissioner of England. Wayne is on holiday so I get the chance for a spot of blog hijacking! 
