1. What do Scouts do?
Scouts is where young people make new friends, have amazing adventures, and learn new skills. We offer a varied and exciting programme throughout the year, primarily meeting in school term-time, but with some activities such as camps falling outside of that.
2. How much does it cost?
Each local scout group (we are 1st Garforth) charges a fee (called subs) to cover the costs of running regular meetings. This includes maintaining our building & equipment, insurances and materials for activities.
There are sometimes extra charges for special activities such as camps, events & trips out.
Please see the dedicate page for more details
3. How do I get a place for my child?
Depending on the section, we may have places for you to start straight away.
Our Beaver section, typically has quite long waiting list, so we’d recommend getting your name down in advance of your child’s 6th birthday to give them the best chance of getting in.
In any case, the best course of action is to fill in the form linked below and one of our leaders will get back to you.
4. Do they have to wear a Uniform?
Our uniform gives everyone in Scouts a sense of belonging. Wearing a uniform is comfy and practical. It means no one feels uncomfortable or left out and helps everyone feel part of the group. Our uniform consists of a sweatshirt or shirt (depending on the section) that you can sew badges on and a coloured scarf or ‘necker’ to represent your local group. There are lots of other optional accessories you can wear such as hats, hoodies, trousers or shorts.
A uniform can either be bought from the official online shop – Scout Store – or from a local supplier. If you’re not sure where to start, leaders can give you more information about what to buy and where to buy it. They may even know if someone is selling a uniform second hand.
They will need their new uniform for investiture. This normally takes place 3 – 4 weeks after they start & gives them a chance to decide if they like it or not.
5. What’s a Necker? etc…
Any new environment comes with new terminology, Here are a few to get you started:
Necker: The rolled scarf worn round our necks, usually in the colours that represent the group you are a member of.
Woggle: The circular object, originally made from leather but now could be anything, used to fasten a necker.
Akela: Cub Scout Leader. Cub leader roles were originally (and in many cases still are) named after characters from the Jungle Book.
GSL: Group Scout Leader
Subs: The Subscription fee you pay to be a member of scouts at 1st Garforth. Subs are paid to the group and we use this money to maintain our building & equipment, as well as paying the main Scout Association a fee on your behalf to cover things like membership & insurance.
6. What if my child has additional needs?
We know if you’ve got a child in your care with additional needs, doing something new can be scary – for both of you! We pride ourselves on our inclusivity and we do our best to make sure all our members can take part. There’s a lot of flexibility within the Scouts programme to meet individual needs, whether that be a disability, neurodiversity, or an educational, mental health or medical need.
What Do I need to do?
When you’re first thinking of joining Scouts, get in touch. We will arrange a chat with you to find out more about your child. This isn’t an interview or screening process, it’s simply to make sure we understand your child’s needs and how we can make adjustments to make sure your child will get the most out of Scouts.
This conversation will just be the start of our ongoing partnership with you as a parent or carer. We appreciate things are constantly changing and you’re welcome to speak to your leader at any time.
7. My child is on a waiting list, why is this?
We have over 30,000 young people on waiting lists around the country due to a shortage of adults. If there is a waiting list for the section your child hopes to attend you could think about joining us yourself. We always welcome any help from parents, for more information, see the volunteering page.
