{"alias":"blogEntry","byline":"Alanah Reid, Creative Content Producer","standfirst":"Meet Teresa and Emma. They\u2019re two inspiring, motivated women who were determined to set up and run Explorers in their community. We chatted with them to hear all about their experience.","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EBased in the village of Barcombe, England, both Teresa\u2019s and Emma\u2019s children have grown up in Scouts. But, their Scouts journey was about to be cut short, since there was nothing available for young people aged 14\u002B in their community.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThey took matters into their own hands and \u003Ca href=\u0022/volunteers/running-your-section/running-an-explorer-unit/\u0022 title=\u0022Running an Explorer Unit\u0022\u003Eset up their own Explorer Unit\u003C/a\u003E, while navigating the COVID-19 lockdown.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThree years on, \u2018Allegiance Explorers\u2019 has grown from strength to strength. They\u2019re led by young people (who chose their vibrant hot pink and black uniform colours), making efforts to encourage girls to join, and making a huge impact in their community.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe chatted to Teresa and Emma to hear their story.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","image":"/media/ylepu1k4/teresa-and-emma-2.jpg","width":4032,"height":3024,"altText":"Two women are stood on pavement with a river next to them on the left. There are two boats in the background on the water and skyscrapers the other side of the river. The two women are stood close together, Emma on the right wearing a hot pink, black and white Scouts necker with a blue beanie hat on, and Teresa is on the left wearing a coat with a fluffy hood. They\u0027re both smiling at the camera","caption":"Teresa and Emma","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch4\u003EHi, Teresa and Emma. How do you both know each other?\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEmma: \u003C/strong\u003EWe know each other from the school run, as we\u2019ve got kids in the same year. We\u2019ve been good friends for a long time.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003EWere you in Scouts before setting up your Explorer Unit?\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEmma:\u003C/strong\u003E I was in Guides, but I\u2019d never been in Scouts.\u0026nbsp;\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETeresa:\u003C/strong\u003E I\u2019ve never been in Scouts, either. But I think neither of us having a background in Scouts means we\u2019re not tied to traditional rituals and can bring a fresh perspective.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"quoteText":"We\u0027re here for adventure, wherever it comes, and whatever direction... even with the occasional delay, we\u0027ll tackle it together (and with some humour). ","attribution":"Allegiance Explorers","gridType":"quote","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch4\u003EWhy did you decide to set up an Explorer Unit?\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETeresa:\u003C/strong\u003E Our kids have gone the whole way through Scouts, so we didn\u2019t want them to miss out on the opportunity to finish their journey.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe both have families and we\u2019re very active. We were already doing a lot of the activities \u003Ca href=\u0022/explorers/\u0022 title=\u0022Explorers\u0022\u003EExplorers\u003C/a\u003E do, such as sailing and camping, so we were keen to run activities with older Scouts. There was also a need in our village for more activities for young people aged 14 and above.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEmma: \u003C/strong\u003EOur kids have done lots of activities as well as Scouts, but Scouts was the only thing they always wanted to go to. They\u2019ve always enjoyed it and this really motivated us to start the section!\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIf I didn\u2019t need to earn money, I\u2019d do it full time. I get so much out of it! I\u2019ve always got time to do anything that helps run Explorers, no matter the time of day or night. It\u2019s brilliant for me to have all this motivation and it\u2019s really rewarding.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"quoteText":"There\u2019s so much potential for women in Scouts. I wish I did this when I was their age! In Scouts, women gain confidence, friendship, and endless opportunities to travel the world. You wear a necker and there\u0027s always someone close who has a positive reflection from their own experience of Scouts. ","attribution":"Teresa","gridType":"quote","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEmma:\u003C/strong\u003E It was difficult at first as we had no experience of setting up an Explorer Unit. It didn\u2019t help that we started the process as we were coming out of the COVID-19 lockdown. We\u2019re incredibly grateful to a Cub Team Leader, who offered to help and gave us brilliant advice. Luckily, there were so many people in Scouts who wanted to help.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETeresa:\u003C/strong\u003E We found the money by submitting for trusts and very quickly designed a programme that brought in a lot of interest. We started with just four members in 2021, and now we have 32 and a waitlist of three. Our Explorer Unit will have 40 members soon.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIt was challenging initially, but we\u2019re so pleased it\u2019s been a success. Also, it\u2019s been great having a partner. There\u2019s been lots of emotions over the course of setting up and we wouldn\u2019t have got this far without each other. I\u2019ve valued Emma\u2019s friendship and the guidance we\u2019ve had from local Scouts.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","image":"/media/20udsbwi/teresa-and-emma-1.jpeg","width":720,"height":405,"altText":"Two women are stood close to the camera and you can just see their heads. They\u0027re both wearing sunglasses and are smiling at the camera. They\u0027re stood in front of a very tall rollercoaster ride and there\u0027s no clouds in the bright blue sky.","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEmma: \u003C/strong\u003EOne time, we took the Explorers to play squash and they loved it. A few of them even decided to take it as part of their GCSEs and that came from Scouts. We try and give the Explorers experiences (not always costly ones, either) they wouldn\u2019t normally have.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"quoteText":"Our kids have done lots of activities as well as Scouts, but Scouts was the only thing they always wanted to go to. This really motivated us to start the section!","attribution":"Emma","gridType":"quote","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch4\u003EWhat\u2019s it like to lead teenagers?\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETeresa:\u003C/strong\u003E Hilarious and frustrating \u2013 in equal measure!\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEmma:\u003C/strong\u003E Vocal and loud \u2013 as the room is filled with lots of voices! They\u2019re great fun and brilliant to be around.\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003EHave you seen changes in them?\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBoth:\u003C/strong\u003E Without a doubt.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETeresa: \u003C/strong\u003EWe\u2019ve definitely seen them grow and their confidence rising. We\u2019ve seen introverts coming out of their shell. At this age, they don\u2019t want to wear a formal uniform and they don\u2019t like being told what to do.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThey\u2019re at the age of starting to break away, but we think Scouts trying to modernise and be more flexible (by changing rituals and maybe uniform in the future) is definitely helping. We\u2019re a youth movement, and we\u2019re active about that language.\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEmma: \u003C/strong\u003EWe\u2019re running a Young Leader scheme to anyone in the group who\u2019d like to take part, and it\u2019s a great opportunity for those who didn\u2019t get the chance to do the \u003Ca href=\u0022/volunteers/running-your-section/programme-guidance/information-for-volunteers/top-awards-for-young-people/the-duke-of-edinburghs-award/\u0022 title=\u0022The Duke of Edinburgh\u0027s Award\u0022\u003EDuke of Edinburgh\u2019s Award (DofE)\u003C/a\u003E.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe confidence of those who\u2019ve taken part is so visible and they might not have come across it in other extracurricular activities.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETeresa: \u003C/strong\u003EWe\u2019re very ambitious when it comes to our programme. We try and run all the activities the Explorers suggest and that everyone will enjoy.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"quoteText":"If I didn\u2019t need to earn money, I\u2019d do it full time. I get so much out of it! I\u2019ve always got time to do things that run Explorers, no matter the time of day or night. It\u2019s brilliant for me to have all this motivation and it\u2019s really rewarding.","attribution":"Emma","gridType":"quote","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch4\u003EHave you done anything in particular to try and welcome everyone to the Group?\u00A0\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETeresa: \u003C/strong\u003ELast year, we decided to put out adverts to say we have spaces for girls. We have a page on our website that has girls\u2019 imagery at the heart to represent our female members and show we welcome them here. The biggest difference is changing traditional Scouts and moving forwards from this.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEmma: \u003C/strong\u003EThe perception is that Scouts is still quite male dominated, and we definitely need more images of girls in Scouts. It\u2019s a slow change, but it\u2019s definitely happening, and we need to keep going with it.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETeresa: \u003C/strong\u003EAlso, we need more images of the girls doing adventurous activities, rather than sitting round a campfire in a traditional Scouts scene. There\u2019s a brilliant image of a girl on a raft with a beaming smile \u2013 that\u2019s what we want to see. Let\u2019s show girls doing activities outside, which are fun, adventurous, and new.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"type":"Promo","cta":"Find out more about Explorers","body":"\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EA big thank you to Teresa and Emma for sharing your story with us. We\u2019re so inspired by your dedication and enthusiasm.\u0026nbsp;\u003C/p\u003E","link":{"name":"Explorers","id":null,"url":"/explorers/","newWindow":false,"target":null},"colour":"#003982","title":"","image":null,"imageFocus":"","imageId":0,"imageKey":"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000","imageCrop":"","gridType":"card","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"01 March 2024","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[{"caption":"","title":"Find out more about Explorers","url":"/explorers/","newWindow":false},{"caption":"","title":"Running an Explorer Unit","url":"/volunteers/running-your-section/running-an-explorer-unit/","newWindow":false}],"relatedLinks":[],"id":78945,"nodeName":"Two inspiring mums set up an Explorer unit","title":"Two inspiring mums set up an Explorer unit","type":"blogEntry","image":{"url":"/media/ylepu1k4/teresa-and-emma-2.jpg?cc=0.00043533587837402815,0.2503265019087805,0,0\u0026width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1da6fdba48dd350","caption":"Teresa And Emma 2","type":"jpg","size":3760661,"width":4032,"height":3024,"altText":""},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"Two inspiring mums set up an Explorer unit","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"Teresa and Emma were determined to set up an Explorer unit, so 14\u201318-year-olds in their community could carry on their Scouts journey.","browserTitle":null,"silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC83ODk0NSJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2024/march/two-inspiring-mums-set-up-an-explorer-unit/"}