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Scoutese in Plain English

What follows is an extremely simplified translation of Scoutese that is used amongst Scout folk without a second thought that it is gobbledygook to outsiders. Sections of this page appear on most other pages in this site.
Hope it helps.

For more information please refer to the official Scout website.

'Scout'

The term 'Scout' tends to be used for anyone connected with the Scout Movement [Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Explorers, Network Scouts, & Leaders].
It is also the word used for youths aged between 10 1/2 & 14.
The context usually makes it clear what is being referred to.

Age Ranges:

Beaver Scouts ages are between 6 & 8;
Cub Scouts ages are between 8 & 10 1/2;
Scouts ages are between 10 1/2 & 14;
Explorer Scouts ages are between 14 & 18;
Network Scouts ages are between 18 & 25;

Gatherings Of:

A collection of Beavers is called a Beaver Colony;
A collection of Cubs is called a Cub Pack;
A collection of Scouts is called a Scout Troop;
A collection of Explorers is called an Explorer Unit;
And you really don't want to know what a collection of Network Scouts is called!

Scout Awards

Beavers, Cubs, & Scouts train and take part in various Challenges which lead to the awarding of Challenge Badges which are worn on the right breast;
Explorers train towards the DofE Bronze, silver, & Gold Awards;
There are also Activity Badges which are worn on the left sleeve;
The top Beaver award is the Chief Scout's Bronze Award;
The top Cub award is the Chief Scout's Silver Award;
The top Scout award is the Chief Scout's Gold Award;
The top Explorer award is the Queen's Scout Award.

Scout Leaders - Abbreviations

SL - Scout Leader - the person in charge of the Scout Troop;
Prefixes: G(SL) - Group (Scout Leader) - co-ordinator of the Beavers, Cubs, Scouts [& Explorers];
Prefixes: C - Cub - i/c Cub Pack; B - Beaver - i/c Beaver Colony; E - Explorer - i/c Explorer Unit;
Prefix: A - Assitant - someone who helps the Leader.

How Scouting Is Organised

A Scout Group consists of a Beaver Colony + a Cub Pack + a Scout Troop [+ an Explorer Unit]
A Scout District consists of approximately 10 Scout Groups + Explorer Scout Units:
A Scout County consists of approximately 10 Scout Districts + Scout Networks;
The National Scout Association consists of all the Scout Counties.

Districts & Counties:

DC - District Commissioner - who co-ordinates everyone else;
ADCs [Assistant DCs] for Beavers, Cubs, Scouts - who co-ordinate all the Beaver Colonies, Cub Packs, & Scout Trooops in the District;
ESC [Explorer Scout Commissioner] - who co-ordinates all matters Explorer Scouting;
DSLs [District SLs], DBSLs [District Beaver SLs], DCSLs, & DESLs - who help the ADCs.

For County level, substitute C [County] for D in the above.

Other Help:

People in unform [Leaders] in general run the activities for Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, & Explorers;
In addition there are committees [Executive Committees at Group, District, County, and National levels] to take the weight off Leaders by fund-raising and doind all other jobs which are not directly connected with running meetings;
Each committee consists of a Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer plus other members;
The Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer must not be Leaders.

Since this Group was closed I keep this site going as a tribute to the Group, its former members, and because of the vast amount of resources I built up over the years. To lose all this would be a travesty. I do all this at my own expense.

Should you find the site helpful and want to donate, please do so.
We're here to help - Scoutese in Plain English:
A Scout Group consists of a Beaver Colony + a Cub Pack + a Scout Troop [+ an Explorer Unit]
A Scout District consists of approximately 10 Scout Groups + Explorer Scout Units:
A Scout County consists of approximately 10 Scout Districts + Scout Networks;
The National Scout Association consists of all the Scout Counties.
Visit the Scoutese page for more translations.

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