Scouts and its relevance to entrepreneurial skills
Which brings us to the painstaking question, “How does Scouting cultivate entrepreneurial skills?” As a child enters the door of a local headquarters, they become a scout, part of the family. Their leaders assign them to a group with two slightly older children leading them; together they learn, laugh, and improvise their way through knotting, pioneering, and camping. Crucially, unnoticed by them, they are learning to adapt to others’ personalities and solve problems that arise along the way. Early on in their scouting journey children are encouraged to voice their opinions whilst adults encourage them.
An early example of setting up basic financial literacy is planning a meal, where Cubs (7-11 yrs) are tasked with creating a menu and buying ingredients. Furthermore, through badgework such as the fundraiser badge and business creation badge for Troop members (11-14.5 yrs), teaching them to be innovative as well as basic financial literacy to come out the other side with a profit. Ventures (14.5-17 yrs) focus on working as a unit, electing a chairperson and executive, leading their meetings and unknowingly acting as leaders for younger members.
However, regardless of age, members are encouraged to appreciate the environment through clean-ups as well as several programmes along their journey. This fosters a sense of responsibility and initiative, crucial for identifying and addressing needs – a core entrepreneurial mindset. Several adults pursue badges that are internationally recognised, such as the “Champions of Nature”, “Silvercrest”, and “Messenger of Peace”. Each of these badges is tied to the world around them, recognising a need and pushing for a solution through preserving the environment, volunteering and active citizenship.
The skills cultivated in scouting don’t just build character; they forge pathways to real-world success. From the basic financial literacy learnt through fundraising to the complex problem-solving skills that arise in planning, scouts are taught to be prepared for anything. Learning these skills at a young age makes scouts easier to adapt to the working life. Simultaneously, the initiative fostered over years of determination, making scouts reliable in the entrepreneurial world. Numerous prominent entrepreneurs, such as Bill Gates and Sir Richard Branson (who founded the Virgin Group), were once scouts, which highlights the impact that earning a skillset as a youth indeed instils a drive and resourcefulness that can lead to success. Locally, a number of leaders are entrepreneurs and with great dedication they continue to pass down their skillset.
