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The Explorer Belt is the challenge of a lifetime, which is open to Explorer Scouts aged over 16 and members of the Scout Network. It is a chance to take part in a ten-day expedition that brings a real understanding of a different country, its people and way of life.

The Explorer belt is sometimes described as 'the antidote to the package holiday'. It is designed to help young people develop a real understanding of another country by travelling through that country, completing surprise projects, working as a small team and meeting local people.

To complete the Explorer Belt, an Explorer Scout or member of the Scout Network must:

• Be over 16 years old
• Plan and train for an international expedition as part of a small team
• Travel to another country and travel through that country over ten days
• Complete a self selected major project
• Complete about ten smaller projects
• Keep a notebook or diary during the expedition
• Take part in a debriefing after the expedition
• Make a presentation about the expedition

Most Explorer belt expeditions are undertaken on foot, although other forms of transport including canoe, bicycle and horseback are equally acceptable. Some teams may wish to use local public transport as part of their expedition and, as long as this provides real opportunities to meet and talk with local people, then it is acceptable. Teams may wish to mix forms of travel. Please note that hitchhiking is not permitted by The Scout Association.

The expedition should last for at least ten days. The Explorer Belt is more of a marathon than a sprint! During this time, the team should spend at least 30 hours travelling from place to place and visit at lest four different towns or villages. For a typical team travelling mainly on foot, this would suggest a route of about 100 miles (160km). However, it is important that the route and distance take into account the local geography, methods of transport, physical ability of the team members, daytime temperatures and likely weather. Time spent travelling to and from the country of the expedition should not be included.

Teams must complete training appropriate to the expedition they plan. For most young people, completing projects while on the move will be a new experience. A 'mini-Explorer Belt' in which teams undertake a journey over a weekend, near to home and with two or three surprise projects is excellent preparation. Training should cover expedition safety and emergencies, physical preparation and some considerable discussion about the best ways of approaching and meeting local people for help with projects.

It is essential that, by the end of the training, teams understand that the aim of the Explorer Belt is to 'develop a better understanding of another country, its people and way of life'. Teams that approach the Explorer Belt as a purely physical challenge are unlikely to achieve the requirements.

Many Explorer belt expeditions are organised by a County or Area. These expeditions benefit from the cost savings of group travel and the extra support that an experienced County or Area team can offer. In this case the team may not have much influence over the destination and dates for the expedition. However, decisions about the precise route will always remain with the team.

Alternatively, Explorer Scouts and members of the Scout Network can organise their own Explorer Belt expeditions as a small team, perhaps as part of a larger trip or camp.

The route should be chosen with the following in mind.

• It should pass through at least four towns or villages
• It must not include any wild country
• It should support the major project and provide opportunities for completing smaller projects

In many countries, it will be easier to meet local people in villages rather than larger towns.

You will be on your own for at least 10 days, so all the gear must be reliable. Boots must be broken in, while adequate clothing for the conditions anticipated and suitable lightweight tentage must be obtained.

Check what fuels are readily available in the country.

While you will be living largely on the food of the country being visited, ensure that you have dehydrated foods available as a reserve.

You should aim to carry no more than 16kg each or one fifth of your own body weight.

The safety of teams is essential. Explorer Belt expeditions should not be undertaken in adventurous country such as Terrain One or Terrain Two. Where it is necessary to pass through areas of Terrain One, the adventurous activity rules must be followed. Because it is essential to meet local people in order to complete the projects, it is much more effective to travel in semi-populated areas and in small groups. Teams should consist of no fewer than three people, but the size of team will depend on the hazards likely to be met.

In most areas where Explorer Belt expeditions take place, there should be good access to a mobile telephone network and this should be seriously considered as one of the emergency contact options, but not the only option. Teams should be clearly briefed about what to do in an emergency. Common-sense advice, appropriate to the country being visited, should also be given about approaching and meeting local people. Many teams have reported that wearing a Scout scarf at all times provides a quick and effective way of being recognised as a Scout.

Most Explorer Belt expeditions operate on a tight budget. In practice, this helps because it encourages teams to eat local food, avoid large commercial campsites and to take advantage of home hospitality.

Each team should choose a major project. The assessment team should approve the project before departure. A good major project is one that:

• Focuses on something unique to the country or area being visited
• Provides opportunities for meeting local people
• Is not focused on a single place, day or thing
• Will result in a better understanding of the country, its people and way of life

For example, 'find out about facilities for young people, especially scouting in the area being visited' or 'find out everything you can about, and try, food and drink that is traditional to the area'. The major project should take between ten and fifteen hours to complete.

• Survey of the leisure and recreation interests of young people and the facilities available to them.
• Investigate typical rural industries and crafts
• Make a comparison of lifestyles in the villages and uplands
• Follow the course of a river and investigate the different communities it serves, their industry, agriculture and lifestyles

Each team should also complete ten smaller projects. Five of these should be surprise projects set by the other members of the Network or Unit. These projects should be given to the team 24 hours before departure. Teams should be able to choose projects from a longer list of around 20 projects, in order to provide flexibility and choice based on local circumstances.

A good project is one that:

• Needs help or information from local people
• Will prompt the team to try or do something that they might otherwise have missed
• Takes an hour or so to complete
• Is based around something unique or special about the area being visited.

For example 'chat to the oldest person you can find in a village about the changes they have seen in the area during their lifetime' or 'in the UK, many people use the Internet every day. How important is the Internet to people in the area you're visiting?'

Under no circumstances should a project be a 'dare'.

Both the major and smaller projects are a way of encouraging teams to meet and talk to local people. Teams should be encouraged to keep some record of these contacts in the diary to help them during the debriefing, but there is no requirement to write a report for each project.

• Go shopping with a local family and give details of their weeks purchases. Find out about their lifestyle at home
• Compare the electoral systems in the country and in the UK, for local and national government
• Meet the Mayor of a small town or village and ask them how it is locally governed. Find out if they have any particular social or economic problems and what is being done about them
• Visit a local craftsman such as a clock-maker or woodcarver. Find out what they make and how they sell their products
• Select a local church or place of worship and make a sketch of the outside and layout inside. Meet the person who leads the acts or worship and talk to them about the acts of worship and the people who attend.
• Find out what the most popular winter and summer sports are.
• Visit a vineyard - find out what kind of grape is grown and the wine made
• Discover local views towards visitors of different nationalities

As soon as the expedition is completed and, if possible, before leaving the country being visited, the team should hold an informal debriefing with a Leader. This is designed to help the team reflect on:

• What they have done
• The people they have met
• How theirs views have developed about the country visited
• How they worked as a team
• The appropriateness of their planning and training
• What they have achieved

The debriefing is not an assessment and no judgements should be made.

The team should prepare and give a presentation of their expedition to a suitable audience agreed with the assessment team. Making a presentation will be a new experience for many young people and the assessment team should be prepared to support he young people and choose an audience size that is appropriate to their experience and confidence level.

The notebook or diary is not assessed. Its purpose is to help teams keep personal notes about their expedition and to support the debriefing and presentation. The diary could be kept on paper, dictated or completed as a video diary. Photographs or slides are also useful and can help to support the presentation.

The Explorer Belt is assessed by a team who will base their decision on:

• How much the team have developed their knowledge of the country, people and way of life
• How much the team members have developed personally and as a team from the experience
• The quality of the expedition

The members of the assessment team will normally include:

• Any expedition leaders
• The Network Co-ordinator
• Another person appointed by the District, County or Area

The debriefing, the presentation and a discussion with the team normally help to make the decision. Successful teams receive a certificate and the Explorer Belt, which is a belt with a special buckle and is available from the Scout Information Centre.

Explorer Belt expeditions may count towards the 'Other Adventurous Projects' requirements of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Gold Expedition, provided that a notification form is sent to the appropriate National Headquarters at least four months before the expedition. The Explorer Belt can also be used to fulfil the requirements of the Queens Scout Award expedition or parts of the other Awards, but it may not be used more than once.