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Activity Badges are another way of recognising the achievements of Explorer Scouts who have learnt a new skill, or who have taken part in an activity for a certain period of time.

Below are the requirements for each of the badges. As of October 2006 many of the badges have been updated or modified in some way. To view the previous requirements, please follow the relevant links. There are also 18 new badges, with 4 being discontinued as stocks run out.

Explorer Scouts should be encouraged, where possible, to achieve National Governing Body Awards. These can also be used to help achieve the relevant Explorer Scout Activity Badge. For example, in gaining a RYA Start sailing Stage 4, an Explorer Scout will also achieve the Water Activities Badge.

There are 12 badges available for Beaver Scouts, 35 for Cub Scouts, 70 for Scouts and 28 for Explorer Scouts.

The requirements for the Activity Badges provide a wide range of choice for Explorer Scouts. Most Explorer Scouts will be able to access the Badges of their choice. There will be a number of young people with Special Needs who will need further flexibility to gain their Activity Badges. Adaptation may be required specific to the needs of the young person concerned. The aim in each case should be to improve access to the Badge rather than to reduce the challenge of its requirements.

Requirements for the following badges are listed in this section:

• Activity Centre Service
• Air Activities
• Athlete
• Aviation Skills
• Advanced Aviation Skills
• Aviation Skills training options
• Canoeing
• Caving
• Climbing
• Community
• Creative Arts
• Hill Walking
• Lifesaver
• Motor sports
• Mountain Biking
• Nautical Skills
• Advanced Nautical Skills
• Nautical Skills training options
• Navigation
• Performing Arts
• Physical Recreation
• Public relations
• Quartermaster
• Racquet Sports
• Science and Technology
• Scouting Skills
• Skiing
• Snowboarding
• Street Sports
• Water Activities

In addition to these, there are six Activity Badges staged across these Sections.

These are:

• Emergency Aid

• Hikes Away

• Information Technology

• Musician

• Nights Away

• Swimmer

The Staged Activity Badges have been designed to provide a unified approach throughout the Sections.

All the Staged Activity Badges have 5 stages, except Nights Away - which has 12 and Hikes Away, which has six. This means that a young person can gain whichever badge is appropriate to the level they have reached. It is possible, for example, for a Beaver Scout who is an excellent swimmer to gain a higher level badge than a Scout who has just taken up the activity.

more about Staged activity badges...