Explorer Scouts are young people, usually aged between 14 and 18 years old. They make up the fourth section of the Scouting family after Beavers, Cubs and Scouts. A group of Explorer Scouts is called a Unit.
Not all Units meet every week, partly due to activities, holidays, exams and the other commitments that crop up in a teenager's life, and also because Explorers tend to get out and about at weekends more often than other sections.
Although Walton and Weybridge District has three Explorer units (two based in Walton and one in Hersham) all Explorer Scouts can go to all meetings of all the units, so can take part in an even wider spectrum of activities. Explorer scouts get the opportunity to take part in the Duke of Edinburgh Awards, Bronze, Silver and Gold levels as well as completing their Chief Scout and Queen Scout Awards.
A fourth Explorer unit, Eiger Explorers, was based in Oatlands but is currently suspended due to lack of leaders, so young people moving on from Oatlands Scouts attend one of the other three, which are:
- Endeavour Explorer Unit, based at Walton-on-Thames Methodist Church hall on Terrace Road, meets on Wednesdays. Enquiries to Endeavour.esu@waltonandweybridge.org.uk
- K2 Explorer Unit, based in Hersham, meets on alternate Tuesdays. Enquiries to K2.esu@waltonandweybridge.org.uk
- Viking Explorer Unit, based by the river in Felix Road recreation ground, meets on Thursdays. Enquiries to Viking.esu@waltonandweybridge.org.uk
There is a fourth unit in the district which is slightly different from the rest, it is the Young Leaders Unit. This unit is for 14-18 year olds who wish to help the leadership teams in the younger sections with the running of meetings and activities. The unit provides a number of training courses with ongoing learning to help the young person to become a trained and valued member of the leadership team, with the opportunity to become an adult leader once they turn 18. Explorers in the other three units can take part in the Young Leaders unit in addition to their normal Explorer meetings or can choose just to do one or the other.