Young people need modern skills, but they also need us to believe in them, writes Chief Scout Dwayne Fields

We hear a lot about screen time, confidence, behaviour, employability, and whether teenagers are ready for the world ahead.

As Chief Scout I meet young people up and down the country. I do not see a generation that lacks ambition or curiosity. I see teenagers who want to do well, make friends, try new things and feel useful. I see young people growing up in a world that is moving quickly and trying to work out their place in it.

That world is very different from the one I grew up in. Today’s 14 to 18-year-olds are navigating constant connectivity, AI, changing workplaces, pressure around exams and wellbeing, and a future that can sometimes feel uncertain before they have even had the chance to step into it. It is no wonder many young people are asking themselves where they fit.

The answer cannot simply be to tell them to try harder. It is our job, as adults, to make sure they have the right opportunities, the right encouragement and the right skills for the modern day.

Being able to speak up, work in a team, solve problems, manage money, understand democracy or present yourself well in an interview can shape the direction of a young person’s life. But these skills do not appear by accident. They need to be learned, practised and built over time. That is where Scouts has always had something important to offer.

I know from my own life that skills for life are not just words. I was born in Jamaica and spent my earliest years outdoors, climbing trees, playing in fields and learning from nature. When I moved to London as a child, I had to adjust to a very different world. At times, I did not feel I belonged. Later, as a teenager, I saw how easily young people can be pulled in the wrong direction when they lack confidence, purpose, or a place where they feel seen.

What helped me was finding my way back to the outdoors and to people who encouraged me to see more for myself. That thread has stayed with me ever since, from Hackney Marshes to the North Pole. I did not get there because I had all the answers. I got there because I learned, step by step, how to face uncertainty, keep going, trust others and trust myself.

Those are the same kinds of skills young people need today. They may look different in a digital world, but the basics are still the same: confidence, resilience, curiosity, teamwork, kindness and the courage to try.

That is why I am proud that Scouts has refreshed the Explorer Scouts programme for 14 to 18-year-olds. Explorer Scouts first launched in 2002, when many families shared one computer, if they had one at all. Today’s teenagers are growing up with smartphones in their pockets and a very different set of pressures and possibilities.

The updated programme recognises that change. There are badges in Employability, Communication, STEM, Leadership and Teamwork. There is a Democracy Badge, a Content Creation Badge, Life Skills, Personal Safety, Money Skills and Problem Solving. Practical, useful tools that can help a young person write a CV, produce a podcast, understand how decisions are made, speak with confidence or take their next step into work, training or further education.

At the same time, Scouts has not forgotten what makes it special. The outdoors remains at the heart of the programme, from camping and climbing to water activities and exploration.

The best thing about Explorers is that it brings those two worlds together. They live in a constantly connected world but are also capable and comfortable in real-world situations, a world where connecting means staying safe online, but spending time outdoors too.

There are now more than 50,000 Explorer Scouts across the UK. Each of them deserves to feel that the future is not something happening to them, but something they can help shape.

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Dwayne Fields is the Chief Scout of the United Kingdom.

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