Scout Advancement - Carts, Horses, and Suntans

“Advancement is like a suntan; something you get naturally whilst having fun in the outdoors.”

Baden-Powell Scout advancement is not a goal; it is an indicator. Our aim is not that Scouts attain a certain level of skill or expertise but that they have fun in the outdoors doing things Scouts do.

When they do the things Scouts do they gain skills and have fun. In the course of a camping trip Scouts work with their hands, understand and adapt to their environment, build fires, cook food, explore, talk, work together and do all manner of things they consider fun with little prompting.

Fun is important, fun is vital, but fun has a bad reputation. Fun is sometimes seen as a waste of time or distraction from more serious work like ‘doing requirements’. The cart is Scout advancement, the horse is fun - which ought to come first?