Scouting at Imperial

When someone says ‘girl guide’ or ‘scout’ to you, many people fondly envisage either the days of being one themselves, or the likes of a Brownie or Cub Scout doing something craft based or learning knots. What many people don’t realise is that both organisations in fact have sections aimed at people up to the age of 25, who do activities that are relevant to them: a casual camping trip all of a sudden has the chance to get a lot more extreme.

This term, there has been a rejuvenation of the Scout & Guide group at Imperial, called ‘SSAGO’, part of the Student Scout and Guide Organisation. Last active just over 10 years ago it has re-established, and as a project, it has many facets. The first is as a mixed Student group, open to everyone, which does a variety of activities (characteristic of both Scouting & Guiding) from archery to attending the Comedy Store.

Then there are the badges. It’s easy at Imperial to get swept up in the everyday hustle and bustle of labs, tutorials, lectures, coursework, and come out of it wondering what physical, satisfying, tangible evidence you have of your accomplishments. That’s what the humble badge is for, a symbol of something to work towards and a true beacon of achievement once obtained. You may scoff now, but you’ll mull it over later, and want one.

The other less obvious facet to this group is the volunteering. In the same heady mix identified above, it is equally easy to go through your entire Imperial career without ever interacting with the local, non-Imperial, community. Through SSAGO, you’re able to get in touch with a local Guide or Scout group to volunteer your skills and experience to an audience from anywhere between 5 and 18, on a one-off occasion or something more regular. This offers really rewarding opportunity to work with children, and allows you to share your experience with a fascinated audience.

If you want to tie everything SSAGO has to offer together, perhaps the most exciting and challenging facet of the project is the opportunity to undertake the Duke of Edinburgh Award (or finish an uncompeted one), or the Queen’s Guide/ Scout Award. We’ve got a presentation about these and more on November 22, and if you’d like to hear more we’d love to hear from you by emailing ssago@imperial.ac.uk.