Border Reiver Explorers: Youth Climate Action Fund

Border Reiver Explorers is a new youth led scout group for 14-18 year olds, which meets outside in varied locations and concentrates on the benefits of being in nature alongside typical Scout skill development including bush craft, navigation, hiking, survival skills and emergency aid. The group received funding from the Youth Climate Action Fund in 2024 to buy equipment to facilitate their vision to meet outside all year round . The group spent the money on a large quick up shelter, two tarp shelters to cook under and various bits of kit to enable us to meet, do activities and cook outside.

The project's main link to climate action is to enable the to meet outdoors more often rather than in a hall and engage all the young people in outdoor activities and build their outdoor skills. It is expected that the young people's experience doing this will help them become more aware and consider sustainability in other things they do.

Over the summer the group used the shelter to enable them to make hot chocolate on a wet evening kayaking. They also tested kit in a pilot at Abbotsford who have agreed for them to use their meadow as an outdoor space to regularly meet.

Their sustainable action included a visit to Drygrange community orchard where they learned more about community food.