Signal, shelter, survive | Activities

You’ll need

Survival scenario and updates
Tarpaulin or bivvy equipment
Rope or paracord
Whistle
Waterproof layers
Map (optional)
First aid kit

Before you begin

Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. There's also more guidance to help you carry out your risk assessment, including examples.
Make sure all young people and adults involved in the activity know how to take part safely.
Make sure you’ll have enough adult helpers. You may need some parents and carers to help.

Planning and setting up the activity

Create an adventurous scenario which your Explorers may find themselves in – whether hillwalking, paddling, or on a survival camp. Set the scene with the scenario.
Gather survival equipment for each group.
Think about whether you want to designate a leader role for each group, or let the group develop roles naturally.

Running the activity

Explain the scenario and emphasise that the group must work together to make decisions and stay safe.
Split Explorers into small teams and issue each team their equipment.
Give teams a short time to plan what they will prioritise first.
Teams then begin the survival scenario and must manage three ongoing priorities:

- Shelter: Build and improve a shelter suitable for changing weather conditions.
- Signal: Create and maintain ways to attract attention for rescue (visual or audible).
- Safety decisions: Continuously decide what to do as conditions change (e.g. wind, rain, injury scenario, reduced visibility).

As the activity progresses, introduce simple “event updates” every 10–15 minutes, such as:

- “Rain is getting heavier”
- “Wind has picked up”
- “A team member is feeling cold and tired”

Encourage teams to adapt their plans rather than restart tasks.
Bring everyone together at the end and compare approaches, decisions and teamwork.

Reflection

Survival situations are about making calm, practical decisions and working effectively as a team. Talk about how teams decided what to do first and how they adapted when conditions changed. What helped communication stay clear under pressure? What would they do differently next time?

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

You must run your activities in line with the Safeguarding Code of Conduct for Adults (Yellow Card) and report any concerns to the UK HQ Safeguarding Team.

Outdoor activities: You must have permission to use the location. Always check the weather forecast, and inform parents and carers of any change in venue.
Visits away from your meeting place: Complete a thorough risk assessment and include hazards, such as roads, woodland, plants, animals, and bodies of water (for example, rivers, ponds, lakes, and seas). You’ll probably need more adult helpers than usual. Your risk assessment should include how many adults you need. The young people to adult ratios are a minimum requirement. When you do your risk assessment, you might decide that you need more adults than the ratio specifies. Think about extra equipment that you may need to take with you, such as high visibility clothing, a first aid kit, water, and waterproofs. Throughout the activity, watch out for changes in the weather and do regular headcounts.

Make it accessible

All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.