The Scout Law and Values

The Scout Law and our values help young people and adult members remember and show their Scout Promise throughout their lives.

It’s therefore vital that every member considers the Scout Law and Scout Values. They should have the opportunity to discuss their meaning before making their Promise and being invested into Scouts.

The Scout Law

1. A Scout is to be trusted.
2. A Scout is loyal.
3. A Scout is friendly and considerate.
4. A Scout belongs to the world-wide family of Scouts.
5. A Scout has courage in all difficulties.
6. A Scout makes good use of time and is careful of possessions and property.
7. A Scout has self-respect and respect for others.

Our Scout Values

As Scouts, we’re guided by our values, which are:

Integrity: We act with integrity; we are honest, trustworthy and loyal.

Respect: We have self-respect and respect for others.

Care: We support others and take care of the world in which we live.

Belief: We explore our faiths, beliefs and attitudes.

Co-operation: We make a positive difference; we co-operate with others and make friends.

What do our values mean?

All of us have a feeling, deep inside, that defines what Scouts is for us. It guides us in the way we act, the decisions we make, what we say and how we treat people. The statement of values capture that feeling.

The great thing about our values is that we know Scouts across the world live by them. Our shared values unite us into something big – a huge Scout family. That’s why we start the statement with ‘As Scouts, we are’.

But, though it’s a huge family, the values are very personal. They’re about what each of us does, not what the ‘system’ does. We’re a movement, not an organisation.

We're ‘guided by’ our values. This describes the relationship a Scout should have with the Scout Values. The values have an influence on the decisions we make and the actions we take.

The values are deliberately shared and personal rather than organisational, making them directly applicable to our members.

Integrity

Integrity is at the core of how we view ourselves and therefore, what we do. Scouts see the importance of being honest, trustworthy and loyal, and that our world is better for us and for others if we act this way.

Respect

Respect influences how we feel about, and treat, ourselves as well as others. It includes acceptance and inclusion of others even if they're different from us, and whether they're family, friends or strangers. In many ways, it's our respect for others that has helped Scouting spread across the world.

Care

Care is about action as well as a feeling. By actively caring for our surroundings and for people, Scouts create a better world for everyone, both the natural environment and the built environment. This leads us to do our best to help other people.

Belief

Belief and its exploration help Scouts to learn from faiths, whether we have a personal faith or not. Learning about faiths, beliefs and attitudes can help make the world a more tolerant and less frightening place.

Co-operation

Co-operation means working with other people and building friendships with adults and peers. This co-operation and friendship helps us do things that make a positive difference to the world, making the relationships active and worthwhile.