Peer Leadership - Using Patrols in Explorer Scouts

Find out how you can use peer leadership to develop your Explorer Unit

Peer leadership is a key part of the Explorer Scout experience. One of the most effective ways to develop it is through small teams or patrol-style groups, where young people lead, support and learn from each other.

Explorer Units have flexibility in how they organise young people. While many use informal or short-term teams, some Units, especially larger ones, use patrol-style groups to create more opportunities for peer leadership and shared responsibility.

Used well, this approach helps shift leadership towards young people, giving them real ownership of activities while building confidence and teamwork.

Why use teams or patrols?

In a smaller Unit, it’s often easy to work as one group. As numbers grow, that gets harder. A few voices can dominate, activities take longer to organise, and it’s more difficult for individuals to take real responsibility.

Splitting into smaller teams creates space for peer leadership to happen more naturally.

For example, on a programme night, instead of running one large activity, each team might take on a different role. One group runs a game, another leads a skills session, and another manages equipment and timing. Young people aren’t just taking part, they’re leading each other.

Over time, teams can build trust and identity, which supports stronger peer relationships and more confident leadership across the Unit.

What does this look like in practice?

There’s no single model to follow. Some Units keep things flexible, while others use more consistent patrol-style groups. You might start by using short-term teams, then keep those groups together for longer if it helps build confidence and leadership.

For example, across a term:

Teams are formed for skills nights
Those same teams work together on a camp
They stay together for a competition or challenge

This gives continuity and helps young people grow into leadership roles within their group.

Some Units name their patrols and keep them for a term or longer, especially where building identity supports peer leadership. Others change teams regularly to give everyone the chance to work with different people.

Where patrol-style groups really help

There are times when consistent teams significantly strengthen peer leadership.

On camps, patrols can take responsibility for their own cooking, kit and routines. Instead of leaders organising everything, young people coordinate within their own group, making decisions together and supporting each other to get things done.

During expeditions, especially DofE, keeping teams together helps build trust and reliability. Young people learn how to lead, follow, and problem-solve as a group.

In larger Units, patrols can also make meetings more manageable. Smaller groups allow clearer communication, and peer leaders can help keep things organised and moving.

Leadership within teams or patrols

Using teams or patrols creates regular, meaningful opportunities for peer leadership. Leadership doesn’t need to sit with the same person all the time. It can shift depending on the task, giving more Explorers the chance to lead and support others.

For example:

One Explorer might lead on planning a camp menu
Another might take charge of running an activity
Someone else might organise equipment or timings

Some Units appoint patrol leaders, while others rotate roles or keep leadership informal. What matters is that leadership feels genuine. When young people are trusted with real responsibility, they develop confidence, communication skills and the ability to lead their peers.

Making it work for your Unit

You don’t need to introduce patrols all at once. It can start small and build over time.

For example, on your next camp, you might split the Unit into teams and ask each one to plan meals, organise kit and take responsibility for cooking. Afterwards, reflect together on how it went and whether to keep those teams for future activities.

How you form teams matters too. Sometimes letting friendships guide groups builds confidence. At other times, mixing people helps develop new connections and avoids closed groups forming. Most Units use a balance of both.

If teams are creating more opportunities for young people to lead and support each other, they’re working well. If not, it’s fine to adapt your approach.

The role of volunteers

A focus on peer leadership doesn’t mean stepping back completely. Leaders still set expectations, make sure things are safe and support young people to succeed. The difference is allowing space for Explorers to lead each other, stepping in to guide rather than direct. That might mean letting a team work through a challenge before offering support, or helping a young person reflect on how their leadership went.

This balance helps young people feel trusted while knowing support is there when they need it.

Key points

Using teams or patrols is one of the simplest ways to build peer leadership in your Unit. When used well, they help:

Create real leadership opportunities
Build teamwork and trust
Share responsibility across the Unit

Start simple, give young people meaningful roles, and adapt your approach so it works for your Unit.