Scouts launches brand new Space Activity Badge for 14-18 year olds
The Scouts and the UK Space Agency are launching a brand-new Explorer badge, giving over 45,000 young people the chance to learn new, practical, STEM (Science, technology, engineering and maths) skills and earn a Space Activity Badge for the first time in the section’s history.
On Thursday 13 March, 20 young people earned the first ever Explorer Space Activity Badge alongside Scouts ambassador, Tim Peake, the UK’s first European Space Agency astronaut. The activities took place next to the Soyuz space capsule at the Science Museum, which returned Tim safely to earth after six months on the International Space Station.
The new activities, created alongside the UK Space Agency, aim to inspire young people to develop a connection with space and STEM, alongside helping 14–18-year-olds develop a wide practical skillset, and to open their eyes to the range of careers that are available within the Space industry.
Young people will be encouraged to learn how to control something remotely, replicating the skills used by scientists and engineers to guide the Perseverance Rover across Mars’ surface, as well as embracing their curiosity and discovering ways to grow plants without soil – a task undertaken on the International Space Station to test different watering methods.
Speaking at the launch, Tim Peake, Scouts Ambassador and Astronaut, said: ‘The exciting launch of the new Explorer Scout Space Activity Badge will ignite interest and spark curiosity in STEM for a whole new generation. This new badge brings together the knowledge of what’s been and the possibility of what could be, both in space and here on Earth for young people aged between 14 and 18. After working alongside some of the most talented space industry professionals in the world, it’s wonderful to see Explorers reaching up and developing the skills that helped me on my own space journey.’
Emily Coulter, age 15, an Explorer Scout who attended the launch, said: ‘I loved earning the Space Activity Badge for Explorer Scouts. I got the chance to speak to a real astronaut and develop skills I didn’t even know were involved in the space industry. After today, I now know how space-work impacts how we do things here on Earth and I can apply the new skills I learnt when considering further study.’
The badge for the Explorer Scouts is the last launch of Space Activity Badges through the Scouts and UK Space Agency partnership, providing space and STEM skills for life across all ages from age 4, now through to age 18.
Explorer Scouts can start working towards the badge from Thursday 13 March by taking part in any of the five activities.