Were you ever a Scout, or maybe a beaver or a cub? Do you have any idea what it's like to be one now? The movement's a hundred years old this year, but forget nostalgia, what is Scouting like today? BBC Leicester's Helen Babbs went to find out if the movement is still relevant. The journey begins She starts her journey as a young beaver, at a very noisy meeting in a hut in Melton Mowbray. Helen spoke to the District Commissioner for Melton Mowbray, Malcolm Brown... Malcolm explains that the Scouting movement has changed since it first began, so it is still relevant and useful to young people:
"What we do here is provide physical, spiritual and mental foundations - this is like citizenship with fun. "In the past 100 years the movement's restructured several times to respond to young people's needs and I'm sure it'll happen again." But don't you have to be a Christian? The next stage on the journey through Scouting is Cubs – for children aged eight to 10. But have you ever assumed that Scouting is a Christian organisation? Helen headed off to meet some Muslim cubs in Leicester's Highfields who prove that anyone can join in, whatever their religion. Listen to Helen's interview with Alam Navsa, leader of the Highfields Cub Pack... Alam says that people might be surprised if they looked at which religion is best represented in Scouting: "It's international and multi-cultural. If you break all the religions down there's actually more Muslims - there are eight million throughout Scouting worldwide.
"When you come and meet the kids themselves, you have a completely different perception. They're all different, and it draws you in."
Scout and About To get the real story it’s time to hand over to the young people themselves. Here's what happened when the Blaby Scouts took control of the microphone and headed off on winter camp.... Next, Helen headed out into deepest darkest Ashby to meet a group of Explorer Scouts, fully equipped with walkie talkies, as they set out on a night hunt. Listen to Helen's interview with the Explorer Scouts... Daniel is one of the Ashby Explorer Scouts and he says that being an Explorer beats hanging around on the streets.
He says that young people should "do something instead of just hanging around. It's going to help in one way or another." So Helen has taken us on a journey through the county, meeting young people from the Beavers right up to the teenage Explorer Scouts. The Future of Scouting But what do the oldest members of the movement, the Network Scouts, think the future holds? Listen to Helen's interview with Network member Chris... Chris thinks that there are outdated stigmas attached to Scouting:
"There are people who still think dib dib dib and bob-a-job week are still a major part of Scouting – they don't happen anymore.
Scouting has moved on so much. Dib dib dib is a thing of the past, bob-a-job week is gone." Did you know? • Scouting's the largest co-educational youth movement in the world
• 216 countries are involved with Scouting
• Over eight million Scouts are Muslims
• Everyone who's landed on the moon was a Scout when they were younger | 
