Help youngsters find their way

Sir, - Statistics released by Ordnance Survey showed that 40% of people surveyed did not feel confident with reading a paper map.

New technology means that we are reliant on sat navs and the GPS on our mobile phones but in some of Scotland’s most beautiful landscapes, you might struggle to get a signal that you can rely on.

Not only that but technology is expensive and what happens if the battery runs out or if you get it wet?

Also, navigating your way home using a map is a challenge and requires problemsolving skills; there’s no fun in simply switching on a phone and it telling you how to get home.

Week in, week out at Scouts Scotland we progressively teach our young people to develop the skills that they need to navigate and explore their own community.

This can be through map reading, using a compass, learning about the stars and co-ordinates but it also teaches them problem-solving and team-building skills.

This is then built upon and developed throughout their Scouting career, as they go on expeditions at home and abroad.

As well as this, at our national activity centres, we introduce young people, Scouts and non-Scouts, to basic map reading through our orienteering sessions.

This usually starts indoors where they draw a plan of the dining hall and then use their plan/ map to find a route through the tables and chairs.

Then, building on the skills learned indoors, they are given a map of the centre with orienteering markers to go and find. It is challenging but fun and the kids love it. But we also deliver training right up to advanced mountain navigation.

With National Map Reading Week taking place next month, we hope that more people will try to increase their map-reading skills, as it is a fun and challenging life skill which benefits everyone, from young to old, and Scouts is an excellent way to do this.