I am a Scout Leader, as I have mentioned at various points on this blog, and the Scouts Association got one hell of a lot of news coverage with this story:

The Scout Association is to start offering its members sexual health and relationships advice.

New guidance, geared mainly to 14 to 18-year-olds, advises leaders to discuss contraception and encourage resisting of peer pressure to have sex.

Scout groups can also organise trips to sexual health clinics and give details of other helpful agencies. (BBC)

This is one of the few balanced articles, alongside the Guardian, [and their columnists] who are the only media outlet to mention the fact that:

The new guidance says scout leaders can give out condoms but “only if they believe the young person is very likely to begin or continue having intercourse with or without contraception”.

For a reactionary and ridiculous response, go first to the Daily Mail, followed by the Telegraph, who title their stories respectively:

Be prepared! Scout leaders to give sex advice and hand out ‘emergency condoms’ to children as young as ten

and

Plans to give scouts condoms criticised by family campaigners

Both are, predictably, full of “disgusted” quotes from “family campaigners” – aka rabid religious old fogies. They say that the Scout Association

should be encouraging young people in their care to have respect for girls and live a life of chastity and fidelity

Yeah, right. Try stepping into the 21st century for a moment. Sexualisation is everywhere, not least the home.

Now, to get the real story, read the article on the Scout Association website. And then the guidance (pdf) issued to Scout leaders like myself, which makes it very clear that:

It is only acceptable to have condoms / femedoms available to young people in line with the Fraser guidelines

which states that

The adult should only provide contraception if they believe the young person is very likely to begin or continue having intercourse with or without contraception.

So I’m not going to be giving any of my Scouts condoms, since I would be extremely surprised if any of them needed them, since they’re between 10 and 14.

This policy isn’t to make Scout Leaders give out condoms like confetti. Or indeed at all. Rather, it is to provide Scouts with the education to make their own decisions, hopefully being not to have sex just because “everyone else is doing it”. It is to give them someone else that they can go to to talk about sex and sexual health.

Parents and teachers have a position of authority that sets them apart from the young people in a way that Scout leaders don’t. Some young people may prefer to speak to a leader than to their parents or teachers about something which almost certainly embarasses or confuses them.

It is always down to the young people who they talk to – if anyone. But no-one with half a brain could object to this if they actually take the time to read the actual Scouting guidance rather than a knee-jerk “OMG THEIR TAKIN AWEY MAH KIDZ INOCENZE!!1!” reactions. Read the comments on the Daily Mail or Telegraph articles to see what I mean.

It’s very simple. With these sorts of things, you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t. But I think the right direction has been chosen. The Scout Association must be applauded for it’s stand to help young people make an informed decision about sex.