Mr. Ray Moran:

The first thing I would say is, "Just do it". I have friends I tried to convince when I was younger. The earlier one goes in, the more one gets from it. It is particularly hard to get involved with things like this in the teenage years. If one becomes part of the organisation as a cub or beaver, it is just part of one. It is very hard to explain. If one is from a disadvantaged area such the one we are from - most people would be in the DEIS category - it is so easy to get into trouble. Scouting is a great opportunity to get out of it and find something else. One does so many fun things. One does what one wants to do. The most important thing I have got from it is meeting different people. Particularly if one is from a disadvantaged area, one is thinking about this a lot, in every situation. It hinders one's confidence but when one grows up in the scouts, one meets so many people from different socioeconomic classes and becomes aware of them. One talks about silly things, particularly when one is a kid. Particularly when one is a kid, one will talk about anything and say anything. One learns from this. Then one learns that where one is from does not actually matter. One does not realise it when one is younger. When I was starting university - I was the only one from my school - I did not know anyone. No one in my family could even tell me what it was like. The prospect terrified me but when I went in on the first day I was fine. I said the people were like people I meet everywhere. That is the big difference it made for me later on in life. It really prepares one for anything one meets. It is a lesson. It is like life education. To me, it teaches one to be a good person and have common sense and empathy with others. It results in a desire to help people wherever possible. When one does that, people usually want to be a part of one's life. That is the biggest thing I have got from the scouts.