I'VE just been listening to Bear Grylls on Radio 2.

He was asked what he’d take on an expedition and his answer, I thought, was quite brilliant: “That never-give-up spirit.” To me, that sums up everything we’re doing as volunteers. Giving young people the courage, positivity and resilience to keep going, even in the toughest times.

Now, more than ever, young people need that resilient, “never-give-up” spirit. In a YouGov poll for the Scouts, more than 50 per cent of parents of children aged under 18 said life was more difficult for young people today than it was 20 years ago. This is why we have made it our mission to help to build a resilient generation: the “bounce-backers”. These are young people who have the skills to weather the storm, pick themselves up and start again.

I don’t know about you, but my spirits are always lifted when I see a Scout showing that amazing spirit. They’re the positive voice in the room when others are stuck in a negative cycle; they’re the ones with the smile or friendly word that’s enough to lift the whole group. And I’ve seen it in young people and adult volunteers alike. Learn it young, and you’ll carry it with you throughout your life - and resilience is needed as much in the boardroom or in a work huddle as it is halfway up a cold mountain with a gale blowing.

Resilience is at the heart of what we do at Scouts. We need to help young people to build those inner reserves of grit they can draw on when times get tough, and hence we have put together six ways to build resilience.

The first is simply to have a go at something new (and being prepared to fail); second is learning and passing on a skill; third is spending a night away, preferably under the stars (the wild is a great teacher); fourth is to chat with someone different from you (stepping out of our comfort zone is important if we want to grow); fifth is tackling something as part of a team; and sixth is learning how to pick yourself up and start again.

Eddie Ward

County commissioner, Cumbria Scouts