I’ve been pursuing this hobby for 16 years now, and when I was finally allowed to join the Rangers at the age of six, it was an absolute high­light for me. Royal Rangers are Chris­tian scouts, and their mission is to tell chil­dren and young people about God and inspire them to do their bit to serve God and the commu­nity – while engaging with nature and learning scouting tech­niques.

There are different age groups in the Royal Rangers: The three to six-year-olds are called Ranger Kids followed by the Discovery Rangers. Chil­dren aged nine to twelve are called Adven­ture Rangers before they join the Trail Rangers and, from the age of 15, the Expe­di­tion Rangers. If you like, you can also become a Junior Leader at the age of 15. Other­wise, you serve as a volun­tary leader from the age of 18.

Learning through play

I, myself, am a member of Outpost 293 in Senden and was previ­ously the leader of the Lion Monkey team. This consists of chil­dren aged six to nine, and in this age group, we focus on doing lots of fun things together and learning about the Bible and Ranger rules in a playful way. We do crafts, pursue outdoor games, or cook together.

In September 2024, I changed teams and am now with the Adven­ture Rangers. This is where the chil­dren are intro­duced to scouting tech­niques and learn what they need to put up a tent, build a fire and use it to cook a meal, or navi­gate with a compass. But even at this age, it’s still impor­tant to offer breaks involving games and activ­i­ties. That’s fun for us leaders too, and it’s nice as adults to be able to act a bit like a kid again.

Chris­tian back­ground

The Royal Rangers are a Chris­tian orga­ni­za­tion, which is why prayers play an inte­gral part in all age groups. Every week, all leaders prepare an inspi­ra­tional talk during which they recite stories from the Bible and about Jesus or God. In the younger age groups, this is done in a playful manner or by putting on short plays. When the chil­dren are older, we give them the oppor­tu­nity to make up their own prayers and thus become acquainted with Chris­tian themes and the Bible.

Natu­rally, being a Ranger is also about earning badges. In the case of “my” former Discovery Rangers, we still use book­lets with an over­ar­ching theme, for example owls. The booklet is filled with stories, craft ideas, and puzzles. On completing the booklet, the kids get a matching badge. At a more advanced level, to earn a badge in scouting tech­niques requires completing a test, with increasing levels of diffi­culty. A badge always includes a Bible ques­tion­naire, for which the chil­dren study the Bible and answer ques­tions about it. As Royal Rangers, faith is all-impor­tant and the basis of every­thing we do. That’s why it’s an inte­gral aspect of the program.

Scout high­lights: Hajks and camps

There are various advanced training courses avail­able for leaders, such as the National Training Camp for adults or the Junior Leader Training Camp for teenagers. As a Ranger, so-called ‘hajks” are also part of the program. During these orien­teering events, you hike for a few days with your back­pack and sleep outside using the simplest of means. You have to carry and take every­thing you need with you. Good prepa­ra­tion is crucial. The same applies when you’re plan­ning your routes as cell phones are only intended for emer­gen­cies. To navi­gate, you have to rely on nature, maps and a compass. For our younger Adven­ture Rangers, there are overnight stays with short hikes instead.

The high­light of every Ranger’s year is the camp, which usually takes place once a year. Which outposts come together and how varies. Every four to five years there is a regional camp in which all the outposts in a specific region take part. Senden is in the Bavarian Swabia region where there are some 750 active Rangers.

At the camp, people live together in tents in the coun­try­side for a week, cook over a fire, and bond as a commu­nity. During the day, there are usually work­shops or an Olympics-themed camp. After dinner, the evening program starts with the singing of Chris­tian songs. The program also includes a play with a suit­able motto for the camp that also serves as an acces­sible intro­duc­tion to the sermon. For me, this is always a very intense time – espe­cially with God. But there’s plenty of fun to be had as well. And there’s no shortage of culi­nary delights either: At the 2022 National Camp, the teams even managed to conjure up entire menus over the fire.