For Scouts, Guides, Cadets and youth groups
GPS Tracking for Scouts, Guides and Cadets
Know where every young person is, on every hike, camp and expedition.
MeiliGPS gives leaders a live view of every group they supervise remotely, with SOS alerts to your own leadership team, and locations shared only with the volunteers you choose.
- Part of your supervision plan: follow each group's progress remotely, alongside your checkpoints and contact arrangements
- No phones needed: young people carry a screen-free tracker, and leaders never need their phone numbers
- SOS to your leaders, by app, then text, then a phone call, with no charges for accidental alerts
- Built for volunteer budgets: buy once, and pause between terms and camps for £1 a month
- No public links
- No phones needed
- No contracts
Designed in Oxford · UK-hosted · ISO 27001 certified · Cyber Essentials Plus
Built for youth groups
For every activity where young people go further on their own
Scouts, Explorers, Guides, Rangers and Cadets learn independence by doing things without a leader beside them. MeiliGPS helps you give them that freedom, and know where they are.
- Hikes and expeditionsDay hikes, top award expeditions and DofE expeditions: follow every group's progress against their route, and see when they're approaching a checkpoint.
- Camps and nights awayWhen patrols head off on a wide game, an incident hike or an activity away from the main site, leaders can see where every group is.
- Remotely supervised activitiesFor peer-led activities with older members, when groups are out of sight and sometimes out of phone signal, the tracker keeps reporting where they are.
Fits your supervision plan
One part of your supervision plan, never the only one
When young people are remotely supervised, the leader is still responsible for them. Scouts' guidance asks every supervision plan to set out contact arrangements, and lists location trackers as one option, alongside checkpoints, shadowing and sweeping, but never as the only arrangement. MeiliGPS is built to be that part.
- ShadowingFollow each group's progress remotely on OS 1:25,000 maps, without needing to meet them.
- CheckpointsSee when each group is approaching a checkpoint, and move volunteers to where they're needed.
- Out of contact rangeThe tracker uses long-range, low-power networks that often get through where phones can't, so groups don't need to walk to find reception.
- Emergency plansAn SOS alerts every leader on the team by app, then text, then phone call, with the group's position, and leaders can navigate to them with no signal.
Trackers support good supervision; they don't replace it. Training, route planning, risk assessment and your association's rules still come first. MeiliGPS gives the leaders responsible a clearer picture, and a faster response when something goes wrong. Read the five questions every leader should ask before young people set off.
See the Scouts' guidance for supervision of activities and the DofE's guidance on remote supervision, and read our guide: Planning and supervising hikes for youth groups. MeiliGPS is not endorsed by any youth organisation; always follow your own association's rules and guidance.
Safeguarding built in
No phones, no phone numbers, no public links
Tracking young people through their own phones raises safeguarding questions, and many units don't allow phones at all. MeiliGPS avoids them.
- Young people don't need a phone, and leaders never need their phone numbers
- Nothing to misuse: the tracker has no screen, no messaging and no internet
- Share with your leadership team by name: leaders, assistant leaders and supervisors, for the dates of the activity only
- With or without SOS alerts, removable at any time, with a record of who had access
A web link can be forwarded. A Sharing Session can't. Young people's locations stay with the adults you approved.
Built for volunteer budgets
Buy once. Only pay airtime when you're out and about.
Trackers are yours to keep and reuse every term. Switch airtime on for the months you have hikes, camps and expeditions, and pause it for the rest from your own account. No contracts, and no fees to restart.
Example: a group with six trackers, used in four months of the year, pays £570 for the trackers once, then about £240 a year in airtime.
£95 per tracker, yours to keep
Airtime £7.99 a month in use, £1 a month paused.
Buying for a district, county or several units? Talk to us.
Questions from leaders
Are trackers allowed under our association's rules?
Scouts' guidance lists location trackers as one way to stay in contact with remotely supervised groups, as long as they aren't the only arrangement. Girlguiding and the Cadet forces have their own rules, so check with your lead volunteer, commissioner or chain of command. MeiliGPS is not endorsed by any youth organisation.
Do young people need a phone?
No. Each group carries a small, screen-free tracker. It works on its own, with no pairing and no phone needed nearby, so leaders never need young people's phones or phone numbers.
How many trackers do we need?
One for each group that will be out of sight at the same time, plus a spare. Trackers are reused for every hike, camp and expedition, so most groups buy once and use them for years.
Who can see where our young people are?
Only the adults you invite. Leaders and supervisors are invited by name to a Sharing Session for the dates of the activity, with or without SOS alerts. Access ends automatically, and you can remove it at any time.
What happens if someone presses SOS by mistake?
The SOS button needs a ten-second hold, which prevents most accidental alerts. If one is sent, it goes to your own leaders, who check in with the group and stand it down. There are no charges for accidental alerts, ever.
Will it work where we go?
MeiliGPS uses long-range, low-power networks that reach further than ordinary phone signal, and can use all four UK networks. Trackers have been tested successfully from the Alps to the Arctic Circle and the Rocky Mountains. If your route is very remote, tell us where you go and we'll check before you buy.
Will the battery last a camp?
Up to 14 days on a single charge, enough for a week-long camp or expedition. Charge trackers before you go.
Do we have to pay for airtime all year?
No. Airtime is £7.99 a month per tracker while in use. Between terms and camps, pause each tracker from your account for £1 a month, and restart it whenever you need it. There are no contracts, and no activation or reactivation fees.
How is young people's data protected?
Location data is hosted in the UK on Microsoft Azure, MeiliGPS is certified to ISO 27001 and Cyber Essentials Plus, and every account is protected by two-factor authentication. MeiliGPS processes the data on your behalf, and a data processing agreement is available on request.
Equip your group
Tell us about your group, unit or district, and we'll suggest the right number of trackers and answer any questions about safeguarding and supervision.