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Volunteering at Scouts is changing to help us reach more young people

Volunteering is changing to help us reach more young people

Volunteering is changing at Scouts. Read more

Discover what this means

Understanding disability

Supported by National Autistic Society

Step one: identify the need

Overwhelming art

Create colourful collages to show how it feels for someone to be overwhelmed and think about what we can all do to help.

Ages: 8 to 14 | Takes: 30 minutes

Run overwhelming art

What would you do?

Explore our personal reactions and judgements towards situations and how more understanding, care and respect can go a long way.

Ages: 8 to 18 | Takes: 15 minutes

Run what would you do?

Interesting interactions

Get creative and discover how people interpret the world in different ways.

Ages: 4 to 18 | Takes: 20 minutes

Run interesting interactions

Spot the difference

Find the ‘overwhelming’ differences in these pictures and think about how such small changes could have a big impact.

Ages: 8 to 18 | Takes: 30 minutes

Run spot the difference

Equality ball

Step into the shoes of somebody with different abilities in a game of volleyball like no other.                      

Ages: 4 to 18 | Takes: 30 minutes

Run equality ball

How do you see the world?

Try to draw your partner’s thoughts and learn about how people with sensory differences see the world.

Ages: 4 to 14 | Takes: 30 minutes

Run how do you see the world?

Unspoken rules

Can you work out the rules of a new game as you play it? Think about how society’s unspoken rules can hold people back.

Ages: 4 to 18 | Takes: 10 minutes

Run unspoken rules

Step two: plan action

How autism-friendly are you?

Assess your meeting place, then plan to make it even better for autistic people.

Ages: 8 to 18 | Takes: 35 minutes

Run how autism-friendly are you?

Create an autism-awareness charter

Share your understanding with the community and tell them how to support autistic people.                      

Ages: 4 to 18 | Takes: 1 hour

Create an autism-awareness charter

Write a letter, make a difference

Write to your MP to shine a light on challenges disabled people face in your community.

Ages: 8 to 18 | Takes: 30 minutes

Run write a letter, make a difference

Plan a befriending day

Plan an inclusive and welcoming day to show your community that your group is open to everyone.

Ages: 10½ to 18 | Takes: 1 hour 30 minutes

Plan a befriending day

Meet the local supporters

Arrange to visit a local disability service and get their perspective on what needs to change.

Ages: 4 to 18 | Takes: 1 hour

Run meet the local supporters

Journey for autism-friendly change

Work together to plan all the parts of the journey towards a more autism-friendly community. Which barriers will you change?

Ages: 8 to 18 | Takes: 30 minutes

Plan your journey for autism-friendly change

Step three: take action

Community autism pledge

Encourage local businesses to commit to being autism-friendly and create a more accessible and inclusive community.

Ages: 6 to 18 | Takes: 1 hour

Make a community autism pledge

Coffee for change

Grab a coffee with decision makers. Are they autism-friendly? What will they help to change?

Ages: 6 to 18 | Takes: 30 minutes

Run coffee for change

A day for everyone

Put on an inclusive community day to show your local area how simple changes make communities accessible for all.

Ages: 4 to 18 | Takes: 4 hours

Run a day for everyone

Be an autism-friendly champion

Inspire local businesses to become autism-friendly by showing them what needs to change.

Ages: 4 to 18 | Takes: 1 hour

Be an autism-friendly champion

Step four: learn and make more change

Storyboard your change

Decide how you’ll make more change and create a storyboard to show your plans.

Ages: 10½ to 18 | Takes: 2 hours

Run storyboard your change

Become an access champion

Use all you’ve learned and pledge to take actions to create a more autism-friendly world.

Ages: 4 to 10½ | Takes: 2 hours

Become an access champion

Step five: tell the world

Write a letter for better

Celebrate your achievement, write to your local newspaper, and encourage others to take action.

Ages: 10½ to 18 | Takes: 2 hours

Write a letter for better

Map your autism-friendly community

Create a map of the autism-friendly spaces in your community and help others see what more needs to change.

Ages: 4 to 18 | Takes: 2 hours

Map your autism-friendly community

Sharing stories

Get creative and make your own stories to show how you’ve been helping others.

Ages: 4 to 18 | Takes: 20 mins

Run sharing stories

Themes

Protecting our environment

With a little help from our friends at WWF, we’re fighting to protect our environment by restoring thriving habitats, bringing species back from the brink, and tackling root causes such as climate change.

View activities for protecting our environment >
Ending homelessness

Partnering with Crisis and Simon Community NI, we’re enhancing young people’s understanding of the many factors that contribute to homelessness, and showing them how they can help end the problem for good.

View activities about ending homelessness >
Supporting refugees and displaced children

We’re partnering with Save the Children to combat stereotypes, raise awareness of the issues displaced children face, build welcoming communities, and connect with Scouts in conflict-affected areas.

View activities for supporting refugees >
Better mental health for all

We’re working alongside Mind, SAMH and Inspire, to empower Scouts to take good care of their mental health, now and in the future.

View activities for better mental health >
Kindness in every community

Supported by the British Red Cross, we’re showing kindness to those who most need it at home and overseas – and we’re encouraging others to do the same too.

View community kindness activities >