Better volunteering for a stronger movement

Our movement is powered by the kindness and commitment of our volunteers. The last year has shown that to be truer now than ever. In my first year as UK Chief Commissioner, after a lifetime in Scouts, it’s been a privilege to listen to, champion and support the team in our work helping more young people gain skills for life.

As our youth membership resurges, we’ve seen yet more outstanding generosity from our volunteers. Not only have we welcomed back young people face-to-face after lockdowns, we’ve launched Squirrels, welcoming 4-6-year-olds for the first time.

This would be an astonishing achievement in any year, but especially meaningful in a pandemic, when young people have needed us most. These new Squirrels are the future of a bigger, brighter and even more diverse movement, and society’s future young leaders in the making.

Why safety always comes first

As we move towards adventurous, in-person activities again, it’s vital that training is up to date. Safety will always remain our priority, ensuring our Young People First code of conduct is always followed, and that risk assessments are always carried out.

To represent our commitment to safety, we’ve expanded our HQ Safety team by adding new roles. We’ve supported Groups on their journey back to meeting face-to-face, helping them through each readiness level, right up to the present day. While the UK was living under restrictions, we made sure volunteers could finish their first aid training, by introducing new methods for completing modules.

Safety and safeguarding training compliance has also been a point of focus. We’ve provided line managers with new guidance and tools to manage volunteers with overdue training locally. To highlight the importance of risk assessments, we’ve created new resources, templates, and support for volunteers.

Our national safeguarding team have been busy, too. They’ve engaged with volunteers and other Scouts colleagues to progress key projects. These include Squirrels and wider Early Years projects, implementing and launching online Disclosure Scotland checks and advising on casework, delivering training for Commissioners and pilot Group Scout Leaders’ training, and the development of the Safe Scouting Learning Review Group. There’s also been proactive actions taken around disclosure compliance, and updating Compass records.

International friendship

As vaccinations have enabled travel and large gatherings to happen more safely, it has been exciting to see international Scouting revive too. International volunteers from countries like Venezuela, Mauritius and Denmark are supporting at Scout Adventures. And we’re now seeing hundreds of youth members preparing and fundraising to represent the UK at World Scout Jamboree in South Korea in 2023.

We never forget that we’re part of a worldwide family of 55 million Scouts. Our global movement encourages peace, tolerance and respect for all. We continue to stand in solidarity with those affected by the war in Ukraine, as well all those suffering through conflict or natural disaster in other parts of the world. We’re proud of the compassionate way our Scouts have responded, fundraising, packing emergency medical kits, delivering aid, and supporting refugees by extending the hand of friendship.

Improving the way we volunteer

When what they give makes such a difference to young lives, we owe it to our volunteers to make the experience as easy, fun and rewarding as possible. We’ve identified three areas to focus on: a warmer welcome for all, more engaging learning and making volunteering more enjoyable every day.

We’re improving digital systems that support volunteers, transforming how people join and train to become volunteers in Scouts to make it smoother and more flexible. This is about giving us the space to do what we as volunteers do best and enjoy most. This will continue to be a priority through the years ahead, with 2023 marking the first big step in the journey. 

We’ve also looked closely at how we can make our organisation more welcoming and inclusive. This year, we launched a wide reaching Race Equity Review, engaging with over a 1,000 volunteers to create a powerful new vision for how Scouts will support race equity.

It’s not enough simply to say we welcome everyone. We need to question the way we do things, listen to different voices, and have the courage to make changes where they’re needed. This is the only way we’ll bring about race equity in Scouts. None of this is easy, but we need to act with humility, and support each other on a positive journey of change. We’re doing this as a movement – to move with the times, and create a better experience for everyone.

By making these changes, we’ll not only motivate our current volunteers, but we’ll help attract new ones, too.

Looking ahead

As young people return to Scouts, and waiting lists grow, it’s vital we continue to welcome new volunteers. 3,000 adult volunteers join us since April 2021, following our national #GoodforYou campaign. Based on feedback that first time volunteers are more willing to come with someone they know, our #GoodForTwo offers activities that work well for volunteers introducing a friend, starting them on their own volunteering journey.

However, we never forget that the most powerful recruitment happens locally. We need to have the right conversations, make new connections, and especially reach out to communities underrepresented in Scouts. Let’s continue to share our own stories of how Scouts has helped us shine bright, given us new friends, and made us who we are today.

If we can share that spark, we can inspire a new generation of young people – and volunteers – with skills for life. 

Carl Hankinson
UK Chief Commissioner