Skills for Life

By 2025* we'll have prepared more young people with skills for life, supported by amazing volunteers that deliver an inspiring programme. We'll be growing, more inclusive, shaped by young people and making a bigger impact in our communities.

*Due to the impact of COVID-19, our Skills for Life strategy has been extended until 2025.

Our mission 

Scouts actively engages and supports young people in their personal development, empowering them to make a positive contribution to society.

Our values

We act with care, respect, integrity, cooperation, exploring our own and others’ beliefs.

Our goals

Our plan is to build on the success of the previous plan: to continue to grow, become more inclusive, to be shaped by young people and to make a bigger impact in our communities. We’ve set new goals for 2025. There are specific goals for Scotland.

Growth

Scouts has grown for the last 13 years. We want to continue that positive trend, bringing skills for life to more young people across the UK.

By 2025 we'll have:

• 547,000 young people in Scouts, made up of 487,000 young people aged 6-18, plus 60,000 Squirrel Scouts
• 88,000 frontline adult volunteers (Section Leaders and Assistant Section Leaders)
• 19,500 Young Leaders

Inclusivity

Scouts is open to all. We now have over 102,000 girls and have started 834 sections in areas of deprivation since 2013. We believe it’s a priority to reflect the diversity of the communities we are in.

By 2025 we'll have:

• 500 more sections created in areas of deprivation since 2018
• 5% of our adult volunteers from Black, Asian or minority ethnic backgrounds 

Youth Shaped

Over the last four years, there has been a growing momentum to ensure young people are shaping their experiences and taking on leadership roles at Scouts. We want to continue to build on this.

By 2025:

• 66% of young people (6-18) will be influencing what happens in Scouting locally  
• 57% of young people (6-18) will be using their skills to run Scouting activities for other young people  
• 40% of young people 4-14 will be achieving Top Awards 
• 10% of young people 14+ will be achieving Top Awards 

Community Impact

Since the launch of our social action campaign, A Million Hands, in 2015, over 250,000 young people have had the opportunity to take part in high quality social action on four big issues of our time. The campaign won 'Cross-Sector Partnership of the Year' at the Charity Times Awards in 2016.

By 2025:

• 42% of young people will be making a positive impact in their community each year 
• 40% of young people 4-14 will be achieving Top Awards 
• 10% of young people 14+ will be achieving Top Awards