Running a Squirrel Drey on a council estate to reach new communities
Ben’s a Group Scout Leader in Darlington. He’s recently set up a Squirrel Drey, just outside a council estate. It's in one of the most income-deprived areas of the country, which is defined as IMD1 by national standards.
Ben set up his Scout Group in 2018, using National Lottery Funding.
Since then, the Group’s gone from strength to strength and now has its own Squirrel Drey.
We caught up with Ben to hear about why he thinks it’s important to bring Scouts into new communities and find out about his experience of doing so.
Hi Ben, thanks for chatting to us today. Can you tell us about the area where you volunteer?
I volunteer as a Group Scout Leader in Darlington. Our Squirrel Drey is in IMD1, so it’s one of the most income-deprived areas in the country. It’s near one of the largest council estates in the area.
The sense of community on the estate is amazing. There’re kids knocking on each other’s doors asking each other to go out and play, there’s an open-door policy, and everyone knows everyone. The council estate backs onto a large grass area and woodland, which is where we’ve set up our Squirrel Drey.
When we first started our Group, a lot of people didn’t know about Scouts. Or, they only knew old stereotypes and misinformation about Scouts being for white, middle-class boys.
When I was looking for people to join as volunteers, I had to change this perception. I let people know they didn’t need to be a Scout or a Guide growing up to help out and that they don't need to know how to pitch a tent.
Why did you want to set up a Squirrel Drey?
Except for Scouts, there aren’t many opportunities for four- and five-year-olds. They’re too old for toddler classes, but many of the kids we’re working with haven’t started school yet, so Scouts is really needed.
The young people get so much out of it and it’s something they wouldn’t get elsewhere – an amazing, low cost, adventurous programme!
Particularly given the pandemic, lots of the young people we’re seeing now had their formative years in lockdown. Baby and toddler groups weren’t running during this time, so they had very limited social time. So, we’re working with children who desperately need those social skills.
It’s really rewarding to help young people learn skills, whether that’s being quiet when someone else is talking, asking to go to the toilet or gaining other skills, such as listening, creativity, and confidence.
I was a Scout when I was younger, and I want to give back just as much as I gained from it.
How did you set up a Group in your area?
The best way you can make Scouts happen in IMD1 is by engaging with local people. They understand the needs of the community. Once you persuade one person to get involved, it kind of snowballs by word of mouth.
Squirrels is a great way to do this. Our sessions are only short, about 45 minutes, so a lot of parents or carers would come to the sessions and wait nearby. This gave us a great opportunity to talk to them, get to know them, and start conversations about potentially becoming an occasional helper.
What kind of considerations did you make for your Group, knowing it’s in IMD1?
A lot of the parents can’t drive, so we do as much as we can onsite, allowing our parents, carers and young people to walk over.
I also make sure our activities are relevant or make sense to the community we’re working with. For example, when we worked towards the Super Chef activity badge, I included recipes that people could afford to cook and would enjoy eating.
We know money will be tight, so we do as much as possible on a budget if there’s anything parents need to pay for. If badges or uniforms aren’t 100% correct, I let it slide.
I’m also used to applying for grants to help us get more money for the Group, such as the Tesco blue coins community grants scheme, so that gives us more flexibility when it comes to the more expensive activities.
What have been some of your volunteering highlights with your Drey?
We had our first Squirrel Nights Away in September, and it was the easiest I’ve ever run. I was anticipating lots of tears, accidents and leaving early. But by 9.30pm, all the Squirrels were asleep, and all the volunteers were eating pizza by the campfire.
We held a brilliant Caribbean carnival inspired by the Scouts Activity Finder. The Squirrels enjoyed listening to Caribbean music and trying mango and coconut. We also had the opportunity to meet up with another Squirrel Drey. Together, we did leaf identification, and most of the Squirrels were mainly excited about the conkers!
What benefits do you see Squirrels having on young people?
It’s just amazing watching the Squirrels grow in confidence. I love seeing the difference from the beginning. They go from possibly refusing to let go of their parent or carer’s hand, then a few weeks in they sprint away, excited to join in.
Squirrels is really helping broaden their horizons, especially with experiences like Nights Away, which might be their first time away from home ever. It sets them up with some incredible skills that they can use later in Scouts, or more broadly in life.
Would you recommend volunteering to other people?
Absolutely. I wouldn’t volunteer if it wasn’t fun! I genuinely have the best time working with young people and with the other volunteers, laughing at what the little ones have said and making a difference. I would recommend volunteering to anyone.
Interesting in furthering reach in your area?
Reaching out into the community can be overwhelming. Our furthering reach toolkit is a guide to help you step by step on how to make your local Scout group more open and inclusive to the community that feeds into it. It provides practical tips and ideas for things you can do as volunteers as well as with your Scouts.
Discover the furthering reach toolkit