How Scouts helps mother and daughter reduce their stress

We all live busy lives, which mean stress is a problem for a lot of people. Mental Health UK’s ‘Burnout Report 2025’ shows 91% of adults experienced high or extreme levels of pressure or stress in the last year.

Stress can lead to problems with both our physical and mental health, so it’s important we look for ways to reduce its impact. 

Whether it's exam period or a busy time at work, ChorKiu,16, an Explorer Scout, and her mum Siew, a Scouts volunteer, tell us how Scouts helps them deal with stress. 

What are the causes of stress in ChorKiu and Siew’s lives?

Both ChorKiu and her mum, Siew, are upfront about the amount of stress in their lives. ChorKiu has just finished her GCSEs, while Siew has a very demanding job as a principal civil engineer.

ChorKiu explains how stress can increase as exams loom: ‘it builds up, especially when I'm studying at home in a confined space.’

Similarly, Siew details the commitments that fill her day (in addition to work and life as a single mum), these include roles as a parent governor, and STEM ambassador: ‘I do a lot’. She understands that each commitment can bring the potential for additional strain.

How does Scouts help with stress?

ChorKiu knows the importance of taking breaks during the high pressure times around exams. So, during her GCSEs, ChorKiu saw Scouts as a way to recharge her batteries. ‘I felt like it's probably the only time during my GCSEs I didn’t feel stressed. Scouts makes me feel relaxed. In general, it makes me feel happy.’

As well as helping her relax, ChorKiu explains that the downtime Scouts provides helps her absorb her studies: ‘that's when my revision kicks in and I realise what I remember’. 

Siew is clear on the importance of getting outside, with Scouts, in helping her feel calm: ‘I found it’s really relaxing for me’. Being a volunteer has made Siew more patient, ‘I enjoy that time (at Scouts)’.

What would ChorKiu and Siew suggest to those suffering with stress?

ChorKiu emphasises the importance of getting outdoors to reduce stress: ‘a lot of people my age don't really like to go outdoors’. She believes too much screentime is a problem for her generation: ‘they just stay locked in their bedrooms, scrolling on social media’.

Through Scouts, Siew, ChorKiu, and her brother Kong all get outside together and enjoy the benefits that Scouts brings. ‘It’s all part of a family day for us,’ says Siew. ‘I’d rather my kids go outdoors rather than be on screens’.

Importantly, Scouts isn’t another thing to stress about!

Siew points out that volunteering at Scouts isn’t just another thing on her to-do list. She’s benefitted from skills learned through volunteering: ‘(Scouts) has really helped me to build my leadership skills in my workplace’. Siew explains she can easily fit it around her other commitments: ‘it’s very flexible.’