Our purpose and method

Scouts gives young people skills for life. We actively engage and support them in their personal development, empowering them to make a positive contribution to society.

In partnership with adults, young people take part in fun indoor and outdoor activities. They learn by doing, by sharing in spiritual reflection and by taking responsibility. They make choices, try new and challenging activities, and live their Scout Promise. All of this is underpinned by our Scout values.

Scouts’ Trustees have a duty to report on our public benefit in this Annual Report. We’ve assessed our aims, activities and charitable objectives, which are to contribute to the development of young people in achieving their full potential as individuals, as responsible citizens, and as members of their local, national and international communities.

We believe we’ve met the Charity Commission’s public benefit criteria for both the advancement of education, and the advancement of citizenship and community development. Scouts follows two key principles set by the Commission with regard to public benefit:

1. Identifiable benefit

The way we help young people in their personal development and empower them to make a positive contribution to society. This benefit is directly linked to the purpose of Scouts.

2. Public benefit

Scouts is a national movement. We’re open to all young people aged 4–24 and adult volunteers who are willing to make the Scout Promise. We help young people step up, speak up and dream big. Most importantly, we help them gain the skills they need to succeed in life.
We’re proud that all young people, particularly those in areas of deprivation, can benefit from our programme and aren’t constrained by their ability to pay the subscription. Locally, there are arrangements to waive subscriptions and other costs for those who face financial hardship.

The benefits of Scouts are further demonstrated throughout this report.