Shaping our race equity work

What we learned:
The majority of members from a Black, Asian or minority ethnic background agreed with us using the language ‘people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds’ when we’re talking about all of the people affected by our race equity work, while a smaller number of people objected to it. There was no consensus on an alternative term that would be preferred.

What we’re doing:
We’ll use the language when we need to talk about the groups together but we’ll be conscious that some people do not find it appropriate. We will be more specific wherever possible and will never say ‘BAME’ or ‘Bame’.

What we learned:
The majority of members said Scouts needs to take action on race equity, and that they were personally willing to take action.

What we're doing:
We’re continuing with this work and will give members the support and resources they need to embed race equity in their roles.

What we learned:
Enforcing a zero tolerance approach to racism was seen as the most urgent priority.

What we're doing:
We’ve made this one of our first priorities and will implement a zero tolerance approach by March 2023.

What we learned:
The second most urgent priority was educating ourselves about, and speaking up against, the assumptions, slights and insults directed at people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.

What we're doing:
We’ve made this one of our first priorities and are incorporating learning about this into our new volunteer learning system.

What we learned:
Many members who support this work are already taking action locally and want to support others to be more inclusive too.

What we're doing:
We’re championing the great work that’s already happening locally so are asking members to share their race equity stories.

What we learned:
Members who are unsure about this work found the vision unclear and want tangible examples of what it means in practice.

What we're doing:
We’re sharing race equity stories from volunteers and providing practical activities and resources.

What we learned:
A small proportion of members disagreed with us doing this work. Some said the statistics quoted were outdated or unconvincing, while others felt the work was unnecessary.

What we're doing:
We’ll update the statistics as soon as the government releases ethnicity data from the 2021 UK Census. But as the majority of members feel this work is necessary – and some of the experiences shared by volunteers and staff from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds demonstrates this – we will continue with this work.

What we learned:
Some members weren’t sure if this work was needed because Scouts is already open to all.

What we're doing:
We’re providing more information about what race equity means, explaining that saying ‘the door’s open, come on in’ isn’t always enough. The reality is that walking through that door will be harder for some people than others, so by recognising that and adjusting what we do, we can help even more people join our adventure.

What we learned:
Some members were concerned that this work would lead to ‘positive discrimination’ against white members.

What we're doing:
We’ll continue to explain that race equity is not about prioritising certain groups, but rather about closing the gap that we have left open which has prioritised other ethnic groups more favourably in the past.

What we learned:
Many members wanted more focus on understanding local demographics, rather than looking only at the national picture.

What we're doing:
We’re developing tools for understanding how local Scout populations compare to the local population generally. The first will be ready by March 2023.

What we learned:
Some members were concerned that this work would create an additional burden when they are already short of time and resources.

What we're doing:
We’re collecting race equity stories to show how race equity is an integral part of good Scouting, rather than an additional piece of work.