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Volunteering at Scouts is changing to help us reach more young people

Volunteering is changing to help us reach more young people

Volunteering is changing at Scouts. Read more

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Blog | 19 December 2023

Here's what's new on the brand centre

Chris James, Head of Brand and Ambassadors
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With so much on the brand centre, it’s sometimes hard to keep track of what’s new. This year we’ve added a dizzying 138 new products, many of which have been suggested by you, our volunteers. To help, Chris James, Head of Brand and Ambassadors has a round-up of some of the things you might’ve missed.

First up, a quick reminder of what the Scouts brand centre is. It's an online hub of Scout resources that volunteers in Scouts can use each week to recruit, fundraise, support events and run programmes. 

Almost all the items (from banners and posters to flyers and certificates) can be easily personalised with your local details. You usually have the option to download a PDF to print at home, or you can order professionally printed copies through our print partner (N2 Visual Communications).

We have over three thousand products in total. All bases are covered from resources to recognise and thank other volunteers, to social media assets to support digital recruitment campaigns. But, yes, it can be a challenge to know where to start, so here’s your starter for ten.

1. New films

If a picture speaks a thousand words, then a good film speaks ten thousand. We’ve added some great new videos this year, from ‘This is Scouts’ a high energy taster of Scouts today, to this introduction to Scouts: Our brand: Who we are and what we do, narrated by Chief Scout, Bear Grylls.

The image shows Scout volunteer Nisha on the left, wearing a beige Scouts blouse and a necker. She's smiling at the camera and her dark hair is down to her shoulders. To the right is a graphic with a blue background, with the text 'Nisha makes all the difference' in white. Underneath that text is 'So could you' written in yellow. Underneath again is 'Help young people in Newcastle step up and dream big.' The Scouts logo and fleur-de-lis are in the bottom right corner

Then there are our Make All the Difference films. Each one is focused on a volunteer (and gives a real sense of what volunteering’s like in a section, and why it’s so rewarding).

They’re ideal to share on social media with a volunteering ask. We’ve also got Make All the Difference posters that can support the video campaign, which you’ll find in the same place.

2. Updated brand guidelines 

Did you know we updated our brand colour palette this year, adding a forest green and russet orange? We also updated the Teal colour, making it a little darker so white text shows up better. You can find all the details in our updated brand guidelines.

The image shows the front cover of version 3.1 of Scouts' brand guidelines in portrait with a teal background. There's a large white fleur-de-lis in the middle, with the text '#SkillsForLife' underneath it in a smaller font and near the bottom. In the top left corner, in small white font, says 'Scouts brand guidelines,' with 'Version 3.1 June 2023' underneath.

3. 4–25 programme poster 

Want to show our whole programme all on one poster? Then step this way.

A new poster shows how the whole programme fits together, from Squirrels and the Chief Scout’s Acorn Award all the way to Network and the King’s Scout Award. 

It's useful for helping younger members gaze into the future and continue on their Scouts’ journey.

The image shows the 4–25 programme poster. It has a white background and in the top left corner, there's purple text saying 'What we do: our 4–25 Programme'. There's a table underneath with light grey and dark grey boxes. Down the left are the Scout sections, each with a row each, then the columns say 'Core badges,' 'Peer Leadership Badges,' 'Joining in Award Badges,' 'Activity Badges,' 'Staged Activity Badges,' 'YouShape Award,' 'Challenge Awards,' 'Top Awards.' The Scouts logo is in the top right corner.

4. New MS Word templates and PowerPoint

Don’t have fancy design packages but still want to get the branding right? Then try these MS Word poster, document and PowerPoint templates.

All the right colours and fonts are already embedded. You just need to add the words and pictures (and remember we have a photo library on the brand centre too).

You might also like this Skills For Life version, which features a new graphic pattern.

The image shows two Scouts in uniform with helmets on and attached to a rope doing an outdoors activity. They're smiling and there are trees behind them. There's a white Scouts logo in the top left corner, and the bottom half of the image is white, with text in purple saying 'Step up, speak up and dream big.' There's other text in black explaining Scouts Skills for Life strategy.

5. How to be you poster 

Bear’s written these inspiring words on ‘how to be you.’ We’ve put them on a poster so you can put it on the wall of your meeting place. Plenty of food for thought for young minds.

The image shows a green fleur-de-lis with a green banner underneath, with yellow text on it saying 'How to be you.' There's a list on 'How to be you' underneath written by Chief Scout Bear Grylls. Under the list is Bear's signature, and to the left is 'Bear Grylls OBE' with 'Chief Scout' underneath.

6. Large format Yellow Card poster (Jan 2024 edition) 

You’ll have heard there’re important updates to our Yellow Card.

To make sure it’s highly visible in your meeting place, you can order A2 and even A1 poster versions that can’t be missed.

The image shows Scouts' Yellow Card poster, with black text on a yellow background. The heading says 'Keeping Children and Young People Safe' and is the January 2024 version of the poster.

7. The Squirrels Songbook 

All eleven of our songs for Squirrels are arranged for guitar and ukulele in this attractive songbook.

Featuring the familiar cartoon characters it’s ideal for leading a sing-a-long in your Squirrels Drey. And if you don’t have a musician in your team, then remember you can download the audio and video files, which have the lyrics on screen.

New songs this year include I Wish I Went to Squirrels Every Day, The Do Your Best Song and If a Squirrel Had Wings.

The image shows the front cover of The Squirrels Songbook. The image is a graphic designed image and features the text '11 songs to play and sing with Squirrels. Words and music by Chris James.' The Scout logo is at the bottom in purple, next to Squirrel graphic icons holding instruments. There's a red orange and yellow rainbow in the background with bushes and trees in the sky. The sky is light blue with small darker blue outlines of birds, with two white clouds. The 'Squirrels' in the title is the logo.

8. Code of conduct

Did you know we have a ready-made template for a code of conduct for each of our sections, including Squirrels? 

You can borrow some of the pre-populated suggestions or, even better, challenge young people to come up with their own.

The image shows a poster with the red heading 'How we behave at Squirrels.' To the right is a designed image of a red Squirrel on a brown branch. The code of conduct is listed below the heading in black. In the bottom left corner is the red Squirrels logo, and the bottom right corner is the Scouts logo in black.

9. Outdoor in 24 certificates 

2024 is all about helping young people get into new outdoor adventures. We’ve got some great new certificates to help recognise those who’ve taken their first step into the wild.

The image shows the Outdoor in 24 poster. The Scouts logo is near the top in the middle with the text '#Outdoorin24 underneath. The certificate says 'Well done' in big orange font, with the message 'for taking part in a Night Away event for #Outdoorin24.' There's 'To:' and 'From:' either side of the message with 'Date:' near the bottom.

10. Coming soon – Selfie frames! 

Look out for a new selfie frame product in the new year that you’ll be able to personalise and order. Ideal for creating a buzz at big events.

The image shows Head of Brand and Ambassadors, Chris James, wearing a yellow t-shirt with a checkered shirt over the top, smiling at the camera. He's holding a large, black photo frame with the middle cut out, which is a new 'selfie frame.' A white fleur-de-lis is in the bottom right corner of the frame.

Find even more on the brand centre

Explore all these and many more resources on the Scouts brand centre.

Any volunteer in Scouts can register and use the brand centre free of charge. You just need a valid email address.

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