Supporting members around faiths and beliefs

Choose the day and time of your Section nights carefully. Find out whether the day you’re considering clashes with any religious or cultural days. For example, some Jewish people may not be able to attend an event on the Sabbath. Think about your potential audience and whether anyone will be excluded from attending because of the day you’ve chosen. 

Consider the timing of your Section nights and whether these will work for your members. Many faiths take part in prayers and rituals around sunset and sunrise, so you may want to incorporate time for this into your schedule or arrange for activities to take place before or after this time.

When providing food and drink, think about whether the options available cater to the needs of all attendees. For example, Roman Catholics may abstain from eating meat on Fridays.  

Ask attendees if they have any dietary requirements. You may need to include a variety of food options that cater to different dietary needs. This includes halal, vegan, kosher, vegetarian, nut free, dairy free and gluten free options. 

Make sure food labels clearly indicate dietary needs, for example halal, kosher, vegan and so on. This can help attendees feel more comfortable.

Provide a prayer space for those who need it. This space should be private, quiet and clean so it can be used for prayer, meditation or quiet reflection. 

Think about the prayer needs of the people attending. For example, some faiths such as Islam may require a space for individuals to wash before prayer, so provide access to a nearby washroom or water source. 

Make sure the room is large enough to allow people to pray without feeling cramped. If possible, provide seating arrangements or floor mats to accommodate people who pray while seated or on the floor. 

It’s useful to communicate the availability and location of this space in advance, so members know it’s accessible to them.

At Scouts, we have multiple versions of the Promise available so everyone can make a Promise that works for them.   

If there isn’t a current version of the Promise that works for you, contact the Support Centre for advice on your proposed wording. Check out POR 1.12 for more information.

Plan your event in partnership with young people. Include them in the planning stages, let them make important decisions and support them to run the event. 

The best way to make sure large events are appropriate for all participants is to have a diverse team of people planning and running the event. Including a wide range of perspectives will make it easier to create an inclusive and welcoming event. 

The Lead Volunteer, Section Team Leaders and/or planning teams should know the religious traditions of the people attending. It’s important they understand that someone’s religious traditions could impact their involvement with faith events or moments of reflection. The easiest way to find out is to ask attendees how they’d like to take part.

It’s important the venue is welcoming and inclusive of everyone. The more open you are in choosing your venue, the more likely that a variety of people will come along. 

Be imaginative! A faith event doesn't always need to be held in a faith building. You could go to a field, a riverbank, a hill fort, a theatre or a town hall.  

If you organise your event in a faith building, it's a good idea to send out some guidelines about the venue to let visitors know expected behaviours so they feel prepared for their visit. For example, you may need to ask people to remove their shoes before going into a Hindu Temple or a Mosque. 

Visit venues in advance so you can check they’re suitable and make sure you can accommodate any specific religious or cultural needs.

Choose the date of your event carefully. Find out whether the date you’re considering clashes with any religious or cultural festivals, holidays or celebrations.  Think about your potential audience and whether anyone will be excluded from attending because of the date you’ve chosen. 

Use an interfaith calendar to help you identify potential date conflicts. This can be particularly helpful for people who are unfamiliar with specific traditions. 

Consider the timing of your activities and events and whether these will work for your attendees. Many faiths take part in prayers and rituals around sunset and sunrise, so you may want to incorporate time for this into your schedule or arrange for activities to take place before or after this time.

The programme of your faith event will depend on why you’re holding the event, who the event is for, the venue and the theme.  

Think about how to include an inclusive dress code so people can dress in a way that’s comfortable and suitable for them. For example, during a Remembrance service, some attendees may wish to remove their hats, while others may wish to keep their head coverings on in accordance with their faith and beliefs. 

Before a prayer or moment of reflection, you could say something like, ‘please prepare yourself for [prayer/reflection] as you see fit. If it’s your custom to remove your hat, please do so. If it’s your custom to cover your head, please do so.’

Ask for feedback throughout the planning process, event and post-event to help you create and run events which are inclusive for everyone.  

Before the event takes place, ask attendees if there’s anything you can do to support their attendance. Are there ways for attendees to provide feedback while the event is happening? For example, is there a designated person to speak to privately if there’s something the attendee needs?  

Towards the end of the event, circulate an anonymous feedback form. Arrange to meet as a planning team to discuss feedback, this will help you create an even better event next time!