Diversifying your volunteer leadership team

Where's the Scout Section located?

The Squirrel Drey is located in an IMD 5 area in one of the biggest cities in England, with children coming from deprived areas in IMD 1 and 2.

Paul, the Squirrel Leader, says that they're a very well established Drey. They've been running since January 2019.

The community is very diverse. Therefore, Paul and his Scout volunteer team are doing everything they can to make sure that the leadership reflects the diverse background of their Squirrels.

Successes and challenges:

The volunteers have been working very hard to build good relationships with communities in the area, making sure that everyone feels welcome and comfortable at Scouts.

For them, it's important that all advertising and media reflects that they're a diverse and inclusive group. This means taking pictures of both boys and girls, as well as showing the diverse leadership team, inclusive games, celebrations, and activities. 

They built a strong relationship with the local Mosque, focusing on shared values and celebrating religious occasions by encouraging the families to lead in the activities for those events. The group also has a positive relationship with a large domestic violence unit.

The volunteers had lots of conversations about what Scouts is, and how they can work together to improve what is going on in the community. 

As one of the volunteers says, diversity covers lots of different aspects: ‘It's also SEND, different learning opportunities, and also financial possibility to join Scouts’.

Some young people joined the group with English as a second language or with some learning barriers too.

Working in partnership with parents and carers is very important for the group. Parents and carers are invited to stay and show volunteers how to support young people with SEND.

The group is also mindful that not all the families can financially support their young people in Scouts. To support these families, the group offers a tiered subs system.

Open and honest conversations:

The best advice from the Squirrel volunteers is to reach out to different communities is to have honest conversations and be ‘really self-critical and have those challenging conversations’. In his experience, these conversations help to create an environment that makes Scouts a positive experience for all children and families in the community.

Working in partnership with parents and carers, diverse communities has helped the group thrive. They've learned a lot about diversity and inclusivity, so that the group reflects the people in the community.

Being part of a diverse and inclusive group benefits children from a very young age, and has helped them grow into confident and happy young people.

Key steps:

• Reach out to new communities by using our step-by-step guide to engaging a community.
• Take lots of pictures of what your Scout do. These can show what fun young people have, and what Scouts is all about.
• Have open and honest conversations with other volunteers, investing in their learning and development.