Reaching out to faith communities

Find out about reaching out to different faith communities in Scouts.

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A Squirrel volunteer shares his experiences engaging with a local Muslim community.

Where's the Squirrel Section located?

The Squirrel Drey is located in an isolated part of a London borough, in an IMD 5 area. The Drey attracts young people from a wider base due to location and facilities.

Currently, the Drey welcomes 10 Squirrels and it's one of four Dreys in their district.

I felt that we could offer new learning opportunities to Squirrels and Beavers so we have invited leaders to see us in action and discuss this possibility

Squirrel Leader

Successes and challenges

The Squirrel Leader reached out to a Muslim group in the borough that was about to start a Cub pack prior Covid-19.

The Leader also recognised that working in partnership with the Mosque and the wider Muslim community can attract new children and volunteers, and give the group the opportunity to grow all their sections.

The group is also closely working with other groups in the area, sharing waiting lists and Leaders. They supported a Drey with some young people with SEND, and helped the leaders create a programme that is ‘inclusive and make changes where needed’.

Working with the Mosque has helped the group attract young people from all backgrounds, as well as their parents who are keen to get involved and lead on activities.

But the group still finds some resistance from people who think that Squirrels is too young to be part of Scouts. The main learning point has been ‘to ensure your programme is varied and exciting and not to be daunted by those who cannot see the bigger picture’.

The group's advice to others is to reach out to different communities, as it helps vary the activities on the programme and also helps with recruiting leaders from different sections.

Key steps:

If you want to reach out to a community in your area, but do not know how, use our step-by-step guide to engaging a community.
Take a look at our support and guidance to help you connect with members of the Muslim community.
Work in partnership with other groups in your area. You can reach out and discuss activities, or share experiences with their Leaders.
Don't be afraid to ask parents to lead on new activities to understand other cultures. We have some amazing activities on our website.
Storytelling is also a great way for both Squirrels and adults to learn about other cultures.