Celebrating success

Whether we’re recognising a job well done, celebrating a permit or top award, or simply saying ‘thank you’, we should always take time to reward people in Scouts for their hard work.

Your young people

Young people in all of our sections work really hard to find the courage to try something new, persevere and learn a new skill, dedicate time to earn a new badge or complete their top awards.

From making their promise to their first Scout camp, celebrating everything our young people achieve should be a big deal.

Some ideas are:

• Roll out the red carpet for a big awards night with glamour and mocktails
• Giving out fun badges to say well done, celebrate trips or camps, or even their first toasted marshmallow!
• Celebrate with a trip to an adventure site or an ice-cream shop
• Have an awards celebration, investiture or end-of-term party and let young people plan it
• Some simple words of encouragement can go a long way. Give them a shout-out in front of everyone, cheer them on, celebrate them with their parents and carers, or send them a card from all the volunteers to say well done.

Remember, young people shouldn’t have to wait for more than a term to get their award presented. It means so much more if they get it right away. If there’s a large County or District celebration, present it twice. 

Your volunteer team 

We know we’re very lucky to have our volunteers, so we should take every opportunity to celebrate them.

It’s important to celebrate your volunteer team in Scouts, including adult volunteers, parent and carer helpers, and young leaders. It makes people feel valued, appreciated and motivated, as well as helping with retention.

Make sure you tell volunteers that you appreciate all they do and tell them regularly, such as at the end of each meeting.

Some ideas are:

• When a volunteer gets their Wood Badge, plans a fantastic session, runs a trip or camp, or earns an activity permit, find a way to acknowledge all the hard work they’ve put in.
• Use our Scouts awards scheme to thank people for their service – it’s easy to nominate people.
• Some simple words of encouragement can go a long way. Give them a shout-out in the group circle, celebrate your volunteers with parents and carers, or send them a quick message to say thank you.
• Celebrate long service awards and recognise them, as it’s these dedicated volunteers who keep us going. They could be presented in front of or by young people, so they acknowledge the commitment too.
• Host an awards night for your local area volunteers to attend and celebrate each other.

However you celebrate people and recognise achievements, by doing so you’ll bring a smile to their face and you’ll keep them coming back.

Your group

Every year, your Group will achieve some amazing things making a difference to your local community and the families you support.

Remember the things you do day in and day out each year, such as:

• Bringing new volunteers into Scouts
• Making young people laugh
• Helping people achieve their goals and learn new skills
• Hosting big one-off events and residential

These victories are worth celebrating. Why not mark them regularly by posting on social media? You could highlight them to parents and carers and the local community, too.

Why not hold an annual celebration through your AGM? Acknowledging what people have done is the perfect way to showcase what makes Scouts great, and keep your team feeling energised and valued.