Parents' Guide to Scouting - The Scout Association

WHERE DIDALL THATMUD COMEFROM?The No-Nonsense Parents’ Guide to Scouting.scouts.org.uk/parents

WELCOMETO YOURGUIDE TOSCOUTINGYour child is now one of 28 million youngpeople in 216 countries and territories whojoin in the fun of Scouting every week.The experiences your son or daughter has asa Scout are likely to stay with them for therest of their lives. This guide aims to give youa better understanding of how Scouting islikely to benefit your child and how any helpyou can give will really make a difference.

HOW IT ALL BEGANIn the UK, The Scout Association providesadventurous activities and personaldevelopment opportunities for 400,000young people. Over the decades Scoutinghas evolved to keep up with the timeswelcoming girls in all sections andintroducing new badges such as MartialArts, Healthy Eating and even Street Sports!THE SECTIONSScouting is open to all young people aged 6to 25 of every faith, ability and background.There are five sections:Beaver ScoutsCub ScoutsScouts6-8 year olds8-10.5 year olds10.5-14 year oldsExplorer ScoutsNetwork14-18 year olds18-25 year oldsA Scout Group is normally made up of a BeaverColony, a Cub Pack and a Scout Troop.The Explorer Unit and Scout Network are basedin the District or County.The generic term for members from all of thesesections is Scouts.

‘SCOUTING HELPSPARENTS PREPARETHEIR KIDS FOR LIFE.’SCOUTING - FOR ALL THE FAMILYParents value what Scouting does fortheir children. In an independent surveyof 2,000 parents of Scouts, nine out often parents said Scouting is worthwhile(seven in ten very worthwhile) and ninein ten said their children find Scoutingenjoyable (six in ten very enjoyable).Here are some of the things parents said:“ Scouting gives children more confidence,responsibility, a broader set of friends, a chanceto pursue things they might not get to dootherwise, adventure and an extended family. ”“ Scouting helps parents prepare their kids forlife, it helps parents let go of their children. ”“ It’s not just factual; they learn social skillsand about interacting. They have to rememberthings to bring the following week; they have totake a bit of responsibility for their own stuff. ”Many parents feel that their child attendingScouts gives them another reason tobe proud of their achievements:“ I don’t normally let him carry dinner platesthrough – he’s a boy and he’s clumsy! But when hecooked me a meal from scratch, I was so proud. ”“ I think I probably wouldn’t let Ella do as much asshe does, but when I see her at Cubs, doing thingsfor herself and her friends, I’m so impressed. Ithelps you step back and let them get on with it. ”“ They have fun and learn disciplinetoo. It’s a good combination. ”

ADULT LEADERS – THEMYTH-BUSTING TRUTH!The many benefits that Scouting offersyour child are mostly down to the time andcommitment given by our adult leaders.How much do you know about the peoplewho look after your child every week? Youmay not be aware of the following facts:• None of our leaders are paid –they are all volunteers.• The majority of our leaders havefull time jobs and a family.• 44% of our leaders are female.• Leaders get involved because they want tohave fun and make new friends themselves.• Leaders are not ‘superheroes’ who knoweverything. They are given training on thejob and learn new skills as they go along.The one thing that unites our leaders is theenergy and enthusiasm they have for givingyoung people the adventure of Scouting.• Whilst all our volunteers are passionate aboutwhat they do, many help out on a flexiblebasis due to other commitments. Some mayhelp out once a week or fortnight whereasothers help once a term or at summer camp.• 27% of volunteers help out in Scoutingas they are a parent of a current Member.Many were not Scouts when they wereyoung but have learnt new skills andmade new friends through Scouting.• Not all of our volunteers wear uniform.• Many of our adult volunteers say they aremore confident in their everyday lives as aresult of their involvement with Scouting.• Not all adults who volunteer for Scoutingwork directly with young people. There area variety of other jobs that need to be donesuch as gardening and general DIY, organisingevents, doing the accounts and writing pressreleases. This means that adult leaders who dowork directly with young people do not haveto spend all their time doing paperwork.• All our leaders are covered by a comprehensiveinsurance policy while taking part in Scouting.• New leaders in Scouting go through anenhanced criminal records check to ensurethey are fit to work with young people.One of the biggest myths about Scoutingis that Groups are closing down due to alack of young people wanting to becomeMembers. Nothing could be further fromthe truth; Scouting in the UK is growing.We currently have 32,000 young peopleon our waiting lists simply because wedo not have enough adults to help out.

“THEY HAVE FUNAND THEY LEARNDISCIPLINE TOO.IT’S A GOODCOMBINATION.”

GETTING MORE INVOLVEDLots of parents choose to get involvedwith their child’s Scout Group. Parentstell us that they mostly have a positiveexperience and feel they are contributingto young people’s development.“ Working with and for young people is great.Watching them grow in confidence, learningnew and valuable life skills which hold them ingood stead in adult life, and knowing that thelittle you have done in helping this process work,gives you satisfaction which money can’t buy. ”“ Scouting is ‘FUN! I love camping, outdooractivities and doing silly stuff otheradults never get a chance to do. ”WHY HELP OUT?There are many reasons why you mightchoose to volunteer for Scouting.To give something back to the community:“ I believe the kids get such a lot out of it; I justput a bit back for what the kids take out. ”To support the leaders:“ They give so much, you’ve gotto give some of that back. ”Because volunteering is a ‘good thing:’“ I just personally believe that you should alwaysdo some kind of voluntary work…otherwisenothing would get done in this world. ”To spend more quality time with your child:“ David used to go on his PlayStation2 whileI read the paper after school and work – nowwe get a chance to do activities together. ”To develop your own skills:“ I hadn’t used a compass since I was a Scout. AfterI learned how to use one again, I take one out onfamily walks. We get lost less than we used to! ”

EVERYONE HAS SOMETHING TO GIVEYou may feel that you have noskills to help with Scouting - buteveryone has something to give.Do you have any hobbies and interests that youcould share? For example, do you enjoy cooking?Are you a qualified First Aider who could run aninteractive session or do you have an interest innature and could take your child’s group on a funwalk through the local woods? If you don’t havetime in the evenings when groups meet, couldyou use your work skills to help out at a time tosuit you? Are you a gardener, an accountant or inPublic Relations for example? Perhaps you couldtake a group of young people to your place ofwork such as a police station or garden centre.Many leaders already involve parents of theiryouth Members. Cub Scout Leader Sarah said:YOU’LL GET OUT MORETHAN YOU PUT INVolunteering in Scouting is fun andrewarding. You will have the chance tolearn new skills, rediscover adventurefor yourself, make new friends, spendmore time with your child and givesomething back to your community.“ I enjoy Scouting as a complete break frommy demanding (and enjoyable) job: beinga Cub Scout Leader forces me to balancemy life in ways which would probablyotherwise get squeezed out by work. ”Now that you know more about volunteering forScouting, do you think you may be able to helpmore young people realise their potential?“ A parent who runs a golf club came along anddid a golf evening. Another parent who has musicaltalent taught the Beavers some new songs andplayed the guitar. Everyone had a great time. ”‘I ENJOY SCOUTING AS A BREAKFROM MY DEMANDING JOB.’

FIND OUT MORE…We hope you have found this guide useful andinformative. You will find a family informationform in the guide asking for some importantinformation about your child, your contactdetails and information about your job, skillsand hobbies. Please fill this in and hand backto your child’s leader as soon as possible.If you would like to find out more about helpingout at your child’s Group or one in your area, whynot speak to your child’s leader or call us on0845 300 1818You can also take a look atscouts.org.uk/parentsThese pages will give you more informationabout Scouting in general such as the A-Z ofScouting terms. Here you will learn what anAkela is, where the badges go, what wogglesare for and why Scouts shake hands with theirleft rather than their right hand! As well as thisyou can read our FAQs on becoming a volunteer,find inspiring case studies from leaders andbrowse the Scout Shops website where you canbuy uniform and other Scouting products.Keep in the loopAdventure News is a monthly e-newsletterfor parents. Subscribe to this atscouts.org.uk/parents and every monthwe will give you updates on Scoutingevents and initiatives as well as specialoffers from our corporate partners.‘AS AN ACTOR AND A FATHEROF FOUR I LEAD A BUSY LIFEBUT VOLUNTEERING MY TIMEAS CHIEF SCOUT HAS BEENVERY REWARDING. I HAVEMET SO MANY INTERESTINGPEOPLE, LEARNT MANY NEWSKILLS AND HAD LOTS OFFUN AT THE SAME TIME.’Peter Duncan, Chief Scout, January 2009

FAMILYINFORMATION FORMTo help your child’s leader pleaseprovide the following detailsCONTACT INFORMATIONChild’s name:..................................................................................................................................................Gender: M / F..............................................................Date of birth:...............................................................Religion:......................................................................Child’s address:.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................Child’s email address (if applicable):...................................................................................Parental name:............................................................Parental contact tel no. 1:...................................................................................Parental contact tel no. 2:...................................................................................Parental email address:...................................................................................MEDICAL INFORMATIONPlease list any medical conditions, allergies orspecial requirements your child has (full informationon the appropriate way to cater for theseshould also be given to your child’s leader):........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................Please give details of any dietaryrequirements your child has:..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................Alternative contact name (please state relationship):.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................Alternative contact tel no.:...................................................................................Continued overleafscouts.org.uk/parents

FAMILYINFORMATION FORMFURTHER INFORMATIONParent(s) occupation(s):...................................................................................Have you or your partner/spouse ever been amember of the Scout or Guide Movement?Mother - yes / noFather - yes / noPlease give details of any skills or hobbies youhave that could contribute to the running ofthe Group or the provision of activities: eg,first aid, DIY or office administrative skills.......................................................................................................................................................................Parental signature:Time available per week/month/yearfor assisting with the Group:......................................................................................................................................................................Data ProtectionAll information given will be used in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. Information given will only beused in connection with your son/daughter’s membership of the Scout Movement in the United Kingdom.The Scout Association, at all levels, may itself use your contact details (post and email) to keep in touch with youabout Scouting. However, by law we need your express permission for certain direct marketing services. By givingthis permission we can provide you with access to additional opportunities and services.Please tick the box if you are happy to be contacted:I am content to receive details by post and email about new products and services being promoted directly toThe Scout Association or its subsidiary companies.PLEASE RETURN THIS FORM AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO YOUR CHILD’S LEADER.