We should all have received emails from HQ launching the next National Strategy for Scouts – Place to Belong. Learning from past experience and at times a feeling of being over whelmed with ambitions and targets, this new the strategy, whilst still ambitious, is separated into small units and time scales to allow us all to be able to respond in the best way that we can.
Young people today face many pressures. Many feel lonely, anxious about the future, and disconnected from others. Screens take up much of their free time, while safe places to meet, belong and just be themselves are becoming harder to find. Young people need a place to belong — somewhere that isn’t home or school. A place where they feel welcome, supported, listened to and safe.
Scouts is that place. Scouting offers friendship, fun, adventure and trusted adults who care. It helps young people do their best, not be the best. This strategy explains how Scouts will protect and grow that sense of belonging over the next decade. If you haven’t already had a look at the strategy, I would urge you to. We will soon be reaching out to Districts and the wider county membership to help us shape the Durham response to the strategy.
When looking at the strategy you will see that we want to continue to support volunteers to be able to deliver a great programme. Later in the newsletter you can read about our first “experience “ day, designed to encourage leaders to gain activity permits to allowing more young people to take part.
We will build on these days offering more opportunities to gain knowledge and training in SEND, what woodbadge looks like now, fist response training, basic scouts skills and anything else you as leaders tell us you need.
