With Bucks Fizz being the tipple of choice and Sean Conway leaving us with stories of his unplanned excursions, questions such as “What are your top tips for recovery” and “What’s next for you” (with one of the clues being something about a Shaun of the Dead movie) were asked.
We then handed over to some of the UK team (CJ, Rob, Craig and Karl) to answer some of the more serious questions from the “floor”
From “What were your highlights of the year” to “How are you supporting youth leads”, the overall message was clear. Behind the scenes, everyone is working hard to develop Scouting to help give our young people the best experience we can as they progress from being the tiniest Squirrel, through all 6 sections and emerge as an adult volunteer, who will then receive a whole wealth of support in whatever role they choose to undertake.
The panel told us their Scouting highlights from the year, which included some big public appearances out and about, from VE Day celebrations, to “grilling the Prime Minister”. Windsor had many a proud parent watching as participants received an award (including proud dad Craig Turpie), and milestones were celebrated such as the 50th Anniversary of the National Scout and Guide Orchestra.
The Youth team are working hard to bring young peoples’ voices to the forefront of decisions and help spark change, from getting opinions at the UK Youth Forum, to handing over the reigns as roles finish and see where the next generation of youth leads take our movement. They are also supporting those in the youth lead roles by running training opportunities such as an upcoming development weekend at the end of September.
Of course, the new system got a mention and we were assured that issues are gradually being fixed and continuous improvements are being made. There was also talk of a big update coming which may well arrive not long after we’ve all made it home and showered after this mostly gloriously sunny weekend!
Strategy was discussed, and as #skillsforlife draws to the end of its tenure, we were asked “What would Scouting look like in 9 years?” There was a record breaking 30,000 responses to this survey which have helped shape the new strategy ready for its launch in 2026.
Welcoming more people into Scouting is something we do on a daily basis, in every corner of the nation, and whilst we are proud of what we have done so far, there is still more to do, especially with regards to our Black and Ethnic community, and bringing more young people and volunteers into our movement from all walks of life is something we really want to improve.
The programme is constantly being reviewed and with £3.5 million from Omaze, along with support from the Uniformed Youth Fund, we are reviewing all the Beaver and Cub badges and opening more units in deprived areas. There are also over 90 Explorer units taking part in a pilot for the new Explorer provision and continuous work is being done on how the Top Awards are mapped out between the Explorer and Network sections in the 18+ review.
Whilst that all may seem very heavy, there is so much for us to look forward to over the next year with some big milestones on the horizon such as the 100th Gilwell Reunion, the 20th Anniversary of the Muslim Scout Fellowship and plenty of other events as well as our new strategy launch and seeing more young people take the lead.
We were left with the words, “Focus on the knitting, what the young people need, and what the volunteers enjoy and hopefully Scouting will feel easier and more joyful” and if that doesn’t leave you feeling inspired and incredibly proud to be part of this movement, I don’t know what will!