Scouting in Scotland is not just about weekly meetings in local halls. There is a tremendous amount of work which has to be done to make this possible and to make sure we are delivering the best experiences possible for young people and the adult volunteers who are key to our success.
some of our key goals to keep Scouting in Scotland thriving include:
supporting and valuing our volunteers
developing our programmes for young people
delivering a better service to our members
growing Scouting in Scotland
Scouting is the largest co-educational uniformed youth organisation in Scotland. As we head towards our second century we want to be able to offer more young people the chance to experience Scouting and the opportunities it can offer them.
Initiatives which are undertaking to grow include challenging Groups across the country to recruit more young people, and training youth members aged between 14 and 18 to become Young Leaders to help tackle the challenge of adult recruitment.
supporting and valuing our volunteers
Without the dedication of our adult volunteers Scouting would not happen.
We support our volunteers in a number of ways including providing a comprehensive training programme, and giving advice on a whole range of policies from child protection to financial regulations.
reaching out
We work with many individuals and organisations to promote Scouting and its interests, make sure we have a voice in the youth work sector and share our expertise for the benefit of others.
We have good links with MSPs and the Scottish Executive to ensure representation on isues concerning Scouting and have been involved in consultationon several important subjects including child protection and bichard, and funding of youth work.
We have developed a strong partnership with Project Scotland - the Scottish Executive's flagship youth volunteering initiative - and we have welcomed volunteers at our National Activity Centres at Fordell Firs and Lochgoilhead.
Our three National Activity Centres provide facilities and expertise to thousands of non-Scout users. They provide programmes for personal development, team building and National Governing Body awards for many groups, for example schools, colleges, youth and community groups and businesses.
developing our programmes for young people
Our core business. We are continually reviewing and improving the programmes we offer to meet the needs and interests of all our members.
Recent initiatives include a new award for Explorer Scouts (aged 14 to 18) which encourages and recognises camping in a wide range of challenging settings.
A key part of our programmes are giving young people new skills and we are giving media training to young people so they can be the voice of the Movement. The skills they learn can be used in many facets of their lives.
delivering a better service to our members
At Scottish Scout Headquarters we provide a wide range of support and services to help our members deliver Scouting locally.
In the past year we have recruited extra staff to provide Programme and Development and Communications support, supported a number of large scale events, secured and promoted funding for Scouting development and provided support and guidance to our members on a wide range of issues, for example Disclosure Scotland checks, finance and accounting requirements, Charity registration.
preparing for the future
The Centenary of Scouting in 2007 gave us the opportunity to remember our history and celebrate our achievements. More importantly it helped us to focus on what we want for Scouting in Scotland in its next Century.
During the past year we have been working on some key areas which will put us in a position to realise our plans. This includes restructuring Scottish Scouting to give better support to the people who deliver Scouting to young people and at the same time laying the foundations for a more sustainable future. We are also aiming to raise £2 million through our 7 On Appeal to allow us to strengthen our operation and expand opportunities for more young people beyond 2007.
Download our Annual Review '07 - '08 for more information.