{"content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"type":"Promo","cta":"","body":"\u003Cp\u003ETo welcome more people than ever to our movement and to grow in an inclusive way. The benefits of what Scouts offers young people, volunteers, and communities must be open to all communities in the UK. We\u2019re focused on removing the barriers to joining, both for those on waiting lists, and those from communities who don\u2019t yet see a place to belong in Scouts.\u003C/p\u003E","link":null,"colour":"#205b41","title":"Our aim","image":null,"imageFocus":"","imageId":0,"imageKey":"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000","imageCrop":"","gridType":"card","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EIndices of Multiple Deprivation (IMDs) are widely used data sets that classify the relative deprivation in small areas of England, there are equivalents for Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. They give areas a deprivation score \u2013 1 being most deprived, and 10 being least deprived. Scouts is passionate about supporting more young people in IMD 1\u20135 areas. This section connects our growth objective in our Skills for Life strategy with the growth strategic outcome in our new Place to Belong strategy.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003EOur goals\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cul\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EBuild a representative movement, so our volunteer role models are reflective of the communities we serve.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EPrioritise specific support for the growth of new Squirrels Dreys, and retention within Beavers and Cubs, supported by the Omaze donation.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EFocus on capacity building and targeted delivery that accelerates Scouts being more accessible to underrepresented parts of society. This\u2019ll include work with Muslim communities and our Scouting in Black Communities pilot.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EEnable targeted local investment in growth capacity by supporting Counties and Districts to invest in locally funded growth staff.\u0026nbsp;\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003C/ul\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null},{"type":"TwoColumnLayoutBlock","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","image":"/media/cgrehxss/young-people-with-sticks.jpg","width":6000,"height":4000,"altText":"A group of young people talk while crouching down and holding sticks.","caption":"","link":null}]},{"items":[{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","image":"/media/tqpkm1e0/young-people-in-the-rain.jpg","width":6000,"height":4000,"altText":"A group of young people wearing rain coats smile while standing in the rain.","caption":"","link":null}]}],"config":null},{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch3\u003EProgress a year on\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThanks to the passion and commitment of our volunteers, we\u2019ve seen growth across many parts of the UK. However, it\u2019s not been universal, with continued challenges around retaining places for Beavers and Cubs. We know we can go further in supporting our volunteers to create the conditions for growth.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cul\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EWe\u2019ve seen an overall 0.4% decrease in numbers of young people (ages 4-18), 1,757 individuals, across Scouts.\u0026nbsp;\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EThere\u2019s been continued growth of Squirrel Scouts, which saw an increase of 3,831 young people this year.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EIn 2026, Scouts has 144,848 adult volunteers supporting our young people, up from 141,782 in 2025.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EOur staff team supported volunteers to open 270 new sections and reenergise a further 104 sections in England this year, of which 45% of those are in IMD 1-3 locations, and 66% are in IMD 1-5. 15% of these sections serve communities which have predominantly Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic populations.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EWith 452 new Dreys, we now have a total of 11,547 Squirrels places that have been supported by the generous Omaze donation.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EThis year, we opened 90 new Beaver Colonies and Cub Packs in England. However, Beavers and Cubs membership saw a 3.6% drop overall across the UK. Our volunteers tell us the biggest challenge is recruiting and retaining volunteers for this age range. We also hear concerns from volunteers about how to best support the behaviours this age group demonstrate, and how to support young people with SEND needs. We\u2019re enabling Lead Volunteers to actively work on addressing this, again supported by the Omaze donation.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EFrom an all-time high in 2025 of 21,162, Young Leaders declined by 5%, bringing the total to 20,054 members. This exceeds our Skills for Life target of 19,500 Young Leaders.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EThis year we\u2019ve welcomed an additional 243 Scouts and 1,488 Explorer Scouts. This has partly been supported by Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) funding, which enabled us to open 82 new Scout Troops and Explorer Scout Units in England.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EDespite the focused efforts on tackling waiting lists, demand for Scouts means our waiting lists remain similar to last year, with 107,601 young people wanting places.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EOur pilot for Scouting in Black Communities hasn\u2019t progressed as we\u2019d planned. We\u2019ve learned that we need to have the stability and commitment of permanent resource and to take a different approach to building relationships.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003C/ul\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null},{"type":"TwoColumnLayoutBlock","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","image":"/media/3lfkgd0a/young-people-potting-in-rain.jpg","width":6000,"height":4000,"altText":"A group of young people in rain coats smile while potting soil in the rain.","caption":"","link":null}]},{"items":[{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","image":"/media/2pubwyz4/young-person-in-raincoat-smiling.jpg","width":6000,"height":4000,"altText":"A young person wearing a rain coat smiles and waves while looking to the side.","caption":"","link":null}]}],"config":null},{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch3\u003EWhat\u0027s next\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cul\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EFocus on supporting volunteers in creating the right conditions for growth by reducing barriers, strengthening capability, and targeting support where it\u2019ll have the greatest impact.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EFocus on raising visibility locally to support growth \u2013 using the joyful celebrations of our triple birthday year: 5 years of Squirrels, 40 years of Beavers, and 110 years of Cubs.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EStrengthen leadership teams at County and District level by improving the recruitment, induction, and early effectiveness of County and District Leadership Teams.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EEmbed evaluation and data-driven approaches that monitor progress and impact, to ensure inclusion and growth is measurable.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EExpand and strengthen inclusion initiatives across all regions and communities.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003C/ul\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"prev":{"link":"/about-us/our-impacts-and-reports/scouts-annual-report-2025-26/the-path-ahead-shaping-the-next-nine-years/","title":"The path ahead: Shaping the next nine years"},"next":{"link":"/about-us/our-impacts-and-reports/scouts-annual-report-2025-26/more-young-people-gaining-skills-and-leading-change/","title":"More young people gaining skills and leading change"},"allParts":[{"link":"/about-us/our-impacts-and-reports/scouts-annual-report-2025-26/prepared-for-the-path-ahead/","title":"Prepared for the path ahead"},{"link":"/about-us/our-impacts-and-reports/scouts-annual-report-2025-26/focused-on-our-movement-supporting-volunteers/","title":"Focused on our movement, supporting volunteers"},{"link":"/about-us/our-impacts-and-reports/scouts-annual-report-2025-26/our-purpose-and-method/","title":"Our purpose and method"},{"link":"/about-us/our-impacts-and-reports/scouts-annual-report-2025-26/place-to-belong-our-strategy-to-2035/","title":"Place to Belong: Our Strategy to 2035"},{"link":"/about-us/our-impacts-and-reports/scouts-annual-report-2025-26/the-path-ahead-shaping-the-next-nine-years/","title":"The path ahead: Shaping the next nine years"},{"link":"/about-us/our-impacts-and-reports/scouts-annual-report-2025-26/a-growing-and-inclusive-movement/","title":"A growing and inclusive movement"},{"link":"/about-us/our-impacts-and-reports/scouts-annual-report-2025-26/more-young-people-gaining-skills-and-leading-change/","title":"More young people gaining skills and leading change"},{"link":"/about-us/our-impacts-and-reports/scouts-annual-report-2025-26/volunteers-who-feel-confident-supported-and-valued/","title":"Volunteers who feel confident, supported and 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