{"alias":"newsItem","byline":"","standfirst":"","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/19334/cub-making-promise.jpg","width":7000,"height":4667,"altText":"A group of Cubs making their Promise together in a field and smiling","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EEvery year on 23 April \u2013 in honour of St George, the patron saint of Scouts \u2013 Scouts across the UK hold some form of celebration. Traditionally, St George\u2019s Day celebrations have consisted of parades and faith services and, for some, these types of events remain popular.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EHowever, for many Districts this tradition no longer fully engages or reflects the make-up of their members, and they\u0027ve hosted their celebrations in a different way.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe guidance that follows incorporates examples from various Districts that might inspire you to try something a little different this year, ensuring your event is engaging for young people and welcoming to all.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EChoosing a venue\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESt George\u2019s Day\u0027s a great opportunity to bring people together and to promote Scouts in your community, so it\u2019s important the venue for your celebration isn\u2019t exclusive.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EScout events should be open to all, whatever their faith or beliefs. The use of a non-religious building or an open-air venue is a good starting point to ensuring the event is visible in the community and is welcoming to people of all faiths.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThis year, West Wirral District decided to move their St George\u2019s Day event from a church to Wirral Country Park, which is a venue that\u2019s open to the public and not exclusively aimed at one faith.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018People were walking by and they would stop and talk to us,\u2019 said Phillip Richardson, the District Commissioner, \u2018Everyone could see young people outside enjoying themselves. It was also a great opportunity for parents and carers to join in.\u2019\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EChoosing a venue that was open to all was very positive. A larger number of Groups attended the event than ever before and, according to Phillip, so did the number of visits they received to their West Wirral website.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018For about two weeks after the celebration, the visits and enquiries to our website were around double what we normally expect to get,\u2019 he told us.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFor Cambridge District, the venue they chose for their celebration this year was Abington Woods campsite. According to Chris Ward, the Group Scout Leader, the day was focused on activities and adventure. They found having the celebration in an open venue was \u2018more attractive for young people of different age ranges\u2019.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/19345/cubs-volunteer-talking.jpg","width":7000,"height":4667,"altText":"A volunteer wearing a blue polo shirt and necker speaks while holding their hands in the air.","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EShaped by young people\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EYoung people should always be able to mould their Scouting experience and St George\u2019s Day is no exception. For the Blacktoft Beacon District, their approach to this event depends entirely on feedback from their young people.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen she became District Commissioner five years ago, Linda knew she wanted to make St George\u2019s Day more of a celebration and she wanted young people to be at the forefront of shaping the event and giving feedback.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFor St George\u2019s Day, these activities focus on whether the young people enjoyed the event, which activities they should bring back next year, and what aspects just simply didn\u2019t work.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We\u2019re a very big District so during YouShape Month, we aim to engage the whole District to find out what we should do for St George\u2019s Day,\u2019 explained Linda,\u00A0\u2018We send activity ideas and games to volunteers, so they can ask for feedback from their young people.\u2019\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThis year, Blacktoft Beacon District\u0027s event took place at the Beverly Racecourse and the district\u0027s 13 groups gathered for a celebration. The day was filled with activities, including archery, a craft activity tent and a climbing wall. But, most importantly, all the activities were ones that young people chose for the event.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EDid you know - you can use our \u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/running-your-section/youth-shaped/youshape-award/\u0022\u003EYouShape resources\u003C/a\u003E to make sure your event\u2019s shaped by young people?\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/18416/volunteers-with-ball.jpg","width":7000,"height":4667,"altText":"Three volunteers stand in a line, while the volunteer in the centre holds a football above their head.","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EInclusive to all\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EScouts in Peterborough celebrated St George\u2019s Day this year with a multi-faith ceremony at the Ferry Meadows Country Park. They wanted to make sure that their event was welcoming to all members of their District.\u00A0The decision to hold a multi-faith event came from District Commissioner, Jacquie Smith, who wanted the event to be more representative of the District\u2019s diversity.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Peterborough\u0027s diverse. Our members reflect a variety of faiths, and we wanted to include and welcome everybody. We decided to do something non-denominational, so everyone could feel represented during the service,\u0027 said Adam Pallister, the District Communications Manager.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Afterwards, we received some excellent feedback from people saying it was much more representative of what Scouts is and what we do,\u2019 Adam told us.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA time to renew your Scouts Promise\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Promise helps all young people and adults keep the fundamentals of Scouts in mind. To make sure it\u2019s meaningful, it\u2019s important that every member can make the Promise in a way that truly reflects their personal beliefs.\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAlways remember that St George\u2019s Day is the time of the year when we get to come together as a community and reflect on the principles that underpin our movement. Making sure that those celebrations are reflective of our diversity and of our values is absolutely vital to the future of Scouts.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/19163/squirrels-making-promise.jpg","width":7000,"height":4667,"altText":"A line of Squirrels in red jumpers hold up three fingers while making their promise.","caption":"","link":null}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"07 January 2020","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[{"caption":"","title":"Getting ready for St George\u2019s Day","url":"/news/2021/march/getting-ready-for-st-georges-day/","newWindow":true},{"caption":"","title":"Our YouShape Award","url":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/running-your-section/youth-shaped/youshape-award/","newWindow":true},{"caption":"","title":"St George\u0027s Day activities","url":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/activities?name=st%20george","newWindow":true}],"relatedLinks":[{"caption":"","title":"Organising inclusive events","url":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/inclusion-and-diversity/including-everyone/faiths-and-beliefs/faith-events/","newWindow":true},{"caption":"","title":"Inclusion and diversity at Scouts","url":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/inclusion-and-diversity/","newWindow":true},{"caption":"","title":"Event safety and planning","url":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/staying-safe-and-safeguarding/safety/event-safety-and-planning/","newWindow":true}],"id":50382,"nodeName":"Different ways to celebrate St George\u2019s Day","title":"Different ways to celebrate St George\u2019s Day","type":"newsItem","image":{"url":"/media/19339/cubs-making-their-promise.jpg?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1dae349e364c200","caption":"Cubs making their promise in a circle","type":"jpg","size":847572,"width":7000,"height":4667,"altText":"A group of Cubs making their Promise together in a field standing in a row."},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"Different ways to celebrate St George\u2019s Day","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"Guidance to inspire you to try something a little different this year, ensuring your event is engaging for young people and welcoming to all","browserTitle":"Celebrate St George\u2019s Day","silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC81MDM4MiJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2020/january/celebrate-st-georges-day/"}