{"alias":"storyCaseStudy","byline":"","standfirst":"","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EExcitingly, there are now over \u003Cspan\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.scouts.org.uk/about-us/strategy/our-programmes-of-work/early-years/\u0022\u003E200 new Squirrel Dreys\u003C/a\u003E\u003C/span\u003E set to start this autumn. This includes 90 existing Squirrels in Northern Ireland who\u2019ll merge with their local Scout Groups, and 44 pilot groups that will continue to run.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOver in Portsmouth, they\u2019ve opened six sections for 4 and 5 year olds as part of the pilot trials and have reached 500\u002B new young people over the last couple of years. They\u2019ve even had to open a brand-new Scout Group to cater for the demand for early years Scouts in an underrepresented community.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe new group is located where a previous Scout group folded 15 years ago, and there are neighbouring groups with huge waiting lists \u00AD\u2013 so they knew there was appetite. They\u2019ve bolstered the new group by opening Beavers and plan to start Cubs this October.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIn the two months that they\u2019ve been open, the Portsmouth group has registered 13 leaders and sectional assistants, and a full executive committee. Portsmouth have moved to an almost completely online appointments committee, making it so much easier and faster to get new people on board. \u0026nbsp;\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EPortsmouth\u2019s success is linked to their innovation. The District have an interactive shopfront sharing what Scouts looks like, QR codes to get on the District waiting list for young people and to submit volunteering enquiries, and their very own billboard.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe spoke to the County Development Officer in Hampshire to \u003Ca href=\u0022/news/2021/september/top-tips-for-recruiting-volunteers/\u0022 title=\u0022Top tips for recruiting volunteers\u0022\u003Efind out more about their recruitment efforts\u003C/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe District is now thriving and with the new provision for even younger young people, they\u2019ve broken the one-thousand youth members mark.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EKieron, District Commissioner in Portsmouth, said, \u2018The early years programme has invigorated the District and encouraged adults to get involved in all of Scouts, not just the Squirrels section. It\u2019s really helped to accelerate the growth of the District. I\u2019m thrilled about the progress and I\u2019m so excited to see the move to Squirrels this September.\u2019\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EKieron found that there have been quite a few organisations interested in supporting them to open Scouts for younger people. They\u2019ve applied for funding to help get things set up sustainably and recommend exploring this as an option.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe pilot groups, previously known as Hedgehogs, will transition to be called Squirrels as we start to roll out the new section this September.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe\u2019re asking volunteer line managers to opt in to start Squirrels whenever they\u2019re ready. We\u2019re also opening a limited number of sections to begin with, to make sure that there\u2019s the right support in place.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe particularly encourage those who can open Squirrels in communities where Scouts is currently underrepresented to do so. They might just have the same success as Portsmouth!\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"callToAction","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","buttonText":"Discover how to express interest in opening a Squirrels Drey","buttonLink":{"name":null,"id":null,"url":null,"newWindow":false,"target":null},"colour":{"value":"ca1a10","label":"ca1a10"},"alignment":"left"}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"09 September 2021","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[{"caption":"","title":"Learn more about Squirrels","url":"/squirrels/","newWindow":false}],"relatedLinks":[{"caption":"","title":"Shop the Scout Store Squirrels Merchandise","url":"https://shop.scouts.org.uk/squirrels?utm_source=scouts.org\u0026utm_medium=referral\u0026utm_campaign=squirrels\u002Bgroup\u002Bstory\u002B","newWindow":true},{"caption":"","title":"Express your interest to open a Squirrels Drey","url":null,"newWindow":false},{"caption":"","title":"Volunteer today","url":null,"newWindow":false},{"caption":"","title":"Squirrels supporters","url":"/supporters/squirrels-supporters/","newWindow":false}],"id":50390,"nodeName":"How Portsmouth\u2019s reached new communities with Squirrel Scouts","title":"How Portsmouth\u2019s reached new communities with Squirrel Scouts","type":"storyCaseStudy","image":{"url":"/media/13988/210510_squirrels_0227.jpg?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1dadf67f16b0840","caption":"Squirrels running and smiling outside","type":"jpg","size":1009871,"width":5943,"height":3963,"altText":"Three Squirrels, wearing red jumpers and red scarves, run across some grass."},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"How Portsmouth\u2019s reached new communities with Squirrel Scouts","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"Read about how Portsmouth\u0027s reached new communities with Squirrels.","browserTitle":null,"silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC81MDM5MCJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2021/september/how-portsmouth-s-reached-new-communities-with-squirrel-scouts/"}