{"alias":"blogEntry","byline":"","standfirst":"Over the past year, Squirrel Dreys have supported their local communities in incredible ways.","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ENear Gosport Squirrel Drey, there\u2019s a strong military presence in the community, meaning that lots of young people and the people they live with move around a lot. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ESome may only live in the area for a few months, so young members can find it hard to adjust to the changes of being in a new place.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBy going to \u003Ca href=\u0022/squirrels/\u0022 title=\u0022Squirrels\u0022\u003ESquirrels\u003C/a\u003E, no matter where they are, it means these young people have some consistency in their lives. They\u2019re always able to be a part of Scouts, make friends their own age and have fun.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen one family moved from Scotland, the Gosport Squirrel Drey linked up with their group in Scotland before they moved, so they could immediately welcome the family and help them settle in.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"value":"https://player.vimeo.com/video/722238794?h=501b15c4a1\u0026amp;app_id=122963","gridType":"embed","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass"},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EAs well as young people, Squirrels can support the whole family. Some parents and carers see the group as an extension of their military families, with a few parents and carers also volunteering at the group.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOne mum moved to the community from Wales. She said helping at Squirrels made her transition much easier.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EGosport also opened their doors to a family who recently moved to the UK as refugees from Afghanistan. Squirrels has given them a new community in the UK and helped them to settle in after fleeing their home. They\u2019ve done lots to support the family, such as giving them parcels for their daughter, Madiha.\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/18934/dsc_6710_mmp.jpg","width":7360,"height":4912,"altText":"A volunteer wearing a navy t-shirt and a necker looks to his right at his daughter who\u0027s a Squirrel. She\u0027s got a piece of cake in her hand and wearing her Squirrels jumper and a necker.","caption":"Madiha and her dad, Hik","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EMadiha loves attending Squirrels and she\u2019s made lots of new friends. To make her feel at home, the volunteers made sure they had books in her native language. Her dad, Hik, also speaks very highly of the group, and he\u2019s had a positive experience helping each week.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ESince opening Gosport Squirrels, the community has grown and the support for Scouts has strengthened, as they\u2019ve been able to recruit more amazing adult volunteers. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EWe hope you continue to have lots of fun together!\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"26 October 2022","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[{"caption":"","title":"Find out more about Squirrels","url":"/squirrels/","newWindow":false},{"caption":"","title":"Become a Squirrels volunteer","url":null,"newWindow":false}],"relatedLinks":[{"caption":"","title":"Supporting Refugees and Displaced Children","url":"/activities/?name=supporting%20refugees","newWindow":false},{"caption":"","title":"4 ways to support refugees and displaced children leaving Afghanistan","url":"/news/2021/august/4-ways-to-support-refugees-and-displaced-children-leaving-afghanistan/","newWindow":false}],"id":50417,"nodeName":"Squirrel stories: Supporting communities","title":"Squirrel stories: Supporting communities","type":"blogEntry","image":{"url":"/media/18934/dsc_6710_mmp.jpg?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1d9becd22b30130","caption":"DSC 6710 MMP","type":"jpg","size":8446970,"width":7360,"height":4912,"altText":""},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"Squirrel stories: Supporting communities","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"Squirrel Dreys, like Gosport, are doing lots to support families in their communities.","browserTitle":null,"silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC81MDQxNyJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2022/october/squirrel-stories-supporting-communities/"}