{"alias":"blogEntry","byline":"","standfirst":"Preston Muslim Girls High School is making Scouts part of the curriculum and accessible to all - and in doing so have created the largest all-female Scout group to ever exist in the UK.","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EAs we look at how we can grow Scouts more inclusively, to reach more girls, women, and young people from Black, Asian and, Minority Ethnic communities, we\u2019re incredibly excited to share this story.\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOn 17 March, Preston Muslim Girls High School in Lancashire celebrated 122 of its Year 7 pupils being formally invested into the schools\u2019 new local Scout group. It\u0027s now officially the biggest all-female Scout troop to ever exist in the UK.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/20432/preston1.jpg","width":1899,"height":841,"altText":"Girls being sworn in","caption":"","link":null},{"quoteText":"It\u2019s truly inspirational to see the largest ever all female Scout troop come to life at Preston Muslim Girls High School! I\u0027m so proud to be a part of a movement where everyone feels welcomed and are embraced with open arms.","attribution":"Bear Grylls, UK Chief Scout","gridType":"quote","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"quoteText":"By incorporating Scouts into our curriculum, we\u0027re showing our commitment to providing important lifelong skills to our pupils. Skills, such as team work, confidence, resilience, creativity and so much more. We\u0027ve been delighted with how quickly the Scouts Group has become established and we\u0027re looking forward to watching it go from strength to strength.","attribution":"Mr Rehan Patel","gridType":"quote","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/20431/preston2.jpg","width":1903,"height":911,"altText":"Girl doing archery","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EPreston Muslim Girls\u2019 High school incorporated Scouts into their curriculum this academic year. Now, all Year 7 pupils at the school spend Friday afternoons taking part in an exciting range of activities to help them build skills for life.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESo far,\u00A0to name a few activities, the girls have learned to light fires from scratch, cook on an open fire, carve wood, practiced their archery skills and made s\u2019mores.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThey\u0027re now already preparing for their next adventure, which\u0027ll be a sleepover during the holy month of Ramadan.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EExtra-curricular activities are often not feasible for many families across the UK, due to the ongoing cost of living crisis. However, the leaders of Preston Muslim Girls High School have removed the financial pressure on parents and carers by paying for all Year 7 pupils to take part in Scouts.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/20429/preston4.jpg","width":1907,"height":899,"altText":"Girls making a fire","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EStories like this are fantastic because they show that Scouts truly is for everyone.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESometimes all it takes is initiatives, such as that at Preston Muslim Girls High School, that make sure that every\u00A0young person has an equal opportunity to join, removing any and all barriers to participation in joining in.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIf you\u0027ve a story of your efforts to reach new communities or become more inclusive, we\u2019d love to hear from you. \u003Ca rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 href=\u0022https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/df19cc8c66154d069a501715aba2756b\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EYou can share your story today.\u003C/a\u003E\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"31 March 2023","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[{"caption":"","title":"Share your inclusion stories","url":"/volunteers/equity-diversity-and-inclusion/race-and-ethnicity/race-equity/share-your-inclusion-stories/","newWindow":false},{"caption":"","title":"Our plan to develop race equity","url":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/about-us/strategy/our-programmes-of-work/race-equity/","newWindow":false},{"caption":"","title":"What we mean by race equity","url":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/about-us/strategy/our-programmes-of-work/race-equity/what-we-mean-by-race-equity/","newWindow":false}],"relatedLinks":[{"caption":"","title":"Our vision for equity, diversity and inclusion","url":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/about-us/strategy/our-programmes-of-work/our-vision-for-equity-diversity-and-inclusion/","newWindow":false}],"id":50425,"nodeName":"The UK\u2019s biggest girl Scout troop is created in Preston","title":"The UK\u2019s biggest girl Scout troop is created in Preston","type":"blogEntry","image":{"url":"/media/20432/preston1.jpg?rxy=0.49976167446691433,0.488929031573984\u0026width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1dab8e89b62fc50","caption":"Preston1","type":"jpg","size":268071,"width":1899,"height":841,"altText":"A volunteer wearing their uniform, necker and hijab stood talking to someone out of shot. They are smiling and holding their hand to their chest. There are other volunteers and young people standing near them."},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"The UK\u2019s biggest girl Scout troop is created in Preston","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"Preston Muslim Girls High School is making Scouts part of the curriculum and accessible to all - discover what they\u0027ve been up to.","browserTitle":null,"silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC81MDQyNSJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2023/april/the-uk-s-biggest-girl-scout-troop-is-created-in-preston/"}