{"alias":"blogEntry","byline":"Juliette Sexton, Programme Delivery Executive (Early Years)","standfirst":"Volunteers and Squirrels have achieved so much in the last year. Now, we\u0027re trialling Grassroots Scouts and family-led Dreys. Here\u0027s what you need to know.","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/19532/portsmouth-squirrels-2021.jpg","width":7360,"height":4912,"altText":"A group of Squirrels in uniform are sat on a parachute listening to a volunteer in a navy polo shirt and necker read a story.","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch3\u003EGrassroots Scouts\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe\u2019ve begun trialling Grassroots Scouts. Grassroots Scouts connects volunteers and staff, so they can share what\u2019s been going on.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe idea is that a member of the \u003Ca href=\u0022#\u0022 title=\u0022The early years pilot project\u0022\u003EEarly Years\u003C/a\u003E team comes along to a session to meet the Squirrels and volunteers. There are three options that section volunteers can choose from:\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cul\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESee, listen and share \u003C/strong\u003E\u2013 we come along and see how you run your Drey (or your meetings) and listen to your tales.\u0026nbsp;\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESee, listen, share, and do \u003C/strong\u003E\u2013 we also run games, tell a story, or lead a small part of the meeting on a topic we\u2019ve agreed.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESee, listen, share and do it all \u003C/strong\u003E\u2013 we take the lead on a pre-planned session with your Drey, or lead most of the meeting on a topic we\u2019ve agreed.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003C/ul\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAfter visiting, we\u2019d be keen to celebrate and share what we\u2019ve learned, either as a Scouts blog or on our Facebook groups.\u0026nbsp;\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s a great opportunity for Dreys to get their voices heard, and for volunteers to feedback directly. We\u2019ll then make sure the feedback gets to those who need to know.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022#\u0022 title=\u0022Grassroots Scouts in Squirrels\u0022\u003EHave a look at this page to find out more about Grassroots Scouts\u003C/a\u003E and invite someone to visit your Drey.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/19531/16th-east-london-squirrel-drey.jpg","width":7000,"height":4667,"altText":"Two volunteers and two Squirrels wearing neckers are sat on the floor with building blocks.","caption":"One family-led Squirrel Drey in London","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch3\u003EFamily-led Squirrel Dreys\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ETo kick off Grassroots Scouting, we\u2019ve visited a number of \u003Ca href=\u0022#\u0022 title=\u0022Family Squirrel Scouts\u0022\u003Efamily-led Squirrel Dreys\u003C/a\u003E. A family-led Squirrel Drey asks parents or carers to take part in the group. They come along with their child, and they can even bring their siblings along.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003EA visit to Hull\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIt was on a dark, but magical, night in November that we visited one such group in Hull.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ETheir Drey has been open for around three months, so it\u2019s still quite new. In such a short space of time, local District Commissioner, Josh, tells us that the family-led approach has revitalised an area of Hull where Scout numbers were falling. He\u2019s a keen advocate for family-led Dreys, as it brings in new volunteers.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe volunteers, parents and carers, and young people braved the pouring rain to leave their homes and get to their Squirrels session. When we arrived, the community centre is buzzing with laughter, as twelve Squirrels gather around a large table, bursting with arts and crafts activities.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003EParents and carers love taking part\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhether they\u2019re serving juice and biscuits, helping tidy up after meetings, or keeping an eye on activities, these parents and carers are making sure their young people have the best time possible at Squirrels.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBefore the Drey met, one mum (and a volunteer) took her own son, who\u2019s a Squirrel in the group, to gather handfuls of crisp leaves. They wanted to bring nature to the table for the Squirrels to make their own art. It\u2019s this grounding in nature and creativity that many of the parents and carers love.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Keep the messy stuff for Squirrels and we can do the clean stuff at home!\u2019 one parent shares, while another nods along in agreement.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOne parent told us that Squirrels gives her dedicated mummy time with her son. She said it\u2019s active and it tires her son out, so he\u2019s ready for bed. What a great way to start the week!\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003EVital opportunities for young people\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAnother parent shares how she feels this a vital opportunity for both children and adults to be active in their community. It gives the young people, who missed out on key development opportunities during the pandemic, the chance to socialise.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EShe says there\u2019s always something different to do each week. Young people get to meet other children their age and have fun. One more parent chimes in to say it\u2019s not about sitting still and listening all the time, it\u2019s very active and works for their age group.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018If you\u2019ve a very energetic child, it really suits them,\u2019 she says.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFor young people who are more quiet and nervous, having parents or carers at their sessions helps them feel more supported and confident to join in. Even their siblings love to come along and take part.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"type":"Image top","cta":"Find out more about family-led Squirrel Dreys","body":"\u003Cp\u003ETo open a family-led Drey, you\u2019ll still need permission from your District Commissioner and HQ.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIf you\u2019d like to find out more, have a look at our Family Squirrel Scouts webpages, or get in touch with \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:Katie.cruikshank@scouts.org.uk\u0022\u003EKatie.cruikshank@scouts.org.uk\u003C/a\u003E or \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:Davina.wilson@scouts.org.uk\u0022\u003EDavina.wilson@scouts.org.uk\u003C/a\u003E.\u003C/p\u003E","link":null,"colour":"#ca1a10","title":"Opening a family-led Squirrel Drey","image":"/media/19534/squirrel-scouts-at-gilwell-park.jpg?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1d9becd25cd6090","imageFocus":"","imageId":35281,"imageKey":"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000","imageCrop":"","gridType":"card","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"10 January 2023","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[{"caption":"","title":"Find out more about Squirrels","url":"/squirrels/","newWindow":false},{"caption":"","title":"Family Squirrel Scouts","url":null,"newWindow":false},{"caption":"","title":"Grassroots Scouts in Squirrels","url":null,"newWindow":false}],"relatedLinks":[],"id":76592,"nodeName":"Grassroots Scouts and family-led Squirrel Dreys","title":"Grassroots Scouts and family-led Squirrel Dreys","type":"blogEntry","image":{"url":"/media/19531/16th-east-london-squirrel-drey.jpg?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1d9becd25ab59a0","caption":"16Th East London Squirrel Drey","type":"jpg","size":12390566,"width":7000,"height":4667,"altText":"Two volunteers and two Squirrels wearing neckers are sat on the floor with building blocks."},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"Grassroots Scouts and family-led Squirrel Dreys","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"Find out about family-led Squirrel Dreys, where parents and carers (and siblings) get involved.","browserTitle":null,"silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC83NjU5MiJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2023/january/grassroots-scouts-and-family-led-squirrel-dreys/"}