{"alias":"blogEntry","byline":"Dwayne Fields, Chief Scout ","standfirst":"To mark one year as Chief Scout, I want to give more young people the chance to belong.","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ciframe width=\u0022560\u0022 height=\u0022315\u0022 src=\u0022https://www.youtube.com/embed/k_631CsR79s?si=RESXpSRbZ3_yN36q\u0022 title=\u0022YouTube video player\u0022 frameborder=\u00220\u0022 allow=\u0022accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\u0022 referrerpolicy=\u0022strict-origin-when-cross-origin\u0022 allowfullscreen=\u0022allowfullscreen\u0022\u003E\u003C/iframe\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI can\u2019t believe it\u2019s been a year since I became \u003Ca href=\u0022/about-us/our-people/chief-scout/\u0022 title=\u0022Chief Scout\u0022\u003EChief Scout\u003C/a\u003E.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI remember that September day at Scout Park, north London, so clearly \u2013 around the campfire, remaking my Promise, with young people and volunteers cheering me on.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAs the sun came up on our camp, and the TV trucks started rolling in, I can\u2019t pretend that I wasn\u2019t daunted about the task ahead.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBut you, our Scouts and volunteers, have made it so much easier for me. I\u2019ve had the privilege of visiting Scout events in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England in my first year. And at every camp, jamboree, adventure centre and meeting, I\u2019ve had such an incredible welcome, support and acceptance.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI\u2019ve met inspirational young people like ChorKiu, who said getting outdoors as part of Scouts helped calm her stress. I spoke with Yehor, who arrived in the UK after being evacuated from Ukraine and found a sense of belonging. And Lucy, who used skills she\u2019d learned at Scouts to help save her grandad\u2019s life.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI\u2019m so proud of our volunteers and what they do for our young people, giving them the encouragement and self belief they need. That\u2019s why, one year on, I want to do something special.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch4\u003EWhy am I launching my appeal?\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThis week, \u003Ca rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 href=\u0022https://fundraise.scouts.org.uk/appeal\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EI\u2019m launching my first Chief Scout\u2019s Appeal\u003C/a\u003E.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI\u2019m asking those outside our movement to give us a helping hand, either by volunteering or making a donation to give more young people a chance to belong.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI want to use this anniversary to launch a special appeal so we can give even more young people the same chance I had when I was a shy kid in north London, struggling to make friends, and connect with the outdoors. I\u2019ll never forget the kindness, and encouragement I felt when I walked through the door at my first Scout meeting.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","image":"/media/3umlg0xu/chief-scout-dwayne-fields-holding-the-one-year-as-chief-scout-blanket-badge.jpg","width":6960,"height":4640,"altText":"The image shows Chief Scout Dwayne Fields stood on grass at a campsite with four pitched tents and trees in the background. He\u0027s wearing a navy t-shirt with a small white fleur-de-lis on the left and a white, red, and navy necker. He\u0027s holding the one year as Chief Scout blanket badge while looking at the camera.","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch4\u003EWhy now?\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EToo many young people are growing up in families facing real challenges. The struggles are everywhere: rising cost of living, as well as limited access to safe places to play.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAdd the pressure to succeed and the impact of social media, and it\u2019s no wonder so many young people feel overwhelmed and anxious.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch4\u003EHow long does the appeal run for?\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe appeal runs from early September into the autumn, and you might see some activity around this. As well as asking for help to give young people a chance to belong, it\u2019s a moment to celebrate the amazing work you, our volunteers, do.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThis appeal will help us:\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cul\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003Eopen new Groups in more communities, particularly those where young people are missing out,\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003Esupport and train more volunteers, and\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003Eremove financial barriers that prevent families from joining.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003C/ul\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThank you for all the support you\u2019ve given me, and for everything you do to support young people.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"type":"Promo","cta":"","body":"\u003Cp\u003EYou can find more information about the Chief Scout\u0027s Appeal by \u003Ca rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 href=\u0022https://fundraise.scouts.org.uk/appeal\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Evisiting our appeal page\u003C/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EYou can also \u003Ca rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 href=\u0022https://shop.scouts.org.uk/dwayne-fields-one-year-as-chief-scout-blanket-badge-29956\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Ebuy the blanket badge, marking one year of Dwayne Fields as Chief Scout\u003C/a\u003E. Every badge bought helps more young people join Scouts.\u003C/p\u003E","link":null,"colour":"#f1f1f1","title":"Find out more about the Chief Scout\u0027s Appeal","image":null,"imageFocus":"","imageId":0,"imageKey":"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000","imageCrop":"","gridType":"card","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","image":"/media/odgl0pot/one-year-as-chief-scout-blanket-badge.jpg","width":2000,"height":2000,"altText":"The image shows the One year as Chief Scout blanket badge. It\u0027s got a purple background with a orange edge. There\u0027s a white fleur-de-lis at the top in the middle, and a green and orange heart and hands image beneath it with stars. The text says \u0027One year as Chief Scout 2025\u0027 with Dwayne Field\u0027s signature underneath.","caption":"","link":null}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"27 August 2025","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[{"caption":"","title":"Chief Scout, Dwayne Fields","url":"/about-us/our-people/chief-scout/","newWindow":false},{"caption":"","title":"The Chief Scout\u0027s Appeal","url":"https://fundraise.scouts.org.uk/appeal","newWindow":false},{"caption":"","title":"Buy the blanket badge from Scout Store","url":"https://shop.scouts.org.uk/dwayne-fields-one-year-as-chief-scout-blanket-badge-29956","newWindow":false}],"relatedLinks":[],"id":86878,"nodeName":"The Chief Scout\u2019s Appeal: A chance to belong","title":"The Chief Scout\u2019s Appeal: A chance to belong ","type":"blogEntry","image":{"url":"/media/3umlg0xu/chief-scout-dwayne-fields-holding-the-one-year-as-chief-scout-blanket-badge.jpg?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1dc1731917fa410","caption":"Chief Scout Dwayne Fields Holding The One Year As Chief Scout Blanket Badge","type":"jpg","size":5456299,"width":6960,"height":4640,"altText":""},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"The Chief Scout\u2019s Appeal: A chance to belong ","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"It\u0027s been a year since Dwayne Fields became Chief Scout. Here\u0027s why he wants to give more young people a chance to belong.","browserTitle":"The Chief Scout\u2019s Appeal: A young person\u0027s chance to belong","silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC84Njg3OCJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2025/september/the-chief-scout-s-appeal-a-chance-to-belong/"}