{"alias":"contentPage","byline":null,"standfirst":null,"content":{"layouts":[{"type":"sidebar","areas":[{"items":[{"type":"Promo","cta":"","body":"\u003Cp\u003EA Squirrel volunteer discusses the importance of having a diverse leadership team and shares how they\u0027ve promoted it within their Drey.\u003C/p\u003E","link":null,"colour":"#f1f1f1","title":"Diversifying your volunteer leadership team","image":null,"imageFocus":"","imageId":0,"imageKey":"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000","imageCrop":"","gridType":"card","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch4\u003EWhere\u0027s the Scout Section located?\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Squirrel Drey is located in an IMD 5 area in one of the biggest cities in England, with children coming from deprived areas in IMD 1 and 2.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EPaul, the Squirrel Leader, says that they\u0027re a very well established Drey. They\u0027ve been running since January 2019.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe community is very diverse. Therefore, Paul and his Scout volunteer team are doing everything they can to make sure that the leadership reflects the diverse background of their Squirrels.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","image":"/media/21146/squirrels-and-leaders-playing-a-game-outside.jpg","width":7000,"height":4667,"altText":"Squirrels playing in a wide game in field, being watched by their volunteers","caption":"","link":null},{"quoteText":"By having this diverse volunteer leadership team from the start, it\u0027s meant that, as new Squirrels and parents and carers join, they feel more comfortable to stay","attribution":"Paul, Squirrel Leader","gridType":"quote","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESuccesses and challenges:\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThe volunteers have been working very hard to build good relationships with communities in the area, making sure that everyone feels welcome and comfortable at Scouts. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFor them, it\u0027s important that all advertising and media reflects that they\u0027re a diverse and inclusive group. This means taking pictures of both boys and girls, as well as showing the diverse leadership team, inclusive games, celebrations, and activities.\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThey built a strong relationship with the local Mosque, focusing on shared values and celebrating religious occasions by encouraging the families to lead in the activities for those events. The group also has a positive relationship with a large domestic violence unit. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThe volunteers had lots of conversations about what Scouts is, and how they can work together to improve what is going on in the community.\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EAs one of the volunteers says, diversity covers lots of different aspects\u003C/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E:\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u2018It\u0027s also SEND, different learning opportunities, and also financial possibility to join Scouts\u003Cspan\u003E\u2019. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ESome young people joined the group with English as a second language or with some learning barriers too.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EWorking in partnership with parents and carers is very important for the group. Parents and carers are invited to stay and show volunteers how to support young people with SEND. \u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThe group is also mindful that not all the families can financially support their young people in Scouts. To support these families, the group offers a tiered subs system.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003EOpen and honest conversations:\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe best advice from the Squirrel volunteers is to reach out to different communities is to have honest conversations and be \u2018really self-critical and have those challenging conversations\u2019. In his experience, these conversations help to create an environment that makes Scouts a positive experience for all children and families in the community.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWorking in partnership with parents and carers, diverse communities has helped the group thrive. They\u0027ve learned a lot about diversity and inclusivity, so that the group reflects the people in the community.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBeing part of a diverse and inclusive group benefits children from a very young age, and has helped them grow into confident and happy young people.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EKey steps:\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cul\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EReach out to new communities by using our \u003Ca rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 href=\u0022/volunteers/growing-scouts/furthering-reach-toolkit/engaging-with-communities-and-people/a-step-by-step-guide-to-engaging-a-community/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022A step by step guide to engaging a community\u0022\u003Estep-by-step guide to engaging a community.\u003C/a\u003E\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003ETake lots of pictures of what your Scout do. These can show what fun young people have, and what Scouts is all about.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EHave open and honest conversations with other volunteers, investing in their learning and development.\u00A0\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003C/ul\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]},{"items":[{"type":"Image top","cta":"Welcoming and including refugees","body":"\u003Cdiv class=\u0022mt-2 text-reset\u0022 data-v-32acde55=\u0022\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EDoing that little bit more supported the inclusion of an Afghan refugee at Squirrels.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003C/div\u003E","link":{"name":"Welcoming a refugee","id":null,"url":"/volunteers/growing-scouts/furthering-reach-toolkit/tales-of-furthering-reach/welcoming-refugees/","newWindow":false,"target":null},"colour":"#ffb4e5","title":"Welcoming and including refugees","image":"/media/17926/refugee.png?cc=0.04201020808794665,0,0,0\u0026width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1d89dd250b79090","imageFocus":"","imageId":32934,"imageKey":"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000","imageCrop":"","gridType":"card","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"type":"Image top","cta":"Reaching out to faith communities","body":"\u003Cdiv class=\u0022mt-2 text-reset\u0022 data-v-32acde55=\u0022\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EA Squirrel volunteer shares his experiences engaging with their local Muslim community.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003C/div\u003E","link":{"name":"Reaching out to Muslim communities","id":null,"url":"/volunteers/growing-scouts/furthering-reach-toolkit/tales-of-furthering-reach/reaching-out-to-faith-communities/","newWindow":false,"target":null},"colour":"#ffb4e5","title":"Reaching out to faith communities","image":"/media/18265/volunteer-sitting-with-beaver.jpg?cc=0.0000000000000001263187085796,0.04666333357141157,0,0.10964692998119174\u0026width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1dae1a076818e70","imageFocus":"","imageId":33431,"imageKey":"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000","imageCrop":"","gridType":"card","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"type":"Image top","cta":"Supporting those from military backgrounds","body":"\u003Cdiv class=\u0022mt-2 text-reset\u0022 data-v-32acde55=\u0022\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFind out how understanding the characteristics of a community can support engagement.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003C/div\u003E","link":{"name":"Supporting families and children from a military background","id":null,"url":"/volunteers/growing-scouts/furthering-reach-toolkit/tales-of-furthering-reach/supporting-families-from-a-military-background/","newWindow":false,"target":null},"colour":"#ffb4e5","title":"Supporting families and young people from a military background","image":"/media/20452/a-scout-leader-chatting-to-a-groupmin.jpg?cc=0,0.06649869255732191,0,0.08966692400433414\u0026width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1db30f2253a7ad0","imageFocus":"","imageId":36728,"imageKey":"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000","imageCrop":"","gridType":"card","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":"Discover how a Drey has diversified their volunteer leadership team in Squirrels.","pageType":null,"location":null,"browserTitle":"","versionDate":"15 July 2023","reviewDate":"26/05/2022","redirectUrl":"","id":50350,"nodeName":"Diversifying your volunteer leadership team","title":"Diversifying your volunteer leadership team","type":"contentPage","image":{"url":"/media/10478/scouts-logo.jpg?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1db789232a4a190","caption":"Scouts Logo","type":"jpg","size":30784,"width":800,"height":450,"altText":"The Scouts logo"},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"Diversifying your volunteer leadership team","headerSubTitle":"Discover how a Drey has diversified their volunteer leadership team in Squirrels.","headerCta":"","headerCtaText":"","headerCtaLink":"","headerBackgroundColour":"ffb4e5","showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":[{"caption":"","title":"Tales of furthering reach","url":"/volunteers/growing-scouts/furthering-reach-toolkit/engaging-with-communities-and-people/including-communities-and-people/tales-of-furthering-reach/","newWindow":false}]},"subHeader":"Discover how a Drey has diversified their volunteer leadership team in Squirrels.","silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC81MDM1MCJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/growing-scouts/furthering-reach-toolkit/tales-of-furthering-reach/diversifying-your-volunteer-leadership-team/"}