{"alias":"contentPage","byline":null,"standfirst":null,"content":{"layouts":[{"type":"sidebar","areas":[{"items":[{"type":"Promo","cta":"","body":"\u003Cp\u003EA Squirrel Leader talks about the challenges and opportunities they faced working in partnership with families from lower-income areas.\u003C/p\u003E","link":null,"colour":"#f1f1f1","title":"Reaching young people from lower-income areas","image":null,"imageFocus":"","imageId":0,"imageKey":"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000","imageCrop":"","gridType":"card","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch4\u003EWhere\u0027s the Drey located?\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Drey is located in a small market town, inland from the coast by 10 miles. It\u0027s a rural community, with mainly independent, local shops. Residents are required to travel by car for everything: the closest hospital is 33 miles away, the nearest college 18 miles away, and the dentist is up to 20 minutes away. There\u0027s also a limited bus schedule.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBecause of these reasons, the community often feels overlooked for financial aid. Their Group Lead Volunteer says: \u2018Funding goes to the coast or other larger towns.\u2019\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat are the challenges and opportunities?\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe local Scouts community is very active. The Squirrel Drey successfully opened in September 2021, and both children and parents are very engaged. To have a meaningful impact on the community, the Group Lead Volunteer says the group needs to be very organised, and very conscious about what can be done.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAs the group is located in IMD 2, there are some families that struggle financially. The Group Lead Volunteer suggested that to develop a positive relationship with families, they must respect their boundaries and remain open to honest discussions. Some families may not appreciate opening up about their financial situation, so the Leaders adopt a flexible approach and provide opportunities to tackle various scenarios.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe group has carefully budgeted for uniforms and posted them to the children\u2019s home addresses, so that no child felt that their families couldn\u0027t afford to buy a uniform.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThey also inform the families well in advance (three months) when there are camps or an overnight stay, so each family can budget and make sure they can make such a financial commitment.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWaiving fees is usually done on a 1:1 basis, and only after a conversation with the parents. The group has also opened a \u2018uniform bank\u2019. This is an opportunity for families to donate their uniforms, shoes, wellies, and coats. The uniform bank is looked after by the Scouts, and uniforms are available for free. The Group Lead Volunteer says she\u0027s happy the Scouts are looking after the uniform store, as it\u0027s a way for them to learn about inclusivity and develop a sense of responsibility.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWorking in partnership with parents and developing strong, positive relationships with families and children in the community has helped the local Scout group to grow and thrive over the years. It\u0027s especially important at a time when children\u0027s mental health can be at risk and some families may be struggling financially due to the cost of living.\u0026nbsp;\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"quoteText":"Scouts has done wonders for the community and the wellbeing and mental health of the children","attribution":"Group Lead Volunteer","gridType":"quote","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch4\u003EKey steps:\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cul\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003ETalk about your group\u0027s challenges and priorities with other volunteers in your group.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EBe prepared to have open and honest conversations.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EWork in partnership with parents and carers. For example, you can invite them to lead on activities.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003C/ul\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]},{"items":[{"type":"Image top","cta":"Running a Squirrel Drey on a council estate","body":"\u003Cdiv class=\u0022mt-2 text-reset\u0022 data-v-32acde55=\u0022\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EProviding opportunities for young people in IMD 1.\u0026nbsp;\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003C/div\u003E","link":{"name":"Running a Squirrel Drey on a council estate to reach new communities","id":null,"url":"/news/2023/november/running-a-squirrel-drey-on-a-council-estate-to-reach-new-communities/","newWindow":false,"target":null},"colour":"#ffb4e5","title":"Running a Squirrel drey on a council estate to reach new communities","image":"/media/19133/squirrel-on-rope.jpg?cc=0.277167277167277,0.20568049887375858,0,0.1844729517039474\u0026width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1dadf67f4383200","imageFocus":"","imageId":34722,"imageKey":"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000","imageCrop":"","gridType":"card","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"type":"Image top","cta":"Supporting young people with additional needs","body":"\u003Cdiv class=\u0022mt-2 text-reset\u0022 data-v-32acde55=\u0022\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EA volunteer shares her experience of supporting young people and adults with additional needs.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003C/div\u003E","link":{"name":"Supporting children with additional needs","id":null,"url":"/volunteers/growing-scouts/furthering-reach-toolkit/tales-of-furthering-reach/supporting-young-people-with-additional-needs/","newWindow":false,"target":null},"colour":"#ffb4e5","title":"Supporting young people with additional needs","image":"/media/14060/210510_squirrels_1137.jpg?cc=0,0.1561741300242783,0,0\u0026width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1dadf67f2a24fc0","imageFocus":"","imageId":27089,"imageKey":"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000","imageCrop":"","gridType":"card","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"type":"Image top","cta":"Diversifying your volunteer leadership team","body":"\u003Cdiv class=\u0022mt-2 text-reset\u0022 data-v-32acde55=\u0022\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EA Squirrel Leader talks about the importance of having a diverse volunteer leadership team.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003C/div\u003E","link":{"name":"Diversifying your leadership team","id":null,"url":"/volunteers/growing-scouts/furthering-reach-toolkit/tales-of-furthering-reach/diversifying-your-volunteer-leadership-team/","newWindow":false,"target":null},"colour":"#ffb4e5","title":"Successfully diversifying your volunteer leadership team","image":"/media/15249/two-female-volunteers-chatting-outdoors-jpg.jpg?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1dae8b50f15ea30","imageFocus":"","imageId":28968,"imageKey":"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000","imageCrop":"","gridType":"card","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":"Find out one Squirrel volunteer\u0027s experience of working in partnership with lower-income families.","pageType":null,"location":null,"browserTitle":"","versionDate":"15 July 2023","reviewDate":"26/05/2022","redirectUrl":"","id":50352,"nodeName":"Reaching young people from lower-income areas","title":"Reaching young people from lower-income areas","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":"Reaching young people from lower-income areas","headerSubTitle":"Find out one Squirrel volunteer\u0027s experience of working in partnership with lower-income families.","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":"Find out one Squirrel volunteer\u0027s experience of working in partnership with lower-income families.","silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC81MDM1MiJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/growing-scouts/furthering-reach-toolkit/tales-of-furthering-reach/reaching-young-people-from-lower-income-areas/"}