Following the recent release by UK Scouts of our Building Brighter Futures Manifesto, I wanted to use my update this month to share more about it, why it is important and how we can all get involved to
Purpose of the Manifesto
The Scouts’ Manifesto is a clear statement outlining nine policy requests, encouraging the next government to take action and support young people and volunteers in building a brighter future.
Development Process
The manifesto was developed in collaboration with Youth Advocates, UK Youth Leads, and volunteers, including our Scottish Youth Lead Mollie.
These stakeholders
- recognized the need for increased opportunities for young people who may not have access to extracurricular activities like Scouts.
- emphasized the importance of empowering young people with skills to drive positive change and build brighter tomorrows.
Key Requests
The Manifesto outlines the following:
- More, well-trained, better-supported, and motivated adult volunteers.
- Increased diversity: Attracting more young people from diverse backgrounds.
- Enhanced perception: Making Scouts more visible, trusted, respected, and recognized for its role in society.
- Empowering young people: Providing skills for life and opportunities for positive impact.
- Recruitment of 40,000 new volunteers: Ensuring continued empowerment of young people.
- Advocacy for all young people: Not limited to Scouts—aiming for brighter tomorrows across the board.
Why is this important?
With over 100,000 young people waiting to join Scouts groups, time is of the essence.
The benefits of out-of-school and extra-curricular activities are clear, and we can’t keep the UK’s young people waiting any longer.
This manifesto is not about politicizing Scouts or supporting any one party. It’s a tool for influencing the government to create a better tomorrow for our youth and volunteers. By embracing its key messages and advocating with out elected representatives we can work together to build a brighter future!
What are we doing in South East Scotland Scouts?
In the Region, we are investing heavily in the development of Scouting locally, to bring in more volunteers, increase provision and provide Scouting to more young people in South East Scotland.
This week saw our new Scouting Support Staff join us – you can meet them here – and they will play a key part in helping us to achieve the ambitious targets of our Regional Strategy, which means we will be preparing more young people in South East Scotland with skills for life, supported by amazing leaders delivering an inspiring programme. We are also making use of the support provided by Scouts Scotland’s new Local Growth Officer Calum to give ourselves the best chance to achieve. We are already working with Lead Volunteers in Districts to focus on our best opportunities for growth in South East Scotland and you will see the first growth projects bearing fruit soon! (So keep an eye on future newsletters)
As Lead Volunteer I will also be using this new Manifesto to engage with local elected representatives and those standing for elected office to ensure that the voice of Scouting is being heard.
But it isn’t just for me to use – there are opportunities for all members to get involved.
Ways to get involved
One of the easiest ways to engage with MPs or candidates is by directly sharing the manifesto with them via email. It’s a simple and quick method to share the campaign and begin building a relationship.
If you’ve already established a relationship with your MP, fantastic! It’s still beneficial to send an email sharing the manifesto, especially if you’re aware they support Scouts.
Once you’ve sent the email, a member of their team will read it and inform the MP or candidate. As a constituent, you’ll receive a response, and you can extend an invitation to visit your scouts’ group or upcoming events.
Who can contact MPs or candidates?
Any volunteer is encouraged to share the manifesto with their local MP. If you need support, you can work together with your group leader or district commissioner or contact the policy and public affairs team.
How do I contact my MP?
You can find your MP’s contact details here: https://members.parliament.uk/FindYourMP
Simply search using the Group’s postcode or town it sits in and copy the constituency office email available on the website.
Here is an example of an email you could send to the MP:
Dear [MP’s Name],
I hope this email finds you well.
My name is [Name], I am a constituent of yours in [Enter constituency], and [volunteer title] at [enter name of group] Scout Group/Explorer Unit/Network. I’m excited to share the launch of the Scouts’ manifesto: “Building Brighter Tomorrows”.
Scouts play a crucial role in your constituency, equipping young people as young as 4 with skills for life. However, the harsh reality is that across the UK, nearly 100,000 young people are on a waiting list, in our constituency there is [insert number of young people on the waiting list] due to a shortage of volunteers.
Created with young Scouts and volunteers across the United Kingdom, this manifesto is a call to action, and a blueprint for a brighter future for young people, volunteers, and civil society.
Now, why should you care? Because by supporting what we’re asking for, you’re showing you care about young people and want to make our community better for everyone.
Please see attached the Manifesto and consider how you can support our nine policy asks.
I look forward to hearing from you and seeing how you can help Scouts in our community.
Thank you for your time.
Best regards,
After contacting your MP or candidate and establishing a relationship, why not extend an invitation to your group or local event? This provides an excellent opportunity to showcase first-hand how Scouts develops essential life skills in young people and the crucial role that volunteering plays in making this happen.
Past visits from MPs to our groups have featured engaging Q&A sessions, demonstrations of our Community Staged Impact Badge, showing MPs the activities Scouts enjoy, like learning how to build a fire, and much more!
Who invites local MPs to visit groups?
We encourage Group leaders and Assistant leaders to extend invitations to MPs to visit your local group, but this is something District leads may always want to be involved with. If you require assistance, please feel free to reach out to our Policy and Public Affairs team, who are available to offer support.
Activities and badges to work towards:
We offer a variety of engaging activities and a wide selection of badges suitable for young people of all ages! It’s a fantastic opportunity for them to participate in civic engagement and learn about democracy and community impact.
Why not consider the YouShape Award? It’s a great way to encourage involvement and empower young people to make a difference. They can even reach out to local decision-makers like councillors or MPs to advocate for Scouts in your area. For those seeking a more challenging badge, the Community Impact Staged Activity Badge is an excellent choice.
It offers different stages to choose from, all focusing on making a positive impact in the community. You can even invite a local decision-maker to your group to showcase the group’s achievements and emphasise the importance of their contributions.
Looking for more inspiration? Browse more impactful community-focused activities here!
What is a husting?
A husting is a meeting where election candidates or parties debate policies and answer questions from the audience. Hustings provide an opportunity to hear the views of candidates or parties.
When all candidates or parties standing are invited, a husting does not promote any candidate or party because they all can speak and be questioned. You can read our political campaigning and general election guidance for support.
Who is responsible for hosting a youth husting?
We suggest group leaders and assistant leaders take the lead, with the option to seek support from the District Lead. However, note that our district boundaries may not align with constituency boundaries.
Why should I organise a youth husting?
There are many benefits for hosting a husting:
- Democratic education: Hosting a youth husting helps educate young people about how politics works, getting them more involved and informed about what’s happening in their community.
- Representation: It makes sure that young people’s voices are heard and included in political decisions, making sure everyone’s perspective is considered in democratic discussions
- Dialogue: Youth hustings spark conversations between young people, political candidates, and elected officials, helping everyone understand different policies and viewpoints better.
- Policy Influence: By organising a youth husting, you can give young people a platform to influence political agendas and policies, empowering them to make a real difference in their community.
How do I organise a husting?
1. Pick a date: choose a date for the hustings that works well for everyone.
a. Please note that MPs are in Parliament from Monday to Thursday so you may want to pick a date on Thursday or Friday evenings!
2. Invite candidates: Invite a balanced selection of political candidates from different parties or viewpoints to participate, allowing equal opportunity for all to present their ideas. To find who your local candidates are, you may want to use this resource: https://whocanivotefor.co.uk/ppcs/
3. Invite young people: Reach out to young people in the Scouts community and invite them to attend the event.
4. Provide information: Share information about how the hustings will run, making sure young people and candidates know what to expect.
5. Prepare questions: Encourage young people to prepare a range of questions for MPs and candidates so they can get involved.
6. Make it happen and share with the Public Affairs team so we can promote your amazing work supporting young people!
Running a Facebook group? Active on Twitter or Instagram? You can lend your support and amplify the campaign message by sharing the social media materials provided below.
Who can share the manifesto on social media?
We encourage all volunteers to demonstrate their support and join us in shaping a brighter future by reposting and spreading the message across platforms such as Facebook groups, Twitter, and Instagram.
Check out this example of how you can help spread the word:
“At Scouts, we’re committed to making sure every young person has access to enriching extracurricular activities.
Right now, we have 100,000 young people on our waiting lists. To meet the demand, we need over 40,000 new volunteers. But we can’t do this without Government’s support.
Young people and volunteers cannot afford to wait any longer. They urgently need support to #BuildABrighterTomorrow.
Visit Scouts.org.uk/Manifesto to find out what support we’re asking for.”
