Introduction:
Research has shown that volunteering has a hugely positive impact on the lives of those who volunteer in the charity sector.
Over 90% of our volunteers say that their Scout experiences are hugely beneficial. According to recent research, the majority of volunteers reported having improved life satisfaction (70%) and self-esteem (66%) since beginning volunteer work, as well as having reduced feelings of loneliness (42%) and stress (33%). Nearly two thirds (65%) also said that since beginning volunteer work, they have developed useful employability skills; with 59% saying they feel more confident and 54% feeling more motivated in their jobs.
Source: 2021 Scouts Survey
Why not read some volunteer stories here.
Scouts – to open up corporate conversations
Scouts is one of the largest youth organisation in the UK. Each week over 400,000 young people and 100,000 adult volunteers take part in Scouting projects. Scouts is a solid and safe brand with ambassadors such as Bear Grylls, Tim Peake, Anita Rani, Warwick Davis, Helen Glover, Ellie Simmonds, and many. You don’t have to be Bear Grylls to get involved. Scouts are made of do-ers and give it a go-ers. Organisations will have many of these types in their workforce.
Locally in Edinburgh and the surrounding area, South East Scotland Scouts support 6,500 young people and 2,000 adults stretching from Edinburgh on the south bank of the River Forth to the English border. We are one of the largest Scouting regions in Scotland. Our region includes the local authority council areas of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian, and Scottish Borders.
We’re here to help them. We have 89 Groups in South East Scotland in Edinburgh, Midlothian, Borders, and East Lothian with some 6,500 young children aged 4-25 (based on the Census 2022).
Opportunity – to explain to an employer
We’d be delighted to discuss opportunities to provide the necessary information to you/to staff to give them information about volunteering opportunities with South East Scotland Scouts. Volunteering is rewarding.
We are here to help the community organisations employ and support the next generation by providing skills for life. Working with the company would send a great message and could provide goodwill marketing. We wish to enable those moving on to the next stage of their life to remain valued as their skills and experience would be relevant and enable your existing employees to support their local community and know the opportunities locally for them and their children. And help you as an organisation to be seen – and to do – good.
Note: We obviously offer approved training, support and 100% go through the necessary checks to ensure the safety of all. Read more about our impact here Our impact and reports | Scouts
Staff we can reach and with what opportunity:
Group 1/Message 1 – to those employees looking to retire or whose skills are relevant for the role(s):
Why? We believe this group still has the abilities and capabilities but when they retire, what next? They can still contribute to society and their community and use their intelligence and existing skills. Their skills can be put to effective use to enable them to transition on to the next chapter of their life.
Example roles 1: (‘Behind the scenes’) as part of the Executive Scouts members – Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Trustee, general member or as an Active Support member
Example roles 2: (Working with young people) as leaders, assistant leaders, occasional helpers, and more.
Location: Either at a District level (local authority council areas of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian, and Scottish Borders) or more locally for a Scout Group nearby (there are 89 Groups in our South East Scotland region).
Description: The Group Executive Committee plays a vital role in the running of a Scout Group. Executive Committees make decisions and carry out administrative tasks to ensure that the best quality Scouting can be delivered to young people in the Group.
Ideal for: someone who has a bit of time to help, maybe about to retire, has the relevant skillset. Note: they do not need to have any prior Scouting experience
Ways to engage:
Group 2/Message 2 – to those parents/carers/grandparents with Scout age children or whose skills are relevant for the role(s):
Why? Almost all of our 89 Scout Groups hold waiting lists. Due to the pandemic, we need more volunteers to help Scouts provide the Scouting experience for the existing young people and to reduce our waiting list. We can’t do this without adult help. These are exciting times for Scouting as we help young people develop skills for life whilst having a lot of fun. So, we are always looking for adult volunteers to support our young people and we have a range of roles which are available which could suit different skills, interests, and capacity. Volunteers can help young people with the skills they need to succeed in life and equally enjoy the benefits in return from being part of the Scouting family. On occasion, and depending on what support role you do, there may be an opportunity to move their child up and out a Scout Groups waiting list if they can volunteer regularly. So, a fantastic opportunity – win, win! AND it can add to their CV skill set – see end of document.
Example roles 1: (Working with young people) as leaders, and assistant leaders. Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, and Explorers.
Example roles 2: (skills related) eg. Climbing, water activities, camping, which could open opportunities at our Bonaly Scout Centre and Longcraig Water Centre as part of our Active Support Team or with Duke of Edinburgh etc. Or be bespoke to their vocation.
Location: Either at a District level (local authority council areas of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian, and Scottish Borders) or more locally for a Scout Group nearby (there are 89 Groups in our South East Scotland region).
Description: Within the Scout Sections, there are several adult leadership roles, with associated support roles eg. Section Leader, Section Assistant, Assistant, or Group administrator etc.
Ideal for: someone who has a child/young person who is Scouts age, and they can help, has the relevant skillset. Note: they do not need to have any prior Scouting experience
More on the roles.
Ways to engage:
Group 3/Message 3 – to a department or group of staff looking for a team project:
Why? Nothing says your company cares like giving employees paid time off to volunteer. Many people would like to help a deserving community group but may not have time in their personal schedule to do it. With paid time off for volunteering, you’re making it easy for your staff to say yes to helping others. This could be local to an area or city centre.
Example: Groups of volunteers could undertake repairs or improvements at their local Scout Hall or Outdoor Centre. All for the good of the young people. Some collective jobs might include painting, building fences, making, and maintaining paths, cutting back vegetation, replanting trees, general grounds maintenance, working on our pond and other environmental areas, specific projects such as new activities and buildings or maintaining existing facilities by keeping up to date and looking amazing.
Location: Either at a District level (local authority council areas of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian, and Scottish Borders) or more locally for a Scout Group nearby (there are 89 Groups in our South East Scotland region). Opportunities also exist at our Bonaly Scout Centre and Longcraig Water Centre.
Ideal for: for all. Note: they do not need to have any prior Scouting experience
More.
Ways to engage:
In summary to help explain to you or an employer:
Volunteering is easier than you think | SE Region (sesscouts.org.uk)
More than two thirds of our volunteers say their CVs have been enhanced by joining Scouts and 59% feel more confident. Employers love to see the commitment of volunteers, and through Scouts you can get vital experience in areas like management, administration, and activities.
Skills you can acquire/add to your skill set:
Don’t underestimate just how much your employees could, and will, learn from Scouts and how they can use these skills to stand out from the crowd. Volunteering’s not just about giving back – it goes both ways. Gain new skills while helping others and improve your prospects whichever direction you take.
More about South East Scotland Scouts:
The South East Scotland Scouts Region is made up of seven Districts including the local authority council areas of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian, and Scottish Borders. We support all 89 Scout Groups across all ages and Centres (Bonaly Scout Centre and Longcraig).
General opportunities in Edinburgh, East Lothian, Borders, and Midlothian. And regionally working remotely. Flexible opportunities exist to fit around everyone.
What type of role could I do as a general helper? We have a wide range of volunteer roles – from casual helpers to leaders, trainers, trustees and more – we have a role for everyone. We also offer flexible volunteering roles too, so we can fit around you and the time that you want to give to Scouting.
Do I have the right skills? You don’t need to have previous experience in Scouting, just energy and enthusiasm. We can match your existing skills with the right role and help you to develop new skills.
Quality Training: All our adult volunteers receive full induction and ongoing training and support. Our training has been recognised with a National Training Award by UK Skills and over 90% of our volunteers believe that the skills and experiences they have gained through Scouting have been of relevance to their working or personal lives. If you’re over 18, you can help out as an adult volunteer in Scouting. There is no upper age limit for adult volunteers.
We can provide a helpful Scouts Toolkit to an employer which could include:
Contact – Email South East Scotland Scouts
Useful Links
South East Scotland Scouts website key page https://sesscouts.org.uk/volunteers/
South East Scotland Scouts Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/sesscouts
South East Scotland Scouts Twitter – https://twitter.com/sesscouts
South East Scotland Scouts Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/ses_scouts/
Hashtag #SESScouts #SkillsForLife
Some videos – short to add to conversations
South East Scotland Scouts
71 Bonaly Road
Edinburgh
EH13 0PB
© SES Scouts 2022 | Scottish Charity SC010563
