WELCOME Scouting is more popular than ever. From the six-year-old Beaver Scout to the 60-year-old volunteer, more people are joining and benefiting from the Scouting adventure.

In over 7,000 Groups and across our five different age ranges Scouting is preparing young people for the future.

And in just five years the number of girls who’ve joined has doubled while almost half our 100,000 adult volunteers are female.

Together, we are making a difference in almost every community across the UK.

www.scouts.org.uk/impactScouting for talent ‘Completing the training for my Queen’s Scout Award expedition has made me realise you need to work hard to achieve things. It has also given me a huge amount of confidence which I have used to help me succeed in my chosen profession of finance and accountancy.’

SaMaNTHa, 23 aSSISTaNT SCOUT LEaDER

Young people are at the heart of everything we do. Every week, and in almost every city, town and village in the UK, 400,000 of them try out activities, discover new talents and enjoy the adventure of Scouting.

By giving young people the respect and space to develop, to work in teams and take risks in a safe environment, Scouts develop confidence, self-reliance and the skills to become positive and active citizens. And because Scouting is about young people, it makes sense that they are the ones who shape the Movement. As a Scout journeys from a Beaver Scout to an adult leader, we want them to be involved in decision- making at every step.

Impact Demand for Scouting is growing and every one of our five age ranges saw a surge in numbers. Hundreds of thousands of badges were earned, providing our young people with the opportunity to develop skills and confidence that will last them a lifetime.

Over 8,500 14-18 year olds are developing their leadership skills through our Young Leaders’ Scheme, an increase of 1,500 on last year. The scheme is a successful way to help young people experience the challenge and rewards of volunteering, while allowing them to take on responsibility.

Developing leadership skills ‘I get a lot out of Scouts. If I wasn’t here, I’d be staying at home watching TV. I try and contribute to the Group in as many ways as I can – for example helping with the Cubs. I’ve developed much more confidence. My friends think it’s quite cool actually.’MICHaEL, 18, yOUNg LEaDER

Scouting is inclusive, open to any child or adult regardless of gender, colour, race or religion. We understand that communities vary throughout the UK, and over the year increased our support so that local diversity can flourish. Every one of our 7,200 Scout Groups strives to reflect its community, which is why we provided specific support to local development and diversity projects. We aim to continue to improve the social and ethnic diversity of Scouting, as well as increase the number of girls in our Groups.

Historically, it has been a challenge to attract those from our Black, Minority and Ethnic (BME) communities into Scouting. Over the last few years this has changed and the 100th Coventry Muslim Scout Group is just one of the latest to be launched.

Impact Girls now make up 14% of our total youth membership and our BME membership increased by 1%. While an improvement on the previous years, we recognise our BME make up still falls short of the national average and there is still work to do.

SUPPORTING OUR VOLUNTEERS Scouting is run locally by volunteers. It is these 100,000 adults who deliver a quality programme of adventure to young people. When a person volunteers their time with us, we ensure that their skills and whatever time they have to offer are put to the best possible use.

Last year we improved our resources and support mechanisms so that our volunteers can get on with Scouting when and where they want. Programmes Online, our innovative online ideas database, continues to grow and leaders can now access 34,533 activities at the click of a mouse. We delivered forums for our volunteer managers and increased the number of locally employed Development Officers while providing a more flexible training scheme.

Impact Almost 3,000 additional adults volunteered for Scouting last year. Because they can now volunteer in a flexible way that suits their lifestyle, work and family commitments, many more feel able to support our work.

Support is also flexible for today’s time-strapped adults. Whether skill sharing, attending courses, e-learning, using video or online, it is now easier than ever to access services and training.

CHANGING ATTITUDES Scouting may be over 100 years old but today’s

Scouts are as happy doing street sports, quad biking, environmental projects and PR as they

are climbing, hiking and camping.

Scouts believe in being active citizens and shaping their communities. By the end of 2008, our politicians, media and communities were left in no doubt that

Scouting is stronger and more relevant than ever. Last year we

provided more opportunities for our youth members to develop

their skills and have a positive influence on local, national and

international communities.

We trained over 120 Young Spokespeople to give them the confidence to be the voice of Scouting, and held workshops at three Party Political conferences. The events were a unique opportunity for young people

to directly engage with decision makers on the matters that impact their everyday lives.

Impact With over 100 more Young Spokespeople than last year, we now have 2,000 teenagers developing their communication skills while discussing the benefits of Scouting, on news channels, websites and in print.

Camping adventures ‘Planning my own expedition helped

me to develop my leadership skills. When you’re faced with a 20km hike,

a map, a compass and Patrol, you’re encouraged to be independent. The

sense of achievement when you get to your destination is terrific!’

NINa, 13, SCOUT

‘There were already some youth clubs but we wanted to bring something different that would provide local Muslim children with skills they could use for life. Scouting provides a structured set of activities, which gives them a sense of achievement.’

‘Scouting has always been open to all faiths and I like to think that through Scouting we recognise that we’re all one big family, but are able to celebrate our differences too.’ MOHaMMED SaLEEM, 100TH COvENTRy MUSLIM SCOUT gROUp

‘Scouts care passionately about the wider world, and we provide young people with the opportunities to make their voices heard.’

WELCOMING MORE YOUNG PEOPLE REACHING OUT TO NEW MEMBERS

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active adventure amazing belonging camping

challenge charity

citizenship climbing commitment community development educational engaging enjoyment exciting experience family fantastic fellowship friends friendship fun happiness healthy honour inspiring international laughter learning life opportunity outdoors people pride promise purpose respect rewarding self-reliance service skills team teamwork togetherness trust trustworthy values volunteering youth.

I believe every child has the right to adventure but with more than 33,000 young people on our joining lists, we still need more adults to provide young people with the opportunity to join.

you can help make the difference.

Whether it’s giving one hour or one pound, there are many ways to support Scouting.

i.INSPIRE i.MAKE A DIFFERENCE

i.VOLUNTEER...

i.SCOUT!

bear gryllschief scout

0845 300 1818 scouts.org.uk Read the full annual report and accounts at

scouts.org.uk/impact

Our income

Donations £1.3m

Membership £8.0m

Activities for generating funds £6.8m

Investment £2.3m

JOIN US ON OUR JOURNEy.The Scout Association’s

Impact Report

scouts.org.uk/impact

OUR JOURNEY TO GROWTHWhen we provide better quality programmes, more adventurous activities, and additional support to our volunteers, Scouting flourishes. And in 2008, we grew again for the fourth consecutive year. An additional 2,600 adults volunteered, meaning an extra 13,000 young people could benefit from the Scouting adventure.

WHO WE ARE:Scouting makes a positive contribution to society by helping young people to develop as active members of the community: • who are self reliant • who are caring • who are responsible • who show commitment Even if we can’t solve all the problems in the world, we can help to make it a better place.

WHAT WE DO:Each week almost 400,000 young people and 100,000 adult volunteers take part in Scouting projects and activities at the heart of the UK’s communities. It is our role to ensure that every one of our Members have the facilities and support to take part safely in these activities.

Our spend on charitable activities

For year ended 31 March 2009

Charitable activities £5.7m

Support and services to the Scouting Movement £6.2m

Adult support and training £4.0m Development of Scouting £5.0m

Youth programme and activities £2.8m

Charitable spend: £18m

For year ended 31 March 2009

33%24%

10%

28%

5%

22%

34%

16%

28%

Total income: £24.1m

MAPPING OUT OUR FUTUREWe believe Scouting should be accessible to every young person in the UK, regardless of their background or economic situation. This is why we keep the cost of Scouting low and support to our volunteers high. This was made possible by another year of successful fundraising.

Total membership 2004-2009

Year

Mem

bership No.

Percentage growth 2002-2009

Year

Mem

bership No.

WHAT SCOUTING MEANS TO OUR MEMBERS:

From an online survey of adults in Scouting, conducted May 2009

The Scout Association Registered Charity Numbers 306101 (England and Wales) and SC038437 (Scotland).

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