The Better Prepared project aims to establish Scout groups in new locations around the country, where young people have previously been unable to benefit from Scouting
Sir Oliver Heald, MP for North East Hertfordshire, has pledged his support for a landmark project that aims to help local communities to set up new Scout groups in 200 wards around the country that have previously been unable to benefit from Scouting.
The UK Scout Association, which unveiled details of its Better Prepared project at a parliamentary reception this week, is inviting local communities to establish Scouting in the areas where it can make the biggest difference to young people’s lives.
Key barriers to providing Scouting for every young person in the UK include the shortage of adult volunteers, and the lack of suitable premises in which to meet.
In making this pledge, Sir Oliver Heald will promise to help tackle these issues by:
Recruiting more volunteers for The Scout Association.
Sourcing additional funding and meeting spaces for Scout groups.
Encouraging local head teachers and community leaders to support Scouting.
Promoting the benefits of Scouting within the local community.
Better Prepared, which will run over four years,seeks to give even more young people the opportunity to thrive, enabling them to experience life-changing adventure through Scouting. The first Scout groups to be launched through this project will open at the start of 2015.
The project, which forms an important part of The Scout Association’s 2014-2018 strategic plan, will be funded in part by the Youth United Foundation as well as money from the Libor fines. The Scout Association will seek to raise the remaining funds required over the next few years.
At a parliamentary event led by The Scout Association’s new UK Youth Commissioner, Hannah Kentish, called on local MPs to support Better Prepared. Hannah was joined at the event by Tracie Cross, the mother of a young Scout from the Isle of Dogs, who spoke to MPs about the life-changing impact that Scouting has had on her son and daughter.
Commenting on the launch of Better Prepared, Sir Oliver Heald said:
"It is so important that young people have a safe environment to do activities and experience the outdoors as Scouts. I would encourage more adults to volunteer with the Scout Movement. I support the better prepared project."
Hannah Kentish, The Scout Association’s UK Youth Commissioner, added:
"We know Scouting can change lives. So it has to reach those who could benefit the most. That’s not because young people are a problem to be fixed, or failure to be corrected. It’s because with the right support and the right opportunities; young people can and will thrive.
But let’s not be naive. Some communities start from a better place than others. That’s why today, I want to make this Promise.
As an Association, we will support communities in 200 of the poorest wards in the country to establish Scouting for their young people. Led and owned by communities themselves, we’ll work in collaboration to ensure that everyone gets the chance to shine. It’s a promise to young people across the United Kingdom. Its one I intent to keep and one I hope MP’s will make as well"