Welcome!
Welcome and thank you for volunteering in our District. Whether you are helping to run activities in one of our groups sections, or behind the scenes in a group or within the District, you are very welcome and your help is much appreciated!
The following sections provide a little more information on how we are set-up and the volunteer joining journey.
Who are we?
The Scouts is the UK’s largest youth organisation, and the world’s largest youth movement. We prepare young people with Skills for Life.
We are Stevenage Scout District, home to nine Scout Groups across Stevenage, Knebworth, and Datchworth. ‘Scout Group’s are the local units of Scouting where young people aged 4 to 14 are organised into sections (Squirrels, Beavers, Cubs, Scouts) At District level we provide Scouting for young people aged 14 to 25 in the Explorer section and Scout Network.
Stevenage is one of the Districts that make up Hertfordshire Scout County, which provides wider support and guidance to local Scouting. Find out about how it all fits together here.
New to the role?
The Scouts make volunteering as easy as they can. New volunteers are well supported and a well defined and supported joining journey makes sure everyone understands what is involved. This will explain what to expect in the first month as well as the first 6 months.
For more information, ask your group leadership team or a member of the District Volunteering Development Team.
Membership system
The Membership System provides a wealth of information and guidance for volunteers, as well as hosting e-learnings that you can access at your convenience.
For an overview of the Digital Tools visit the National Website.
Learning and development
The National Website and Membership System Guides provide a wealth of information and guidance for volunteers, as well as hosting e-learnings that you can access at your convenience.
For an overview of the Digital Tools visit the National Website.
Uniform
Visit the District Scout Shop, based at our District HQ, Poplars on a Monday evening to get your uniform.
District Shop
We have a District Scout Shop, based at our District HQ, Poplars that sells uniform, badges, record cards and various publications. Printed copies of the yellow card are available to members. The shop is open on Monday evenings during term time between 7:30 and 9:00pm. Some groups have accounts for group purchases. The Scout Shop is also a good place to drop in if you wish to meet members of the District team. A meeting room is also available.
District Communications
The District Media & Communications Team support the District Leadership Team with all things communication related. The following sections explain the main communication methods we use.
Communications include general news related to Stevenage Scouting, district events, volunteer training opportunities and information on district meetings.
If you have something that you wish to share with other members of the District, then email the Media & Comms team and one of us will send this out for you.
Email is our primary method of communication to volunteers within the District. We have a Microsoft Office 365 Tennant that allows us to provide volunteers with a Stevenage Scouting email address as well as online versions of the Microsoft Office Apps and a Scouting Onedrive . If you already have a Scouting email address, just let us know so we can ensure you are on the correct email distribution lists.
For more information on the Stevenage Scouting email and Microsoft 365, and to request an account, please visit our email page.
For larger email distributions we use Zoho Campaigns to send our emails.
We have a public Facebook page which we use to publicise our activities. We encourage parents, volunteers and our supporters to follow this page. As it is a public page, we will be careful to limit the details of events publicised.
A private Facebook group is available to all volunteers within the District. Most of the general information and news that is emailed out is also shared to the Facebook group.
Website
Our District Website is used to provide information to parents, volunteers and prospective new members and volunteers with a wealth of information on Scouting within our District. For general information we link to the National Website rather than duplicating information. The website includes the latest news and information on our past and future events.
District Events
As part of Stevenage District Scouts, our young people have the chance to take part in larger events alongside other groups — from camps and hikes to competitions, adventure days and community celebrations. These events build friendships across the town and give young people even bigger adventures to look forward to.
The website hosts the event calendar and will have the latest information on events for all sections.
How the District can support you
Stevenage District can support you with training opportunities and guidance and advice on all things Scouting. Contact a member of the District Leadership Team for more information.
Transformation and the New Volunteer Experience
The Scouts went through a transformation during the Autumn of 2024 to make volunteering more flexible and welcoming. The activities we do, the skills for life we teach and the fun we all have has not changed though! Visit the National Website for more information on the new volunteer experience.
Top tools & tips
Did you know?
Since its founding in 1907, Scouts has grown to over 590,000 members in the UK and 57 million worldwide, located in over 176 countries.
UK Scouts’ youth membership (4-18 years) grew by 8,700 in 2023-24.
We’ve opened over 1,600 Squirrel Dreys for over 21,000 Squirrels (aged 4-6) since 2021.
There are 107,000 young people on our waiting lists.
We have 141,800 adult volunteers in the UK.
Scouts have never been more popular. There are over 104,000 young people on our waiting lists.
Our current Chief Scout is adventurer and TV presenter, Dwayne Fields, who succeeded Bear Grylls.
Nearly a third of our total UK movement is female.
11 of the 12 people to walk on the moon were Scouts.
Perception of Scouts
According to a June 2024 YouGov survey:
- 86% of GB adults trust Scouts.
- 83% of GB adults believe we’re open to all.
- 80% of GB adults believe Scouts is a safe place for young people.
- 81% of GB adults believe Scouts has a positive impact in our communities.
- 87% of GB adults think Scouts helps young people develop skills for life.
