The end of an adventure

Recent years have witnessed a major resurgence in the Scout movement, but outgoing chief executive Derek Twine is blunt about the state of things when he took the reins 16 years ago. “I inherited an organisation in decline and disarray,” says Twine, sat in his office at The Scout Association’s headquarters, which is based in 108 acres of woodland near Chingford, north-east London.

“Membership was declining, numbers of adult volunteers were declining, funding streams were not solid, and the public perception was of an organisation that had potentially had its day.”

Latest figures give an indication of just how much things have changed.

Overall membership, covering young people and adult volunteers, has increased year-on-year since 2005 and now tops 525,000. And, unlike many other charities, the movement is in good health financially, with an income of £35m in 2011/12, compared with £23.6m in 2010/11.

Twine says the turnaround – albeit gradual – is thanks to significant changes made in the 1990s.

“There was total awareness among the trustees that there needed to be a dramatic change from the way things had been done before,” he says.

“We needed to create more attractive volunteering propositions and become more attractive to teenagers themselves, so we could be something the adolescent age range would wish to join. We needed to be something commercial partners would want to have some brand synergy with, something politicians would wish to engage with. We have had success on all those.”

High hopes

The revolution set in motion by Twine involved revision of the organisation’s youth work curriculum, provision of extra support, training and development for adult volunteers, and the introduction of a funding strategy to get the Scouts on an even financial keel. Meanwhile, the charity “got with the times” to attract younger people. An overhaul of branding, including new logos and uniforms, has modernised the movement.

Twine is confident that when he retires early next year, he will leave the organisation in good shape. Plans are in place to accommodate the movement’s waiting list, which now extends to 36,000 young people, and tackle the well-documented shortage of adult volunteers, which stands currently at 7,000. “There are young people who want to join and can’t because their local unit is full,” Twine says.

“Often, getting one more adult volunteer to help out an existing group means six youngsters could benefit. The biggest impediment to growth is the need to attract more adult volunteers to work with young people. We can’t keep pace with the demand.”

The organisation’s plans to expand go beyond simply providing places for those on the waiting list. Between now and 2018, the charity aims to make scouting available to more young people and adult volunteers, and to make scouting “as diverse as the communities people live in”.

This will not happen immediately, Twine concedes, but the foundations for change are being laid. The movement is currently spending around £1m a year on development work to attract more volunteers, while its share of a £10m government fund to create more uniformed youth groups will also help achieve the goal.

“We are organising hundreds of taster days, talking to community leaders, in faith communities, sports groups and schools,” Twine says.

“It’s about helping people in the community, who have never had a previous experience of Scouting, to really experience what it is and think ‘this can be for me as well’. There may be some people who have the perception that Scouting is ‘not for a street like ours, or estates where I live’. But once they have got the flavour of it, as opposed to just seeing the marketing literature, that engages them. That goes for the young people as much as the adults who become volunteers.

“Several hundred new groups and sections have opened in recent years and we will continue with that incremental process of growth. Part of our journey in recent years has been to recognise that how we present Scouting will have to vary according to the local community. For instance, we have been working with community leaders to reassure parents of teenage Muslim girls that Scouting is an appropriate activity for their daughters to engage in.”

Although the economic climate for charities is inarguably tough, Twine argues that the Scouts movement has always held its own in times of financial austerity. “Parents of younger members and the adults themselves have less disposable income, which is impacting on what they might be able to afford,” he says.

“But I am confident we are seen as value for money and providing significant benefit for young people at a low cost. Historically, when there has been recession, the Scouts movement has benefited because people reassess their priorities. If families look at what they get for their money from Scouts [and then look at] the costs of other things, such as supporting a football team, the difference is incomparable.”

Staying focused

Unlike other charities, the Scouts have steered away from the temptation to expand their remit and tender for contracts. Twine says there was no desire to get involved with the National Citizen Service (NCS) programme, believing the way the charity focuses its attentions on its core work has served it well.

“We are independent of government funding. We do our own fundraising and have our own commercial activity and commercial partners. We have not really chased around to be a contract provider of gover