In 2009 I was awarded the Athlete
of the Year badge from the Scout Association.
This was not only a super surprise, but a real honour as it was not only
recognition of my physical challenges, but a celebration of diversity from an
organisation that have embraced diversity and continue to champion a “can do”
and “give it a go” attitude. Since then I have wanted to know more of how
the Scout Association are embracing diversity and how I can assist as I journey
through every county of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
This year, whilst walking in
Guernsey as part of my BRIT 2012 Mile Challenge, I was kindly hosted by Julie
Bulpitt, who is the Bailiwick Commissioner for the Scout Association on the
Island of Guernsey. Whilst there, I also
had the privilege of meeting Julie’s husband Wayne, who is the Chief
Commissioner of the Scout Association.
When walking I had the
opportunity to talk to Wayne and, as a Cub and a Scout in my youth, was
fascinated to hear more of how the Scout Association has moved forward. I
thoroughly enjoyed listening to Wayne talk about their future strategy and his
thoughts on the future plans of the Scout Association.
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| Wayne Bulpitt UK Chief Commissioner of the Scout Association |
Wayne was appointed UK Chief
Commissioner in May 2009, having been Chief Commissioner of England (South)
since September 2007, Chairman of the Association’s Board of Trustees until
that date and an elected Trustee since 2001.
Wayne’s Scouting started on his eighth birthday and he became an active
member of each section. He went on to become an Assistant Scout Leader at the age of 18.
Wayne has been part of the Scouting association since 1969 and has given 43
years of Service to young people.
The Scout Association have
recognised that it has been proven that by valuing diversity, organisations
bring benefits to the people they work with, their local communities, as well
as to themselves.
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| HRH The Prince of Wales |
Mosaic, a charitable organisation
founded by HRH The Prince of Wales to address Muslim community-based interests,
believes that the best way to promote higher levels of civic engagement is by
encouraging people to become Scout volunteers. There are currently 29 UK Scout
groups that have predominantly Muslim membership. Mosaic is the first
Muslim-led organisation to promote Muslim communities' involvement in Scouting
and is also one of the charity partners of BRIT. The CEO of Mosaic, Jonathan Freeman, is a BRIT
Advisor.
In the UK there are 1 in 5 adults and 1 in
20 young people that have a disability, 1 in 4 people are under the age of 16
and there are 1 in 8 under 16s from black or ethnic minority backgrounds, so I
am interested to know how an organisation with such a large footprint
throughout the United Kingdom embraces diversity to ensure we are respectful of
each other and we look after each other, no matter what our background is.
There are many definitions of a “diverse
organisation." One of the more useful and relevant that the Scout Association
have embraced is the one used by The National Centre for Volunteering:
“A diverse organisation is one
which values difference. It is one which recognises that people with different
backgrounds, skills, attitudes and experiences bring fresh ideas and
perceptions. Diverse organisations encourage and harness these differences to
make their services relevant and approachable. A diverse organisation draws
upon the widest possible range of views and experiences, so it can listen to,
and meet, the changing needs of its users, staff, volunteers, partners and
supporters.”
What excited and enthuses me
about the Scout Association is that they see diversity being more than just
being politically correct or having an equal opportunities policy. In my opinion this is fundamental as
embracing diversity can only work in the purest form if everyone in the
organisation understands the principles and applies the principles no matter
what age or position within the organisation.
The Scout Association understands
that embracing diversity means embedding diversity into their culture. The Scout Association takes positive
advantage of the differences between individuals and works against prejudice. This year I am beginning to spend a lot more
time with the Scout Association and am visiting all ages of the Scout
Association from Beavers to Cubs and from Scouts to Explorers.
As I am sure you know, the
Beavers are the youngest members of the Scout Association and belong to
Colonies. Cubs are next and they belong to Packs. Scouts belong to Troops and finally,
Explorers belong to Units. The diagram below shows how widespread the Scout
Association is throughout Great Britain and Northern Ireland;
This week is Scout Community Week
http://www.scouts.org.uk/community/cms.php?pageid=3238 with a “Do 1 Thing”
initiative which includes among other things, the opportunity to work together
on local community projects;
I sincerely hope that during this
week, communities across Great Britain and Northern Ireland see the value of
the Scout Association and the opportunities they provide to young people. I
also hope that some of the stigmas sometimes attached to Scout Association, due
to lack of understanding, are changed to a more positive appreciation so that
the Scout Association is seen for what it is; a champion of diversity. This is
also a tremendous opportunity for adult volunteers to join the organisation to
support young people and for more young people to “give it a go”, no matter
what their background.
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| Delighted to meet Scouts from Hartlepool who presented me with neckers from their Groups |
So Sunday 13th May (Day 111 of
the BRIT 2012 Mile Challenge) was my first walk with the Scout Association
since my time with Wayne and Julie Bulpitt and the Guernsey Scouts. I was delighted to meet David Clark, District
Commissioner for Tees Valley North, “Auntie” Sue Dunn and some of the Scouts
from the Tees Valley North District.
I thoroughly enjoyed my walk with
the Scouts and their Leaders and spent a super day map-reading, talking about
the Association and enjoying the stunning views and countryside on the Castle
Eden Walk on the outskirts of Hartlepool.
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| At the end of 8 miles walking in Hartlepool with the Scout Association |
With the support of the Scout
Association I finished the day with 1180 miles to go.
Best wishes,
Phil