Grow 50! Support and Rewards for Growth in Kent Scouts

What we want to do

Kent Scouts is Going for Growth and we aim to have 25,000 members by 2025.

Why we want to do it

Scouting is all about supporting young people in their personal development and we know it’s good for our volunteers too, but we have loads of young people on waiting lists and there are communities we have yet to reach. By planning for growth, we can involve more young people and become more inclusive.

How we can get there

We are asking each District to Grow by 50 members each year to help us reach 25,000 by 2025. Everyone can play their part and, essentially, if each Section or Unit grows by 2 members we’ll reach our target!

How can we help?

Practical Help

Kent Scouts has a team of Growth and Development Officers and some Districts have a Lead Volunteer for growing scouting who can suggest what might work for your situation

Find out more


Rewards for Growth

Badges

Of course, there’s a badge! Each person in your Group or District Explorer Scout provision will get a badge if you achieve a growth of 10 or more Members above the last census.

• Bronze Award for 10+ extra young people per Group

• Silver Award for 25+ extra young people per Group

• Gold Award for 50+ extra young people per Group

Online Resources

Find Details of Kent Scouts’ badges to support growth here: https://www.kentscouts.org.uk/sspage-support-growth_and_development-scout_mate.html

There’s a great range of resources on The Scouts web site here: https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/growing-scouts/

growby50_badges_group

Prizes

There will be a special Gold Badge Winners’ Day of activities for the whole Group or District Explorer Scout provision at Lower Grange Farm.

All Groups and District Explorer Scout provisions that grow will be entered into a prize draw – the more you have grown, the more entries you’ll get in the draw. There will be 5 prizes of a Group or District Explorer Scout provision activity day at Lower Grange Farm and £500 to help you celebrate your achievement.


FAQs

Who counts as a member?

All invested young people who appear on the Census return.

What capitation will we have to pay?

HQ membership fee, plus your District levy unless your District decides to waive their portion. You will NOT pay the County levy on the number you have increased by from the 2023 Census

How many badges will we get?

One badge for each young person and each adult as shown on the Census return.

Where are badges worn?

On uniform jumpers just above the World Membership badge, and on uniform shirts same place but above the pocket button.

How can we get entries in the prize draw?

You’ll get one draw ticket for each extra young person as shown on the Census return.

What can prize money be spent on?

Anything the Group leadership team decides. This could be a social event for the adult volunteers, or an item of equipment, or offsetting the cost of an activity. The choice is yours

Our group has an Explorer Unit – do they count as the group?

No. Explorer Scout Units count towards the “District Explorer Scout Provision” number

Membership Fee Reduction

We all know that more young people on the census means more to pay, so we’ll help by waiving the county levy for any growth in numbers – if you had 10 Young People last year and 12 this, then you’ll still only pay Kent for 10. And we’ve asked Districts to do the same.


Grants for New Sections

We will support new sections opening or reopening post Covid between now and the end of February 2024 with a start-up grant. New Squirrel sections will receive a start-up payment of £100 and all other sections or units will receive £250.

This fund has now closed.

NB New Dreys in IMDs 1-5 get grants from HQ and there is more information here.


Scout logo

Youth sections

Squirrels
4-5 years

Beavers
6-8 years

Cubs
8-10½ years

Scouts
10½-14 years

Explorers
14-18 years

Network
18-25 years

Contact us

Kent County Scout Council
Kent Scouts Activity Centre
Lower Grange Farm
Grange Lane
Sandling
Maidstone, Kent
ME14 3DA

Telephone: 01622 397070
9am - 5pm Monday to Friday

Online