With over 1,200 Young People and over 300 adults, Isle of Wight Scouts has seen another bumper year for growth – an impressive 10%.
In 2007 there were about 1,000 Scouts on the Island, but numbers have continued to grow to their current level of 1,600 thanks to the efforts of the leaders and management teams on the Island.
Isle of Wight Scouts County Commissioner, Paul Savill said:
“Our growth over the last year is largely due to our constantly changing program of Adventure, Challenge and plenty of Fun, with many of these changes being initiated by our Scouts. Significantly we’ve had 24% growth in number of female Scouts on the Island.
“Breaking down our growth figures, we had 5% increase in the number of young people and a significant increase in the number of adult leaders and helpers. We want to maintain this level of growth, but we can only manage it if we can keep attracting more leaders and helpers, adults who can experience the Scouting fun and adventure themselves.”
The Island Scouts’ program includes so many major events that they now have a media team to encourage Scouts to get involved with promoting Isle of Wight Scouting themselves. ‘Wight Rovers Media Team’ members range in age from 6 upwards and take an active part in producing reports for the local newsletter.
Above and beyond the normal Group-led activity and adventure training, Isle of Wight Scouts offer County-led extra training and support to Scouts in Media, Archery, Shooting and other activities.
Commenting on the national growth figure, Chief Scout Bear Grylls said:
“I am super proud to see so many young people and adults learning new life skills, and achieving personal rewards through Scouting in the UK. I am excited to see Scout numbers continue to rise across the UK, especially the numbers of girls.
“What I’m most pleased about is that Scouts across the UK are putting their time in to helping their local communities. Through our A Million Hands campaign we are pledging one million hands to supporting four of the biggest social issues currently facing the UK and the wider world, but we can’t do it on our own. We want all young people to come and give Scouting a try and to get involved. This is how we can all play a vital role in shaping tomorrow’s world for the better.”
As an adult or a young person, to find out about Scouting near you, visit www.isleofwightscouts.org.uk or call Kelly on 07961 476600. You can also email [email protected].
An Isle of Wight Scouts Open Day is being held on 21st May at theCounty Campsite near Shalfleet between 10:00 and 16:00.
