8th November 2001
Three Ministers and 23 Members of Parliament from all parties met national volunteers and officials from The Scout Association at a Parliamentary reception on Wednesday 7 November 2001.
Scouting is the largest mixed youth organisation in the UK with half a million active supporters and Members. The event took place so that Members of Parliament could be briefed about some of the exciting developments in the organisation that has branches in every Parliamentary Constituency.
Ministers who paid positive and informed tribute to Scouting in enriching the lives of young people were the Rt Hon Tessa Jowell MP Secretary of State for Sport Culture and the Arts, Rt Hon John Denham MP, Minister of State The Home Office and Ivan Lewis MP Parliamentary Secretary for Young People and Learning. Recognition was also given by the speakers for what they described as 'The courage and vision of the Movement in looking at the whole of its work with young people and seeking to make change whilst retaining the traditional values but in a modern setting.'
Phil Willis MP, Shadow Liberal Democrat Secretary for Education and Skills also spoke commenting on the difficulty that Scouting has in recruiting adult Leaders and urging that Government and others should help with the process. He emphasised that the real mission for Scouting has to be in those inner-city areas where social exclusion is increasing and where for many young people the concept of service and active citizenship is totally alien.
The event was hosted by Stephen Pound, MP for Ealing North and joint Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Scout Group.
Chief Scout George Purdy outlined some of the key future events taking place in Scouting nationally and internationally. These include:
Introduction of a new youth training programme to be launched in 2002
Special events to mark The Queen's Golden Jubilee designed to make a difference in local communities and highlight Scouting's strong links with the Commonwealth.
Continued work to integrate young people from different cultures and areas of social exclusion and to promote youth participation and active citizenship.
3000 UK Scouts attending the World Scout Jamboree in Thailand in 2003
UK Scouting to host Centennial Celebrations for World Scouting in 2007 bringing 50,000 young people together from all around the world.
World Scouting continues to expand with over 28 million Members in more that 200 countries.
During the briefing Mr. Purdy explained how the Scout Movement is continually changing to meet the needs of young people and that its volunteer Leaders provide the equivalent of £325 million of services for young people annually throughout the UK.
Summing up the event, Chief Executive Derek Twine said, "Scouting raised its profile significantly in the corridors of power last year during our successful campaign to gain free access to the Criminal Records Bureau. The fact that so many Ministers and MPs found time to attend our briefing can only be seen as a positive continuation of that work."
As a result of the event further meetings are being scheduled with individual Ministers to follow up specific topics related to individual Ministers' areas of responsibility. Arrangements are also being made to link those Members of Parliament who attended directly with local Scouting in their constituencies.
