Build Belonging to Grow Scouting
Qs: 1. How can Scouting enhance its appeal to youth and young families?
A: According to sociological researchers, the most important factor is helping youth and young families feel a strong sense of belonging.
Appealing to youth and young families means:
Remember that in today’s world there is little interest in joining organizations, but there is abundant interest in being a part of team that has a shared purpose and sense of belonging.
Keeping the interest of youth and young families means:
Youth and families stay in Scouting when they feel a sense of belonging because of the relationships they’ve built and the accomplishments they’ve achieved as part of a team effort.
Building belonging is partly about the conscious steps we take as Scout leaders and partly about removing the barriers we don’t consciously realize are in place.
At this point you might be thinking: “but what does this concept have to do with commissioners? Is there really anything commissioners can do to help youth and families develop feelings of belonging?”
As with everything we do as commissioners, our success in helping to build belonging depends on our approach when serving units. We’ve all learned that it doesn’t do any good telling someone what to do; instead, we need to share resources and information and steer conversations toward priorities.
Discussions with unit volunteers could include:
These are the kinds of conscious steps we can take to build the feeling of belonging.
But what about the barriers to belonging? Think about how to facilitate conversations concerning barriers others have identified, such as:
Recognizing and discussing these barriers paves the way for strategizing how to mitigate and address the challenges.
Helping local Scouters build feelings of belonging for families may be one of the most important unit service opportunities we have. ‘Be the heart. Build relationships. Change lives.’