One giant Leap for Scouting in Didcot - 22-01-2008

“Tonight is one giant Leap for Scouting in Didcot”

...the words of  Scott Leader, age 19, Assistant Cub Scout Leader of 12th Didcot Scout group, as he took to the stage at Didcot Civic Hall on Friday 18th January to launch the Didcot District Scouts Young Peoples’ Forum - S:teem.

He told us that of the 12 astronauts to land on the moon, 11 of them were Scouts, including Neil Armstrong and that other famous Scouts are David Beckham, Stephen Spielberg, Richard Branson, Jamie Oliver, David Bowie, Jason Donovan and Sir Paul McCartney, to name a few. With a heritage like this it is no surprise that Scouting, in Didcot, is so popular.

S:teem is an initiative launched by Scouts in the Didcot district to give them a voice, in Didcot, to enable them to tell the decision making adults what they need from the ever growing town. The Scouts have named themselves the S:Teem as they are a team of Scouts working together to make their voice heard so that they can make positive improvements for young people in Didcot thus adding to the self esteem of local youngsters.

The forum is a first for Scouting in the UK and reflects the huge popularity of Scouting in the Didcot community. In the last year Scouting in Oxfordshire grew by 3% but in the Didcot District it grew by a massive 15% and there are still over 150 young people on the Didcot Scouts waiting list. It was no surprise, therefore, to hear that what the Scouts really want from the local community is more adult volunteers.

The evening was a great success with many influential adults in attendance to hear what the young people wanted from Didcot: Ed Vaizey MP came to listen to the Scouts, and so did many  Councillors, representatives from local businesses such as N Power and UK AEA and  the heads of both Didcot Girls and St Birinus schools. There were  also representatives from the local media there as well as our local crime reduction and youth offending officers.

Adam Guilbert, age 16, member of the Forum said:
"As Scouting modernises and Didcot grows, we have formed S:teem to find out the needs of all young people in the District and to make sure these needs are heard by the decision making adults within our community. This is a great start and obviously a fantastic chance to ensure Didcot’s expansion caters for the needs of the ever increasing numbers of young people living in and around the town. The first request from our forum, is for more local adults to come and join in the adventure of Scouting in Didcot and help us reduce our waiting list."

MP Ed Vaizey said: 
“I was delighted to attend the launch of S:teem. Young People are our future and by listening to them and understanding their needs we can instigate initiatives that will enrich their lives and  make Didcot an even better place for people, both  young and old, to live. Our police forces and local authorities view scouting as a very worthwhile part of the community, it is a way of constructively channelling our young people’s energy and enthusiasm and of keeping more young people on the right side of the law. I welcome this initiative from the district Scout Groups and am pleased to have been invited to hear their views.”

S:teem is made up of people aged 13-18 from Scout groups in Didcot and the surrounding villages. It will meet regularly throughout the year. The forum will undertake events in the community to attract as many young people as possible to get involved. Scouting in Didcot is currently growing by 15% a year, to cater for this demand it is forecast that, over the next 5 years, Scouts will need to attract 15 new leaders a year and open 3 new groups. By talking to local businesses and representatives, the Young Peoples’ Forum will enable Scouts to have a voice within the local community and consequently to attract new leaders.

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