1. Module F- Making Scouting accessible and inclusive
Links with Mission One
Module F- Making Scouting accessible and inclusive

2. Objectives: Understand that every young person is different
Understand that everyone is welcome in scouting
Understand your role in contributing to a positive and inclusive environment
It’s always good to start with objectives so we know what we are going to be doing for the session.
Talk through the objectives and remember to revisit them at the end to see if we have achieved everything.

3. Objectives:
State a range of additional needs that young people in a section may experience
Understand how additional needs may affect participation in the programme
Explain how to adapt programmes to meet the needs of all young people within the section
Explain where to go for further information and guidance
It’s always good to start with objectives so we know what we are going to be doing for the session.
Talk through the objectives and remember to revisit them at the end to see if we have achieved everything.

4. Introduction
Start the session by introducing the topic of the module: - inclusion and accessibility in Scouting. Begin by discussing what the terms ‘inclusion’ and ‘diversity’ mean..

5. What is diversity?
Promoting diversity in Scouting means that we welcome members from all and any backgrounds and celebrate what makes every person different.

6. What is inclusion?
Ensuring that Scouting is open to all and supporting anyone to overcome any barrier to participating in the Scouting programme.
We need to ensure that our programme and meeting place is appropriate and that we have considered any additional needs members might have.
What do you understand by the terms special educational needs and disabilities?
What is inclusion?
When we talk about inclusion in Scouting, we are talking about the act of ensuring that Scouting is open to all and supporting anyone to overcome any barrier to participating in the Scouting programme.
As part of being inclusive, we need to ensure that our programme and meeting place is appropriate and that we have considered any additional needs members might have.
Ask the ESYLs if they have come across additional needs before. They will have done at school.
Explain that everyone is different and that everyone has needs in some way. This is what makes the world interesting. What do the ESYLs understand by the terms special educational needs and disabilities?

7. Additional Needs and Disabilities
Additional needs may be visible or invisible
Some are temporary- some emotional needs, broken limb & illness
Some are permanent- ADAH, Autism & Tinnitus
Allergies and Dietary requirements should be considered too

8. Additional Needs and Disabilities
Some additional needs can fluctuate and may be affected by different things.
Additional needs and disabilities should not prevent a young person from being able to participate in Scouting.
By making reasonable adjustments, most young people can access Scouting and develop to their full potential.
Some additional needs can fluctuate and may be affected by a range of different factors, such as stress.
Additional needs and disabilities should not prevent a young person from being able to participate in Scouting. By making reasonable adjustments (doing things differently or providing additional support), most young people can access Scouting and develop to their full potential.
It is also important to be aware of any allergies, medical needs, faith or cultural needs a young person may have. For example, you may need to cater for vegetarian, Halal and Kosher diets, or a young person who is coeliac or has a nut allergy, and ensure that their needs are incorporated into section meetings and camps.

9. Celebrity Quiz
Discuss with the young leaders and if they know of any of the additional needs that these celebrities have. Are they any that they did not know? Which ones surprised them? Why was it a surprise?
L-R Top row
Justin Timberlake ADD and OCD
Selena Gomez- Lupus Disease
Jamie Laing- Tinnitus
L-R Bottom Row
Halle Berry- Type 2 Diabetes
Daniel Radcliffe Dyspraxia
Susan Boyle- Epilepsy
Michael Phelps ADHD
Focus on what people and celebrities have achieved, and how having a disability or additional need is not something that has adversely impacted on their success.

10. Activity One
Introduction activity: Introduce yourself (suitable for groups of any size, approx. 10 minutes)
Ask ESYLs to introduce themselves, using their preferred name and preferred pronoun (eg ‘my name is Matthew, I like to be called Matt, and I use the pronoun ‘he.’)
Although this seems really simple, explain that it ensures everyone knows how everybody else would like to be referred to, and sets the scene for a positive and safe environment.

11. Activity Two
A safe place (suitable for groups of any size, approx. 15 minutes)
Have a discussion with the ESYLs about what we mean by creating a positive and inclusive environment. Reemphasise the fact that Scouting is open to all.

12. Draw a rough picture of where there section meets
What a positive and inclusive environment looks like.
How would young people say their meeting place makes them feel?
Do they think their meeting place is currently a positive and inclusive environment?
Are there any changes they could make?
Explain that ESYL’s play a role in helping to create and foster a positive environment in their section. Scouting is a place where young people can be themselves.
They will undoubtedly come across challenging behaviour throughout their role, and it is important that they know how to deal with it. Setting expectations from the start will help with creating a positive environment.

13. Activity Three
Inclusion and diversity based games and activities- These games and activities help to highlight the importance of creating an inclusive environment. Choose the ones that best suit your ESYLs.
Race to equality (suitable for bigger groups, approx. 15 minutes)
The aim of this activity is to highlight that people’s circumstances sometimes affect their chances to access different opportunities in life. Sometimes people perceive that an activity is not for them or that an achievement is not possible for them to reach. It is very important that we have inclusive environments that help encourage everyone to access the Scout Programme irrelevant of their background.
The activity is based on how likely someone is to go to university based on their background. The university scenario is just one example of how people’s backgrounds and perceptions can affect how people approach different opportunities.
To begin, ask the ESYLs to stand in a line and explain that they will be having a running race (there needs to be enough space for them to do a race).
Give each ESYL a character card (Appendix I).
Read out the statements also in Appendix I. If the statement applies to their character card then the ESYL can take one step forward. Once you have finished reading the statements, shout ‘go!’. The first person crossing the line wins the race.
After the activity, ask the ESYLs whether they think it was fair a fair race. How did they all feel? Are they surprised? For the people at the back, did they want to take part in the race? Were they motivated to run harder or did they feel there was no point in giving it a go?
On the outside (suitable for groups sized 7+, approx. 10 minutes)
Give out a piece of paper to each ESYL with a colour on it: yellow, blue, red or green. There should be two or more of each colour, except the green.
ESYLs should keep the colour they have to themselves and not share them with each other.
ESYLs should then find the other person or people who has the same colour as them by using actions only. They should not talk. For example, they might point to the relevant colour or do an action such as waves to represent the colour blue. Once they have found others with the same colour card, they should stand with their group. After everyone but the green have found their groups, stop the activity.
Ask the green person how they feel. Do they feel sad? Isolated? What did people say when they approached their group? Did they turn them away? How did this make them feel?
How did the other colours feel when they found someone with the same colour as them? Did they feel relieved? Happy?
The activity highlights how it might feel for someone who feels they are different or not the same. People are naturally drawn to others who ‘are like them’ but this does not lead to diversity, creativity or innovation. This is also how a new young person might feel when joining an already established section.
Note: when running this activity, it is important to give some thought to the person that plays ‘the green’ character as the activity does lead to this person having a temporary feeling of being left out. It can be a frustrating and unsettling feeling and therefore it is important to choose an ESYL you know will respond well to this.
Activities on special educational needs and additional needs
There are lots of different types of Special Educational Needs (SEN) that ESYLs may come across. It is really important not to label people and instead to get to know individuals as discussed in the previous activity.
Different needs can present differently in different people, so it is important not to generalise or stereotype. That said, there are some commonalities that may help ESYLs to understand different SENs and how to best support young people to have a fun and rewarding time in scouting.
Below are some games and activities that can be used to support ESYLs to develop an understanding of both additional needs and SENs.

14. Draw a rough picture of where there section meets
What a positive and inclusive environment looks like.
How would young people say their meeting place makes them feel?
Do they think their meeting place is currently a positive and inclusive environment?
Are there any changes they could make?
Explain that ESYL’s play a role in helping to create and foster a positive environment in their section. Scouting is a place where young people can be themselves.
They will undoubtedly come across challenging behaviour throughout their role, and it is important that they know how to deal with it. Setting expectations from the start will help with creating a positive environment.

15. Activity Four Making reasonable adjustments and programme planning
Planning ahead (suitable for groups of any size, approx. 20 minutes)
Explain to the ESYLs that they will get to know their young people and should plan ahead with the rest of the leadership team for sessions. By doing this they can consider any additional needs before the meeting and ensure that the sessions are as inclusive as possible.
To begin, split the ESYLs into small teams and give each team a scenario from Appendix J to consider. As a group, go over what adjustments the ESYLs have made to make sure their scenario is inclusive.

16. Activity Five Making reasonable adjustments and programme planning
Thinking on your feet! (suitable for groups of any size, approx. 20 minutes)
Sometimes ESYLs may have a situation where they have to adapt a game or activity they are running on the spot. An example of this might be if they are running an opening game and a young person turns up with a broken leg. This requires them to be able to adapt and think creatively. It is important to adapt the activity to make sure that everyone can join in.
To begin, ask a couple of ESYLs to volunteer to run a game with the rest of the Unit. They can play any game they like, but something simple like ‘North, South, East, West’ or ‘Duck, Duck, Goose’ would work well.
Once they have been playing for a couple of minutes, explain to them that now a young person on crutches has arrived. Ask how they could adapt this activity to be inclusive.
Make them aware that there is also a person who is deaf within the group. How can they make sure that the game is suitably adapted?
You could add in other needs, asking ESYLs to adapt their approach to someone with a visual impairment or someone who struggles to follow instructions, for example. Each time, ask the ESYLs as a group for their ideas on how they can adapt the activity to make sure everyone can join in.

17. Summarise the module by revisiting the objectives
Summarise the module by revisiting the objectives. Ask the ESYLs whether they feel they have covered all of the objectives satisfactorily. Before they go, carry out a review or an evaluation of the session.