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Please note that in the policies of the United Kingdom Scouting Association (UKSA) when it talks about a 'Young Person,' it is referring to someone participating in a youth program and when it talks about an an 'Adult,' it is referring to someone who is supporting a youth program. The distinction needs to be kept in mind, as it is possible in the many UKSA programs for a Young Person to be older than an 'Adult' and for an individual to be both a Young Person and an Adult. Conversely, it is therefore possible for an Adult to be younger than a 'Young Person' and for an individual to be both an Adult and a Young Person.
Equal Opportunities Policy: Guidelines with reference to Young People GENDER 1. Policy No young person should receive less favourable treatment on the basis of, nor suffer disadvantage by reason of, his or her gender. 2. Scouting Principles In 1991 it became possible for Beaver Scout Colonies, Cub Scout Packs and Scout Troops to offer provision to boys and girls, young men and young women. Venture Scouting has been mixed since 1976, and adult Leadership has always been so. The change from single sex to mixed provision is still being implemented in the Beaver Scout , Cub Scout and Scout Sections. The Scout Association aims to become fully co-educational, which will require Sections to offer balanced programmes, which question gender stereotypes and value the full range of attributes within individuals. The challenge of providing mixed Scouting has already been met, and coeducation is being tackled successfully, in the Venture Scout Section. In the three younger Sections, young people may have to be helped to value one another as individuals, and shown that remarks and behaviour that devalue others because of their gender are not acceptable. Leaders may need support in handling the specific problems that arise from co-educational Scouting this is available from Gilwell Park. There will be circumstances where single-sex provision, both for boys and young men and for girls and young women, is the most effective and appropriate way of meeting the needs of young people. These circumstances may occur, for example, when working with members of certain faith groups. The Scout Association will continue to offer single-sex provision if local circumstances require it. The Scout Association accepts that single-sex provision is still valid, however, the long term vision of the Association is coeducational. It is the duty of every District Commissioner to ensure that Scouting is available to all young people, male and female, in their District. Each District must make appropriate provision for both male and female young people. All new Groups must have a constitution which enables mixed provision. 3. Restrictions to youth Membership on the basis of gender There is no justification for restricting Membership on the basis of gender. The absence of a mixed Group identifies an urgent need for suitable provision to be made, and is not a justification for failing or refusing to provide Scouting for young people. 4. Problems for Commissioners i. Families may complain that there is a lack (or perceived refusal) of provision for girls, or a young woman complains that she is unable to join her local Group. Commissioners should first establish whether there is appropriate provision within reasonable reach of the family/individual (whether or not this is in the first Group(s) approached). It is important that Commissioners remember that 'appropriate provision' may include the choice of meeting night or the desire for access to a particular kind of Scout Group (such as a particular sponsoring authority or for Sea or Air Scouts) as well as being a mixed Group. If there is a suitable Group the family should be helped to make contact. If there is not, then there is an urgent development challenge facing the District. ii. Where there are no mixed Groups, a girl or young woman who is already a Scout cannot transfer to a local Scout Group when she moves to a new area. In such cases, Commissioners should follow the procedures above. If those concerned have the perception that Scouting is, or should be, mixed then it may be important to explain clearly the range of approved provision within Scouting as a whole (mixed and single sex) and the reasons for its existence. iii. Leaders may seek advice and help in deciding whether to become a mixed Group. The decision whether to offer mixed provision is one the Group must make. Commissioners do not have the authority to compel an unwilling or deny a willing Group's decision to offer mixed provision. It is important that Leaders are aware that the decision to become mixed can not subsequently be reversed, and that Groups should ensure that there is Sectional continuity. Living and Working Together is available to help Groups with this decision-making process and is available from the Scout Information Centre. iv. Groups may claim that practical problems, such as the availability of toilet facilities or the recruitment of female Leaders, do not allow them to provide effective mixed provision. The Scout Association does NOT require a mixed Leader team for a section to offer mixed provision. The Association believes that it is good practice for there to be a mixed Leader team, however, the absence of such adult resources does not preclude Groups from offering mixed and co -educational Scouting. In the instance of physical building constraints Commissioners should first establish whether these problems have been raised as a cover for opposition to making mixed provision. Where these problems are real, Commissioners should emphasise that these are NOT gender issues but are resource problems. Groups who require financial aid to overcome physical problems in order to become co-educational are likely to be successful in grant applications. Groups who meet in premises that serve to exclude Membership of the Movement to significant numbers of young people may feel that it is necessary to reassess their needs in terms of venue. v. Female Members of a Group or Section may feel that they do not have safe access to a meeting place, for example due to the location or lack of regular or secure transport to the meeting place. These concerns will, in most cases, highlight a lack of safety for all (male and female) Members of the Group or Section and for all Members' families. Organising car-share rotas, ensuring that young people walk to or wait at bus stops in groups, ensuring there are working lights outside the meeting place, and encouraging other people to use the meeting place so that it is always in regular use are just some of the ways to tackle these problems. vi. Leaders may feel that they are unable to provide a good quality coeducational weekly programme. The We are all in this Together resources provide support and ideas for Sectional programmes. Leaders may need to be reminded that new Members will probably have joined on the basis of many of the activities from their established programme, and will feel short-changed if the activities they perceived were on offer are not forthcoming. The advice contained in POR regarding activities is applicable to all those involved in Scouting. There are no activities which Members are precluded from taking part in purely on the basis of gender. 5. References and Resources Guidelines for mixed provision are given in Rule 8 in Policy, Organisation and Rules Copies of Living and Working Together and We are all in this Together are available from the Scout Information Centre. The Equal Opportunities Policy Case Studies includes examples of girls and young women involved in Scouting. The Pack is available from the Scout Information Centre.
Equal Opportunities Policy: Guidelines with reference to Adults GENDER 1. Policy All adult Volunteers working in the Movement must be fit and proper persons to undertake the duties of the position to which they have been appointed, and, where appropriate, the responsibilities of Membership. The safety and security of young people, the continued development of young people, and equal opportunities for all should be ensured. Within these constraints, no person volunteering their services should receive less favourable treatment on the basis of, nor suffer disadvantage by reason of, his or her gender. 2. Scouting Principles The Scout Association has had a policy of mixed adult Leadership from 1907, though it is only since 1976 (for Venture Scouts) and 1991 (for Beaver Scouts, Cub Scouts and Scouts) that the training Sections have been open to both male and female young people. The Scout Association believes that it is good practice for all Sections to have a mixed Leadership team. The absence of female Leaders is not a barrier to girls and young women joining a particular section. 3. Restrictions to adult Membership on the basis of gender There is no basis on which any Volunteer offering his or her services, in any capacity, can be refused an appointment in, and Membership of, the Association on the grounds of gender. 4. Problems for Commissioners A complaint of sexual discrimination is made by one Leader against another, a Volunteer is refused an appointment or Membership because of their gender, or a Volunteer's services are miss-used solely on grounds of gender. Where there is disagreement between two adults who are Members of the Association, Commissioners should follow the procedures set out in When Adults Disagree. Commissioners should ensure that any gender based problems within this disagreement are approached and, if possible, resolved in this process. Where gender based problems are not resolved through reconciliation, and where gender has been used to bar Membership, Commissioners must make it clear that gender prejudice is not acceptable and should take steps to ensure that it does not take place. It is unacceptable for Commissioners to decide not to appoint individuals to a particular Leadership role on the grounds that existing Leaders in the Section or Group display prejudice as to whether the position should be filled by a male or female. 5. References and Resources Guidelines for mixed provision are given in Rule 8 in Policy, Organisation and Rules. Copies of Living and Working Together are available from the Scout Information Centre. When Adults Disagree is available from the Scout Information Centre. The Equal Opportunities Policy Case Studies includes examples of women involved in Scouting. The pack is available from the Scout Information Centre.
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