Ms Dubheasa Kelly:

I will briefly highlight some of the measurable impacts scouting has on young people. The impact of scouting is wide-ranging and varied. Through research conducted by Scouting Ireland in 2015, we found four main areas of measurable positive impact, and these were identified by our youth members. The first was emotional development. This included increases in confidence, positivity, maturity and patience. Second, there was personal development and they identified areas such as team work, leadership, time management, independence, responsibility, respect and even critical thinking as being explicitly taught in scouting. Others described how being a member of the organisation impacted on their social skills with increased friendships, improved sociability and people skills. Practical skills were also identified and youth members reported gaining skills such as first aid, cooking, navigation, budgeting and problem solving to mention a few.

Additional research published in 2016 identified that those who engage in scouting are more likely to report better mental health later in life. The results were based on a life-long study of 10,000 people born in the UK in 1959. Researchers found that those who have been active members of scouts tended to have better mental health by the age of 50. In addition, it was noted that engaging in scouting activity seemed to remove the higher risk of mental illness in those from poorer socio-economic backgrounds. Research published in the UK in 2012 demonstrates a substantially higher proportion of scouts engage in voluntary activities than children and young people who had not engaged in scouting. This effect is identified as being long-lasting with 35% of former youth members volunteering regularly at least two hour per week as opposed to 26% of the general population who volunteer regularly. Of the former youth members who volunteer, 66% said that scouting had positively impacted their decision to get involved. Overall, it is clear from research studies conducted, that scouting provides long-lasting and varied benefits to young people and society.