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Getting the most out of Scouts with Widgit Symbols

Getting the most out of Scouts with Widgit Symbols

Creating more accessible and inclusive Scout experiences for young people and volunteers

From learning the Scout Promise, to staying away from home for the first time, there’s a whole new world to navigate when joining the Scouts. Now, Widgit’s symbolised resources are supporting new and existing members to jump headfirst into all of the exciting opportunities Scouts has to offer. We spoke to Scouts Programme Design Officer Laura Thorner, together with Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Executive El Cummings, and UK Inclusion Team volunteer Toria Crooks, about the positive impact of symbols at Scouts.

What made you want to offer symbolised resources for your Scouts?

We initially did some work with Widgit a number of years ago, with the aim of supporting autistic young people in the Scouts. But since then, our thinking has definitely evolved. We realised that symbolised resources can be really valuable for a whole range of individuals. We hope these resources will help everyone, from children aged 4-5 starting Squirrels with developing language abilities, disabled and neurodivergent people, those with communication needs, and people with English as an additional language (EAL). For all young people, visual resources such as these Widgit materials provide a great way to share information in a way that is clear and easy to understand. As we continue to open up opportunities for more young people, we wanted to ensure that symbolised resources grew with us, which has led us to our current work with Widgit today.

Do you feel symbolised communication will help volunteers deliver better Scout experiences?

Yes, definitely. Every volunteer wants to give young people the best experience possible, but time and confidence can sometimes get in the way. Many volunteers are balancing busy lives (work, family, and everything else), so creating new resources from scratch can be difficult. Our symbolised communication resources help by giving them ready-made, accessible tools that save time and build confidence. It means less preparation and more focus on what really matters: delivering great sessions and supporting young people to thrive.

What’s your vision for these resources and how they will help young people within Scouts across the UK?

While they’ve only just been released, we really believe these symbolised resources will make Scouts more inclusive and accessible for all young people. By giving leaders ready-made, flexible tools like visual timetables, symbol packs, and visual stories, they can better support every child to understand activities, routines, and traditions, regardless of their ability. The aim is to build leaders’ confidence, reduce their workload, and ensure every young person feels included, supported, and able to take part fully in Scouts, from weekly meetings to camps, and beyond!

Will Widgit play a role in shaping best practice among your leaders moving forward?

We're keen to develop a community of practice where leaders and volunteers feel confident to share and learn from each other, and Widgit is a great inclusion tool for best practice that leaders can share and develop to make resources bespoke to the young people in their groups. It’s great that we now have such easy access to these materials, and we’ll keep exploring how they can make the biggest impact for young people, and our volunteers - helping them feel empowered and confident to deliver truly inclusive Scout experiences.