'It's good for everyone': Chief scout calls for volunteer push

People should beryllium allowed much flexibility astatine enactment truthful they tin find clip to unpaid for bully causes, the UK's main scout has said.

Under the connection workers would person the close to 35 hours of permission each twelvemonth for volunteering, which could beryllium taken arsenic hours alternatively than days.

Dwayne Fields wants the authorities to enactment the measurement and said it would payment companies arsenic overmuch arsenic anyone else.

"People who unpaid thin to beryllium happier, radical who are happier thin to enactment much productively," helium told the BBC. "So it's bully for the person, the assemblage and the [employer]."

Dwayne, 41, became main scout successful September - the volunteering organisation's nationalist face.

He is 1 of the Today programme's impermanent editors this twelvemonth and utilized his occurrence to explicate however volunteering tin physique confidence, self-worth and the quality to empower others.

He credits the values helium learned successful the Scouts with preventing him from seeking retribution against the idiosyncratic who pulled a weapon connected him aboriginal successful life.

Dwayne was 21 erstwhile helium marched onto a assembly property successful eastbound London to retrieve his stolen moped – 1 that had been lovingly built from scratch by him and his younger brother.

Out of stupidity oregon choler - helium said helium couldn't retrieve which - Dwayne approached the thieves and grabbed his motorcycle. That's erstwhile 1 of them drew a pistol and fired.

"He was astir 3 oregon 4 metres distant erstwhile helium pulled the trigger," said Dwayne. "I was fortunate capable that the weapon misfired twice."

It was a turning constituent for Dwayne, who had besides survived a stabbing a mates of years earlier, arsenic helium feared his younger brother's beingness mightiness beryllium astatine hazard too.

"Scouting saved me," helium said. "I would not person had the assurance to accidental nary to each those voices that were telling me: 'You should spell and get that feline who pulled the weapon connected you.'"

Dwayne had joined Scouts soon aft moving to Britain from Jamaica aged six. He was introduced to his section radical by a friend.

His puerility successful the Caribbean meant helium had plentifulness of outdoor riches to bask but determination were hardships astatine home.

"I was a kid who had precise small successful the mode of clothing," helium said. "I didn't person toys, we didn't person electricity, state oregon moving h2o successful the house.

"In that consciousness determination was a batch of poorness but... each I tin deliberation astir was the state I had to roam.

"The state I had to research the situation I was successful with the information nett of having idiosyncratic who loved maine that I could ever tally backmost to - if I got bitten oregon stung oregon scratched oregon scraped by something."

He wants scouts to bask the aforesaid feelings of state and escapade that helium had arsenic a lad and to make the kindness and compassion that comes from volunteering.

The payment of specified values are evident successful Peterborough, a municipality Dwayne visited arsenic portion of his Today programme.

There helium interviewed volunteers astatine the Hussain Soup Kitchen who were helping the stateless and those struggling to marque ends meet.

Samosas, dhal, chickenhearted and atom were being offered connected the time Dwayne visited.

One recipient was surviving successful a store and said they were thankful helium had determination to spell erstwhile helium doesn't person immoderate wealth for food. Others said it was their archetypal blistery repast successful a week.

Dwayne asked a young pistillate wherefore she was volunteering: "I saw my mum and my aunties and my uncles - they each assistance out... I wanted to assistance radical arsenic well."

For him, radical similar her exemplify the value of volunteering, whether it beryllium done Scouts oregon different charitable organisations.

"They are the adjacent generation. The information they are taking portion successful making this satellite conscionable that small spot amended is, to me, a origin for a large woody of hope."

Dwayne besides visited Peterborough's Light Project, which offers a scope of assistance to stateless radical - from blistery showers and food, to counselling, aesculapian enactment and proposal connected benefits paperwork.

There helium met Peter and his 2 Pekingese chihuahuas, the lone surviving things helium present considers family.

Peter told him how, desperate, he'd tried to instrumentality his own. He was urged to get help, but told Dwayne: "It's hard to inquire for help. I couldn't get my caput astir ringing the doorbell."

Homelessness is thing Dwayne knows each about. His parent told him, aged 20, to find his ain spot to live.

On 1 occasion, helium slept overnight connected a parked bid successful a depot erstwhile a operator recovered him successful the aboriginal hours of the morning.

After the archetypal daze and making definite Dwayne was alright, the brace began to chat.

At 1 constituent the operator showed him a ringing and told him: "For it to beryllium beauteous it had to beryllium burned and battered and bent into signifier - possibly that's what you're going through."

It turned retired to beryllium the past nighttime Dwayne slept rough. He is present joined and has 4 children. "Kindness is thing that's free," helium told us.

He says that cognition underpins the ambiance astatine scouting groups.

He besides rejected the thought that Scouts has "gone woke". Some person criticised the organisation for offering an enactment that tin beryllium utilized by groups to thatch children astir preferred pronouns. Scouts accidental their groups are invited to each youngsters.

"Scouting reflects society," said Dwayne. "If there's a young idiosyncratic who says, 'I don't cognize if I americium comfy calling myself a lad oregon a girl' - what does it matter?

"We're determination for the aforesaid reasons: to person fun, marque friends, learn, make skills and make confidence."

He added: "My oldest person successful the satellite is idiosyncratic I met astatine Scouts erstwhile I was 7 years old. He's inactive 1 of my champion friends to this day. That's what I cognize astir scouting."