The organisation has unveiled plans to expand its early years provision, become more inclusive and grow its numbers by 5,000

Scotland’s largest youth movement has unveiled its plans for the future.

Scouts Scotland revealed its new five-year plan this week, which aims to help ensure it prepares the young people it helps for life.

Skills for life - Our plan to prepare better futures 2018-2023 aims to ensure the association focuses on employability skills, provides greater support for volunteers, becomes more inclusive and develops outdoor activities.

The strategy also reveals plans for the Scouts to explore providing early years provision, including examining introducing scouting at schools.

The plan, which is the result of a two-year consultation with volunteers, young people, and members of the public, will see the organisation focus on growing their numbers by 5,000 more young people, increasing access to scouting for young people from all walks to life.

This will include starting 200 new groups in particularly in remote and rural areas, areas of deprivation and new in communities, and ensuring young people are driving change, and making a bigger impact on all local communities.

Katie Docherty, chief executive of Scouts Scotland, said: “Our continuing popularity means that scouting has a powerful and important role in our local communities.

“We want to ensure that Scotland is the best place for young people to grow up in and we believe that scouting plays a key role in achieving this by helping to bring communities together and by championing inclusiveness, social mobility and civic participation.

“This is at the heart of our new strategy, which is all about preparing young people for their futures by equipping them the skills that they need to succeed in life - practical skills, character skills and employability skills.”

The Scottish Scout Council was founded in 1909 to administer scouting in Scotland, and now nearly 40,000 children attend groups weekly.