Chief Scout Dwayne Fields says the group rescued him after he was shot

People should be allowed more flexibility at work so they can take time out to volunteer for good causes, Britain’s chief scout has said.

Under the proposal, workers would be entitled to 35 hours of voluntary leave each year, which could be taken as hours rather than days.

Dwayne Fields wants the government to support the move, saying it will benefit companies as much as anyone else.

“People who volunteer are happier, happier people are more productive,” he told the BBC. “So it’s good for the person, the community and the people. [employer]”

Dwayne, 41, Became Chief Scout in September. – The public face of the voluntary organization.

He is one of the guest editors of the Today program this year and used his episode to explain how volunteering can build confidence, self-esteem and the ability to empower others.

He credits the values ​​he learned in the Scouts with preventing him from seeking revenge against the man who pulled a gun on him later in life.

Dwayne was 21 when he marched to a council estate in east London to retrieve his stolen moped – one that he and his younger brother had lovingly built from scratch.

Out of stupidity or anger — he said he couldn’t remember which — Dwayne approached the thieves and took his motorcycle. At the same time, one of them took out a pistol and opened fire.

“He was about three or four meters away when he pulled the trigger,” Dwayne said. “I was lucky enough that the gun misfired twice.”

It was a turning point for Dwayne, who also survived a stabbing a few years ago, as he feared his younger brother’s life might be in danger.

“Scouting saved me,” he said. “I didn’t have the confidence to say no to all the voices that were telling me: ‘You go and get the guy who pulled a gun on you.'”

Dwayne joined the Scouts shortly after moving to Britain from Jamaica at the age of six. A friend introduced him to his local group.

His childhood in the Caribbean meant he had plenty of outside wealth to enjoy but difficulties at home.

“I was a child with very little clothing,” he said. “I had no toys, we had no electricity, gas or running water at home.

“There was a lot of poverty in that sense but…all I can think of is that I had the freedom to move around.

“I had the freedom to find an environment in which I was in a safety net with someone who loved me that I could always run back to – if something bit me or stung or scratched or scratched me. given.”

He wants Scouts to enjoy the same feelings of freedom and adventure he experienced as a boy and to develop the kindness and compassion that comes from volunteering.

The benefit of such values ​​is evident in Peterborough, a town Dwayne visited as part of his Today programme.

There he interviewed volunteers at the Hussain Soup Kitchen who were helping the homeless and helping those struggling to make ends meet.

On the day of Dwayne’s visit, samosas, lentils, chicken and rice were being served.

One recipient was living in a garage and said he was grateful to have somewhere to go when he had no money for food. Others said it was their first hot meal in a week.

Dwayne asked one young woman why she was volunteering: “I saw my mom and my aunts and my uncle – they all help… I wanted to help people, too.”

For him, people like him highlight the importance of volunteering, whether through the Scouts or other charitable organizations.

“They’re the next generation. The fact that they’re participating in making this world a little bit better is, to me, a source of great hope.”

Dwayne also visited Peterborough’s Light Project, which offers a range of support to homeless people – from hot showers and meals to counselling, medical support and advice on benefits paperwork.

There he meets Peter and his two Pekingese Chihuahuas, the only living things he now considers family.

Peter told him how, desperate, he had tried to get his own. She was encouraged to seek help, but told Dwayne: “It’s hard to ask for help. I couldn’t lift my head from the doorbell ringing.”

Homelessness is something Dwayne knows all about. At the age of 20, his mother asked him to find his own place to live.

At one point, he slept overnight on a train parked at a depot when a driver found him early in the morning.

After the initial shock and making sure Dwayne was okay, the pair started talking.

At one point the driver showed her a ring and told her: “It had to be burned and bent and bent into shape to make it beautiful – maybe that’s what you’re going through.”

It turns out Devin had somehow slept through last night. He is now married and has four children. “Kindness is something that is free,” she told us.

Attitudes affect the atmosphere of scouting groups, he says.

He also rejected the idea that the Scouts had “woke up”. Some have criticized the organization for offering an activity that groups can use to teach children about preferred pronouns. Scouts say their groups welcome all youth.

“Scouting reflects society,” Duane said. “If there’s a young person who says, ‘I don’t know if I’m comfortable calling myself a boy or a girl’ – what does it matter?

“We’re there for the same reasons: to have fun, make friends, learn, develop skills and build confidence.”

He added: “My oldest friend in the world is someone I met in Scouts when I was seven. He’s still one of my best friends. That’s all I know about Scouting.”