Youth Services Committee by Roy Bain, Convenor The 2012 AGM saw the launch of the Youth Services Committee (YSC), following last year’s ‘interim’ committee. It comprises four members plus Convenor, with a sizeable workload and big ambitions. We are compiling a Register of Teachers: who and where they are, and whom they teach. The initial focus was on those teaching children and young people; however, we are now including all teachers, including experienced dancers leading youth classes. Lack of this information affected our plans last summer to offer tuition to Girl Guiding Scotland summer camps, when we found that we could not identify suitable teachers in all areas. The Register is intended to be global and for all RSCDS-qualified teachers – so Branch Secretaries, teachers, please help us by sending in details to ysc@rscds.org. As I write, the Working Group in Manchester is putting the final touches to this year’s Spring Fling, which will be over by the time you read this. Lyon is well advanced with preparations for Spring Fling 2014; further information will appear on
the website shortly. Check the website for details of Spring Fling scholarships. The Jigs & Reels teaching pack has been very well received, with sales all over the world. Thanks are due to Irene Bennett, Education Liaison Officer, and her team for all their hard work in developing such a superb product. The team is now continuing as part of a new working group under the chairmanship of Helen Russell, investigating possible additions to and further development of the pack, along with other SCD initiatives in Scotland’s primary and secondary school sectors. At primary school level, this includes a pilot SCD School Accreditation Scheme. Our support for the Inter Varsity Folk Dance Festival (IVFDF) continues. By the time of publication, we will again have had an exhibition stand at Sheffield University, and have been invited to IVFDF 2014 in Edinburgh. We have a small working group building better links with university clubs/societies and other youth groups. To support this activity, a reduced affiliation fee is being offered to such groups (see page 4). Our first Youth Workshop is planned for Saturday 19 October 2013 in Milngavie Town Hall, Glasgow – our thanks to
Education & Training Committee by Di Rooney, Convenor The Manual Finally, the end of a long and winding road is in sight. Be warned, however, that there are strong and conflicting opinions about the Manual, and ultimately we will be unable to please everyone. I understand those who feel ‘less is more’ and that Won’t You Join the Dance? with its many ‘grey areas’ is preferable to greater detail. Other groups and dancers, however, want complete precision, and amalgamating polarised views is almost impossible to achieve! We hope that both paper and electronic versions of the Manual will be ready in time for Summer School 2013. Financial considerations, however, have placed filming of steps and formations on hold during a review. Curriculum for Excellence / Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Working Group The Jigs & Reels teaching pack has been extremely well received and is now on its way to becoming a cost-neutral project. Jigs
& Reels is the basis for the next CPD workshop to be held on Sunday 28 July at University Hall, St Andrews. To support the reintroduction of country dancing in Scottish schools, this workshop is open in the first instance to new participants working in Scotland, or previous participants wishing to deliver CPD training but feeling they would benefit from a refresher course. Applicants must be experienced RSCDS-qualified teachers who: • have experience of teaching either a children’s or a beginners’ class, and/or • have significant experience of delivering training to adults, and/or • have extensive experience of working with schools and teachers. If you are interested in attending, please reply to cpd@rscds.org by 17 May 2013. Further courses will be organised at a later date(s) to support members outside Scotland who wish to introduce CPD to schools in their own area. Ladies’ Step Film footage of interviews with three
Glasgow Branch for their support in organising a social dance in the evening. Full details are on the website. A second workshop is planned for the third weekend in January 2014 – watch the website for details. We plan to run two workshops each year, in October and January, to avoid Spring Fling, IVFDF and other popular events in Newcastle, London, etc., and to tie in with the university year. Summer School 2013 is again offering places to 12-15 year olds in Week 3. The Youth Ezine continues, so we need more articles! What are you doing in your area? What stories do you have to tell? Interesting photos? Unusual venue or trip away? A Festival, Day of Dance, or fundraising event? Let the world know: send details to ysc@rscds.org. The Youth Ezine and many other initiatives were established by Susan Rhodes, Youth Development Officer, who completes her current contract at the end of March 2013. We thank Susan for all her work and are pleased that she is still willing to undertake specific pieces of work from time to time. We wish her well as she concentrates on translation work from her floating home, a beautiful Dutch barge berthed on the equally beautiful Scottish west coast. The Committee would welcome your suggestions, ideas, requests – contact us at ysc@rscds.org. teachers, Wendy West, Jenny Greene and Atsuko Clement, was shot at Summer School 2012 by David Cunningham, to be used mainly for the archive and podcasts. Branch Summer School Scholarships Thanks to donations from TAS and Cheshire Branch, along with an extremely generous contribution from the Manchester Scots Night, many more deserving applicants received support to attend Summer School for the first time last year. If your Branch is interested in funding young dancers in this worthwhile venture, please contact info@rscds.org for further details. Appointments The committee would welcome expressions of interest in the following two voluntary posts: 1. Summer School Depute-Director – to serve for two years, covering Summer Schools 2014 and 2015, working with Ruby Wilkinson, Schools Director 2. Winter School Coordinator – for 2015, following Anne Smyth. If you are interested in either post, please contact info@rscds.org for job description and application details, with the appropriate post in the subject line. Closing date for both applications is 31 August 2013.
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