s u Foc ine for The magaaznagers volunteerinmScouting 011 June/July 2
Connecting through communication
I’m only sleeping
Not at the Apex Team’s adventure filled AGM you’re not
Sharing the message of everyday adventure
C I T C E L C E S D N E I OURMFakRe the best use of volunteers k
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Published by The Adult Support Team The Scout Association Gilwell Park, Bury Road Chingford, London E4 7QW Contributions to adult.support@scouts.org.uk ADVERTISING Richard Ellacott richard.ellacott@thinkpublishing.co.uk Tel: 020 8962 1258 Contributors Tim Kidd, Jean Marshall, Laura McManus, Stuart Carter, Derek Catt, Justin Mullender County: Although in some parts of the British Isles Scout Counties are known as Areas or Islands – and in one case Bailiwick – for ease of reading this publication simply refers to County/Counties. In Scotland there is no direct equivalent to County or Area. In Scotland, Scouting is organised into Districts and Regions, each with distinct responsibilities. Some ‘County’ functions are the responsibility of Scottish Regions, whilst others lie with Scottish Districts. The focus of responsibility is outlined in Scottish variations from POR. Adult Support Team The Scout Association, Gilwell Park, Chingford; London E4 7QW; Tel: 0845 300 1818 email adult.support@scouts.org.uk
Download all section supplements at www.scouts.org.uk/magazine
Welcome
Share the adventure The National Year of the Volunteer is the perfect time to find new ways of showing people how great it is to volunteer for Scouting, says Laura McManus The first week of June is Volunteers’ Week and 2011 is the Year of the Volunteer. How can we raise the profile of Scouting so adults who want to volunteer know that Scouting offers them fantastic opportunities? In my Scout Group we are looking to launch a new website. The article on page eight gives some examples of the best local communications that I know I will take into account.
Keeping Scouting safe Ensuring the safety of young people and adults in Scouting is a key responsibility of all adults in Scouting. As a volunteer, I know that making safety an integral part of the planning process make the risk assessments easier. On pages six and seven we look at how you can support your leaders in making sure that the Scouting you offer is safe for everyone involved.
An AGM with a difference
CREATE ...
... your own Group or County logo www.scouts.org.uk /bra nd
At the first mention of an AGM some people immediately switch off. It doesn’t have to be like this. Why not follow the example of the Apex Challenge Team on page ten and turn the AGM into an event not for the faint hearted? Imagine your Chairman leaping off a climbing wall, secretary canoeing and treasurer doing some orienteering. Instantly it sounds a bit more interesting. If you run an AGM with a difference, why not let us know? Email us at focus@scouts.org.uk
In Focus 6 Play it safe It’s easy to keep the edge and keep Scouting safe
8 Spreading the message Some of the top ways we’re all shouting about Scouting today
10 AGM = Adventurous Group Missions Be inspired with your AGM by injecting some Scouting adventure
11 AGM = A Good Meeting How to make sure your AGM runs smoothly
12 Tailor made for success Need more volunteers? Start thinking differently about how people can volunteer
14 A change could do you good Chief Commissioner for England Tim Kidd reflects on how making a change can bring inspiration
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News and views
Email us at focus@scouts.org.uk if you would like something featured
Scouting goes mobile My Badges (UK Programme), the official badge app of The Scout Association, is now available for iPhone and iPod Touch users. Ideal for quick reference at meetings or camp it contains the requirements for every badge and award in the UK 6-25 programme. The Scout Association’s first smart phone app allows you to fit the entire programme in your pocket or bag. It comes with a host of features to make Scouting easier wherever you happen to be, including: • Requirements for every badge and award • Promise and Law for all ages (including variations).
• Interactive badge position diagrams • Ability to track personal progress • Share email/text links to scouts.org.uk (iPod Touch – email only). • Adjust text size Filled with great graphics and images of every badge, participating in the programme has just got easier and more fun for all Scouts.
Available now from iTunes (£1.19). See how it works at www.scouts.org.uk/tv
Everest conqueror joins Reunion
Book your place for Reunion 2011, taking place at Gilwell Park Scout Activity Centre on 2-4 September. This year we are lucky to have Bonita Norris, the youngest British woman to climb everest, join us to talk about her expedition. UK Chief Commissioner, Wayne Bulpitt and his team and the UK Headquarters Programme Team will also be there to talk about forthcoming developments and how you can get involved. Saturday focuses on sectional support around the six Programme Zones, plus lots of stands with specialists from within Scouting, corporate partners and external organisations. Free workshops, training and activities on Sunday and networking opportunities will round off the weekend. To book your place visit www.scouts.org.uk/reunion If you have a skill, talent or idea to share, contact the Reunion Organising Team at gilwell.reunion@scouts.org.uk
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Play it safe
People love Scouting because it’s challenging, exciting and safe. Keeping that edge while keeping it safe doesn’t have to be a challenge in itself says Safety in Scouting Coordinator Stuart Carter
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t is the excitement of new activities combined with a perceived risk that has helped Scouting’s recent growth. It is our role as leaders and responsible adults to provide adventure and we have a duty of care to provide it as safely as possible. Here are a few thoughts to help prepare you and your leaders.
Keep the venue safe
Ensure your premises are a safe place to meet, whether for section meetings, adult training or executive meetings. Check out the factsheet Managing a Safe Scout Premise (FS320010), to help guide you through this process. Make sure your fire evacuation procedures are up to date and clearly displayed and leaders make time with young people to ensure they know what to do. Practise this at least once a term. Encourage discussion about it and encourage leaders to make it part of their badge work. Familiarity can help save a life.
Assess as you plan and play
A risk assessment must be carried out for all activities, but this does not need to be a timeconsuming process. It is important that risk assessments are regularly reviewed both before and during an activity. Experience shows it is often the one which is run regularly with little perceived risk where incidents may occur. Regular re-assessment of familiar activities will allow those running the activity to identify changes in the risks over time. As a manager in Scouting, you must ensure that your leaders are familiar and comfortable with the risk assessment process. If necessary run a short refresher training session on it. Further information can be found in the factsheet Activities – Risk Assessment (FS120000).
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Safety
TOP TIPS FOR SAFER SCOUTING
• Encourage leaders, through train ing, to assess risk as part of their prog ram me plan ning, rather than as an after thought. • Consider first aid cover, adult/young person ratios and InTouch infor mati on if they are going further than their meeting place. Infor mation about InTouch can be found in the factsheet InTouch (FS120075). • Rem ind them of the importance of regu lar head counts of those on the activ ity. • Plan carefully when going out on roads and paths. Use the opportun ity to bring elements of road safet y into the prog ram me, such as walk ing, cycli ng and being seen (both day and night). • Prepare the area being used . Move tables or obstructions and thin k abou t appropriate lighting levels and whether the game shou ld be indoors or outdoors. • Control the area that will be used and the suitabilit y of the game for the age and ability of those involved . • Rem ind ever yone of the rules, ther e may be new members or the game has not been played for a while. Rules are your control measures arisi ng out of your risk assessment – to put it formally.
Ensure that the correct permits are in place for those in charge of running an adventuro us activity, or use an appropriate centre. Refer to the factsheets Scout Led Activity Index (FS12 0084) and Commercially Led Activity Index (FS120086 ). Young Leaders working with sections are still young people with a limited amount of experience. They are a great asset but, however capa ble they are, they still need to be guided and supp orted and must be overseen by responsible adults. If we teach them the fundamentals of running a safe programme, they are a great way to take that life skill to other young people. Don’t forget to record any risks and subse quent controls in an appropriate manner. It can be formally, but it may just be in a notebook, as part of the plan for the evening or as your rules for a game. Happy and safe Scouting.
Unit y (Scout Insu rance Serv ices) prov ides personal accident cover for all Scout Association Members, as well as guidance and advice on any activ ities you are runn ing. Contact them free on 0845 0945 703 or ema il scouts@u nity ins.co.uk
more info
All factsheets can be found online by visiting www.scouts.org.uk / memberresou rces or by contacting The Scout Infor mation Centre on 0845 300 1818.
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Spreading the message tell people about There are lots of ways to stay in touch with and Caroline Raw all Scouting has to offer. Justin Mullender and munications look at some of the best national and local com
W
e all know that Scouting is growing. Our steady increase in members year-on-year is testament to that. But are you aware of the growing number of ways we’re communicating with each other? And how these different communications can support you in Scouting?
Scouting magazine Now with a circulation of over 90,000, Scouting magazine is filled cover-to-cover with news, opinion and features to keep you in the know. Distributed every two months, together with the relevant sectional supplement, it provides inspirational stories, information and activity ideas to support you in your role and make sure you continue to enjoy Scouting. Tip: If any of your leaders aren’t receiving the magazine or are receiving the wrong section supplement, encourage them to log in to www.scouts. org.uk and check that their details are correct (in the ‘mailing’ section of ‘my profile’).
Scouting magazine online Our new online magazine provides a selection of feature content from the print version of the magazine with additional videos, competitions and blogs. www.scouts.org.uk/magazine
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Communications
The local level
It’s not just nationally that there are a wealth of ways that we are communicating with each other. At a local level Scouts are using lots of different ways to show what Scouting has to offer. There are some great examples around the UK of websites, newsletters, emails or social media that reach members with the information they need. Here are a few of our favourites that we think provide a good communication mix.
www.scouts.org.uk/magazine
Scouting Plus
The weekly enewsletter gets sent direct to your inbox every week. Packed with the latest Scouting news, guidelines and opportunities, it’s your one-stop-shop for keeping up with the most important developments and new information. Tip: We have over 50,000 leaders signed up to Scouting Plus but this means there are 50,000 who aren’t. Encourage your leaders to check their details in the ‘mailing’ section of ‘my profile’ on www.scouts.org.uk
scouts.org.uk Can’t wait until Friday for your fill of Scouting news? Our website is just a click away and will keep you up to speed with all the latest news and information. Visit scouts. org.uk/news and scouts.org. uk/noticeboard to catch up and have your say using the comments on each article.
The social network Social media continues to grow and Scouting intends to keep pace. You can now find Scouting on all of the main social networking websites. Become a fan on Facebook (www.scouts.org.uk/facebook), follow Scouting on Twitter (@UKScouting) or subscribe on YouTube (www.scouts.org.uk/ tv). It’s a great way to connect and receive the latest updates in news as it happens.
Clwyd Hotliner is a local newsletter posted to 800 adult members three times a year. It uses inspiring messages and promotes new ideas and future plans. The Facebook page is a collection of short timely messages to prompt members to get involved. The website is a regular source of vibrant news items, information, photo galleries and an online calendar. Have a look for yourself at clwydscouts.org.uk Hertfordshire A variety of communication channels are used to motivate and inspire members. Headlines, a printed newsletter, is a mixture of reports from local Scout Groups and promotes resources and upcoming events. Communication in Hertfordshire is complemented by local online support and resources at hertfordshirescouts.org.uk Somerset Scout Out is a clean and clear newsletter for Somerset’s adult members also available online at scoutout.weebly.com It embraces the Scout brand and provides motivational and witty communication to volunteers across the county. Essex A website, a weekly email digest called Essex Plus and daily social network updates on Facebook and Twitter keep everyone up to speed. There is also a six page newsletter called Essex Adventure that is distributed by post or email to every adult in the county. See for yourself at essexscouts.org.uk
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AGM = Adventurous Group Missions An enterprising Scout Active Support Unit has discovered that the best way to keep everyone’s interest in an AGM is to inject a bit of adventure. Event Director and Scout Active Support Manager Matt Richards shares their secret
T
he Apex Challenge team have transformed our AGMs into ‘Adventurous Group Missions.’ Apex Challenge events are among the toughest of all adventure competitions in the UK. We run two events every year which each attract more than 350 Explorer and Network Scouts. Our Adventurous Group missions are a weekend away where the meetings are combined with a string of adventurous activities just for adults.
Make it active This year the Apex team held its event at a Scout Activity Centre in the Peak District. The nine members first headed to the spectacular Millers Dale Viaduct to complete a series of abseils over the river, before heading back to the site at Tansley Wood to build their own suspension bridge. When they returned to the campsite, the AGM were then combined with food and drinks, which helped the ideas flow freely for new ways to develop the Apex Challenge events.
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Getting the best out of people Our belief is that it si crucial that adults are allowed to have fun too. Our new team weekend idea was all about getting the best from our diverse range of volunteers. We wanted to put on a fun weekend where we got to have a go at the sorts of activities we usually lay on for the young people at our events. It helped everyone get to know each other better and lead to fantastic ideas for future events. I’m sure that wouldn’t have happened if we’d simply had a formal meeting indoors.
Who are the Apex Challenge Active Support Unit?
The Apex Challenge Scout Active Support Unit was one of the first such Units in the country to be formed. The Unit organises and runs a series of adventure competitions for Explorers and the Scout Network. For more details, see www.apexchallenge.co.uk
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Executive support
Actions
Agenda
Timings
Plan
Fun
AGM = A Good Meeting So you’ve been inspired by the Apex Challenge team and enjoyed some adventure at your AGM. Now it’s time to get down to business. Derek Catt looks at how to make sure your AGM runs smoothly t's not as hard as you might think to hold an effective AGM. Like many things in Scouting, you just need to be prepared. Here are a few tips that may help you:
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If everyone takes away one action then everyone feels involved. Make sure you circulate action points within one week of the meeting showing who is responsible for carrying them out. Include an agreed completion date.
Plan early
Stick to your decisions
Make sure you circulate meeting dates early and choose a meeting venue and time to suit everyone involved. Send out the agenda with reports and supporting documentation with plenty of time so that everyone can consider their responses.
Once discussion has taken place take time to make sure that everyone understands that the decisions made are to be stuck too. Keep your minutes concise and record the decisions made and action to be taken.
Keep to time
Avoid excessive time being spent on 'any other business' by asking everyone to submit items for inclusion before the agenda is sent out. Often decisions made on the spur of the moment without thought have to be revisited. And don’t just have a meeting because the date has been set if there is not sufficient items that need to be discussed. There is nothing worse than going to a meeting and just going over old ground. For more information, contact executive.committees@scouts.org.uk
Start and finish on time. To help it can be a good idea to allocate timings for different parts of the agenda. And it's also good to provide some refreshments.
Get everyone involved Make sure that everyone contributes to the meeting by encouraging them to express their opinion. Assign action points to people to ensure plans move forward.
Don't waste time
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Tailor made for success There is no one-size-fits-all approach to volunteering. To get more people to volunteer for Scouting we have to think flexibly, says Jean Marshall
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Recruitment
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ach role in Scouting can be tailored to fit around an individuals’ skills and time commitment. Thinking about what a person wants to get out of volunteering, and the skills they have or want to develop will mean that a role is more suited to them.
Steps to effective recruitment
carefully the volunteers 1 Consider who come forward. What are they interested in? What would they be good at? What skills do they have? What time are they willing to give? it may be tempting to focus 2 While on filling vacant roles, it is important to remember that roles should be tailored to fit the individual, rather than pushing an individual into an existing role. may need to look at the 3 You vacant role and reallocate existing resources or consider whether two or more people might be needed to undertake the tasks. new volunteers to ensure 4 Induct that they are happy with what they have volunteered to do. Allowing adults to choose which parts of the roles they do is one way that we can reduce the demands placed on them.
Thinking flexibly in the real world 1st Bradley Stoke Scout Group in North Bristol has grown a lot in
the past year. Group Scout Leader, Mark Gollop identified potential volunteers from the parents of young people in a new Beaver Scout Colony. One of the parent helpers is employed in change management. He has used these skills to support Mark in creating a development plan for the Group, which is aligned to the 2018 vision (www. scouts.org.uk/2018). It takes into account a ‘wish list’ from the leaders. This volunteer has no previous experience of Scouting, but by using skills he already had – and in the time he was willing to give – Mark has created a role for him.
‘It’s about how people’s skills can support Scouting, rather than just focusing on filling a vacancy.’ Mark Gollop: Group Scout Leader, North Bristol Another parent helper works in Human Resources. After talking with Mark she agreed to become a Training Adviser for the Group. Again, this suits her availability and experience. She says, ‘It is no different to what I do at work, and I am happy to help out anyway I can.’ For quality Scouting it is far better to maximise the use of volunteers’ existing skills and to place them where they will be happiest.
Why I volunteer... Sarah Cruickshank, a new Group Scout Leader for West Lancashire I became a GSL as it fitted with the time I have I was an Assistant Cub Scout Leader and having time for Scouting wasn’t the problem, committing to a set time every week was becoming one. So when the Group Scout Leader role came up, I asked if I could do it as it works better for me. I’m looking forward to making a difference I want to build a really strong, youth-led Group that will make a difference for the young people and our community. I’m using skills I already have I have some management experience and I have plenty of tact, drive, enthusiasm and patience. I also provide good biscuits for meetings! It’s important having a strong team alongside me, both in the Leaders and the Executive Committee. Being prepared means being successful Having some Scouting experience can help, but there’s so much happening and the organisation is evolving all the time. I’ve found it’s mostly about being prepared.
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A change could do you good Sometimes it’s good to try something new, says Tim Kidd. It’s the way we keep Scouting fresh, vibrant and relevant
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s a manager in Scouting, doubtless everyone tells you how you should carry out your role. It is not a new phenomenon. Plenty of people over the years have told me how I should be doing the various roles that I have undertaken. Some of those people may just have been right! Although it is usually easier to be right by the power of hindsight, or if you are telling someone else what to do.
Stop, look and listen My favourite piece of advice as a District Commissioner came from the father of a friend who noted that I didn’t need to rush around as soon as there was an indication of a slight problem. Sometimes rushing in too quickly actually makes the problem worse. A small period of reflection can help. I’ve used this piece of advice many times over the years, and not just in Scouting. But here’s the point, no-one has a monopoly on being right all the time. Indeed, Scouting thrives on encouraging people (young and old) to try things out and to stretch themselves. And I believe that we only learn from trying things out if we also stop to take stock and learn from what has happened. 14
Put it into practice This is all just theory though unless we really do try different approaches and new ideas. That can be easier said than done. We often feel more comfortable falling back on the way we have done something for years. So here’s the challenge – for all of us to seek out and try new ideas and ways of doing things. This means speaking to a wide range of people in Scouting and allowing new people and young adults to take positions in Scouting and to run events, activities and meetings. It might be uncomfortable, but it seems to me to be the way in which we keep Scouting fresh, vibrant and relevant. Hopefully the articles you’ve read this issue will help you to reflect on how you carry out your role and perhaps provide a few good ideas for how you might do things differently in the future.
Tim Kidd is Chief Commissioner for England. Contact him at focus@scouts.org.uk
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