Scouting, since it`s inception, has been focused on local communities and in local Scout groups. The future of Scouting rests directly with attracting sufficient adult volunteers, like you, who care about their communities.
We need more adult volunteers to cope with our waiting lists. We are in "the business" of delivering active and adventurous Scouting directly to young people. It is why we are the largest youth movement in the world. Think of us as a multi-national company with branches in every town and city.
We need more branch managers and more customer service managers. Having enthusiastic adult leaders delivering quality Scouting is our priority is our movement is to flourish. And yes - the Scout Association really is the largest youth co-education provider in the 21st century.
Our successful Scout groups are those that offer active Scouting to all possible age groups - where the sections work together so young people progress and where there is an effective leader team supported by an enthusiastic Group Executive and Group Scout Leader.
This ideal environment does not just happen. It takes effort and enthusiasm to make it work and it needs adult volunteers willing to volunteer 2 hours a week, get trained and help prepare our amazing young people with skills for life. It`s all about fun, teamwork and adventure that quality Scouting flourishes in our communities and remains as relevant today as it was 100 years ago.
Scouting has always worked through teams: the Beaver Scout Lodges (6 - 8 years old), the Cub Scout Sixes (8 - 10 years old) or the Scout Patrols (10 - 14 years old). The same applies to adults. Working in a team invariably improves results. Again, fun, teamwork and adventure.
It should be a hashtag. It`s part of belonging (another hashtag?). It provides some of the rewards we expect to derive from our Scouting. Above all, Scouting must be personally enjoyable.
Adults must get out of Scouting personal satisfaction, a sense of achievement and knowledge that they are making a difference to their community. Skills for life for young people is why Scouting exists. The ultimate measure of what makes good Scouting must be based around young people - having fun, growing numbers, progressing through sections, achieving within their training scheme and developing as individuals.
Added to this is the primary responsibility that to ensure that the young people are in a safe and caring environment that adheres to Scouting`s child protection policy. Young people stay in Scouting because they enjoy it and are having fun. Success breeds success.
The Scouting we deliver must be fun. It shouldn`t be boring or be an extension of school. While it must be fun it must also have a purpose. This is how we operate, through our Balanced Programme and the range of activities Birmingham County Scouts organises includes such activities as Brumventure, Bivouac and Ice Camp. So, it`s about developing young people using our programme of activities that are safe, fun, challenging and exciting.
The programme is supported by a range of awards and badges relevant to each section. Young people enjoy achieving them and being able to show what they have done. In each section the top award is the Chief Scout Award. We can only continue to do this with more adult volunteers as we build a sense of family and belonging in our communities through our Scouting.
The end result is quality Scouting for young people. And that depends on helping adult volunteers getting something out of Scouting. They want to enjoy themselves, to have fun, get personal achievement, a challenge and a sense of belonging. Scouting isn`t all about long-term programme-planning organising camps and managing a section team.
It also includes collecting subs, keeping records up to date, serving squash and biscuits at the end of the Beaver Colony meeting - all tasks that don`t require the full commitment of a leader but it`s a truism that those who start off in a fairly minor role often end up taking on more challenges.
10 Things You May Not Know About Scouting:
(1) Scouting is for boys as well as girls
(2) Scouting is a global movement
(3) Young people can join at any stage of their development
(4) The Scout Association is a registered charity
(5) Scouting is great value!
(6) Robert Baden-Powell, the Founder of Scouting, was recently voted the 13th most influential person of the 20th century
(7) Famous former Scouts include Paul McCartney, Billy Connolly, Stephen Spielberg and David Beckham
(8) Each day 100,000 people in the UK take part in Scouting activities
(9) "Scouting for Boys", Baden-Powell`s blueprint for the Scout Movement, is one of the most popular books of all time
(10) Scouting was 100 in 2007
Note: Sutton Coldfield Scouts are recruiting. Flexible opportunities are available.
If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Ian Henery, Assistant District Commissioner for Development in Sutton Coldfield East on ihenery@aol.com or go direct to https://suttonscouting.org.uk.
