Well the Summer is here (or has it been and gone given the change in then weather!) and we are sure many of you have had an action packed term of Scouting with many more on Camp as we write this.
Thank you for all the invitations to AGMs etc – we’ve enjoyed getting around.
We hope the updates below are of use and that you enjoy the summer and we look forward to catching up with everyone next term.
Steve Ball, Ian MacKenzie
DCs, Wiltshire North
In this blog:
- District Training Days & County Training
- District Appointments Secretary
- New Committee Members
- Development & Growth
- St George’s Day
- Catching up with appointment reviews
- A little bit of what’s going on
District Training Days & County Training
We are looking to hold Training Days in the District on Saturday 13th October and also on Saturday 24th November. What modules do you want covered – vote here please!
The next County Training Weekend is on 17/18 November – details here.
Appointments Secretary
We are looking for a volunteer to act as District Appointments Secretary to support the work of the Appointments Committee. This involves organising meetings of the Committee to meet with adult volunteers as well as seeking references for new volunteers. Please contact us if you can help or know of anyone who might be able to.
New committee members
Don’t forget to get new volunteers on Compass particularly committee members of Executive Committees and point them towards the mandatory training for Exec Committee members.
District development and growth
We are excited by the prospect of starting new Groups in both Malmesbury and Chippenham areas but need help!
Would you be prepared to help run the first 4-6 weeks of a new Beaver Colony in Malmesbury or Chippenham? If so, please do let us know. There are ready-made, tried and tested programmes, so these sessions are relatively pain-free to run. There are lots of details still to work out – like details of the venues and which night(s) of the week. At this stage, there may be an opportunity to influence things to fit around your other commitments.
The Scout Association also has some vacancies for Growth & Development Officers (employed roles) which we’ve been asked to make everyone aware of. Links below.
South (permanent):
https://scouts.org.uk/about-us/jobs/growth-development-officer-south/
South (FTC):
https://scouts.org.uk/about-us/jobs/growth-development-officer-south-(ftc-aug-2019)/
London/East of England:
https://scouts.org.uk/about-us/jobs/growth-development-officer-londoneast-of-england/
St. George’s Day – volunteers?
Would you be prepared to take a part in shaping a different sort of event for St George’s Day in 2019? If so, please let us know.
Catching up with appointment reviews
As volunteers in Scouting, it’s important that we have regular contact with our line managers, we discuss how things are going and what support we need to thrive and enjoy our roles. At their best, those conversations are informal, frequent and a natural part of working together.
As a minimum, each individual should meet and formally review how things are going at least every 5 years. It’s an opportunity to discuss plans for the future that suit Scouting and the individual and agree what to do next. That might be continuing in the same role, trying something different or saying thank you and planning for a step away from Scouting.
At those formal review points, there’s a check on currency of important training – First Aid; Safeguarding and Safety and a decision to be made about whether to extend the person’s role; suggest a new role; or something else.
When the review has taken place, it’s important to submit a form to summarise the details of the discussion. The District Appointments Advisory Committee will take a look at the recommendation from the review and advise us as DCs on renewal of appointments or other outcomes.
There are long-standing review forms, available on the Scout website, but we’re aware that the administration around completing these can be a barrier for some. Feedback about the nights away notification form on our website has been good – so we’ve replicated the review form in the same way. If you’d prefer to use the original form, that’s absolutely fine.
If you’d like a simpler, quicker way to report the details of the review, you can review form.
We’ll soon start chasing up formal reviews which are due or, in some cases well overdue. We hope that individuals and line managers will all see this as a good opportunity to discuss how things are going and plan for the future.
A little bit of what’s going on
The truth is that there is a huge amount going on. Perhaps that’s inevitable given the fantastic weather over the last few weeks, but its clear that everyone is working incredibly hard to provide high quality Scouting opportunities for young people.
The range of nights away notifications we’re receiving is great to see. It’s clear that fantastic opportunities are being offered all across the District. Thank you everyone who is putting in so much effort to allow that to happen.
Whatever you are doing in your Groups over the Summer, have a great and safe time and remembers its all about #skillsforlife for our young people delivered by amazing leaders which is what you all are.