explorer

ine The magaazders e L r Scout for Exploreary/March 2009 Febru

NEW!

SCOUT F OO WATERPRT JACKE

Caves and kayaks

The East Midlands has plenty to offer

Up in the air

R O F Y E MON D ROPE OiLdeas for your Unit

More practical programmes

g Fundraisin

ol

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Your Explorer Scout Section Working Group Chris Brammer UK Adviser for Explorer Scouts, Gemma Veitch Programme and Development Adviser

INTRO

The parent trap

Contact them at: explorer.scout@scout.org.uk Explorer Scout Working Group, The Scout Association, Gilwell Park, Chingford, London E4 7QW; Tel: 0845 300 1818 ADVERTISING Senior Sales Executive: Tom Fountain tom@thinkpublishing.co.uk Tel: 020 8962 1258

With The Big Adventure on its way, Mel Brammer ponders the best ways to engage parents and introduces a bumper 20-pages issue of Explorer

YOUTH WEBSITES ARE CHANGING

In March, our youth sites will be retired in their current form. In the meantime, consultation and review with volunteers, parents and of course young people is taking place to determine the best sort of provision for our youth members online. If you have thoughts and ideas on this subject, we would be grateful to hear them at web.team@scout.org.uk Basic badge requirements and programme descriptions will still be available at www.scouts.org.uk/explorers

CERTIFICATE TEMPLATES

You can now download word document templates for printing names directly onto Chief Scout’s Award certificates. These print in Arial font and can be found at www.scoutbase.org.uk/6to25/ explorer/resources/certs.htm

In the Explorer Scout section, as teenagers develop their independence, it can be difficult to get parents involved in what you are doing. Some ideas tailored to the parents of Explorer Scouts are: • Catch them and build relationships when the Explorer Scouts have only just moved up. Parents are likely to be dropping them off, and may request that communications go to them as well as their offspring so they know what’s going on.

• In your registration form include space to find out what skills parents have and how much they are willing to help out. I’ve just used this method to recruit a mum to help keep all the Explorer Scout Record Cards up to date.

• Hold a parents’ meeting to discuss your summer camp plans.

• Invite parents and siblings along to an activity every so often. We’re doing a Saturday conservation activity, and have opened it to family. I’ve yet to see how many we get, but am hoping it’ll be a good way to get to know some of them.

In this issue you’ll find some innovative fundraising ideas to try with your Explorer Scouts when they tire of bag-packing; information on an important support role and some more programme ideas to try out in the Values and Relationships and Skills Programme Zones. We also take a look at the East Midlands, whether you are planning to go there on a summer camp or live there but are looking for some fresh inspiration. Talking of inspiration, Martin Peake’s article about keeping it fresh gets you thinking about different ways of delivering Module A of the Young Leaders’ Scheme.

Enjoy it!

Contents 4 Fundraising feature What to do when bag-packing can’t cut the mustard

8 In the thick of the action Why the East Midlands makes a superb base for Unit adventures

10 The support role

12 Sky high More practical programmes for two important Programme Zones

14 Having their say Tips to get good ideas from your Explorer Scouts

17 Active Explorers Why the Sainsbury’s Active Kids scheme is a no-brainer for your Unit

18 Module A: Make it matter!

A fresh way of taking on a must-have module

The ACC (Explorer Scouts)

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Fundraising: ! t u o k c u d t ’ n Do

Explorer Scout when asked about ‘Not more bag-packing!’ groaned one n 24 days in 12 months bag-packing fundraising. He had spent more tha to take ious expeditions that he was due ely in supermarkets to fundraise for var method of raising money, it’s definit ive rat luc a nd fou e hav you if n part in. Eve sh. if only to keep your fundraisers fre worth trying out a few new ideas

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Explorer February/March 2009

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BEST PRACTICE

STEP-BY-STEP FUNDRAISING • Decide what you are fundraising for. Charity, Unit funds, or a specific piece of equipment or event?

• Involve the Explorers from the beginning through your Unit Forum. Get them to decide on a charity, to come up with a fundraising target and to choose a fundraising activity.

• Talk to the District Executive and make sure that they are on board. How are they going to help? Do they have any other ideas?

• Set out a budget. Make sure you won’t lose money!

• Allocate tasks, either to members of the

• • • • •

Executive (or sub-committee) or to your leader team or Explorer Scouts and set out a timescale.

Approach individuals or companies for support.

Once everybody has a task to do, regularly check progress.

As you approach the time of your fundraising event put out a press release to local media as they may wish to cover the story.

Enjoy the event!

Afterwards, hold a brief review with participants and organisers. Did you raise as much as you hoped? What went well?

What would you do differently next time?

Note: Remember that the District Executive is responsible for fundraising and financing in the Explorer Scout section, so make sure that they are involved all the way through this process.

A – Z OF FUNDRAISING IDEAS A.

Auction: Auction unwanted gifts and items donated from local businesses.

B.

Bag-packing: Ask your local supermarket. This is usually a big earner in return for an afternoon’s work, but after you’ve done it a couple of times it can get very boring.

Also: Balloon race

C.

Car boot sale: Gather together unwanted items from Explorer Scouts and man a stall at your local car boot sale.

Car parking: Many large one-off events will pay a team of car-parkers or ushers. Carnival: Put together an appropriate float at your local carnival. The more people involved the better to collect more money. You get a percentage of what you collect.

D.

Duck race: You’ll need to hire several hundred rubber ducks (or buy them and then hire them out to other fundraisers). Similar to a raffle you sell the number of each duck for £1. Race the ducks on a nearby river or stream.

Think carefully about how you are safely going to retrieve them all afterwards! The owners of the winning ducks get a prize.

E.

Enterprise: Provide teams of Explorer Scouts with £10. They have three months to come up with an scouts.org.uk/pol

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Funding the adventure

enterprise to increase that £10. Provide a prize to the team that increases the investment by the most, and allow each team to decide how the money that they have made is spent (eg. Unit equipment, charity etc)

F.

Fashion show: Go for an environmental theme where all clothes are made from recycled materials.

Invite guests to come and watch for £2. Fine box: Introduce a fine box to the Unit where fines of 50p are paid for poor language or incorrect uniform.

G.

Games: Whatever your Unit are in to, be it football, computer games or Warhammer, hold a tournament and get them to pay to take part. Invite their friends to come too.

H.

Homeless for the night: Spend a night on the streets in your town sleeping in cardboard boxes to raise awareness of the situation many people find themselves in. Check with the police first. Raise sponsorship and also collect money in tins to donate to charities helping the homeless.

I.

In the change jar: Give each Explorer Scout a glass jar and challenge them to be the first to fill it with loose change. Collect in all the jars and add up the change.

J.

Juice: Buy fruit wholesale and juice it up to sell at a local event or to community groups. Jesterthon: Get your Unit comedians to devise sketches and stand-up to hold a comedy night that people can buy tickets for.

K. Karaoke: Pay to sing, or pay people not to sing!

L. Lanyards and woggles: make lanyards and

woggles and sell them to Scout Groups around your District/County and also to the wider public.

M.

Murder mystery party: Hold a party and charge for tickets.

N.

Name plaques: Use your craft skills to make wooden door plaques and sell them.

O.

On fire! – Hold your own bonfire night party with a bonfire and barbecue. You could charge entry or just for the barbecue. Safety is paramount here. Make sure that your insurance will cover a public event.

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BEST PRACTICE

P.

Plant sale: Requires quite a bit of organising.

Grow the plants yourselves and sell them on, or buy them wholesale and package and market via leaflets.

O.

Quiz night: Advertise it locally, charging a fee per team. If you sell refreshments too then you will increase your fundraising capacity.

R.

Rock concert: Organise a venue, book some local bands and sell tickets at the local schools and colleges.

S.

Sponsorship: Climb, cycle, kayak, run, walk – whatever you do, do it longer and crazier and get sponsored for it.

T.

Trips on coach: Get a group discount for a musical, trip to a theme park, or local event and charge to fill the coach. Twenty-four-hour-athon: of staying awake, watching films etc.

U.

Uniform: When Explorer Scouts leave the Unit (for whatever reason) ask them to donate their uniform.

Explorers remove the badges and give it a good wash.

The items can then be sold at a discounted rate to new Members.

V.

Video blooper: Always keep a camcorder handy, in the hope that you can submit a recorded comedy moment to a televised blooper show, raising around £250 for your Unit!

W.

Wilderness workshop – Run wilderness workshops at your local Scout campsite during the school holidays and sell it to local businesses as a team building day.

The Explorers can teach them how to build shelters and pioneering projects, light fires and cook cowboy dinners.

X.

X-factor – Hold a talent contest and sell refreshments.

Y.

Yo-yo competition and classes: Invite a yo-yo expert to give a workshop and charge Cubs and Scouts in the District to take part. Then hold a display for the new ‘experts’ to show their skills at the end of the day, charging parents to come and watch.

Z.

Zodiac party: Invite people for an evening of astrology. Charge for tickets and provide them with dinner and an astrological reading.

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In the thick of the action East Midlands For the purposes of this article, the East Midlands Region contains Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire. It is a mixture of urban and rural with a wide range of things to do for a busy Explorer Scout Unit.

Getting there: Air: East Midlands Airport is between the three main cities of Derby, Leicester and Nottingham.

Rail: The Midland Main Line and the East Coast Mainline both run regular high-speed trains between here and London or the North and North West.

Road: Main roads in this region run north to south, such as the M1 and the A1.

Campsites: The Region has a variety of campsites to suit the varied activities of Explorer Scouts: Drum Hill Scout Camp, Little Eaton, Derby. 47 acres of woodland, three open camping fields and a choice of three residential buildings. Several activities on-site available. www.drumhill.org.uk

Looking for somewhere to roam with rowdy Explorer Scouts?

Check out the East Midlands for some cool camping and activities with attitude

Gradbach Scout Camp, Buxton, Derbyshire.

48 acres of mixed woodland and open fields, also two buildings for indoor accommodation. Right in the middle of the Peak District, an ideal base for expeditions, hillwalking and other hill activities. www.gradbachscoutcamp.org.uk Tansley Wood Scout Centre, Tansley, Derbyshire.

Woodland site with stream, camping area and 16-bed bunkhouse. In the Peak District with access to a wide range of activities. www.tansleywood.org.uk Trent Lock Scout Activity Centre, Long Eaton, Derbyshire. Field next to River Trent. Space for camping, perfect for water activity weekends. www.trentlock.org.uk

Oaks In Charnwood, Loughborough, Leicestershire.

Woodland and field in rural setting with two cabins.

A range of on-site activities available. www.oakscampsite.org.uk

Walesby Forest Scout Centre, Newark, Nottinghamshire. Woodland and open field for camping and indoor accommodation available.

A wide range of on-site activities. www.walesbyforest.org.uk

Willesley Scout Camp Site, Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire. Grass and woodland. A wide range of activities available. www.willesley.org/campsite

John’s Lee Wood, Leicester, Leicestershire. 33 acres of woodland with camping pitches, four cabins, hot showers and a shop. www.jlw.me.uk

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REGIONAL FOCUS

Activities: City of caves. A labyrinth of caves beneath the streets of Nottingham. Visit the man-made caves and find out more about the people who would have used them in an interesting display that takes you through various periods of history. Entrance is £4 - £6 and group discounts are available. www.cityofcaves.com Hillwalking. Derbyshire is in the heart of the Peak District, offering fantastic walking and expeditions for Explorer Scouts.

The National Space Centre. Leicester. Hands-on, interactive discovery centre about space with galleries, space theatre and much more. Entrance is £10 - £12. www.spacecentre.co.uk National Water Sports Centre. Holme Pierrepont, Nottingham. Wide range of activities including use of both flat and moving water under the supervision of qualified instructors. www.nationalwatersportsevents.co.uk

Bosworth Battlefield and Country Park. Near Market Bosworth, Leicestershire. The battle of Bosworth was the decisive moment that finished the War of the Roses and started the Tudor Dynasty. You can visit the battlefield, a medieval village, tithe barn and exhibition.

Prices vary depending on your activity. www.bosworthbattlefield.com Rutland Falconry Centre. Exton Oakham, Rutland.

Entrance from £3.50 - £4. www.rutland-falconry.com Bosworth Water Trust. Market Bosworth, Leicestershire.

Lake where water sports equipment can be hired and used. www.bosworthwatertrust.co.uk Leicestershire Tropical Bird Gardens. Desford, Leicestershire. Feed free-flying parrots, toucans and macaws as they fly around you (keep an eye on your lunch!). Entrance is between £4 and £6 with discounts available for groups. Keep an eye out for their regular fun events. www.tropicalbirdland.com

contact us If you would like to recommend any campsites or activities for Explorer Scouts in your Region then please email scouting.magazine@scout. org.uk with Explorer Scout Supplement in the subject line

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The support role The Assistant County Commissioner for Explorer Scouts is there to support the development of the Explorer Scout section. Mel Brammer looks in more detail at what they do

M

ost Counties, Areas or Regions will have an Assistant County/Area/Regional Commissioner for Explorer Scouts. This person is responsible for supporting the Explorer Scout section. There are variations on the role titles and role descriptions, but in general, the role is the same. In this article, for simplicity, we will refer to the County and Assistant County Commissioner for Explorer Scouts (ACC (ES)).

A summary of the role, taken from the generic role description available as an Information Centre factsheet, is to ‘work in partnership with the County Commissioner to ensure effective operation of the Explorer Scout section in their County in accordance with the rules as laid down in POR of The Scout Association.’

This means that they are there to help the County Commissioner to make sure that Explorer Scouting is good, and the main way they do it is by lots of support and communication. They support the leaders on the ground and the District Explorer Scout Commissioners,

10

Administrators and District Commissioners who are responsible for the management of the section, and they facilitate communication between anybody else who might be able to support the section, and also between the Districts themselves.

They should: • Make sure that everybody knows about developments in the section, initiatives from Headquarters, appropriate training and support events, as well as updates to policies and rules • Help the District Explorer Scout Commissioner to make sure that a Balanced Programme is on offer • Support the Training Team to ensure that the training needs of adults in the section are met • Promote Explorer Scouting in the local community • Support the DESCs • Support the County Commissioner in the development of the County.

Explorer February/March 2009

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ROLES AND SUPPORT

Who can be an ACC (ES)?

Simply put, anybody with the right skills for the job!

It could be somebody with experience as a supporter

or leader, or with development experience and knowledge of the section; or somebody completely new to Scouting, but with the skills and experience for the role.

The diary of an ACC (ES) can be very varied…

March

April

Week 1

Week 1

Monday – County Team Meeting

Thursday – attend District Exec meeting to explain the support that they should be giving to Explorer Scouting.

Week 2

Week 2

Week 3

Week 3

Monday – Update County Explorer Scout Development Plan.

Thursday – meeting with County Scout Network Commissioner to improve links between the sections.

Monday – phone ACC Activities and invite to next DESC meeting, where they want more information on Adventurous Activity Permits and funding.

Week 4

Week 4

Tuesday – DESC Meeting Wednesday – meet with District Commissioner in Everton District to help recruit new DESC

Wednesday – meet DESC and DC in Cramond and Edgeley District where they aren’t getting on very well and communications have broken down.

Thursday – phone County Training Manager to discuss the training needs of a new batch of Explorer Scout Leaders

Monday – plan County expedition training with two DESCs Wednesday – County Awards ceremony

Monday – phone conversation with DESC in Cramond and Edgeley to explain the role of the ESL (YL) Thursday – meet County Media Development Manager – how can we use our Young Spokespeople to promote Explorer Scouting more?

Weekend – County expedition training The ACC for Explorer Scouts plays an important role in support and communication.

When asked what the best part of being an ACC (ES) was, Sharon Jones from Essex said, ‘Visiting Units across the County and seeing the diversity of activities in this section. Being able to share excellent programmes and good practice with less experienced leaders.’

Chas Hawkins, ACC (ES) in Merseyside added, ‘The best part of the role is to see a District willing to receive support and watching it develop in a quality, structured manner.’ scouts.org.uk/pol

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Sky High fly rather than flop? Mel Brammer Do you want your programme to ues Skills Programme Zone and the Val the for as ide h wit t kpi coc the in is lift off e that can give your programme a and Relationships Programme Zon

Values and Relationships Flight into the future Remind the Explorer Scouts that the first enginepowered aeroplane wasn’t invented until 1903, only 106 years ago. Discuss the changes that they imagine might take place in the next hundred years.

Start with the idea of flight and what will happen to that. Then speculate on other changes we might expect to see in the lifetime of their children and grandchildren. If they are artistic encourage some designs and pictures.

This is me Show the Explorers some heraldic emblems or crests, including the Royal one and talk about what the different aspects symbolise. A list of the symbolism of the different colours and pictures on coats of arms can be found on www.digiserve.com/heraldry/symbols Based on this, ask the Explorers to design their own crest. They can then make wooden plaques and make the emblem in relief using cloth soaked in plaster of paris or papier-mâché.

If I were a bird…

For this quick programme item, which makes a good meeting starter, the Explorers in turn say ‘If I were a bird I would be [blank] because [blank]’.

It gets them thinking about the type of person that they are.

12 Explorer

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Media challenge Discussion – how are young people portrayed in the media? Is it deserved? What can be done to change this? Involve the Explorers in writing press releases about Scouting activities. You may like to have local and national newspapers to pore through.

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PROGRAMME PLANNING

Skills Beaver bird feeders and bird boxes Arrange for the Explorers to go along to your local Beaver Scout Colony and make simple bird feeders or bird boxes with them. Instructions for both bird feeders and bird boxes are available on Programmes Online, or on the RSPB website (www.rspb.org.uk/ youth) in the make’n’do section. You could use this activity as a component of the Environment Partnership Award.

Know your map symbols Make a set of coloured cards with Ordnance Survey map symbols on one colour and the words that describe them on another colour, or you can download OS symbol flashcards from the Ordnance Survey website (Go to www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk and search ‘flashcards’). Play Snap with the two piles, or Pairs, where all the cards are face down and you pick up one of each colour. if they match then you keep them.

Incident night hike Develop night navigation and incident management skills. Hide one or two casualties (other leaders or parent volunteers?) on the hill. Give the Explorer Scouts the casualties’ grid references and a map.

Talk through walking on a bearing and pacing or timing and their importance in the dark, as well as group management techniques such as buddying to ensure that none of the rescuers start to suffer from hypothermia or exposure. In teams the Explorers find their casualties and carry out appropriate emergency aid, before supporting the casualty back to base.

Simon, an Explorer Scout, writes: ‘This activity was a good idea as it allowed us to practise skills vital to both looking after a casualty and night time navigation. It also showed how important it is to have a 1:25 000 map with you during any walk, but especially at night – we encountered a fence not shown on our 1:50 000.’

Fly a kite Make and fly kites. From the simplest to the biggest and most technical, this is a fun activity, which can involve quite a lot of skill. Meet at the park, ask the Explorers to bring their own kites if they have them, but also take along equipment and instructions to make a variety of kites (try typing ‘kite’ into the keywords on Programmes Online).

You could even ask your local kite or outdoors shop if you can test-drive some of their latest toys in return for a review!

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Having their say W

e’ve all been there. ‘We’re planning the programme. Have you got any ideas?’

The Explorer Scouts look back blankly.

Then the voices pipe up. ‘Bowling!’, ‘Go-karting!’ and the same ideas are recycled once more.

So what actually works?

Be prepared Lay out a programme planning grid for the months you are planning for and fill in any items which you know are already going on the programme, such as summer camp, preparation for camp, Unit Forum, linking night with Scout Troop, expedition training and so on. Now you can see the gaps that you will want your Explorer Scouts to fill, and will have some idea of the Programme Zones to be covered. You may have a theme in mind too.

PHYSICAL RECREATION Theme: Mou nta ins Climb up Coopers Hill to watch sun rise

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How do you involve the Unit in the programme planning process, but avoid coming out with the same old ideas? Mel Brammer shares some tips for active participation.

Pass the Programme Parcel Wrap up the prize in the middle as usual for Pass the Parcel, but between each layer of wrapping place a card marked with a Balanced Programme Zone, or a theme, or both, which you would like the Explorers to come up with an idea for. When the music stops, whoever gets the card has to come up with an idea for the programme that fits in with the zone or theme marked on the card and write it down. Then the parcel continues around the circle. Once all the cards are complete, put as many of them as possible and practical into the programme. As an example, the cards might look like:

VALUES AND RELATIONSHIPS Theme: Mountains Base camp – who would you take in your team for the final push to Everest summit?

Like balloon debate

GLOBAL / OUTDOOR Theme: Mountai ns Lit ter pic k on Snowdo n wh ile on su mmer cam p.

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PROGRAMME PLANNING

An assortment of items can make up your programme bag

Explorer Scout Programme Zones Physical Recreation Outdoors Skills Community Service Values and Relationships Global

The Programme bag relay

• Put all sorts of odd items into a bag. Ideas might be: Methods Visits a Swiss army knife, a soft toy cow, shell, torch, paper plate, rubber Games duck, golf ball, gift bag, carabiner etc. Just pick a random sample Outdoor activities of things from your house.

Technology • Divide the Explorer Scouts into teams. This is a relay race, so requires Networking activities Discussion quick and lateral thinking.

Residential experiences • The team picks out an item from the bag and has to come up with three programme ideas related in some way to the item and write them down. For example, if they pick up a toothbrush they might think: brush – paintbrush – paint a mural; Shortlisting the best ideas toothbrush – teeth – run a session for Beaver Scouts about dental hygiene; teeth – wolves – debate on whether wolves should be reintroduced in Scotland.

• Remind them that while we are looking for ‘out of the box’ ideas, we do still want the ideas to be things that we could actually do. They bring the piece of paper to the leaders and then pick out another item from the bag.

• They do this for six items. Each team will have very quickly generated 18 different programme ideas.

• As they are bringing the ideas up, the leaders write them on a flipchart, subdivided into the six Programme Zones. You will have a lot!

• Each team then chooses their favourite idea from each Programme Zone and these are highlighted.

Finally, the Unit votes with a show of hands for their favourite highlighted activities, two from Physical Recreation, Outdoor and Adventure and Skills and one each from Community Service, Values and Relationships and Global. These nine ideas are then included in the next programme if possible.

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Having their say

in the centre of the piece of paper and the Programme Zones around the outside. Encourage them to think of as many ideas as possible.

Nick Cowie, an Explorer Scout in the Aquila Explorer Scout Unit said ‘I like this. Everybody’s ideas are listened to and nothing is too wacky. Then we get to vote so we’re doing stuff that everybody wants to do.’

The programme ideas box or list At your meeting place keep a post box where Explorers can post their ideas for the Programme. Or on your notice-board keep a sheet of paper with Programme Zone headings on it, and encourage the Explorers to put their Programme ideas or requests up there. This can be an ongoing feature, and taken along to programme planning meetings.

Brainstorm Having decided on a theme for the following term, you can encourage the Explorers to brainstorm. Put the theme

.

3

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Explorer Scout Council Invite a keen group of your Explorers to your programme planning meeting to work out which of the generated ideas will be done when. They may be happy to share the responsibility for planning some of the ideas, and will get a feel for why some ideas are not practical and others are, as well as the process involved in planning and running the different activities.

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The new design baseball cap for Scouts of all ages. One size fits all.

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Active Explorers

With stories about teen obesity, alcohol consumption and the computer game culture continually in the news, Sainsbury’s and The Scout Association are continuing their partnership with Active Kids 2009. Have you and your Explorer Scouts got in on the act?

T

he Sainsbury’s Active Kids campaign was launched in 2005, to support the effort to inspire young people to become more active. In 2007, Sainsbury’s, recognising the part played by The Scout Association in encouraging more young people to get active, tailored the scheme for us, allowing Scout Groups and Explorer Scout Units to register, collect vouchers and order sports, cooking and outdoor equipment.

Tailor made When you register on the scheme Sainsbury’s will send you resources to support you in collecting the vouchers, a catalogue and a resource containing programme ideas and activities specifically written with your section in mind.

In 2008, 3,814 Scout Groups or Explorer Scout Units registered and between them amassed enough vouchers for nearly half a million pounds’ worth of equipment, with an average £249 of equipment going to each Group or Unit.

Still not sure?

When you get a look at the catalogue, which you can also see online, you’ll find equipment perfectly suited to Explorer Scouts, from volleyballs, rounders or cooking equipment through to compasses, orienteering kits and tents! More than this though, you can also spend the vouchers on coaching or experiences.

Encourage your Explorer Scouts to get involved, not only by collecting the vouchers, but also formulating a wish-list from the catalogue and prioritising what they think should be ordered.

The activity resource for Scout and Explorer Scout Leaders contains a variety of programme ideas that you can use to support this important area of the Programme. action box Register at www.sainsburys.co.uk/activekids, send out notes to your Explorer Scouts and their friends and family and start collecting the vouchers. It doesn’t cost anything to enter, so you’re on to a winner no matter how many vouchers you collect

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Module A – Make it matter!

Of all the Young Leader Modules, Module A is possibly the most challenging to present.

It has to be done regularly, as Young Leaders need to complete it within three months of joining, and there’s a risk of fatigue setting in for the module presenters. Martin Peake looks at how we can make it better

T

o keep Module A fresh, vary delivery every time. If you use the same Powerpoints (yawn!), the Young Leaders (YLs) will pick up on your lack of originality. Some Counties make a big evening of module A, bringing in YLs from every District.

This allows a range of presenters to deliver different parts of the Module, creating natural breaks and changing focus regularly. In my County, presenters often deliver different parts of Module A each time, in order to keep it original.

Between topics, we get the Explorers up and about, never letting them sit next to anyone they know.

why would we imagine Young Leaders need to sit and listen to learn about risk assessment? We’re in the business of learning by doing, and that’s exactly the angle to take.

Up to you By now, I hope you’re beginning to get the feeling that it’s up to you to deliver Module A in a way that works for you and your Young Leaders. After all, if you bore them stiff training them, what are your chances of converting them to Adult Leaders when they turn 18?

Go on: do it your way.

Special delivery One key feature about any YL Module is that Young Leaders’ Essentials only suggests a method of delivery.

It’s far more important to get the message across to your Explorers in a way they can understand, rather than blindly following a method that may well not work for your audience. For instance, in the past I have seen the Risk Assessment module delivered in the manner of William Tell. One chair had an apple taped underneath, and that lucky YL was risk-assessed for an archery session. With the range of skills we have, and pursuits from climbing and abseiling to shooting and fire lighting,

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Young Leaders’ Essentials A new edition of Young Leaders’ Essentials is now available from the Scout Information Centre, which contains details of all the missions and training modules.

Explorer February/March 2009

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Adventure Beyond is a family run centre based in West Wales. We have venues and camping or bunk house accommodation in St Davids, Cardigain Bay, Brecon Beacons.

Jethro Moore Adventure Beyond

G • CLIMBING • COASTEERING ACTIVITIES INCLUDE: CANOEIN RAFTING ING • CAVING • WHITE WATER RF SU • G KIN YA KA • ING LK WA GORGE ILLS URSE/ LOW ROPES • FIELD SK TEAM BUILDING • ASSAULT CO Nant Y Pobty Farm Coed Y Bryn, Llandysul Ceradigion, SA44 5LQ Phone: 07787123761 fun@adventurebeyond.co.uk www.adventurebeyond.co.uk

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