WISPA February 2010

Warwickshire Scouts

www.warwickshirescouts.org.uk

Issue 85 - February 2010

Having first checked with the Met office, 28 Atherstone Scouts & Explorers plus 7 leaders made the trip to Gilwell Winter Camp. Although none of us appeared in the BBC news bulletin, but we did enjoy many of the 70 activities on offer; ranging from quad bikes to hi-ropes course and brush-boarding to bucking broncos.

Temperatures plummeted to -6 at night; forewarned everyone had 2 sleeping bags and we cosied up in the tents. Come Sunday one of our number decided to celebrate the temperature rising to a giddy zero........with an ice-lolly, before a steady trip home.

Mick Judd Training in Warwickshire | WAGS GangShow | Santa’s Helpers in Rugby | Retaining Young People

County Outlook

Chairman's Piece

2010 has started with a bang.

We are only weeks into 2010 and already there are a number of new initiatives being undertaken, all with a view to make Warwickshire Scouting relevant and enjoyable.

We have a full Jamboree Contingent for Sweden having filled the 36 young person places from 113 applications. A whole weekend was taken up by the selection process with over 20 leaders helping assess the candidates. I wish we could send all of them; it was a difficult call for the team.

By the time you read this we will have enjoyed our annual County Development day, where we share good practice and explore new ways of working in Scouting.

Our focus this year will be the role of young people in decision making.

The Scout Fellowship is changing and Scout Active Support Units will start to evolve later this year. We are on our way as a County to rolling out this change and Districts are keen to follow and some have their own plans. These units should be a really good resource.

Welcome to James Finch as a young person rep. on our Exec. We now have 2 reps but room for more! Jason Wiggins has taken on the role as Health & Safety advisor and he and I shall meet it when it's safe to travel. And thank you to Mark Waterstreet, our Regional Commissioner, who is stepping down.

I hope to run into you at WAGS. Have fun!

These include a new appointment on the County Exec', James Finch, who will be an asset when we discuss issues that demand a Young Person's point of view.

Work has commenced to examine the way the County Executive committee works and how it can be improved. The review involves a subcommittee looking inwards and attempting to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the County Team in order to suggest ways that decision making processes and the structure of the committee can be improved.

You can, if you wish, be a part of this review. All you need to do is pass any ideas or comments you have through to the County Team. This can be done via your D.C's or directly to a County representative.

By the time you read this we will have had a County Development day where we will spend time exploring ways of making the County Team more accessible and how we can increase the involvement of Young People in making decisions relevant to their Scouting expectations. This is an ongoing project but we would hope that you will begin to see improvements in the way the Executive Team works at an early stage.

All of the above is intended to improve the way our County works together and thereby improve the Scouting Experience for everyone, Young People and Leaders.

Finally I would like to wish you all well for the New Year and thank you for your ongoing commitment to Scouting in Warwickshire.

Sid Russell

Dave

To increase youth membership by 3% | To increase the number of adult volunteers by 3%

Having been around to visit most Districts leader meetings I am thrilled with the “buzz” there is for your district activities. A ghost hunt and scrap heap challenge were new ones to me, but great!.

Stop Press: A detailed architectural model was recently created by Swebbelli Explore Scout Unit of the proposed new Scout hut for the 22nd Rugby Scout Group.

Having perfected the final design the model was painstakingly assembled by unit members before being put on display to the public for a short length of time last week.

The features of the new hut include an abseiling wall, fireman's pole, massive TV, dodge ball court, fire circle, flashing Tony Marsella statue plus wind turbine to power the statue.

Unfortunately soon after Explorers Michael Hope and Tom Scoltock were pictured with the model it caught fire and was destroyed.

I wonder if you have the same buzz when it comes to your weekly pack meetings. Come on experienced leaders, exchange ideas and refresh them. Talk to other leaders in your district / pack and get the “buzz”.

'Just do it' but………

I wrote 'just do it' but, because without taking the 'adventure' and 'get up and go' out of activities, we do want them to be safe. Please do read again the leaflet from Scoutbase http://www.scoutbase.org.uk/library/hqdocs/facts/pdf s/fs129999.pdf Scouting is all about adventure. The Big Adventure continues in 2010 aiming to get more adults involved. Let us be a part of it together. If anyone is doing anything with the Big Adventure please let me know. http://www.scouts.org.uk/thebigadventure Graham Howe | ACC Cubs

Shenington 24Hour Pedal Car Race

NUNEATON & DISTRICT SCOUTS & GUIDES

26-27 June 2010 | Shenington Kart Circuit near Banbury

ABBEY THEATRE, NUNEATON 7.30pm Tuesday 16

th to Saturday 20 th March (also Matinee on Saturday 2.30pm)

Tickets £8.00 each, Con cessions & Children £7.00 each.

Ring Sandra on 024 7649 0449 to book or for 20 plus rates Designed by 13 yr old Kieran Wood-Evans

Everyone can take part in this event. Teams of six drivers take turns to race human powered cars around the 595m circuit. The winning team is that completing the most laps at the end of the race.

There are classes for adults, under 16's, under 14's and even under 12's (the under 14's and under 12's take a six hour break from midnight onwards for safety reasons).

Information is available from Jes Featherstone (DESC Rugby) shenington@pedalcars.info

To enhance and embrace the culture and participation of young people

Training in Warwickshire As we begin a New Year we are giving Training in Warwickshire a make over. We have a new look and a new way of doing things to help support all our members.

As you are aware the County has several objectives to meet over the coming year and we in the Training Team have looked at how we support you to help ensure they are achieved.

With the help of the Comms team we have designed a new County training logo; this will be used on letterheads, power point presentations and anything to do with training throughout the County.

This is just the start of a number of initiatives the Team are putting together with the aim over the next twelve months to make Training in Warwickshire even better.

You will soon notice your Local Training Team putting on more training sessions within your Districts. So there will be many more opportunities for you to get those module training sessions completed for your 'Wood Badge'. Your District will have at least one training session per quarter put on locally and you will have access to the Training Calendar for all the other Districts.

So, if you can't make your local session or that last module you need that's eluding you, then soon you'll have access to the modules being run in another local district.

And don't forget Warwickshire is not that big!

Another initiative is to standardise training throughout the Districts. Each local training team will be working from the same set of slides and training information. It won't matter where you are in the County you will receive the same high level of training. The Training Team are beginning work on these over the coming months.

So as you can see, this year is going to be big in terms of

Training in Warwickshire and I hope you will be able to see the benefits yourself over the next few years.

The Training Team cannot do this on our own so we need your help as well. If you have any ideas you think will help to make training even better please let me know. Or if you would like to step up to the challenge and be part of a winning training team delivering help and support to our next generation of leaders, please get in touch with your Local Training Manager or me and together we can make Warwickshire better than it already is and give our members the training they deserve.

Sam Marshall | County Training Manager samantha.marshall@sky.com

To strengthen the strategic management of the organisation

Local Training Contacts: Atherstone - Dave Meads david.meads1@btopenworld.com Kenilworth - Helen Prowting helen.prowting@jobcentreplus.gsi.gov.uk Leamington - Hilary Crosby crosby.ha@hotmail.com Nuneaton - Samantha Marshall samantha.marshall@sky.com Rugby - Richard Leader richard.leader@power.alstom.com Stratford - Katrina Collie k.collie1@btopenworld.com Warwick - Ian Carter carterij@hotmail.com West Warks - Debbie Morris dmblossom@hotmail.com

WCVYS First Aid Training: Sunday 7th February at Stratford High School Sunday 7th March at Red Cross HQ, Coventry

Training Dates: Course information is available through your Local Training Manager. There is no charge for training events apart from the Module 16 residential course.

If a group of adults wants a refresher on particular module or more than three or four of you need a module but the calendar doesn't match your availability, please let your LTM know. We can probably arrange to run a module locally for you.

Santa gets a helping hand from Rugby Scouts Father Christmas was in need of some help in setting up and running his Christmas grotto this year; so Rugby Scouts lent a hand.

Based at Blooms Garden Centre, 5th Newbold & 7th Bilton Scout Groups, supported by local members of the Warwickshire Jamboree unit helped Santa during each December weekend and Christmas week to ensure that boys and girls were able to visit him. A magnificent ÂŁ4,200 was raise with over 1,500 children having a great experience.

It was so well run that before Santa went off for a well earned rest he asked them to do it all again next year!

To watch frozen Explorer Elves doing their bit for 'Elfves have Talent' go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPTz5yf Tt6A

To strengthen the public perception towards Scouting

Retaining Young People

Swebbelli Explorers visit Force India Formula 1 Team Better known for pedal powered racing, members of Swebbelli Explorer Scout unit recently saw the opposite end of the car racing spectrum with a trip round the Force India Formula 1 team's factory at Silverstone.

The first thing that struck the unit, apart from the two multi million pound racing cars in bits in the workshop was how incredibly clean the whole place was. 'Totally different from Jes' pedal car shed' was the verdict!

Holding the rear wing off one of the cars and being told it was worth over £20,000 was an interesting moment! A particular highlight was going inside the team's double-decker transporter lorries which transform into fully equipped workshops, offices, meeting rooms and even kitchens during a Grand Prix weekend.

We've all seen the 'Want to Join' buttons on scouts.org and warwickshirescouts.org, but does the process work for those who use it?

We recently heard about a local family who used the service and due to some prompt action within one of our Districts the young person concerned was found a place in Scouting. This is what his grandfather wrote in response to a follow-up questionnaire: 'The District Commissioner was most helpful. My grandson had reached the point of moving from Cubs to Scouts but his natural Scout Troop meets on a night when he does another activity. All the Scout Groups were either full or met on evenings when he had other activities.

With the DC's help (and that of his Cub leader), my grandson has been able to stay with his current pack until a new Scout Group starts in the New Year. I would commend this flexible approach as it has kept my grandson in touch with Scouting (I hope for the long term). Thanks!'

MP

At the end of the tour there was another chance to get up close and personal with the cars which were in the process of being stripped down and re-assembled before the Hungarian Grand Prix. Any suggestion that it was Scoltock's fault when one of the cars practically dropped out on lap 1 of that race with electrical failure are probably an exaggeration…

County Development Objectives 09-12

Our thanks to Gary from 1st Brill Scouts for arranging the visit and showing us around.

(Well, he did get to look round Jes' shed so it was only a fair swap…)

The 8 objectives that you will see at the bottom of each page of this issue of WISPA were recently adopted by the County as the key pieces of work we are working towards. Look out for up-dates as work progresses over the coming months.

To develop sound management of finances and assets through the organisation

News: Friends and family of Leamington Scouting stalwart Sandra Broom will celebrate her birthday this weekend.

We can't possibly publish a lady's age but Sandra, who is both ADC Cubs for Leamington and 1st Heathcote Cub Scout leader, is wished a very Happy Birthday.

A thank you Donations in memory of Maggie Rawlins reached £1,863.15. This will be split between The Shakespeare Hospice & the Meon Medical Centre. In addition a friend of Maggie's held a bonfire party and raised a further £1,400!

Maggie would be so pleased and proud.

Thank you all.

Steve Rawlins Mike Hayward from Stratford will take over from Jo-ann Bramston in early March as the County's Safeguarding Coordinator.

Stratford News: Congratulations to Newbold Sea Scouts on their successful RN inspection during which Carina Clifford was presented with her Chief Scout's Gold Award and Adrian Wakeham an Award for Merit. A great achievement for both.

Great news! 1st Tiddington Scouts are up and running and recently invested 8 Scouts, Nos Stonehouse their leader and new GSL James Coates.

1st Shottery held a very successful Christmas Post. Great support from leaders and parents resulted in £700 being raised.

InTouch:

The new Home Contact System

Following a long consultation process and a six month trial in three counties, The Scout Association is launching a new home contact system. The new system will be known as InTouch and will be replace the Home Contact Scheme.

InTouch is designed to give more flexibility to Leaders in putting together the most effective and useful system of communication for the events and activities you run. Plus it recognises the different communication methods that are available to leaders today.

The main difference is that there will no longer be a 'Home Contact' required to sit by the phone for every event. It will still be possible to use a third party if this is deemed the most sensible approach by the Leader in charge but it will no longer be the only option.

Full details of InTouch will be coming your way via your District Commissioner, plus we will cover the scheme in more detail in the May edition of WISPA.

Rugby DC Search is on!

Tony Marsella, the current DC of Rugby, will be standing down at the end of his five year term. The process of finding a successor now is underway.

Nominations are now welcome for the position of District Commissioner for Rugby. Nominations of self are perfectly acceptable For a copy of the County Commissioner's letter inviting nominations please go to the County website. You will also find a job description and nomination form attached to the letter.

Nominations should be submitted to the Chair of the Search Committee, James Stuttard, 16 Meadow Furlong, Oakland, Coton Park, Rugby CV22 0GG or by email to james.stuttard@gmail.com The closing date for nominations is 21st February.

To reflect and celebrate the diversity of communities in which Scouting operates

County useful numbers: See County website.

Diary Dates: 3rd February - DCs meeting 1/6th March - WAGS GangShow 16/20th March - Nuneaton GangShow 21st March - County Cub Quiz 24th March - County ADC Scouts meeting 7rd April - County Beavers Scout meeting 14th April - County Cub Scout meeting 14th April - County Executive 16th May - Scout Fishing competition 2nd October - Frank Latchem For more information & specific training details please consult the County website calendar.

WISPA Distribution

WAGS Gangshow Royal Spa Centre, Leamington Spa | 1st-6th March 2010 200 members of Warwickshire Scouts & Guides have put together this year's show, the 39th!

There are many questions to be answered: • How many songs about colours we can fit into 8 minutes?

• Will the second part of Lord of the Rings be as good as the first?

• What is the Fantasy end to the first act?

• Can the Gang swap from High School Musical to the glamour of 1930s Broadway?

For the answers and a great evening out for Scouts and families of all ages come and see us.

Tickets are available now from Pauline on 01564 776489, www.wagsgangshow.org.uk or the Spa Centre Box Office.

From May this year we will improve the distribution of WISPA. Currently the County secretariat maintains a manual list of adults who receive our newsletters. However with improved record keeping and technology we will soon be able to send WISPA to every adult who is a member of Warwickshire Scouting.

WISPA is also received by a number of supporters of Scouting. We will continue to send you our newsletter unless you tell us not to.

Next WISPA deadline: 14th April 2010 - all articles & adverts.

If your Group needs a website. Contact: Alan Peedle - 5 Broomybank, Kenilworth CV8 2SF | 01926 851195 | alan@acstededesign.co.uk

To work towards the delivery of Premium Scouting in Warwickshire