Folow the Trail: a review tool for Elfin and Pioneer groups by Woodcraft Folk

Follow the Trail:

a review tool for Elfin and Pioneer groups

Contents 1

Introduction to Follow the Trail

What the standards mean â&#x20AC;Ś

The indicators

Mapping and planning forms

So how will it actually work?

Elfin shared values activities

Elfin strategies activities

Elfin structures activities

Elfin systems activities

Elfin skills and knowledge activities

Elfin style of leadership activities

Pioneer shared values activities

Pioneer strategies activities

Pioneer structures activities

Pioneer systems activities

Pioneer skills and knowledge activities

Pioneer style of leadership activities

This pack has been developed in consultation with Woodcraft Folk members, young and more experienced! Woodcraft would particularly like to recognise the commitment and creativity of Sonia Trickey and Chris Pyke.

Woodcraft folk

TREE programme

Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

Introduction to follow the trail “Be strong! Live kindly! Love the sun and follow the trail!” Songs for the Woodcraft Folk, Indoor Leave Take Ceremony, page 197. Follow the Trail has been developed to encourage all of us to ask ourselves three basic questions: • What is Woodcraft Folk really all about? • Does what we do live up to the aims and principles? • What can we do to make it an even better experience for all who take part? At the heart of Woodcraft Folk’s aims, principles and practice is a commitment to participation from all our members, young and old. Finding out whether all children and young people are taking part in Woodcraft Folk as fully as they want to, and doing something about it if they are not, are amongst our most vital tasks. Your full participation sets the standard for everything else we do! Follow the Trail has two main features: 1. A set of activities To help us talk about Woodcraft Folk 2. Mapping and planning forms To record what we think is going well, and how we can improve things in the future It is the Woodcraft Folk version of a well-respected Standards framework called Hear by Right, produced by the National Youth Agency www.nya.org.uk/quality/hear-by-right Hear by Right is based on a widely used model of organisational change called the seven ‘S’ model, by McKinsey consultancy. The McKinsey model states that an organisation wants to improve, it needs to address seven key areas, shown here …

Strategies Style of Leadership

Structures

Shared Values Skills and Knowledge

Systems

Staff

If we don’t think about all of these areas, it is less likely we’ll be able to make the improvements we want to make (because we might forget one!). This is still a really widely used model of organisational change today, 30 years after it was created. The seven areas are strategies, structures, systems, staff, skills and knowledge, style of leadership, and shared values. These seven areas are called Standards in Follow the Trail. But because most ‘staff’ (and in Woodcraft Folk that mostly means volunteers) adopt leader roles, we have merged the Staff standard with the Leadership standard, leaving us six Standards to work with.

www.woodcraft.org.uk/trail page 1

Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

What the Standards mean ... Shared Values “This shall be for a bond between us ...” Songs for the Woodcraft Folk, Envoi page 9.

At the heart of any organisation are shared values. In Woodcraft groups these are the principles that are common to us all, from a rural Elfin group on a nature trail in the Cambrian Hills to a group of DF’s meeting up at a political demonstration in central London. These values bring consistency to the great variety of voices and experiences that exist throughout the organisation. If individual members are actively engaging with our shared values - equality, peace, friendship, co-operation, active participation in the democratic process, as outlined in the Aims and Principles - then the movement has coherence, direction and purpose and standards to build on. Understanding the shared values is only the first step as you Follow the Trail. Meaningful participation based on them involves questioning, challenging, interpreting and taking action. It calls for including and responding to the members who are most often left out. It is also about turning words into action by promoting these values outside the Folk through involvement in the wider community. Any discussion about shared values needs to be honest. It needs to be clear about what can and cannot be changed and about the organisation’s limitations as a publicly funded charity subject to external regulation. Things to think about … questions to ask … • Are all group members aware of the Aims and Principles? Does Follow the Trail help you discuss and understand them in the group context? • Do the children get to see our shared values in action more widely in the Woodcraft Folk and in community projects outside the Folk? • Are the points of view of younger children and children who are often left out heard? Think especially about children who do not come to many joint events such as camps and gatherings. • Who has been involved in shaping and agreeing the group’s shared values including the level of participation? • Have the youngest members been involved? Does their feedback affect what happens in group nights? • How do you make sure that your group remains inclusive and that no one is left out? • How does the group, including the leaders, benefit from involving children in this way? • Are there any areas in which younger members do not participate? Who does this benefit and is it regularly reviewed? How can you show this? Ideas for evidence • A Charter made into a banner or a poster • Skits or sketches caught on video to show parents and other adults • Vision, mission and policy statements • Explaining minutes of meetings to children • Getting our Aims and Principles into the media • Recruitment, selection and other promotional material • Draw simple cartoons showing how we can live by shared values.

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

Strategies “One great vision unites us ...”

Songs for the Woodcraft Folk, Freedom’s Song, page 194. So! Where are you going? What are you going to do? How are you getting there? Have you got everything you need? Are you sure everyone’s on board? How do you know? Are there ways for everybody to get involved? Are there many ways for encouraging new people to get involved? Strategies are all about planning. Agreeing on shared values is important but how are you going to make something actually happen as a result? Follow the Trail is a useful framework for developing Strategies. For their full participation it is crucial that children and young people are involved in planning of how to turn their vision for the group into reality. We are more likely to have effective Strategies if young people are directly involved in their development and review. Early on, with Elfins or in a new group, adults will probably take the lead. But opportunities for young people to have a bigger and bigger say should always be sought and embraced as they develop their skills and confidence. At camps you might have Venturers or DFs taking a lead role. At group nights even young children can learn to take a full part in reviewing activities and programmes and in making changes. The standard considerations when planning Strategies are things like time, money and people. But you also need to think about what is needed to sustain and develop the participation of a healthy and diverse group of children and young people. Things to think about … questions to ask … • How are you developing your strategies? • Are you involving everyone: leaders, helpers parents, children and young people? • Are you using the Follow the Trail activities Woodcraft Folk has provided? • Have you chosen your own activities to engage in the process? • Are there special events for young people to be involved in planning eg a group night based on the Building Standards leaflet? • How do your group strategies link in with national strategies and ambitions? • Do they benefit the wider membership and the wider community outside the Woodcraft Folk? • Do the strategies have the backing of those with power to help you deliver them to the young people who are most meant to benefit? • How can you clearly describe and then assess the benefits to children and young people from the better organisation and activities which result from strategic planning? • Do you have clear timescales and resources to make the strategies work? How can you show this? Ideas for evidence • Publish a children and young people’s strategy review document • Audit the active involvement of young people in strategic planning • Write a song about the district action plan and timetable • Show flipcharts or graffiti walls from workshops and meetings • Create an audio or on-line version of existing strategies • Make your own version of the Building Standards leaflet.

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

Structures “This land was made for you and me …”

Songs for the Woodcraft Folk, This Land is Your Land, page 113. The Follow the Trail approach to Structures invites members to examine how Woodcraft Folk districts organise their programme, group nights, camps and other activities to make sure that a range of young people are fully and actively involved. It also asks members to consider the age range, neighbourhood clustering, leadership structures, internal policies and external regulations against standards which are summarised in our Aims, Principles and Programme document. Doing this underpins youth participation by getting us to think about what we need to have in place to ensure that everyone has a way of making their voice heard. Discussion groups and committees have their place but involving and listening to younger children should be at the heart of all the activities we do as a group. Be creative in your listening skills! A wide variety of activities including drama, crafts and games will elicit different responses from different people and keep you group fun, relevant and engaging. Assessing and developing your structures can help young people to engage more meaningfully with the shared values and strategies of the Woodcraft Folk. Keep structured flexible and open to regular rebuilding to give all group members an opportunity to think about and challenge how the group and district and their programme are run. This will help to make sure that young people, especially those most often left out, continue creating new and better Structures with which to make their voices heard as the group grows and changes. Things to think about … questions to ask … • How do you keep the group programme relevant and engaging? • What age range and neighbourhood structures best serve the interests of all involved, including excluded children and young people? • How do you know what kind of activities your group finds most engaging? Have you asked the young people what approaches best suit their needs and where and when they prefer to meet? • What structures are there in the wider Woodcraft Folk that encourage youth participation? Is your group aware of these? • How do you make sure that your activities give young people who might often feel excluded a chance to express themselves? Who are these people? How can they be responded to? • Are there approaches outlined in the briefing ‘Involving children and young people: an introduction’ that may be relevant? How can you show this? Ideas for evidence • • • • • • •

Draw a diagram or make a model of the district structure Write a script to describe your group to local people Meet a nearby district and list the ‘pros and cons’ of structural differences Make up a game based on a map of local groups Survey levels of involvement of children in other community organisations Ask ‘Who’s not here?’ and make a collage Summarise recommendations from reports by relevant professionals who work with excluded young people.

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

Systems “If you miss me at the back of the bus/And you can’t find me nowhere/Come on over to the front of the bus/And I’ll be riding up there …” Songs from the Woodcraft Folk, Back of the Bus, page 148.

Systems are structures in action. They are the processes that enable the day-to-day running of Woodcraft Folk at all levels. Systems involve finances, budgeting and decision making, they are about communicating and celebrating what the group does both in relation to the rest of Woodcraft Folk and the wider community; they are about making sure that children and young people are safe, reviewing rules and regulations around issues such as transport, consent, communication, complaints and rewards; and making sure that children and young people have opportunities for participation in other like-minded organisations. Setting up structures for young people’s active involvement might be the more straightforward task. Challenging the adult power and attitudes that lie behind many systems may be harder work because this involves both identifying and challenging processes from which children and young people are most traditionally excluded. There may be good reasons why young people are not involved with certain tasks but it might just be that there has not been enough creative thinking done to find ways of involving them. We should involve all members in discussions about how and why systems work as they do and whether there might be ways of making them more effective. If we don’t, progress is likely to be short lived and attempts at active involvement may be ineffectual, frustrating and damaging. When supporting and encouraging the involvement of young people in other organisations you need to make sure that they feel happy, safe, able to participate fully and that rewards offered for involvement are suitable. Things to think about … questions to ask … • What systems and procedures are needed to make sure participation is conducted in a safe manner? • Are these in place and shared and reviewed with children, young people and partner organisations? • How are inclusive practices and policies promoted, for example on refreshments, transport, venues, communication and timing? • How is involvement acknowledged and rewarded? Do you celebrate what you do? • Can you prove the impact of children and young people’s participation on decision-making and on the services they use? • What review and evaluation systems are there eg are you using the Hear By Right ‘What’s Changed?’ tool? • Have you shared the learning and evidence of change with other groups in Woodcraft Folk, in the community or even on hbr.nya.org.uk/contribute (the scheme on which ‘Follow the Trail’ is based)? How can you show this? Ideas for evidence • • • • • •

Make dynamic models demonstrating blocks, gates, flows etc Create flow charts of your systems Complete a time line showing what happens to members subs Record a decision-making process tat has involve young people Draw up a child-friendly version of your annual accounts Video a celebration of the group’s achievements in the last term.

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

Skills and Knowledge “Through cooperation we can learn to understand/The problems facing others and lend them a hand …” Songs for the Woodcraft Folk, Take a Hand, page 173.

One of the core tenets of Woodcraft Folk is education for social change. What skills and knowledge do younger and older members learn through their involvement in Woodcraft Folk to achieve this and other shared values? Are these skills useful to members in their lives outside Woodcraft Folk? In order for children and young people to participate fully their knowledge and skill base needs building up. The long term emphasis that Woodcraft Folk places on listening and speaking skills and the promotion of group nights and camps which emphasise co-operation are at the heart of successful involvement of young people. Good information is the key to meaningful participation and knowing how to use it, opens the door. This is an opportunity for members to reflect on what they have gained from their involvement in the group and what they might like to go on to learn. Adults also need skills and knowledge to put shared values into practice. They need to be able to listen and to learn from younger members so that they can support them in implementing effective solutions for their particular issues. The programmes we use set the standard for skills and knowledge in Woodcraft Folk. Once young people have a good base of knowledge to work from, they can innovate and develop peer training for other groups and organisations. Things to think about … questions to ask … • Is there capacity building for children and young people? How will children and young people get information to participate fully? • Have Woodcraft resources, eg Follow The Trail, been used to make change happen? • How can adults be helped to listen to and learn from children and young people? • How important or possible is it to reduce jargon in agendas, papers and discussions involving children and young people? • Are meetings such as Annual Gathering or District AGM’s accessible to young people? Or is this the language they need to learn? • What skills can be taught to make decision-making more inclusive and accessible to less confident or experienced younger people? • How can expectations be both realistic and challenging, without patronising or overloading children and young people? How can you show this? Ideas for evidence • Budgets for training and capacity building • Evaluation of training undertaken • Local policy on young people’s access to information • Records about children and young people’s active involvement • Partners involved in developing, delivering and evaluating training • Programmes clearly showing skill and knowledge development • Young people involved in developing, delivering and evaluating programmes and training.

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

Staff and Style of Leadership “Oh, my own life is all I can hope to control/Oh, let my life be lived for the good, good of us all …” Songs for the Woodcraft Folk, Peace Will Come, page 136.

Almost all ‘staff’ in the Woodcraft Folk are volunteers. There is a small team of paid staff but for the purposes of Follow the Trail when we refer to staff we mean voluntary members. They become actively involved as group leaders because they believe in our aims and principles and wish to work in accordance with our practice. Central to this is support for the fullest possible participation by children and young people in the running of the organisation at all levels. In recruiting staff, both volunteer and paid, our commitment to the needs of children and young people is emphasised. Whenever possible we involve young people directly in the recruitment, induction and training processes or consult them about the posts for which we are recruiting staff. Leadership in the Woodcraft Folk is based on best inclusive and participatory practice and is underpinned by a commitment to the Rights of the Child and other shared values. The standards identified under Styles of Leadership emphasise the importance of modelling co-operation, fairness and the other principles we value in our working methods. We aim to support this by training and supervision. The activities for assessing styles of leadership and staff have been combined. You are invited to look particularly at the standards of both aspects that feel relevant to your group and are meaningful to your District. Things to think about … questions to ask … • How do you ensure leaders really do support the active involvement of children and young people? • What do you do when they don’t? • Are codes of conduct or behaviour guidelines jointly set by leaders and young people? • When do you assess the extent to which leadership styles in your district relate to the Woodcraft Folk’s shared values? • Where can you get sufficient resources to ensure an adequate dedicated leadership to achieve your objectives? • What is the best way to involve children and young people in the design and delivery of leader recruitment, training and review? How can you show this? Ideas for evidence • Publicise induction policy and processes for leaders • Circulate minutes of meetings explaining leadership decisions • Promoting shared values including active involvement in all our local publications • Joint events and training with partners who share our values including promoting children and young people’s active involvement • Produce an annual report identifying and celebrating progress in promoting children and young people’s participation • Publish agreements with partner organisations reflecting a commitment to children and young people and shared values • Relevant job descriptions and person specifications include promoting young people’s participation and other core values • Recruitment and selection and induction involves children and young people in key appointments relevant to them • Note examples of leaders making changes that put our shared values into practice, including the participation of young people.

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

the indicators Each Standard contains within it, seven building blocks. In Follow the Trail, these building blocks are called â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;indicatorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, and they give us seven particular aspects to consider within the broader standard. For example, in the Systems standard, one of the indicators asks us to think about what policies and procedures we have in place to make sure we all feel safe at Woodcraft group sessions or events. The indicators make up the content of each standard; without them, the Standards are empty!

Strategies

Structures

Shared Values

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

Mapping And Planning Forms The Elfin and Pioneer Activity Pack is full of fun activities (most of which have been designed by Efins and Pioneers) to help us talk about the six Follow the Trail Standards. We get to know how things are at the moment, what we can improve and how we can go about improving them. The activities identify the views and ideas that are recorded on the mapping form. Then plans are made for change using the second form. The forms look like this: SHARED VALUES

1. In place and effective; 2. In place, but needs improving; 3. Currently being established; 4. Not in place What is the evidence of meeting the indicator?

Score 1-4

1.1 The participation of young people is a central commitment of the Woodcraft Folk

Making a Start

We have identified the following areas for improvement MAPPING

How have young people been involved in collecting the evidence? What do they say about how the indicator has been met?

PLANNING

Making a Start

Indicator

Priority 1-10 (1 is high)

Who?

Resources needed

Barriers and solutions

By when

How are we planning to involve children and young people?

1.1

This mapping and planning form can be used by anyone but it may well be that a few people take on the mapping with help they get from the website, from Folk Office or from trained mentors. This pack is about the activities we can use to identify the views and ideas! There is a separate Follow the Trail activity pack for Venturers and DFs.

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

So how will it actually work?

Districts and lone groups learn how Follow The Trail works and choose what Standards and indicators to prioritise.

Members begin to use the Activity Packs at group nights, camps, special day or evening events as best suits them.

As people collect their thoughts and ideas they are recorded on the Follow The Trail mapping form.

As many people as want to be involved make plans for any changes they think the disctrict or its group should make using the Follow The Trail planning form.

Depending on the timescale, a ‘What’s Changed?’ session is held at a chosen date in the future to find out if things have changed and how people have made it happen.

Districts and groups celebrate the changes they have made and tell the stories of how they have done it to other districts, regions and nations and Woodcraft Folk Office via the website.

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Activities FOR Elfins

Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

elfin Shared Values Activities Peace Potato – Warm Up Duration: 10-15 minutes. What you need: • A beanbag or sponge ball. What to do: 1. Everybody stands in a circle. 2. Throw the beanbag around the circle saying ‘Peace.’ Throw the beanbag in a peaceful way. 3. After a few throws the person throwing the beanbag can choose a different word, eg ‘Angry’ – throw the beanbag in an angry way (no hurting!). 4. If the throwing gets out of hand, someone can call ‘Peace‘ and everybody goes back to throwing peacefully. 5. If you want to lead into a discussion off the back of this game, you could ask the children which words could be used to describe their Woodcraft Group. 6. You could then play again using Woodcraft only words.

Popcorn – Active Game Duration: 20 minutes. What to do: 1. There is one caller. 2. Everybody else walks around the space 3. The caller calls a number (anything up to five) and then an object eg popcorn, washing machine, piano, fire, tent, tree, river. The children need to get into groups of the number called and provide an action to word spoken. Eventually the caller ends by calling, ‘Everybody rollercoaster’. 4. Children can take turns at being the caller. Please don’t forget to record people’s thoughts and ideas throughout these activities, especially: • Why members like coming to group • What members think could be better about the group; and • How things might be improved.

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

Elfin Emblem – Main Activity 1 Duration: 30 minutes. Reasons for doing this activity: • To promote discussions about shared values. • To encourage the group to find creative ways of representing themselves. What you need: • Paper, pens, logos cut out from magazines or newspapers. You might like to collect the following logos: Olympic rings, Fairtrade, Amnesty, Unicef, Woodcraft Folk, International Falcon Movement. What to do: 1. Discuss logos and how they represent organisations. Which logos are children particularly aware of? McDonalds? Tesco? Barbie? Disney? Hot Wheels? 2. Lead this into a discussion about your Woodcraft Folk group. Can the children think of any symbols that might represent the group? What colours might they use? Sometimes people use well known images to get their own messages across (try typing ‘subvertising’ into Google for examples of this). 3. In small groups get the children to design an emblem to represent their group. 4. To make these emblems more permanent, the children could paint them on rocks, or on mugs using glass paints, or even scan them into a computer and have them printed onto T-shirts for the group. Please don’t forget to record people’s thoughts and ideas throughout these activities, especially: • Why members like coming to group • What members think could be better about the group; and • How things might be improved.

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

Woodcraft Crumble – Main Activity 2 Duration: 40 minutes. Reasons for doing this activity: • To encourage the children to think about what makes their Woodcraft Group unique. • To encourage the children to think creatively and have fun. What you need: • Paper and pens. What to do: 1. Open a discussion about recipes. Perhaps, in anticipation of this workshop, your group might have cooked something on a previous group night. Ask the children if they have ever cooked anything. What ingredients were needed? What if one of the ingredients had been left out (a cake with no sugar, bread with no yeast etc.)? Was there any equipment they needed – bowls, oven etc? 2. How did they use the ingredients to make their food? Was the way in which they mixed the ingredients important? 3. Explain that you are going to write a Woodcraft Group recipe and brainstorm ingredients and equipment. Children, fun, games, camping, leaders, community room etc. 4. Break them up into smaller groups and get each group to write a recipe. 5. Here’s an example to get you going! Ingredients: • 20 children – medium sized • 5 leaders – size not important • 3 fun games • 1 craft activity • Songs • Fun • Friendship • Co-operation • Education • Camping Method: To make the filling: mix the twenty children and five adults in a big room. Sprinkle on the fun games. Add in one craft activity, a generous dollop of fun and a large pinch of songs. To make the topping: rub friendship and co-operation together with just a dash of education (be careful because too much might make it too heavy …) Once it is all well mixed up, place the filling in a carefully prepared campsite. Cover generously with the topping. Bake in warm sun for at least one weekend. 6. You could use the recipes as the basis for posters. Discuss with the children what would happen to their recipe if one of the ingredients was removed. Would it still be a Woodcraft Crumble? Why not? Please don’t forget to record people’s thoughts and ideas throughout these activities, especially: • Why members like coming to group • What members think could be better about the group; and • How things might be improved. www.woodcraft.org.uk/trail page 15

Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

Stick’em Up! – Main Activity 3 Duration: 40 minutes. Reasons for doing this activity: • A creative and co-operative group project to encourage discussion of what your Woodcraft Group is all about. • Creating a striking image to raise awareness about your local group or simply to celebrate your group. • Recycling. • Lots of gluing. What you need: • A bit sheet of paper, lots of old magazines, paint, glue, fabrics, shiny papers, old wrappers, glitter, sparkles and any other brightly coloured items the group can lay its hands on. What to do: 1. Brainstorm words to describe your Woodcraft group. 2. Look through magazines and decide if any of the pictures you find represent any of these words. 3. Look at colours and materials you have and see if any of these could be said to represent some of the words. For example, green might represent environmentally aware, orange might be a campfire, red might be your bond (friendship), blue might be peace etc. Be creative! 4. Think about a single image to represent the group, a rainbow, a variation on the Folk Symbol, a circle of hands, a tree, a campsite etc. 5. Use the materials you have to collectively build up a big picture. Encourage the children to think about pictures in pictures. For example, a number of different faces cut out of a magazine could be used to represent friendship, so if you were doing a circle of hands one hand could be filled in with cut out faces. 6. If there are simply too many people for a single image, try dividing the image in half, or getting different groups to make different parts of the picture and then stick all of the different parts together. Give your poster pride of place at subsequent meetings to remind the group of a shared project about shared values! Please don’t forget to record people’s thoughts and ideas throughout these activities, especially: • Why members like coming to group • What members think could be better about the group; and • How things might be improved.

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

elfin strategies Activities Make Your Mark – Warm Up Duration: 10-20 minutes. What you need: • Stickers. What to do: 1. Divide the group into groups of four or five. 2. Give each group a sticker and tell them to place it in the highest place possible, as quickly as possible. No climbing on furniture – just using each other. 3. Now give them five minutes or so to plan and then do the activity again. 4. In a circle afterwards discuss the activity. Which time was more successful? Why was this? Did they learn from experience? Why is it good to make plans? Did everything go according to plan? Did it matter if it didn’t? Please don’t forget to record people’s thoughts and ideas throughout these activities, especially: • Why members like coming to group • What members think could be better about the group; and • How things might be improved.

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

Elfin Takeover – Main Activity 1 Duration: 45 minutes and one or two further evenings to implement the session. Reasons for doing this activity: • To encourage Elfins to participate very directly in creating a group night. • To demonstrate that speaking up and giving your ideas can have very direct results! • To find out which programmes the Elfins in your group like the best. • To encourage structures that enable Elfins to participate in the running of their group. What you need: • Paper and pens. What to do: 1. Discuss the structure of a ‘typical’ group night. Are there any things that the Elfins particularly look forward to? Are there any favourite songs or games? 2. In small groups or individually, ask the children to draw a ‘map’ of an Elfin Group Night with drawings. It could start with ‘Leaving home’ and end with ‘the goodbye circle’. In between might be games, a craft activity, singing, nature activities, discussions. Encourage the children to illustrate each part of the evening with cartoon drawings and lots of colour. The night they map could be a remembered night or an imagined night. 3. Inserted examples of children’s maps from pilot groups … 4. Let the Elfins share their maps with the group. Encourage a discussion about what the ‘best’ activities are. Are there any activities which they would like to see more of? 5. Divide the group into two halves. Using their maps, get each group to plan an Elfin evening. They can be as inventive as they like, but it must be a regular evening. They can invite parents or friendly adults in to run a session, but they can’t decide to ‘Go swimming’! To experience the joys and woes of planning Elfins need to plan a ‘regular’ group night. 6. Once both groups have a plan they can feedback to each other. Discuss the plans as a group. Encourage the children to suggest modifications and to praise things that they like the look of. 7. Over the following two group nights support the Elfins to deliver the nights they have planned. The Elfins do not necessarily have to run the nights unless they want to. 8. At the end of each Elfin planned night hold a group circle to discuss the evening. What went right? What was tricky? Would they change anything in their plan? Is there something they would like to do again? Have they enjoyed this exercise? Is planning something that they would enjoy doing more of? Are there ways the Elfins could/do support planning other than running a whole group night? Please don’t forget to record people’s thoughts and ideas throughout these activities, especially: • Why members like coming to group • What members think could be better about the group; and • How things might be improved.

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

A Good Yarn – Main Activity 2 Duration: 45 minutes. Reason for this activity: • To think about the past and how past events shape the future. • Craft activity. • To get the group to think about the future of the group and plan how they would like to help shape it. What you need: • Yarn or string, scissors, paper, coloured pens, glue, sticky labels. What to do: 1. Take a length of yarn or string. Explain to the Elfins that this piece of string represents your life. Start at the beginning and say, “This when I was born.” Tell them a little about your birth. Then pass the string through your fingers, stop and say, “This is when I was x years old.” and recount an anecdote from the time you were Elfin age. Carry on through your lifeline, recounting a few significant events until you reach the present. The present should be the end of your piece of yarn. 2. Give each of the Elfins their own piece of yarn. Tell them that they are going to make a lifeline. Ask them to remember a few significant events in their lives so far – special holidays, starting school, meeting their best friend, moving house etc. 3. On small pieces of paper ask them to write or draw about these events and tie the pieces of writing or drawing onto the string chronologically or wherever they choose. 4. In small groups of four or five, get them to share their timelines. 5. Now come back as a group and have a short discussion about their timelines? Were there any things that people shared in their timelines? Is there anything in the past of their timeline that has had an effect on the present, or even the future? (eg starting school, going to Woodcraft, moving house etc.) Discuss how some past events seem important because they change the future. 6. If they made a group timeline what would they put on it? Where would it begin? Hand out sticky labels and ask all the Elfins to write their names on them. See if they can stick their names on the timeline in the order that they joined the group. 7. Are there any group events they would like to add? Camps? Woodcraft days? Are there any earlier events that the group can remember that directly linked to later events, eg practising songs on a group night leading to a concert or songs around the campfire? 8. Now tie a different coloured yarn onto the ‘now’ end of the group timeline and say that this represents the future of the group. Is there anything in the past of the group that might shape the future? Is there something the group would like to do more of, or do again? What would they like to see on this future piece of timeline? As a group choose one or two future plans. 9. Now ask them all to think of something that they could do in the present to help one of the future events happen. Ask them to draw or write down what they want to do and to stick it on the end of the timeline. Please don’t forget to record people’s thoughts and ideas throughout these activities, especially: • Why members like coming to group • What members think could be better about the group; and • How things might be improved.

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

elfin structures Activities Chinese Whispers – Warm Up Duration: 5 minutes What to do: 1. Sit in a circle. One person whispers a word or short phrase into the person’s ear to their right. 2. They pass the word on by whispering it to the person to their right. 3. It is passed round the circle and the last person shouts the phrase out (it has usually changed, somewhat by this point).

Please don’t forget to record people’s thoughts and ideas throughout these activities, especially: • Why members like coming to group • What members think could be better about the group; and • How things might be improved.

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

Elfin Orchestra – Main Activity 1 Duration: 40 minutes. Reasons for doing this activity: • To get Elfins to consider how it is possible to hear the voices of individuals in a large group. • To bring the group together in a joint project that is quite structured. • Singing in rounds builds a wonderful feeling of being an individual, contributing to a (hopefully) harmonious whole. What to do: 1. Ask Elfins if they know what an orchestra is? Can they think of any orchestral instruments? 2. Divide the group into three, four or five (depending on the size of the group and their musical experience!). Each group needs to choose a different instrument and sing the sound of their instrument in unison. 3. Get each group to choose a song (something fun and easy, like a nursery rhyme, or an ad jingle, or a TV programme theme tune) and to practice singing it as a group in the style of the instrument. 4. Ask the whole group to start singing at once. How many of the songs could they identify? Is there a better way of singing as a group? 5. Introduce the idea of a conductor in an orchestra. What does the conductor do? With a leader as conductor, get each group to sing their song independently. 6. Teach the group a short round, (Wouldn’t it be a Wondrous Thing, I like the Flowers, Campfire’s Burning) or remind them of one they already know. 7. Once they know the round well, divide them into, first two groups and ultimately five if they can manage it. 8. Lastly get them to sing the round in the style of the different instruments. 9. Once they have mastered this, remind them of their first attempt to sing in unison. What changed? Was it possible to hear different instruments at first? Trying to hear all the Elfins in a Woodcraft group can be a bit like conducting an orchestra. Why is this? Does the group feel that all their voices can be heard by all the group? Can they think of effective ways of making their voices heard? Listening to each other, backing each other up, saying things together … 10. What would happen if a new instrument was introduced, or if someone new came to the orchestra? How would they know what to do? Are there ways that your group helps new people to feel welcome and understand what’s going on? 11. Can their voices and ideas be heard by other people in Woodcraft Folk, people beyond their group? If so, how? If not, are there ways in which the group would like to change this? Why would it be good to share thoughts and ideas with other groups in the Folk?

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

Co-operative Crafts – Main Activity 2 Duration: 30 minutes. Reasons for doing this activity: • To give the Elfins a project whose success depends on listening closely to everyone in the group. • To demonstrate how everyone has something significant to contribute and not listening to one person can bring the whole group down. • To show Elfins how to make toys from recycled materials. • To have fun making something simple but clever in a somewhat chaotic way! What you need: • Cut outs from the resource sheet, one box, glue, scissors, one cotton reel, one elastic band, one pencil, one rubber, one small piece of plasticine, one plastic bag, thread, a small figure (like a Lego man), two tin cans with holes punched in each side about an inch down from the lidded end, string, a sheet from an old-fashioned broadsheet newspaper (size is what counts here), fourtwometre lengths of paper streamer. What to do: 1. Put all the craft materials together in a box and put the box in the centre of the room. 2. Explain to the Elfins that they are going to make something co-operatively. 3. Give each Elfin an instruction. Be sensitive to the children in the group who are still learning to read and make sure that they are properly supported to read their instruction. Get them to memorise it. 4. Get the Elfins to hide their instructions in their pockets or in their shoes. The object of the exercise is to get them all to listen to each other, so reading each other’s slips of paper is considered cheating! 5. Do not tell them what they are making. Get them to find everyone from their group (each slip has a shape on it to identify which group the instruction belongs to). 6. Each member of the group must repeat their instruction. Together the group must work collaboratively to complete their craft. 7. If a group get stuck, give them a prompt by telling them what they are trying to make. 8. After everyone has completed their task, encourage the Elfins to show their creations and explain how they made them to the rest of the group. 9. Was it hard to do a craft in this way? Why was it hard? Was it hard to hear people? Was it hard to speak out? Was it important to listen to everyone in your group? If one instruction wasn’t heard, what happened to the thing you were making? Is it important to listen to everyone in your Elfin Group? Why is this? Does everyone in your group get a say? Are there ways in your Woodcraft Group that you can make sure that everyone’s voices are heard?

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

Co-operative Craft – Resource Sheet Cotton Reel Racers

Tin Can Stilts

• Find a cotton reel and an elastic band. Put the elastic band through the centre of the cotton reel.

• Find two tin cans and some string. Cut two pieces of string the same size as the smallest person in your group.

• There should be two loops of elastic poking out of each end of the cotton reel.

• Thread one piece of string through a hole in the side of the tin can.

• Find a rubber. Put the rubber through one loop of the elastic band.

• When the string is threaded in the hole tie a knot in the end to stop it coming out.

• Find a pencil. Put the pencil through the other loop of the elastic band.

• Thread the other end of the piece of string through the other hole in the side of the tin can.

• Wind up the elastic band by turning the pencil round and round.

• Do the same thing with the other tin can and the string.

• Stick some plasticine on the pencil to stop it flipping as the rubber band unwinds.

Parachute

A Streamer

• Find a plastic bag. Cut a square out of it.

• Take the piece of newspaper and fold it in half times.

• Find some thread. Cut four pieces of thread 50 cm long.

• Find four coloured streamers.

• Tie each piece of thread to a corner of the plastic bag square.

• Stick the streamers with glue into the middle of the last fold of newspaper.

• Find a small figure. Tie the ends of the thread to the small figure.

• Cut a piece of string as tall as the tallest person in your group. • Wrap the string around the newspaper lots of time to tie it down and keep it all folded up.

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

elfin systems Activities The Magic Machine – Warm Up Duration: 7-10 minutes. What to do: 1. Have all the Elfins stand in two parallel lines. 2. Explain to the group that they are a Magic Machine. 3. Explain that each Elfin is going to pass through the machine and have their magic topped up. Their magic is what makes them feel special and happy. 4. Send an Elfin through the two lines. Tell them to walk slowly. As they pass through everyone can shake their hand or pat them on the back and say something that they like about them. Ask the Elfins to suggest other ways the magic can be topped up. 5. When they emerge at the end of the line, full of magic, they become part of the magic machine and another Elfin walks through. 6. I would suggest avoiding any discussion immediately afterwards and stopping the game once the Elfins get fidgety.

Co-operative Volleyball – Active Game Duration: 10-15 minutes. Reasons for doing this activity: • To get Elfins to consider how it is possible to hear the voices of individuals in a large group. • To bring the group together in a joint project that is quite structured. • Singing in rounds builds a wonderful feeling of being an individual, contributing to a (hopefully) harmonious whole. What to do: 1. Give the group a ball or balloon and try to get them to work as a team to see how many hits they can make before the ball hits the ground. If your group is very successful, you could try introducing more balls or balloons. 2. To tie this in with the theme of systems, you could introduce ‘rules’ – only one at a time. Some could be friendly (you are allowed one bounce) and some could be unfriendly (only use your left hand). Children could take it in turns to be the rule makers. 3. This could then lead into a more generalised discussion about the usefulness or otherwise of rules. Are rules sometimes annoying? Are rules sometimes useful? Why do we make rules? Is it better when everyone can just do what they want?

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

Secret Treasure Box – Main Activity 1 Duration: 45 minutes. Reasons for doing this activity: • To have fun stretching imaginations and making gifts for each other. • To bring the group together by focussing on shared memories of past achievements. • For the group to celebrate and recognise what they have achieved as a group and as individuals within the group over the previous year. • For the group to evaluate things they would like to do better and decide on some aims for the following year. What you need: • Spangles, sparkles, pebbles, pens, paints, crayons, pens, paper, bits of string, wool, fabric and any other scraps that can be rustled up. A couple of big sheets of paper and pens for brainstorming. • Ask everyone to bring in a small box from home, or if you are feeling very creative, make origami boxes with the group! What to do: 1. In a big group brainstorm things that you have enjoyed at your Elfin group over the past year. Were there any particular events that stood out? Have you made new friends? Is there anything that you have learned to do? If there are some negative comments about things that happened, this is all to the good. Let these opinions be expressed as they will be useful later on in the exercise. 2. Now allocate everyone a secret friend. Make sure that the Elfins do not disclose the name of the person who is their secret friend. 3. Each Elfin is going to make a treasure box for their secret friend. They will choose things from the craft box to symbolise things that they think their friend has particularly enjoyed at Woodcraft. They can also draw small pictures. For example; a knot tying together with two (or more) pieces of coloured wool might mean friendship, a star might represent an evening walk in the woods; a paper chain of people could represent the group and a patch of blue fabric might be blue sky at summer camp. 4. Once everyone has made their box everyone can exchange. Make sure that everyone gets to explain the contents of their box to their secret friend. This need not be done as a group, if there is not time. However, if the group has not exchanged their treasure boxes altogether, make sure that there is a chance for some ‘edited highlights’ in a group circle. 5. The leaders could also make treasure boxes for the group as a whole, or for each other. Now, the group could be invited to think about things that didn’t go so well. Is there anything the group would like to have done better? 6. A leader could make an empty treasure box and list five ‘treasures’ that the group would like to fill the box with over the next year. Make sure that as each achievement is made, it is recognised and celebrated by the group and a new ‘treasure’ is put into the box. Please don’t forget to record people’s thoughts and ideas throughout these activities, especially: • Why members like coming to group • What members think could be better about the group; and • How things might be improved.

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

Elfinscape – Main Activity 2 Duration: 45 minutes. Reasons for doing this activity: • A co-operative project where each individual in the group can contribute to a shared final product. • A chance to get creative in drawing, sticking and verbal observation. • An opportunity for the Elfins to celebrate the past year with each other and with the wider community. • An invitation for the Elfins to comment on their programme and what they would like to do in the future. What you need: • Drawing materials, scissors, glue, things for sticking (coloured paper etc). Large sheets of paper on which to mount the final work. Hopefully the pilot projects will produce some illustrative examples to inspire leaders What to do: 1. Ask the Elfins to define the word ‘landscape’. Are they familiar with the word ‘cityscape’. Tell them that today we are going to draw an ‘Elfinscape.’ Do they have any ideas of how an ‘Elfinscape’ might look? 2. An ‘Elfinscape’ would let people know what being in this Elfin group was all about. Like landscapes and cityscapes, ‘Elfinscapes’ change all the time, so for this ‘Elfinscape’ it is probably easiest to focus on the past year. 3. In a group brainstorm what the group looks like now and significant moments from the past year. These can range from the ordinary to the extraordinary. Once you have a good range of ideas, split the group into twos and threes. Allow each pair to choose an aspect or event that they want to illustrate. Give each pair a piece of paper and access to drawing materials, things to stick, glue and scissors. 4. Get each pair to choose an event and to illustrate it. Some people might want to do the same event, others might do more than one event. It is up to you how you manage this. 5. As they are drawing, leaders should go round collecting comments from the children about the events they are working on. Write these comments down or audio-record them. 6. Once everyone has had enough of drawing, start to assemble the ‘Elfinscape’. Stick all the pictures together side by side in a long poster. Beside each picture, stick up transcripts of comments the children have made about each event. 7. As a group look over your ‘Elfinscape’. Invite more comments and stick them underneath. 8. This is your ‘Elfinscape’. Is there anyone that the group would like to share this work with? The wider organisation? A partner organisation? Try to make sure that it is shared with your district at a future district event. 9. Is there anything that the group would like to see in their ‘Elfinscape’ next year? Remind them that they are the creators of this landscape and the future ‘Elfinscape’ is yet to be drawn. Gather ideas for activities, programmes that the Elfins would like to do in the future. At the end of the ‘Elfinscape’ write down a list of what these are.

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

elfin skills and knowledge Activities Group Standing – Warm Up Duration: 10-15 minutes. What to do: 1. Divide the group into pairs. Get them to sit facing each other with their feet flat on the floor, the ends of their toes touching and holding hands. 2. They must try to stand up with their toes still touching and still holding hands. 3. Once they have mastered this, they can try to do the same thing in groups of three, four and upwards. Find out what the largest number that you can do this with might be. 4. Once they have finished talk about ‘good ways’ of getting up. Explain that by doing new things together and talking about them, they are all learning and teaching new things. Are there other times that this happens at Woodcraft?

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

Badge Game – Main Activity 1 Duration: 35-40 minutes. Reasons for doing this activity: • To raise awareness of skills learnt at Woodcraft. • To involve Elfins in programme planning. What you need: • Paper and pens, handouts. What to do: 1. Is your Elfin Group aware of the Woodcraft badges? Why might Elfins be awarded badges? Show them some of the badges on the handout. Tell them that these are badges old and new. Can they match them with their skill? 2. Discuss these skills. What do they think you might have to do to get some of these badges? What are skills? Can they think of any skills that they have learned at Woodcraft? 3. In small groups ask the Elfins to make up a badge for their group. They can draw it and think of five things that you would have to do to get the badge. If they wanted, they could make up a badge for things that they have already done. 4. Share the badges with the group. Perhaps the group could undertake one or more of the badges.

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

Badge Game Resource Sheet 1/2

I Begin 6 weeks membership Woodcraft Folk Symbol Be helpful Pass a message 4 co-operative games

I Am 3 months membership Recite creed Folk shirt 2 Folk activities Project on motto

I Belong 1 years membership Folk history International Co-op flag Co-operative project on Folk principles

I See and Know Recognise: 5 birds 5 flowers 5 trees 5 wild flowers 5 mini-beasts

Health Exercise Sleep Good nutrition Cleanliness Happiness Safety

I Hike 2 rambles 3 hikes Rules of the road Country code Wildwood trail

Carnival Know 3 songs Know 3 dances Tell a story Take part in a play

World Friend Find Britain on a globe Countries which British people come from Project on another country or topic

I Camp 6 nights camping Wapenshaw Firelighting Camp cooking Helpfulness First Aid Hygiene

Ecologist Conservation hike Knowledge of locality Study of habitat Simple food chains www.woodcraft.org.uk/trail page 29

Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

Elfin Leaders – Main Activity 2 Duration: 30 minutes. Reasons for doing this activity: • To build confidence. • To demonstrate that the Elfins teach adults new things. • To experience peer learning. • To demonstrate that teaching, learning and then teaching are all part of the same continuum. • To discuss skills learned at Woodcraft. What you need: • Paper, skipping ropes, balls, pens, string, wool – other useful scraps for craft making. What to do: 1. Give the Elfins sheets of paper and get them to make paper planes. Encourage the Elfins who know how to make them to show the other Elfins how it is done. Hand out instructions for more complex planes and encourage the group to experiment making the planes (www. paperairplanes.co.uk/ has loads of designs). 2. Once they have had some fun with the planes, ask the Elfins about other crafts, playground games, skipping rhymes, jokes that they know. Make a list of what these are. 3. Once you have a few suggestions find four or five Elfin volunteers. Encourage them to set up ‘workshops’ in separate parts of the room. The rest of the Elfins can go to each workshop and learn the skill on offer. 4. By the end of the session all of the Elfins in the room should know all the skills on offer. This means that the original ‘teachers’ will eventually have to hand their workshops over to other Elfins, so that they can go and attend the other workshops. Make sure that all the leaders in the room also attend the workshops. 5. Once all Elfins have learned all the new skills, re-group. Lead a discussion on who we learn things from. Who did the Elfins learn these new skills from? Did they learn from more than one person? Did they only learn from the person running the workshop? Was it helpful to see other people learning? 6. At Woodcraft we are learning new things all the time. Adults learn from children and each other and children learn from adults and each other. Can the Elfins and Group leaders identify some of the things they have learned at Woodcraft? Can they think of times that they have taught others about the things they have learned at Woodcraft? Please don’t forget to record people’s thoughts and ideas throughout these activities, especially: • Why members like coming to group • What members think could be better about the group; and • How things might be improved.

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

Badge Game Resource Sheet 2/2

3. Ecologist (1973) A badge which involved looking at how people interacts with their natural environment, how they damage it and how they can protect it.

2. Craftsman (1973) You need to make something and achieve three of the following: • make an article that can be used; • make an article which is decorative; take part in a group project; • use natural materials found outdoors.

1. Camper (1973) Qualifies you to help with: camp nights, choosing a camp site; camp equipment; camp programming; fires; camp sanitation; tents; camp gadgets; firewood.

6. First Aid (1973)

5. Keeness (1973)

4. Festival (1973)

To complete a First Aid course designed by St John’s Ambulance.

A Pioneer or Venturer badge to show keeness as a member of Woodcraft Folk. You would need to attend your group regularly for six weeks, take part in two outdoor Woodcraft activities and know by heart and be able to talk about either The pioneer creed or Law, or the venturer creed and Challenges.

You need to complete four of these five sections: • Act a part in a play. • Produce either a short play, a mime, a speech choir or a puppet show. • Entertain at a camp fire. • Take part in a Folk Ceremony. • Write a poem or other piece of creative writing.

9. Supple Limb (1973)

8. Pioneer (1973)

7. Naturalist (1973)

Membership Knowledge of the Woodcraft Folk Camp attendances Knowledge of some knots Kim’s run (run and walk for 1-3 miles as fast as you can) Silence test (stay silent for 1-3 hours) Observation test Packing your camp kit

To choose and complete six projects from a possible 19 about the natural environment including: making a wormery; making a fishing net; observing a tree for a year; learning about different leaves; making a bird hide and making clay imprints of twigs and leaves.

To test if your limbs are supple: Running Standing long jump Running long jump High jump Swimming.

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

elfin styles of leadership Activities Follow My Leader – Warm Up Adapted from ‘Games Games Games’ Duration: 10-15 minutes. What to do: 1. Get the group to stand in a circle. Someone must leave the circle and go into a different room. 2. Choose somebody to be the leader. Explain to the group that they must copy the actions of the leader but that they should not make it obvious who the leader is. They do not want the guesser to be able to tell who is leading the action. 3. The leader starts an action that everyone copies. S/he then changes action. After this has been done a few times for practice invite the person who is guessing who the leader is back into the room. 4. The guesser stands in the middle of the circle. Can they guess who the leader is? 5. Get the group to play this several times with Elfins taking turns at being the leader and the guesser. 6. How could the Elfins tell who the leader was? What gave it away? Was it hard for the leader to change action without the guesser seeing? If someone new came into your Elfin group, would they be able to guess who the leaders were? How? What do leaders do?

Lava Pit – Active Game Duration: 15-20 minutes. What you need: • One square of paper for every three Elfins (an old cut up newspaper would do). What to do: 1. Tell the group that they are escaping a dragon’s lair and must cross a steaming pit of lava to get away. They need to get from one side of the room to the other but can only step on the stepping stones provided. The space that the Elfins need to cross must be considerably longer than an area that can be completely bridged by stones. 2. If the group is big (larger than 12 people) divide the group into two teams. Explain to the groups that only one person can step on a stone at a time and the stones can be moved. 3. Tell the groups that they will cross the lava pit twice. One time they will choose one leader. This person will tell the rest of the team what to do. The second time they will all co-operate to get across. 4. You could either pause for discussion between each crossing, or have a general discussion afterwards. Invite the group to reflect on tactics. How did they get across the lava? Were there any good ideas? Did everyone get a chance to say their ideas? Was it better to have a leader or not? Did the leaders listen well? Is it important for leaders to listen well? Were some people more ‘in charge’ than others? Was everyone in charge the second time? Did leaders come out of the group even when there was no one in charge? Explain to the Elfins that Woodcraft groups are run through co-operative leadership. What do they think this means?

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

Super Woodie – Main Activity 1 Duration: 30-45 minutes. Reasons for doing this activity: • To discuss the qualities needed to lead an Elfin Group. • To plan some activity. • To have fun making crafts. • To create an Elfin led resource about the qualities people need to run Elfin groups. What you need: • Paper, pens, bits and pieces for sticking on glitzy superhero clothes, glue, sticky tape. What to do: 1. Ask the Elfins about their favourite superheroes. Perhaps you could bring in some comic books and talk about superheroes. What special powers do they have? What special equipment do they have? What do their costumes look like? 2. Now ask the Elfins about Leaders. Who are Elfin Leaders? Who runs your Elfin group? Is it adults or children? What do leaders do? Would the group be able to run without leaders? Collectively brainstorm qualities that leaders need to have. Write words down on a big sheet of paper. 3. Divide the Elfins into small groups (two-four people) and get each group to design a superhero who would be good at leading their group. Give them pens to make a poster of their superhero and fabrics to glue on for clothes. Have each group decide on a name, special powers, special equipment and an assistant. Do they have a special enemy? Are there any ‘issues’ like recycling or peace that the superhero is particularly involved in? 4. Once they have drawn a superhero, bring the group back together to share their creations. 5. Now ask the Elfins to return to their groups and get them to plan a ‘super evening’ that their superhero would lead. 6. Perhaps you could use some of these ideas on future evenings (so long as you’ve got the right super powers!). Keep the posters and evening plans to show current and future leaders ideas that the Elfins have about how they would like their group to be led.

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

Co-operative Squares – Main Activity 2 From ‘getting on with others’ resource pack Duration: 30 minutes. Reasons for doing this activity: • Co-operation. • Communication. • To begin a discussion on how co-operative groups are run. What you need: • Co-operative squares handout. What to do: 1. Photocopy the co-operative squares handout enough times so that each small group has one complete set. Cut the squares up along the dark black lines and divide the pieces up according to their letter. Put all the corresponding pieces in envelopes marked A B C D and E. 2. Divide the group into groups of five. If this is not possible, pair some children up. Each person (or pair) receives one envelope. 3. Give the following instructions: • When the game begins open your envelopes and take out what’s inside. • The aim of the game is to have a completed picture in front of you. In your envelope you will all have pieces of a picture, but you will need to swap pieces with your friends in another group to make a picture. • You can pass a piece to a friend but you cannot take a piece. • You must not talk or communicate with each other. • You can stop playing at any time 4. Ask the group to begin. Avoid intervening unless a serious dispute arises. 5. Once the groups have finished ask them what was hard about this exercise? What did they like? Was it hard to co-operate with the group when you wanted to hold onto a piece of puzzle? Were there ways in which you helped others solve their puzzles? 6. Co-operative leadership can be like this game. Everyone in the group holds a piece of a puzzle and sometimes you have to be patient and wait until they are ready to give it up. Everyone has something important to contribute but sometimes it can take a while for them to realise. How can we help make a group where people are happy to contribute? Why is it important that everyone contributes? Please don’t forget to record people’s thoughts and ideas throughout these activities, especially: • Why members like coming to group • What members think could be better about the group; and • How things might be improved.

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Co-operative squares

Cut squares into A, B , C, D, and E and distribute to five teams who must co-operate to form the five logos

Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

Co-operative Squares Resource 1/1

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

Activities FOR pioneers

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

pioneer Shared Values Activities Values and Valuables: A Balloon Debate – Warm Up Duration: 20-30 minutes. What to do: 1. Start by asking the group what things they value in their lives. Keep a list. 2. Once you have a good list ask Pioneers why they value certain things. What’s great about mobile phones? (communication?), X-boxes? (fun? friendship?). Encourage them to think a little more deeply about why they value the things they do. 3. See if they can find ‘things’ to represent Woodcraft values. Once each thing has a value ask each Pioneer (or a pair in a big group) to select a value they like. 4. Tell the Pioneers that they are going on a balloon ride to start a new world. They are holding the values that they will take with them. The balloon is sinking. They need to throw out a value, but which one? Allow the group to reach a consensus. 5. Continue to discard values until only three are left. Which three are they? 6. Did everyone agree with the decisions made? Which values were the easiest to lose and which were the hardest?

Calling All Pioneers – Active Game Duration: 10-20 minutes. What to do: 1. All except one are sitting in a circle on chairs or cushions; there is no spare seat for the reamaining person. 2. The remaining person stands in the middle of the circle and calls something like “Calling all Pioneers who like chocolate!’ 3. The caller plus everyone who fits the description must get up and find another chair in the circle (sitting on the chair next to you is cheating). The person who is left in the circle calls the next ‘Calling all Pioneers …’ 4. If you wanted to direct the game more, you could theme it around beliefs or values: “Calling all Pioneers who think that it is wrong to eat animals/ who think football is the best game in the world/ who think we should ban driving cars/who think public transport should be free/ who think summer camp should be on a Caribbean island …” 5. You could use this game as a springboard for a discussion about shared values or a warmdown activity after a shared values discussion.

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

Run for Your Rights – Warm Up Duration: 20-30 minutes. What to do: 1. Tell all the Pioneers to stand in the middle of the room. One end of the room is ‘needs’, the other end is ‘wants’. When you call out a need or want, the Pioneers run to the end of the room that they think best represents what they have heard. Keep a score of the decisions they make, but do not tell them which is which until the end of the game. 2. Needs/Wants • A personal stereo • Fashionable clothes • Your own bedroom • A computer • Protection from abuse and neglect • A bicycle • Clean air • Protection from discrimination • Education • The opportunity to express your opinions and to be listened to • Fast food • Nutritious food • Holiday trips • The opportunity to practice your own culture, language and religion • Medical care when you need it • Money to spend as you like • Playgrounds and recreation centres • Decent shelter • TV • Clean water. 3. There are 11 rights, they are in italics. Reveal the answers to the Pioneers. These are rights from the UN convention for the Rights of the Child. What is the difference between a want and a need? Are there rights that they have at Woodcraft Folk Evenings and Camps?

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

A Picture Paints 1000 Words – Main Activity 1 Duration: 45 minutes. Reasons for this activity: • To encourage Pioneers to think about what their values are and how they can impact on the wider world. • To encourage Pioneers to identify shared values and to discuss Woodcraft values. What you need: • Dramatic news photos – either current or past, a digital camera (optional), props. What to do: 1. Source some news photographs either from books, the internet or current newspapers. Try to find pictures that capture whole stories. 2. Ask the Pioneers what the phrase “a picture paints a thousand words” means? Show them the pictures you have sourced without any context and ask them to discuss what they think they are about. What makes them striking images? What are the values and messages behind each picture? Talk about values and about how some news photos have shown such powerful images and spoken so strongly to people’s core values that they have literally changed the world. Some pictures of hungry children have resulted in huge aid efforts, other pictures taken in war zones have helped to bring about peace. 3. Do any of the photos show the importance of some of the Pioneer’s core values? What about values that Woodcraft Folk believes to be important? 4. Ask them all to sit quietly for just a moment and try to think of one of the best times they’ve had at Woodcraft. Once they all have an event, ask them to try and take a single snapshot in their minds that captures the moment. Ask them to get it really clear in their heads. 5. In small groups ask them to describe or draw their moments. Are there any qualities or Woodcraft values that all their moments share? Ask them to choose a moment as a group and draw a picture and/write a description of the moment to share with the group. Really try and capture the moment. Think about the time of day, the weather, the noises, smells and the feelings the people in the photo have. 6. Feed the snapshots back to the whole group and try to come up with the values that are essential for picture perfect Woodcraft moments. They could describe them, or the groups could arrange themselves into a ‘freeze frame’ of the photo, using props etc. You could even take a photo of the tableau. 7. What shared values do these photos have? Can you think of any other times you have experienced Woodcraft values in action? Are there any Woodcraft values that you would like to see more of in your group?

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

Rough Guide to Pioneers – Main Activity 2 Duration: A rolling project that will require at least 30-40 minutes on three consecutive group nights Reasons for this activity: • To encourage the pioneers to define and explain what it is they think that their Woodcraft group does. • To see how their Woodcraft Group fits into the wider community. • To involve the whole group in a joint creative project. What you need: • Guidebook: paper, pens, glue, glitter, old magazines, photos, scissors, paint, crayons etc. • Film: a video camera, music, props, paper, pens. What to do: 1. Make a short film or guidebook to introduce what Pioneers are all about to new members. 2. This project might work well as a ‘running’ project over a period of three or four nights. If it was given forty minutes over a few nights, Pioneers might have a chance to develop ideas over time. Encourage them to pay attention to adverts, music videos (film) or newspapers, books and magazines (guidebook). 3. Have a brainstorming circle where you make a list of words that describe Woodcraft. • Why do you like Woodcraft? • What makes Woodcraft different from other youth groups? • What kinds of things do you do at Woodcraft? • What are the best things you do as Pioneers? • Have you learnt anything interesting at Woodcraft? • What’s your best Woodcraft memory? 4. Think about how you want your film or guide book to look. Sometimes simple ideas can be very powerful (for example type ‘Gillian Wearing Signs that Say What You Want Them To Say and Not Signs that Say What Someone Else Wants You To Say’ into an internet search engine). Film Are there any adverts or music videos that have ideas in them that you’d like to adapt? Is there a piece of music that you all know that captures something about Woodcraft? Will people speak in your film? Will you use signs and pictures? Will it be in colour or black and white? Will you have any interviews? Typing Woodcraft Folk into youtube brings up a number of Woodcraft films. Books Guidebooks can have a variety of different formats. Will it be a newspaper, magazine or scrapbook? Don’t be shy of using colour, glitter and paints. Are there any photos of the group you could stick in? Cut up old magazines to make collages, mosaics or montages. Will you do drawings and cartoons? How about a comic strip? Think about magazines and books that look interesting to read. You could decide on a basic concept and then small groups could work on different pages. Perhaps you could all do self portraits to introduce your group. Check out moonlight-chronicles.com and lisavollrath.com and recent editions of DF News, spanthatworld. com/resources/df-news, for inspiration. 5. Once the project is finished look over the final product as a group. Can everyone state one new thing they have learned about their group from doing this project? Is there anything they’d like to see more of in the group or even anything they’d like to change? 6. Once you have reflected on the project as a group invite family and friends to see the film or book. Perhaps you could have a launch party! And send a copy of your book or film to head office so that we can put it up on the website for everyone to see!

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

Walking the Woodcraft Way (in somebody elses shoes) – Main Activiy 3 Duration: (45-60 minutes) Reasons for this activity: • To encourage the Pioneers to think about what Woodcraft values are and how they can share them beyond Woodcraft. • To discuss the value of empathy, tolerance and the importance of learning from others. “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee “Playing music on another person’s instrument is like walking with somebody else’s shoes.” Budhadev Dasgupta (classical Indian musician) What to do: 1. Part of having shared values as a group is sharing them with other people. But most people don’t like being told what to do. A big part of learning to share values is learning to stand in someone else’s shoes. 2. Ask the Pioneers what they understand by the phrase ‘learning to stand in someone else’s shoes.’? What about climbing into someone else’s skin? How would it feel to climb into the skin of a person of different race/gender/nationality/ability/size? 3. Talk about learning to play somebody else’s instrument, or learning a new song. How does it feel to learn something new? Is trying to understand someone else’s point of view a little like learning a new instrument? 4. There are some role plays to help Pioneers try to resolve issues by putting themselves in someone else’s shoes. Depending on the size of your group choose one, two or of the role plays. You could work on each role play as a whole group or divide into onemaller focus groups. 5. When Pioneers are finding solutions encourage them to think about Woodcraft values but also about how other people might feel.

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

Walking the Woodcraft Way (in somebody elses shoes) – Resource Sheet 1/2 Situation 1: You are on summer camp. On the field next to you is a Dyish family camp. Dyish people live by very strict rules. They pray outdoors five times a day, believe in early nights and early rising. Night time is a sacred time for the Dyish. They are strict vegans and will only permit certain types of music. Some of you have made friends with the Dyish children and have even met up with them on the beach and after supper sometimes. The camp leaders are happy for you all to make new friends. One day one of the young Dyish leaders comes over and says that there is to be no more contact between the two camps. This is because some of the Dyish adults are concerned that the Woodcraft children are having a bad influence on their camp and it seems easier to break off all contact, rather than risk a falling out. Dyish Leader’s point of view: • The way the Woodcraft Folk dress is causing problems. The Dyish think that it is immodest to wear clothes that do not cover everything from knees, to elbows to neck. They also think that people should have their heads covered at all times. Woodie beachwear is causing arguments between parents and children and makes many of the adults feel uncomfortable. • The Woodcraft Group stays up later than the Dyish group and he has caught wind of a plan for some of the kids to meet up after dark. • Some of the Woodcraft Group have been staring during outdoor prayer times. •  There has been some food sharing and you are very concerned that some of the children have eaten non-vegan foods. • The songs that the Folk sing are offensive to the Dyish. While they respect the Folk’s right to sing the songs, the Folk are not respecting their right to not hear the music. They come camping because it is very hard for them to get the quiet that they want at night in the modern world. Night time quiet is central to the Dyish’s religious observances. For some families in the group, this week of camping is the only week of the year where they could really enjoy quiet nights. • The things you will NOT compromise on are: quiet nights, veganism and prayer. You might agree to the Woodie children dressing differently, so long as they’re not running around in swimming costumes. Because you do not live in a Dyish country, camp is one of the few times of the year that all Dyish customs can be observed. You are reluctant to give this up. Woodcraft Leader’s point of view: •  Friendship between the two groups is positive and should be encouraged. • Woodies have the right to dress how they want where they want and you do not feel comfortable imposing restrictions on what people wear. •  The Woodies watching the prayers have been very interested in what they’ve seen and it has encouraged them to want to learn more about Dyism. You think that this is very positive and could improve understanding between the two groups. • Campfires and singing are a central part of camp. Many of the children at camp look forward to it all year and you do not want to stop having campfires and evening singing. Is there a way to maintain the contact between the two camps and respect each other’s rules?

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Walking the Woodcraft Way (in somebody elses shoes) – Resource Sheet 2/2 Situation 2: •  You live near a beautiful park. It has always been well looked after but recently gangs of teenagers have started hanging out there and some older people find these groups intimidating. The problem is that there is nothing for young people to do. Your Woodcraft group has been part of a community project to raise funds for a ramp and half-pipe that young people can skate and bike on. This will give young people a focus and something to do but local residents are opposing the plan. You feel that this is unfair because you have put a lot of work into raising funds for this ramp and you see it as a positive project. You think that this will make the park better for everyone and help bring positive change in the young community. •  You live near a park. You have spent the last thirty years volunteering and helping to keep it looking beautiful for everyone in the community to enjoy. Up until recently that was how it was. Now all these gangs of hooded teenagers hang around swearing, graffiting and getting up to no good. It’s not just older people that find this hard; mothers with young children don’t want to take their kids to play near teenagers who are swearing. The council’s latest plan is to build one of those ugly concrete skateboard ramps in the park. Apart from ruining the way the park looks, how on earth will this help? Surely it will just draw more of the hooded youngsters in? Why are they being rewarded while people like you who have given years of time and love to the park are being pushed out? It’s insanity. Situation 3: There are four situations at camp that have arisen and are causing conflict. You have called a meeting to sort them out. Role 1 You are a Pioneer who is new to the group. This is your first camp. The other Pioneers have been playing practical jokes and someone put a frog in your tent. You are totally freaked out and want to go home. You do quite enjoy playing football but now some people want it stopped.

Role 2 You put a frog in a new Pioneer’s tents and s/he totally freaked out. Everyone has been playing practical jokes so you thought that it would be ok. Now s/he wants to go home. Also, it drives you mad how in every a spare moment everyone starts playing football. It means that no one does anything else because they all want to be in the main group. You don’t even like football.

Role 3 You feel really nervous in the group. Most of the kids spend the whole time playing football or practical jokes, neither of which you are too keen on. You’d actually quite like to go home but it’s ok because you’ve got your best mate there (role 4 person). As long as you can do everything with him/her you feel safe.

Role 4 Your friend (role 3) is on camp with you. You know that s/he is quite shy and you want to help him/ her out so you always partner up with him/her. You do feel that it would be quite nice to meet other people sometimes.

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

pioneer Strategies Activities Woodcraft Consequences – Warm Up Duration: 10-15 minutes. What you need: • Enough pens and paper for Pioneers. What to do: 1. Pioneers sit in a circle and keep their pieces of paper secret. 2. Explain that you are going to ask them a series of questions. The Pioneers write an appropriate answer to the first question on their piece of paper, fold the paper over so what they have written remains hidden and pass it on to their left. Do the same with the next question and so on. The more random and imaginative their answers, the better. 3. These are the questions: What was his name? What was her name? Where did they meet? What did he say? What did she say? What did she do? What did he do? What happened to her? What happened to him? What was the consequence for the world? 4. Once the last answer has been written the paper should be completely folded up and passed one last time to the left. People can then read out their stories. If you have a big group, it might be best to divi de them into smaller groups at this stage and get them to pick out the best stories to read to the whole group. 5. This is the story … Boy’s name met girl’s name when they both joined their local Pioneer Group which met each Friday at place name. He looked into her eyes and said whatever he said and she looked right back at him and said whatever she said. She then did whatever she did, so he did whatever he did. The consequence for her was whatever happened to her while the consequence for him was, whatever happened to him. The consequences for the whole world were whatever happened to the whole world.

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How many Pioneers can you fit on a Pioneer? – Active Game Duration: 15-20 minutes. What to do: 1. Divide the group into two teams and set them the following task. 2. The first time they do it, the groups must carry the task out straight away, but the second time give them five minutes to think up a strategy. 3. They must cross an open space in as short a time as possible, but each person, except the last person must be carried across. If a person being carried touches the ground, the whole team has to return to their starting point. Only one person can be walking or crawling across at a time. Once the game starts they must carry this task out in silence. 4. Afterwards, have a discussion about how the groups decided to solve this problem. Was it more successful the second time? Did they learn from their first experience? Would they be better at it if they did it again? When developing a strategy was it important to hear everyone out? When they were doing it the first time, did everyone get a say in how things should be done? Was communication difficult? Did anyone take the lead? Did everyone feel that they had their say? Did someone think that there was a better way of doing it? Did everything go as planned? Was it hard to work in silence? If things didn’t go well, how did that feel? Would people like the group to be directed by a leader or is it better if everyone has their say? Are there any disadvantages to letting everyone have their say? 5. When planning how a Woodcraft group should change and develop these are issues that come up all the time. A lot of planning has to go into group nights and camps. Why is this? Have any of the group been involved in the planning? Is there a plan in your group for things you want to do and achieve in the future?

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Span the World, Plan the World – Main Activity 1 Duration: 45-60 minutes and at least one subsequent session Reasons for doing this activity: • To involve Pioneers in planning their group nights. • To develop skills needed for meaningful participation. • To discuss what the group would like achieve in the future. • To raise awareness about world poverty. What you need: • Pens, factsheets, paper. What to do: 1. Ask the group if any of them attended Global Village in 2006. Some of the Global Village resources were themed around the eight millennium goals. Are the group familiar with these? For more information, see the worksheet attached. 2. Do the Pioneers think that these goals are important? Were they aware of them? 3. In order to help raise awareness of these goals you want the group to plan a group night to raise awareness of these issues. 4. Ask the Pioneers what kinds of activities they do at group nights which help them to learn new things °V drama, art, games, singing etc. Have a short brainstorming session and write down ideas. 5. Divide the pioneers into small groups of about four or five people. Let each group choose one of the fact boxes from the sheets provided. Explain that these facts are a resource from which they can plan an activity. 6. Support the Pioneers in delivering their activities to the rest of the group. 7. After each activity takes place (and whether you do this on one group night or over a few weeks is up to you and your group) allow time for a good debriefing. 8. Ask them what went well? What they enjoyed? What did they find hard? What would they do differently? Would they like to do it again? Would they like to be more involved in planning group nights in the future? Are there any topics or issues they would like the group to cover? Make sure that you emphasise the many skills which they will have had to engage to do this project successfully. Make sure that everyone involved realises that this is quite an achievement.

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Cosmic Consequences – Main Activity 2 Duration: 45 minutes. Reasons for doing this activity: • To encourage the Pioneers to think about how small actions can have far reaching consequences. • To discuss the importance of taking responsibility for such actions by planning. • To consider things that the group might like to achieve in the future. What you need: • Props as necessary and/or paper, pencils and pens. What to do: 1. Ask the Pioneers if they are familiar with chaos theory or the butterfly effect? In simple terms this means that everything is interconnected and interdependent and that tiny actions can have a huge impact. A scientist called Lorenz once delivered a lecture whose title was Predictability: Does the flap of a butterfly’s wings in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas? In other words, could the tiny atmospheric changes set off by the tiny movement of a butterfly’s wings set off a chain of events leading to a tornado? 2. Divide the group into small groups of about four or five people. 3. Introduce the idea of a story where a character resolves to make a small but permanent change in his/ her life. Brainstorm ideas for ‘changes’, but some ideas are: talk to a new person everyday, join a conservation project, do not exclude others, find out about the rights of the child and exercise those rights. 4. This next part could be done as a story-board, comic strip activity or as a series of short dramas. Perhaps each group could decide which they prefer. 5. Tell them to take a ‘snapshot’ of the character’s life at the moment they decide to make the change. Perhaps decide why they are going to make the change, then take a snapshot describing what has happened as a consequence of their change three months later, a year later and five years later. Encourage them to be as wild and as far reaching in their consequences as they can. 6. After the stories have unfolded discuss the consequences for the characters. Could anyone think of other consequences? Were these consequences realistic? Do you think that you will always know the consequences of all of your actions? 7. Has anyone ever experienced a small change which led to a big difference? Are there any changes within the context of the group that have had far reaching consequences? In a world where something as random as the beating of a butterfly’s wings can have such far reaching consequences, is it worth making plans? Why is it worth making plans? (It is worth making plans - play devil’s advocate if you need to!). Does it matter if things don’t go according to plan? Are there any changes that the group would like to make, to try and bring about some changes? 8. Resolve to make one small change as a group and to regularly review the knock on effects from this change.

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

Span the World Plan the World Resource Sheets 1/5 Leader’s Resource From the Oxfam Website: “By 2015, the governments of the world have promised to ... 1. reduce poverty 2. educate every child 3. provide equal chances for girls and women 4. reduce the number of babies and children who die 5. ensure safe and healthy motherhood 6. fight infectious diseases 7. clean up the environment 8. share responsibility for making the world a better place.“ The eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are international targets for reducing global poverty. By the year 2015 these goals, if they are reached, will have lifted around 500 million people out of poverty. Fewer women will die in childbirth, fewer people will die from treatable diseases, many more boys and girls will go to school and the lives of millions of people will improve dramatically … In the year 2000, the member states of the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted the Millennium Declaration. … By signing up to these goals, governments of both developing and developed countries have committed themselves to working collaboratively towards a better future for all of us. What is happening now? Progress on the goals will be measured each year, in order to help achieve them all by 2015. For the first seven goals, the onus is on the governments of developing countries to ensure that targets are met or bettered. It is the eighth goal, however, to ‘build a global partnership for development’ that will create the conditions necessary for achieving the other seven. With this goal, the responsibility falls on the richer countries and the wider ‘global community’ to reduce debt, to give more and better aid and to make trade fairer, among other measures. At the current rate of progress, many of the targets will be missed and it is therefore vital that pressure is stepped up on the world community to increase efforts to achieve them. For more information: www.un.org/millenniumgoals www.oxfam.org.uk/what_you_can_do/campaign/mdg/index.htm www.undp.org/mdg (Oxfam’s campaigning and research on the MDGs) www.millenniumcampaign.org www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet/mdg

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Span the World Plan the World Resource Sheets 2/5 Poverty Connections All of these issues are interconnected, can you see how? POVERTY About a quarter of the world’s children live in poverty SCHOOL Some children may miss school because their parents can’t afford the fees or because they are too ill to attend. GIRLS’ EDUCATION Girls are often prevented from going to school as they may be needed to help at home. Sometimes, their parents do not think education is important for girls. NOT ENOUGH MONEY People who have no work, and people who are unable to sell what they grow for a fair price, cannot earn enough to pay for their basic needs – food, clothing, shelter. ENVIRONMENT People who live in slums are more likely to become ill because they do not have proper washing and toilet facilities and clean water. ILLNESSES Many people have illnesses, such as diarrhoea and malaria, which could easily be prevented or be less serious if they had better medicines and health care. DEATH IN CHILDHOOD Young children who do not have proper food and health care are more likely to die before they grow up. THE HEALTH OF MOTHERS Pregnant women who do not have good medical care, food and health education will be more likely to die in childbirth. 1.3 billion people have no clean water. 3 billion people have no sanitation. 2 billion people (about one-third of the world’s population) have no electricity. (Sources: United Nations Development Programme and World Bank) Looking after Children In many countries, babies and young children do not have what they need, and consequently, many children die. More than 10 million children under the age of five die each year. In developing countries, one out of every ten children dies before the age of five. In wealthier nations, only one child in every 143 dies before the age of five. These things can help to protect babies: Injections to protect against illnesses Clean water Doctors and hospitals nearby Breast milk Toys to play with Warmth Mothers who have been to school More midwives and birth attendants

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Span the World Plan the World Resource Sheets 3/5 Reasons children can’t go to school I’m not sure that I will be going back to school next term. There was no rain, and my father’s crops have failed. I might have to go out to work to earn money for my family. There is no school in my village. The next village has a school, but it is five miles away. That is too far to walk each day. I have four brothers and sisters. My parents can only afford to send two of us to school. My two brothers go. My sisters and I stay at home. My father died when I was seven years old. He owned a small farm, which brought in all our money. When my father died, I had to leave school to help in the house and look after my brother and sisters so my mother could work on the farm. There are 60 children in the class that I teach. There just aren’t enough teachers. My parents didn’t go to school. They can’t read or write. They want me to go to school so I can get a good job. But they can’t afford the school fees that we have to pay. I am a coffee grower. I was getting hardly any money for my crop, so I couldn’t send my children to school. Now I sell my coffee to a Fair Trade company and am guaranteed a good price. At last I can afford to send at least two of my children to school now. I have to go to the hand pump to collect water twice a day for my family. The water pump is two km away, and often I have to wait in a queue before it is my turn. I do this before I go to school in the morning, so I am often late and miss a lot of my lessons. It is hard work having to collect water after school and still trying to find time for homework. Debt and poverty Some people are very poor. 1.3 billion of the world’s people live on less than 60p a day. Poor countries spend more repaying their debts than they receive in aid. In 2002, poor countries paid rich countries 21 billion pounds in debt repayments. They received only nine billion pounds in aid. Africa gets £25 million each day in aid. Africa pays £26.5 million each day in debt repayments. Some countries, such as Zambia, spend more on debt and interest repayments than they do on education. Debt relief works. Tanzania was let off some of its debts. The Government spent the money on making primary education free. (Parents used to have to pay fees.) Now two million more Tanzanian children can go to school. Is it fair to ask poor countries to pay back their debts and the interest on them? Debt relief works. Tanzania was let off some of its debts. The Government spent the money on making primary education free. (Parents used to have to pay fees.) Now two million more Tanzanian children can go to school.

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Span the World Plan the World Resource Sheets 4/5 Improving Maternal Health More than half a million women die during pregnancy or in childbirth each year, most of them in developing countries. Related to this are the deaths of three million children. In Ethiopia,onein 14 women die of complications or illnesses during pregnancy and childbirth. In the UK onlyonein 5,800 women die for this reason. Most of these deaths are wholly preventable. If mothers had access to good health care and basic medicines, most of them would survive to look after their families and contribute to their communities. Access to health care, family planning, contraception and adequate education are some of the means by which maternal health can be improved. More resources and action in this area would make a huge difference to a lot of people’s lives. The birth of a child should be something which people look forward to with joy and not an event which poses a significant risk to the mother’s life. We should put an end to this gross inequality in basic human health. “My name is Gawhar Sarwar and I am a community health worker in Ghook village in Afghanistan. My daily routine consists of visiting pregnant women in their houses and making sure that they and their babies are healthy. I say, “Don’t pick up heavy objects. Don’t go to the mountains. Keep yourselves clean.” We mix techniques – we use the good from the past and the good from the present. Before, we used to put the patient on the ground, in the soil or mud. Now we use a plastic sheet. Before, during the delivery, I didn’t wash. Now I wash with warm water and soap, and cut and clean my nails, and let my hands dry naturally. After the delivery, we give good advice to the mother: keep yourself and the baby clean. We tell them what food to eat. If there is a problem with the pregnancy or birth, I refer the mother and baby to the clinic. Sometimes I go with them.” Infectious Diseases Vicious Circle The government finds it difficult to pay its international debts. The government cuts back its service in both health and education. There are fewer education campaigns about HIV/AIDS. People don’t learn about how to protect themselves agains HIV/AIDS. People get HIV/AIDS from having unprotected sex. There aren’t enough hospitals to treat patients and they can’t afford medicines that slow the disease. People develop full blown AIDS. Poor living conditions mean that people with AIDS quickly catch tuberculosis. Hospitals can’t afford medicines to treat tuberculosis. People die. Fewer workers pay taxes to contribute to the government’s finances. The government has less money.

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Span the World Plan the World Resource Sheets 5/5 Should Jaya drop out of school? FATHER You are Jaya’s father, Kesro. You have three children: two boys and a girl, Jaya. You work hard as a day labourer in a factory to earn enough money for them all to go to school, but lately you have found it more difficult to get work and you can no longer afford the school fees for all your children. You think education is less important for women because they usually only go to work in the fields or stay at home as housewives. Obviously Jaya must drop out of school. The boys will continue their education so that they can get jobs and be able to contribute to the household. Jaya will get married and be looked after by her husband, so education is less important for her. JAYA You are Jaya, a 12-year-old girl. You have been at school for five years. You work very hard and have been top of your class several times. You enjoy school and have made lots of friends there. You really want to be a teacher when you are older. You think that it’s unfair that you might have to drop out of school while your two brothers can continue their education. Also you have to spend more time on household chores than they do and yet must still fit in doing your homework. MOTHER You are Jaya’s mother, Razia. You have three children – two boys and a girl, Jaya. You had no education yourself and are pleased that Jaya has been to school for a few years. You hope that this will mean that she is able to get work when she grows up. However, your main concern is that she should get married. This is the most important thing. You also worry that if Jaya continues with her education she may not have so much time to help with the household chores. AUNT You are Jaya’s aunt, Fatima. You are married and have two children. You were lucky enough to have completed your education and you have worked in an office since your last child went to school six years ago. This has meant that you could afford to send all your children to school. You understand that it is really important for both girls and boys to be educated. Girls with an education can help to provide financially for the household. Nowadays, they can even become civil servants or MPs. They can also contribute to their own children’s education at home themselves.

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

pioneer Structures Activities Talking you down – Warm Up

Adapted from ‘How are You Feeling?’ Book 4 Duration: 10-15 minutes. What to do: 1. Ask everyone to get into pairs and face each other. 2. Tell them all that they are going to talk about a topic. Give them a few choices; school, TV, music etc. They are not to listen to the other person. In fact, they want the other person to stop talking, so they can talk about what they are interested in. 3. After a minute or so, repeat the exercise with different pairings. 4. Come together as a group and discuss how it felt to be talking like this. 5. Was it frustrating? Could they hear the other person? How does it feel to not be listened to? Are there times in everyday life that they feel like this? Is it ever hard to make yourself heard at Woodcraft Folk? What is more important, talking or listening? Do talking and listening go together? 6. Make a list of ways in which it would be possible to improve the talking and listening skills of the group so that everyone gets a say.

Contaminated Waste – Active Game Duration: 15-20 minutes. What you need: • Four pieces of string about 2m long, an elastic band, cardboard tube (from a kitchen roll or similar) a cardboard box, four blindfolds. What to do: 1. Tie one end of each of the four pieces of the string at equal distances around the elastic band. Get four people to hold the other end of each string. Blindfold these four people. 2. Place the cardboard tube somewhere in the room and the cardboard box somewhere else. The four blindfolded people must be guided by the rest of the group to pick up the ‘contaminated waste’ tube by manipulating the elastic band and then drop it into the box. 3. Once they have achieved this, let four other people have turn. If there is enough time and enthusiasm, let everyone in the group have a turn at being blindfolded. 4. After the game has ended ask the group what they discovered in the game? Was it hard to hear instructions? How did it feel to be blindfolded? How did the rest of the group communicate? Did anyone find it hard to make their ideas heard? Can anyone think of a good system where everyone in the group could have contributed?

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

Listen to Me! – Main Activity 1 Adapted from ‘How are You Feeling?’ Book 4 Duration: 45 minutes. Reasons for doing this activity: • Drama • Group problem solving and listening skills. • To promote discussion about structures which will promote fair and full participation from individuals in the group. What you need: • A big sheet of paper and pen, paper and pens. What to do: 1. Explain to the group that today’s activity is about how to make sure that everyone can join in fairly and have their say about how this Woodcraft Group is organised. 2. Ask the group whether it important for each to have their say in the group? Are there places in your life where you find it very difficult to speak up, or if you do speak up, find it very difficult to get people to listen? 3. Divide the group into smaller groups of four or five people and ask each group to devise a scenario where a young person is finding it difficult to make their views heard and as a result is misunderstood. Ask them to practice the scene up to the point where the misunderstanding occurs. 4. Act out the scenes one by one up to that point then ask the players to stay in role while the audience asks each one: What would have helped you? What would you have like to have happened when …? What could you have said differently? What could you have done differently? 5. Don’t let the questioning go on for too long. Get someone in the group to make a note of all the answers. 6. Once all the dramas have been played out it might be good to provide a brief pause here with a snack or a short, physical game just for fun. 7. Return to a large group circle and have a look at all of the suggestions on the notepad. Are there any overlaps, or common ideas that the group can pick out? Are there times in the Woodcraft Group when people find it hard to make their views heard? Are there ways in which the group could change to make sure that everyone’s voices are heard? Make sure that the Pioneers understand that good communication in the group is not just about them speaking up but also about the group being structured in such a way that it is easy for everyone to speak up. Are there any structures that could be introduced to support the fuller participation of everyone involved? 8. Go back into the smaller groups and work out a resolution for their role play characters, practising the skills they have learnt. 9. Two alternative endings: a. If there is the energy and interest from the whole group, each small group could play out their piece to the end. b. Discuss children outside the group who might have a hard time making their voices heard. Is there some way in which the group could support them?

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

Pioneer Apocalypse – Main Activity 2 Adapted from Pioneer Citizenship website Duration: 45 minutes. Reasons for doing this activity: • To encourage discussion about how individuals participate in running the group. • To experience ways of group debating and decision making. •  To talk about listening and communicating. What you need: • pen and large pieces of paper What to do: 1. Tell the Pioneers the following story. “You went on a Pioneer camp to a very remote part of Scotland. On your return to town/city/village where group is based you discover that civilisation as we know it has ended. A deadly virus was released and everyone over the age of 21 perished. Only the children are left. For now, you are stuck with the other Pioneers and you have no idea what to do. Your home town is filled with wild looting children. What are you going to do?” 2. You need to decide how to organise yourselves for the following week. As a group try to think of some issues that will need to be addressed. Where will you live? How will you get food? Are there any siblings or friends you need to search for? How will you carry out this search? Do you want to stick together as a group? Will you invite others to join your group? How will your group be run? Will there be any rules about behaviour? 3. The debate about what to do next will be held according to the rules of Kiva, a Native American concept of tribal decision making: • Chairs are arranged in two concentric circles with four chairs in the inside circle and the rest for everyone else on the outside. • Pioneers wishing to begin sit in the inner circle and discuss one question, while those outside listen quietly. • Every few minutes call time, at which the group alternates to give those wishing to come from the outside to the inside circle a chance to speak. • After the time for discussion is over, everyone sits in the outside circle and each person identifies one important point from the discussion. Write these on a flip chart sheet. • Then, everyone initials or ticks three important issues (of the ones listed on the flip chart). The ones ticked most often indicate the group’s priorities. • Play with a few questions, until the group seems to be running out of steam. 4. Take time out to have a snack at this point or to play a short, fun, active game. 5. Take a look at the group’s priorities. How did the group enjoy this form of discussion? Did they feel that their opinions were heard? If not, why not? Are there other ways of listening to the whole group? 6. Explain the ‘kiva’ is a structure, designed to let everyone have a say. Having full participation from a group is partly about how the whole group is structured. Can the group think about ways in which Woodcraft Folk is structured so that they can participate? Are there ways that they can think of that would help them to participate more fully? What are they and could they be put into practice?

Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

pioneer Systems Activities Deadly Links – Warm Up/Active Game This game is from the ‘Project Wild’ workbook, published by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources Duration: 20-30 minutes. What you need: • 30 pieces of ‘food’ (1/3 one colour (sprayed with pesticide), 2/3 another colour (no pesticide), one paper bag per grasshopper. What to do: 1. This is a game about food chains. Are the Pioneers familiar with food chains? 2. Divide the Pioneers into three groups: grasshoppers, shrews and hawks. There should be (approx) three shrews for every hawk and three grass hoppers for every shrew, so a group of twenty would divide into about two hawks, five shrews and 13 grasshoppers. 3. Scatter the food on the floor and give the grasshoppers 30 secs to start gathering food into their bags. Now release the shrews and give them 15 secs – one min (depending on whether you are indoors or out) to catch the grasshoppers. When grasshoppers are caught they must hand over their foodbags to the shrews and go and sit at the side. Finally release the hawks for 15 secs – one min. Hawks hunt shrews, shrews hunt grasshoppers and grasshoppers hunt food. Caught shrews and grasshoppers handover their foodbags and sit on the side. 4. Once the hawks have hunted bring the group together into a circle and get the ‘survivors’ to open their foodbags. Count up the different coloured foods. 5. Explain that one colour of food was sprayed with pesticide. Any grasshoppers who survived and ate any of the sprayed food are now dead. Any of the shrews who have over half their food sprayed are dead and the hawks seem fine but any who have more than half their food sprayed with pesticide will lay eggs with thinner shells and their chicks will not survive. 6. You could use this game to introduce the concept of systems. We are all interlinked and our actions can have very direct repercussions on those around us. The pesticides are sprayed to stop grasshoppers eating crops, but poisoning grasshoppers can poison the whole food chain. Do the Pioneers think that pesticides get into the human food chain? Can they think of ways in which they, as individuals, could make their views heard about this? There are some systems in place to help your voice to be heard (letters to newspapers, posters, petitions etc). 7. Sometimes if enough people are angry about something, laws and rules are made to try to control these situations. If you wanted you could lead straight into a discussion about rules and ways of making your opinion heard within the context of Woodcraft. Are there times when a Woodcraft group as a whole joins up with other organisations to support certain ideas?

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

The Power of Words – Main Activity 1 Duration: 45 minutes. This game is adapted from a game on the Unicef website and a game in the Woodcraft ‘How are you feeling?’ series Reasons to do this activity: • To discuss the rights and responsibilities of the group – how we make sure that everyone can take part in a safe and happy way. • To emphasise the role of individuals in maintaining the group’s rights. • To explore the ‘grey’ area between freedom of expression and offensive language. • To celebrate the individuals in the group. • To discuss group rewards. What you need: • Pens, cards, sticky-tape, craft box/access to natural materials. What you do: 1. Ask the Pioneers if they think that the old rhyme ‘Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me’ is true? Are there words that wound? Do words really have any power? 2. Ask the Pioneers to write down words on pieces of cards that they think might wound people. 3. Make a scale on the wall from ‘Teasing/playful’ to ‘Extremely painful/degrading’. 4. Get each Pioneer to show their word(s) and place it on the scale. Encourage discussion about where the words should go. Do people have different opinions about how offensive a word is? 5. Article 13.2a of the Convention on the Rights of the Child gives a child the right to freedom of expression but specifically restricts expression that violates the rights and reputations of others. Should limits be placed on what we can say about our thoughts and beliefs? Should we always be able to say whatever we like? 6. Now that you’ve thought about words that wound, are there words that heal? Are there times when people say things to you that make you feel happy? Do words have that power? 7. Allocate each person in the group a ‘secret friend’. Everyone in the group is going to make a gift for their secret friend from very little. 8. Choose something about your friend that you particularly like and make a gift from scraps to represent that aspect of your friend. For this you could use a scrap box, or if you want to take the group outdoors they could gather leaves, twigs and flowers to make their ‘gifts’. A flower stuck on a card could represent someone’s sunny personality, a ball of green and blue paper could represent the way someone looks after the environment, plaited grass might represent strong friendships. 9. Once the group have made their gifts encourage them to give them to each other, then as a group discuss how this felt. Was it good to reward each other? 10. Does your group have some basic rules and rights. Are there rules and things that you do to make sure that everything you do is done in a way that includes and respects everybody. Saying we have rights isn’t really enough, with rights come responsibilities. Part of our responsibilities is to look at rules regularly and discuss them. It is important to celebrate things that go well and to try to make things that don’t work so well work better. 11. Could the group write a list of group rights and responsibilities? Is there a way that you could reward your group for living up to these rights and responsibilities - perhaps plan a celebration or a special trip out. Please don’t forget to record people’s thoughts and ideas throughout these activities, especially: • Why members like coming to group • What members think could be better about the group; and • How things might be improved. www.woodcraft.org.uk/trail page 57

Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

Representations – Main Activity 2 Duration: 30-45 minutes. Reasons for this activity: • To introduce the idea of representatives. • For the group to consider how it can make its views heard throughout the organisation. • To encourage active involvement at different levels of the organisation. • To have fun doing a drama activity. • To raise awareness of the systems in place to ensure that Pioneer voices are heard. N.B. This game might also have cross-over with the ‘structures’ standard. What you need: • Pens and paper. What to do: 1. Divide the group into two. Explain to them that they are part of a new radical green movement. They have a series of proposals that they want to implement. They can make some up – encourage the group to be pretty way out. For example: • We should all stop using cars and start riding camels or horses. • We all have too many clothes; we should all only own three outfits. • We should knock down all cities and live in tipis. • We should only shower once a week. • We should get rid of all central heating. 2. See if they can think of some good arguments for their policies. 3. Each group will then elect one representative. They will try to convince the other group of their policy. The other group should react as they imagine many of their peers would react to such suggestions! 4. If a few people want to be a representative, let them have a turn. 5. Then as a group, discuss the experience of representation. What was it like to be the representative? What was it like to be represented? Are there any areas of their lives in which they are represented? Council, school, Woodcraft? Can they see any problems with representation? Can they see any advantages? Is it a relief to not represent themselves or would they like to? Should representatives be older, younger or the same age as them? Should their representatives talk to them? 6. How might the group represent themselves within Woodcraft Folk? (writing letters, talking to leaders, writing a magazine about their group) Is there an issue they would like to have their opinion heard on – perhaps an outing for the group or choosing a camp venue. Perhaps the group would like to organise a visit to an outdoor centre or change the structure of their group night. Any other ideas? How could the group make this view known? Remind the group that people do not always get their demands, but they do have the right to know that their demands have been listened to and given due consideration.

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

pioneer Skills and knowledge Activities Ten Pioneer Bowling – Warm Up Duration: 10-20 minutes. What to do: 1. Ask ten Pioneers to stand in a ten-pin bowling formation (like a triangle) in rows of four, three, two and one. 2. Ask the group to change the top and bottom of the pyramid by only moving three people. 3. Lead a discussion about teamwork. Was it important to listen to each other? Did any leaders emerge from the group? Did anyone learn something new? Did they learn things as the activity progressed?

Human Pyramid – Active Game Duration: 15-20 minutes. What to do: 1. This is always good fun. Divide the group into two teams and tell them that they are going to build a human pyramid. Give them about five minutes to discuss how they are going to do this. 2. Then get each team, in turn to build their human pyramid! 3. Afterwards have a discussion about tactics and what worked and what didn’t. Are there any tips they would give to other people making a human pyramid? Are there any safety rules that need to be honoured (like getting off when people underneath are in pain!) ? Listening and co-operating are pretty important in this exercise. Point out that games like this encourage people to practice these skills. Can the group think of other games where they practice both physical and social skills? Do they think that games are a good way to learn such skills?

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

The Woodcraft School Co-operative – Main Activity 1 Duration: 30-40 minutes. Reasons for this activity: • To create a situation where Pioneers are clearly engaged in peer mentoring. • To create the basis for a discussion about peer mentoring and practical skills and life skills learned at Woodcraft. • To build confidence in individuals in the group by allowing them to teach skills to their peers. What you need: • Pens and paper, any other equipment for workshops (see below). What to do: 1. Explain to the Pioneers that they are going to set up the Woodcraft School Co-operative, 2. Brainstorm fun things that they can teach each other °V how to wolf-whistle, jokes, games, skipping or elastic rhymes, how to do a cartwheel, paper folding, card tricks, how to change a bicycle tyre etc. (it might be useful to have done this part of the activity at the end of a previous meeting so that you can supply necessary equipment). 3. Once you have a collection of things set up small ‘workshops’ around the room where Pioneers can teach other Pioneers new skills. Make sure that all the adults partake and learn a new skill! 4. It is important that everyone in the room learns at least one new skill. This means that the workshop leaders need to attend a workshop. Give them the option of closing down their workshop, or of training up a new workshop leader. 5. If your group has lots of willing workshop leaders perhaps you could run two 15 min sessions with different ‘workshops’ in each session. 6. Once they have finished, regroup and ask them if they enjoyed learning from each other? Did they only learn from the people running the workshop, or did they learn from the other people learning? Was it useful to see other people get things right and make mistakes? 7. Explain to the group that skills might be defined as the specific skills they have just learned but skills like being able to co-operate or problem solve are also learned and very valuable. While doing the above exercise they were learning about more than how to ‘do’ something. They were learning how to communicate, how to teach others and share knowledge, how to lead a group, how to encourage each other etc. Can they think of other things at Woodcraft that they have learnt from each other? Have they taught adults skills? Do they ever learn things from other young people in the organisation? Do any of the skills that they have learned in Woodcraft come in handy in other situations in their lives? Do they ever pass on skills and knowledge learned at Woodcraft to other people outside Woodcraft?

A lot of the games, songs and traditions in Woodcraft are passed down through the young people to newcomers both young and old.

Encourage the group to find examples of this.

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

Leader’s Challenge – Main Activity 2 From the Woodcraft website Global Village pages Duration: 30-40 minutes. Reasons for this activity: • To encourage the Pioneers and the Group Leaders to think about ways in which they all learn new skills from each other. • To think about skills acquired at Woodcraft. • To have fun setting up a tv-style quiz! What you need: • Pens and paper. What to do: 1. Explain to the Pioneers that they are going to challenge the leaders today. 2. Create a number of small teams with about five or six players in each. 3. Give each team time to think up some questions and challenges (turn a forward roll, pat your head and rub your tummy etc.). They should try to think of questions and challenges that other Pioneers might know or be able to do, but that leaders find hard. 4. Once each team has a number of challenges and questions, get them to nominate a compère. 5. Set up a tv-style quiz show. The leaders will comprise one team and one of the small groups of Pioneers will comprise the other. The compère will read the questions that his/ her group made up. Obviously the Pioneer team cannot answer its own set of questions. 6. Rotate the Pioneer groups as each compère changes. 7. The groups can take it in turns to challenge the leaders. The winners of each quiz decide their ‘prize’! (perhaps they can choose a game, or ask for a shoulder massage, or have the losing team perform a silly song …) 8. Follow this up with a discussion about how people learn at Woodcraft. What skills have the Pioneers learnt at Woodcraft? What skills have the group leaders learnt at Woodcraft? Who have they learnt these skills from? Can they think of times when they have learnt from other young people? Are there times when they have taught skills to other young people? Do the skills they have learnt extend beyond the reach of Woodcraft?

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

pioneer Style of leadership Activities Blind Order – Warm Up Duration: 10-15 minutes. What you need: • Blindfolds for everyone in the group. What to do: 1. Blindfold the group. Get the group to line up in order of size or in numerical order (assign each person a number) without speaking. 2. Afterwards, discuss how they managed this.

Monster Walk – Active Game Duration: 15-20 minutes. What to do: 1. Divide the group into groups of six or seven. Tell them that they need to get from one end of the room to the other using six or seven body parts as appropriate while staying together – so if they all hop, that counts as seven body parts (one leg each). 2. Next ask them to cross the room using five or six body parts. Keep lowering the number of body parts and see which team can manage to cross the room using the smallest number. 3. You can use this as a springboard for a discussion about co-operative leadership. How did you make decisions. Did leaders emerge? Are there good ways of making group decisions? Are there advantages to having leaders? How does a good leader behave?

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

The Adults Guide to Pioneers – Main Activity 1 Duration: 30-40 minutes. Reasons for doing this activity: • To discuss issues of leadership with Pioneers. • To encourage Pioneers to actively participate in helping new leaders learn how to run the group. • For adults to understand what Pioneers look for in their leaders. What you need: • Pens, paper and a folder with transparencies in or a video camera. What to do: 1. What do new leaders need to know about Pioneers? How do you run a Pioneer group? What are good games? What are the best snacks? How do you run a camp? What sorts of qualities do you need to have? What skills? Brainstorm these and other questions in a large group. Write down ideas under different headings. 2. Explain to the group that they are going to contribute to writing a new leaders guide to Pioneers. Ask the group if they are aware that sometimes Pioneer leaders go on training courses run by Woodcraft Folk to teach them about how to organise Woodcraft Folk. You could also show them a copy of the Pioneer’s leader Book. 3. Divide them into small groups and get them to choose one or more headings. They could then write or draw everything they think a Pioneer leader needs to know about a certain topic. If you prefer, you could even make a short film. 4. Allow this project to take as long as it takes! If the group is running out of steam, perhaps you could finish it up the following week. 5. Once this guide has been made, make sure that it is shared with other leaders in your district and new leaders coming in! Please don’t forget to record people’s thoughts and ideas throughout these activities, especially: • Why members like coming to group • What members think could be better about the group; and • How things might be improved.

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Follow the Trail - Elfin and Pioneer groups

The Interview Panel – Main Activity 2 Duration: 30 minutes. Reasons for doing this activity: • To think about leadership qualities. • To have fun by performing a drama. • To collect ideas from Pioneers on the kinds of leaders they would like. What you need: • Paper, pens, props as necessary. What to do: 1. Imagine a Fantasy Pioneer leader – the bushcraft skills of Ray Mears, the nature knowledge of David Attenborough, the peace keeping skills of Kofi Annan, the imagination of J.K. Rowling … 2. Introduce the idea of an interview. Have any of the Pioneers ever been interviewed? Why are people interviewed and what kinds of questions might they be asked. Ask the group to imagine what kinds of questions you might ask a future Pioneer leader. Encourage them to engage with what qualities a Woodcraft leader needs to have. Think about Woodcraft values and the way things are done in the group. Is their age or sex important? Does it matter what job they have? Or how loud their voice is? Should they be a parent? 3. Divide the Pioneers into four, six or eight groups. Half the groups are going to interview future Pioneer leaders, the other half are going to create applicants. 4. The interviewers need to think up some questions to try and suss out who is the best applicant. 5. Give each applicant group a persona to work with (pop star, teacher, athlete, actor, etc). They must try to think of the qualities that they have which would make them into a great Pioneer leader. One person can volunteer to play the part of the applicant. 6. Match the applicants with interview groups and have the whole group watch each interview. 7. Then all come back together to decide who would be the best leader. Encourage the group to discuss the reasons behind their preferences.

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