Dear Fellow Scouts,
I was very pleased to receive an email this week from the County Commissioner, following the completion of the 2024 census, informing me of the results. First, thank you for completing the forms. Second, I was thrilled about the outcomes and in particular the growth in our young and adult numbers, now positioning the organisation in Hampshire above our pre-pandemic figures. We also continue to grow our Squirrel Dreys which is extremely good for the future of the organisation and our Mission Statement 'to prepare young people with skills fore life'.
Finally, may I thank all the Leaders for their continuing support and enthusiasm in developing this excellent organisation.
I wish you all the very best for 2024. Yours sincerely,
Nigel Atkinson
HM Lord-Lieutenant of Hampshire
President of Hampshire Scouts
We know that the Scouts change lives by giving young people skills for life. So we want to make growing the Scout movement as easy as possible.
Along with the ever-changing hub of ideas and resources available on the Scout website, Hampshire Scouts has its own five-strong team of Growth and Development officers here to help start Scouts in places we're not currently in and to help volunteers grow their local Scouts.
Meet the team below and get in touch through the form on the Growth and Development page or by emailing them at [email protected].
Since May 2022, Kelly’s has been our Growth and Development co-ordinator. It's an important job involving scoping and allocating new projects, supporting her colleagues to ensure our projects have positive outcomes and reporting back to the County Leadership Team the impact they have made.
Kelly continues to look for ways to improve the experience of her colleagues and volunteers and to build on the success the team has had, ensuring opportunities for growth are acted up on. She's delighted to see the incredible work the team have achieved over this last year and the positive impact Scouting has directly had on our young people.
Our most experience Growth and Development Officer, Melissa has a wealth of knowledge of all things growth and development.
She has been involved in working with young people and the Scouts for many years and volunteers as Chair for the trustee board for her local Scout group.
Melissa is especially keen to see our sections for those aged 14-25 years and young leader programme grow. Melissa has supported many projects, from opening new groups & sections to the supporting struggling groups to return to pre-pandemic levels.
Lucinda is also new to the Growth and Development team, having started in February 2023.
Lucinda has previously worked in commercial recruitment & on STEM projects at Winchester Science Centre where she was involved in recruiting and retaining volunteers as part of an outreach team on the STEM Ambassador volunteering programme.
Lucinda is keen to start projects which have a positive impact on growth within Hampshire Scouts and is able to think outside the box when all other options have been exhausted.
Our newest member of the Growth and Development team, Ellie is an enthusiastic supporter of raising up young people to fulfil their potential.
Ellie is creative, empathetic and a determined individual who is passionate about the Growth & Development role.
She has worked as a science communicator and presenter for the last three and a half years working with various age groups; from schools and people with all different backgrounds, SEN/SEMH groups and behavioural support units to name a few.
Chris became a Growth and Development officer in May 2023 and has over 30 years of Scouting experience.
He is an active Beaver Scout leader in Denmead and is passionate about ensuring Scouting is for all and we give as many young people the opportunity to get involved as possible.
Today, the Scouts are launching the #GoodForYou campaign to recruit new adults to help us. We're making a lot of noise to reach members of the public so here are some tips to make the most of it for your group.
The campaign emphasises why we volunteer everyday. We have fun, it lightens our mood and makes us smile. It gives us new skills and lets us try new things. It can be a real benefit to our health and our wellbeing. And that's before we even mention how much it improves our communities and transforms the lives of our young people.
Nationally, the Scouts are planning to make a lot of noise about the campaign and the launch with interviews on the television and articles in newspapers. Locally, we're also shouting about the campaign online and in print.
We know that lots of people would volunteer if only they are asked and that most of our volunteers come from our parents. So make sure you share the articles, the news clips and the social media posts to your pages and with your parents.
This allows you to reap the benefits of our hard work. Why wouldn't you.
Want to create some specific posts for you? The Scout Brand centre is here to help you.
Especially for this campaign, the Scouts have put together a series of ready to use images for Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and videos. They even give you suggested words for those posts as well!
Simply log in, download the kits and they're ready to use at the grassroots.
As well as new posters, pictures and designs for you to use with the campaign, the Brand Centre also has some more bespoke kits for you. These kits give you a combined series of resources to help you recruit.
Call on our Chief Scout, Bear Grylls, or one of our ambassadors in two kits. Maybe you want to run the Four Week challenge in support of the campaign? Or if you're starting from scratch there is a kit that covers the basics for you.
All on the Scout Brand centre ready for you. If you have any questions about using the kits or accessing the brand centre, get in contact at [email protected].
If you want any advice on growing in any way, then the Scouts have recently revamped their entire advice pages on their website. The Growing Scouts pages have tons of information and resources on getting new adults and young people, re-engaging former volunteers, saying thank you, connecting with our communities and setting up new sections.
Need a hand? Our Growth and Development team are here to help. Find out about them on our website.
As Scouts we've been prepared for more than 100 years for whatever life throws at us, ready with a plan B.
In March, Hampshire Scouts looked to the future and as part of our County Conference, we unveiled our plan to recover from the impacts of the pandemic. We want to continue to give as many young people skills for life as possible and to do that we need to make sure our local volunteers are supported to do this.
Please take a look at the presentations that were given at the conference to find out more. You can also read more about our plan to #BouceBack in this article.
The full agenda from the conference can be found here.
We're ready and have got the vision but do you? Take a look at our plan below, to #BounceBack as we recover from the pandemic.
The Hampshire Scouts Growth and Development Team aim to provide places for as many young people in our local communities as possible, to prepare them with essential Skills for Life. To do this, they support the development of Scout groups across the county. Get in touch with them today, if you would like help and support growing Scouts in your area.
To demonstrate how the team could help you, they've given us some examples of their recent great work!
Setting Up a New Section: 6th Farnborough Beavers
This group in Farnborough already had a Beaver section but also had a large waiting list so the District Commissioner asked us to get involved and support the Group Scout Leader in seeing if we could set up an additional colony. We initially met with the GSL to get a better picture of the group and the potential needs that we could fulfill.
Although a little concerned about the additional pressure this could add to existing leaders, we agreed to run and support an open event to show potential new members how much fun Beavers is and to encourage and enlist parents to join in too. All the children on the waiting list were invited plus the GDO would go to the local schools to present an interactive assembly with the children to encourage a greater engagement. Flyers were also sent home to parents to let them know all about the open event and sign up.
It was a very successful event having over 25 families come along - and the sun was shining! The children took part in a range of activities including indoor archery, a walk in the woods, crafts and a campfire with marshmallows. There were lots of smiling faces! Whilst the children engaged with activities the GSL and our team were on hand to talk to parents and begin the recruitment process. For the group to open we needed a brand-new set of leaders and helpers. At the end of the activities all the children joined together to play parachute games whilst we talked to all the parents about our need for them to step forward to help the group in some way, be it a leader, exec member, fundraiser, cleaner etc. The parents were buoyant having seen the fun that their children had that afternoon, and they were also able to see the support that the group had from the existing section leaders and the GSL. From the meeting we asked parents to complete cards if their children were interested in joining and to also indicate what help they would be able to give the group. We had over 20 cards completed.
The team then worked with the parents to get them enrolled over a series of meeting with roles chosen, we also worked together to come up with a fun programme to get the new Beavers started.
“After our waiting list grew to a size bigger in size than our Beaver colony and not being able to expand in size the GDO came to the rescue. We discussed the group and its needs and the suggestion was made to open a second Colony. At first I was concerned about the additional pressure that this could add to my existing leaders as I couldn’t see how they could run a second colony. Once the GDO explained that the process involved getting the parents of the new members to become the leadership team themselves I could see this working.
In the build up to the open session the GDO kept me informed of what she was doing and what progress was being achieved. My leaders and I put together a programme of bases that the potential new members could take part in from a craft station, indoor archery, a woodland walk and trying out a hammock. Then we all got to enjoy some marshmallows by the campfire.
Later while my leaders were playing games with the young people the GDO supported me in speaking to the parents about what was needed to open a new section including needing them to help run the section as a leadership team. There were a few disappointed faces and tough questions that I and the GDO were able to turn around.
The new Colony was eased into things with help all along the way and once able to run on its own, was allowed to.
I don’t think I would have been able to open a new section on my own and the help and support of the GDO was key to our success.”
Bear, Group Scout Leader
"When invited to a taster evening for Beavers, my child was very excited to attend. During the taster session, the children had a wonderful time. I could see that the activities would enrich my child's life. I volunteered to be the leader as I have had previous experience leading Guides and Cubs in my early 20s. I had amazing support and access to great training. The experience turned out to be just as enjoyable for me as it was for my daughter!"
Linda, Farnborough
The new colony was initially supported by members of the existing leadership team, the GSL and our team until after about half a term when they were confident to continue on their own. They set up with 9 Beavers, a Beaver Scout Leader, an Assistant Beaver Scout Leader and 6 Section Assistants.
Supporting a Group needing more leaders: 3rd Alton Beavers
The current leaders were moving on to Cubs with their children. We went in to talk with the existing parents to engage more support. As a result of the talk, three parents came forward. Two of the parents came on the New Leader Workshop that we offered and became the new Beaver leaders. The other became a significant support helper.
"Without Melissa's help it’s debatable as to whether we would still have the Beaver Colony. Her support and assistance allowed us to recruit 3 new leaders to run the section. It’s great seeing the Colony back to full strength again and all of them working closely together to push it forward"
Matt, 3rd Alton
Running Development Workshops/Sessions
We can run a development session with leaders and exec members to remind people how they can best recruit or work towards a development plan for a group. These can be as detailed as required but are usually held District wide. From here we can identify specific projects going forward and add these to the work plan if agreed by the Growth & Development Committee.
