Following on from ten previous successful sessions in 2023, we are offering further free Neurodiversity training courses.
The new dates are:
The course is provided by Ellie Hunt. Ellie is a neurodivergent neurodiversity advocate, with lived experience of autism and ADHD, and a teacher with 20 years experience working to support access and equity for young people with a wide range of differences that create barriers to education.
The day will look at what neurodivergence is, covering autism, ADHD and specific learning differences like dyslexia, how these might present themselves when at Scouts and how we can make reasonable adjustments to avoid what others may potentially see as challenging behaviours.
A light lunch will be provided, however our ability to cater to dietary requirements is limited to vegetarian only, so unfortunately if anyone has any further food intolerances, they will need to cater for themselves.
Booking is first-come-first-served by emailing Kelly Taylor and you can also notify her of any additional needs the organisers need to be aware of.
We are very excited to announce that the Young Leaders’ Rally will be back for a sixth time to provide fun and #SkillsForLife! This is a weekend event organised by the Top Awards Team for Young Leaders across the county to further their training, as well as sharing experiences and making friends.
The event is subsidised by Hampshire Scouts and we hope the cost will be around £35 for Indoor accommodation and £25 for camping for the weekend. Payment will be requested nearer the time along with full information. Payment will be required in full before the event in order to attend.
Activities will include:
Watch this video to see what we did at the last YL Rally! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfpWGN8cius&t=17s
We are limited to 120 spaces for this year's Young Leader Rally! If you wish to attend, book now to avoid disappointment! Please note that we have limited spaces for indoor accommodation, due to this we will be operating a first come first serve system. Once all the spaces indoors are gone the only available accommodation will be outside (camping)
Signup: https://forms.gle/ocsHucr5XwWeU66y5
If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to email [email protected].
We all want more volunteers and young people in Scouts, right?
To do that we need to tell the outside world about all the amazing things we do. To help, the Hampshire Scouts communications and media team have created some guides to give you top tips when promoting and advocating for Scouts in person or online.
These are the guides most subject to change as platforms evolve.
Calling all adults and young people! We have some exciting opportunities for you to learn new skills to help promote the brilliant work you're doing with Scouts in your community.
February 2024 sees the return of Hampshire Scouts' training events for adults and young people to help them tell their Scouting stories to the media, on social media and to others to spread the word and help grow your group. Taking place at Lyon's Copse, Shedfield, it's free of charge.
Location: Lyon's Lodge @ Lyon's Copse, Solent Scout Training Centre
Scouts Speak Up: Friday 2nd to Saturday 3rd February, free, food and accommodation indoors included plus an adventurous activity. Scouts, Explorers and Scout Network aged 13-25.
Adult Media Workshop: Sunday 4th February, free, food included. Open to any adult volunteer in any role.
Aim: to promote the good news stories of the Scouts by communicating effectively with the media, on social media and with those outside the movement.
These courses are free-of-charge and funded by Hampshire Scouts, so sign up while spaces are available. Timings will be confirmed once registration closes. Places are open to those outside of Hampshire Scouts for a nominal fee.
Open for last minute booking, closes on 24th January 2024.
As part of the event we cover:
These give you skills not only to help grow your own skillset but also helps spread the word about what we do so more people can get involved locally. Knowing how to answer difficult questions helps in your career just as much as on camera too.
For our young people taking part in Scouts Speak Up, you'll be in small groups supported by a mentor who has done this before and can offer some tips if it feels a little daunting. For our adults attending the Adult Media Workshop there are plenty of volunteers able to answer your questions too.
We always aim to provide an adventurous activity for our young people on Scouts Speak Up and we decide this based on the requirements of our young people attending. We'll provide dormitory accommodation at Lyon's Lodge overnight and keep you well fed through the weekend too.
All this is free of charge to Hampshire Scouts.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue service have issued some new advice for volunteers using Scout halls for sleepovers to ensure everyone remains safe.
These should help you when completing your risk assessment for the event. It remains important to contact the service if you are planning an event so they can prioritise any incident at a HQ when a sleepover is taking place. Tel: 023 8064 4000, email [email protected] or use the Contact Us page of their website.
Their advice is as follows:
Archery as well as being an Olympic target sport is also an inclusive and exciting adventurous activity for our young people. Thankfully for those looking to lead these activities, there are courses coming up:
Christchurch Scouts have Aim 4 Sport running an Archery GB Instructors Course at Braggers Wood on the 9th and 10th September.
They are offering a discount to Scout members so if you have anyone that might be interested.
Please book via https://www.aim4sport.com/courses/archery-gb-instructor-courses-now-available/
This is a two day course which is designed for people with little or no prior experience of Archery. Candidates must be at least 17 years old by the start of the course.
Topics that are covered within the course are; how to shoot arrows, preparing and delivering Archery sessions, how to select appropriate equipment, setting up a range and how to ensure safety on the range. Successful candidates will gain an Archery GB Instructor licence which will last for three years.
This course is not catered, so please bring lunches for the two days, although tea and coffee will be provided throughout. You will be working outdoors from time to time, so please wear appropriate clothing and bring waterproofs.
The days will run from approximately 9:00am to 5:00pm. Cost is £175. Camping can be booked separately.
Book at https://fernycrofts.cinolla.com/
We have another wonderful opportunity to offer a free Neurodiversity training course on the 24th June at the Hilsea HQ, Portsmouth, PO2 0UF, from 10:30am – 3:30pm.
The course is provided by Ellie Hunt. Ellie is a neurodivergent neurodiversity advocate, with lived experience of autism and ADHD, and a teacher with 20 years experience working to support access and equity for young people with a wide range of differences that create barriers to education.
The day will look at what neurodivergence is, covering autism, ADHD and specific learning differences like dyslexia, how these might present themselves when at Scouts and how we can make reasonable adjustments to avoid what others may potentially see as challenging behaviours.
A light lunch will be provided. Booking is first-come-first-served by emailing Kelly Taylor and you can also notify her of any additional needs the organisers need to be aware of.
Training dates have now been added to the training calendar.
Interactive training webinars have been organised for October and November 2022.
The webinars are presented via Zoom and include most of the modules for wood badge training.
There are also two residential weekends and a module 38 organised for October.
Details of the residential weekends and webinars can be found on the Adult Training Calendar.
To book your place on any of the residential weekends or webinars you can either download an application form via the training calendar page or use the online form.
First Aid (Module 10) courses and e-learning can be found on the First Aid page.
Latest information on Coronavirus can be found on the Scouts and Hampshire Scouts websites.
With events to get involved happening soon, find out about HYPER and how our older Scouts can support our community in an emergency.
Back in 2019, we started a project in conjunction with the Hampshire Local Resilience Forum, Hampshire Police, and Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service. Called HYPER, the Hampshire Young Persons Emergency Response network, the aim was to train and support young people so they can help in times of emergency.
During those first stages of incidents such as flooding and heavy snow, our local councils and emergency services can get snowed under. The idea was that the various uniformed youth organisations could help distribute sandbags, leaflet households or help at reception centres. Whatever each local council would need from us! These volunteers aged 13-18 already have the skills needed and would be under the guidance of their existing trained leaders.
As we move beyond the COVID pandemic, we are restarting the project in 2022 to take it from pilot to operational. That's where you come in.
We have now scheduled three leader training sessions, where you can find out more before deciding if you want to stay involved.
If anyone is interested, could they please complete the attached form and return to [email protected].
If you want to find out more about the project and the journey so far, there is a flyer below - perfect to distribute to others too.
Hampshire Scouts Speak Up is for young people from across the county, aged between 13 and 18 years, to have a laugh with tech, discover how to shout about what you do at Scouts and make new friends too. You'll grow in confidence and it's super useful too.
Being part of Scouts is all about learning new skills and having the time of your life. We know it's awesome but how can we tell others about it?
When? Friday 11th to Saturday 12th February 2022
Where? Ferny Crofts Scout Activity Centre, New Forest
How much? Nothing! This event is free.
We'll kick off with some fun activities, the stuff we Scouts are known for. Because nearly everything we do can be a great tale for those outside of Scouts and a great story for social media. Together we'll cover how we talk about Scouts and show you the tricks on how to do this confidently. That means writing in print, speaking on the radio and practicing speaking in front of the camera.
Plus we'll keep you well fed, entertained and with a choice of accommodation.
Last year we asked lots of Explorer Scouts from across Hampshire to find out when they wanted it to run. They said that we needed to avoid exam season, the busy expedition season and all the other events in the run up to Christmas so February it was!
As for the where, each year we want to move it to a different corner of the county so more young people have a chance to join in. Last time we did this in January 2020 we held it at Lyon's Copse, so this time we've moved it to Ferny Crofts. Next year, hopefully we'll head North!
