There are lots of ways you can get involved as a parent, from helping out occasionally on a parent rota to volunteering your time as a leader. Our volunteering opportunities are as varied as you! Because whether you’re helping a leader to run an activity in the local village hall, organising a night away, or buttering 120 slices of bread for a group of very hungry eleven year olds – no two Scout meetings are the same. The difference you make, though, is always great.
Make a difference, volunteer today
All our activities are run by volunteers, who might join us because they want to:
- Try something new
- Make friends
- Spend time with their children – or gain experience with young people
- Do something good for their community and themselves
- Keep their bodies and brains active and happy – whether that’s by scaling mountains, sharing skills or serving tea
What to expect:
- A warm welcome
- Flexibility to get involved in a way that works for you
- Easy access to training and resources online
- Friendly ongoing support from local volunteers
No two weeks are the same, but the impact you make is always great.
All end up making a huge difference to young people’s lives – gifting them with skills for life, and learning a whole lot about themselves along the way.
Try the Four Week Challanege
What’s it all about?
The four week challenge is a gradual introduction to Scouts. New volunteers agree to help out for just four weeks, while a more experienced leader shows them the ropes and helps them get involved.
The four week challenge works because it’s manageable: people feel more comfortable signing up for a short amount of time. As an existing volunteer, you get four whole weeks to help them settle in, grow in confidence, and see just how much they can get from Scouts.
You can run a four week challenge however you’re meeting at the moment – it doesn’t matter if you’re coming together virtually or face-to-face. Want to know more?
Things to consider
Think about who you’re going to ask to take on the challenge and how.
Are there any parents/carers in your group who’ve enjoyed helping out with the adult rota or getting stuck in with online activities during lockdown? Do any of your existing volunteers have friends who they could bring along to try the challenge?
Could you let them know about the challenge online, over the phone or face to face? Could you send them a letter using our brand centre letter template?
Once you’ve got new adults onboard to try the challenge, make sure they’re:
- Supported by enough volunteers at all times, whether they’re from your group or the wider District – most won’t have been DBS checked
- Given a copy of the Yellow Card
- Able to take part in the programme you’ve planned throughout the challenge – small group activities work brilliantly
- Spoken to between meetings – a quick thank you and reminder of what to expect the following week makes a huge difference
- Given a Group necker and a Scout name, if you use them – though new adults aren’t expected to wear uniform, this can be a nice touch
See the challenge in action
Week 1: Come and see what we do
- Introduce the new adult to everyone
- Show them what we do and how we do it
- Give them something to do – a task which isn’t too big or complicated but which makes them feel valued and needed would be ideal
- Make contact with them after the first meeting, perhaps arranging for them to stay on at the end of the meeting or setting a time for a call
Week 2: Help Out
- Help them join in the fun – could they run a short activity or game? Oversee an activity table?
- At the end of the session, ask them to prepare an activity for next week – there are loads of great ideas on the activities page or they could use their unique skills to prepare something
- Remember: this may feel a little scary, so be supportive – you’ll probably need to help with the activity risk assessment
Week 3: Get a little more involved
By now, your new volunteer should be feeling like they’re part of the team even in a virtual setting. Get them involved in everything.
Week 4: Decide if volunteering in Scouts is for them
By now, your budding volunteer will know if Scouts is for them or not:
- Set time aside during or after the meeting to find out how they’ve found the challenge and whether they have any feedback
- Ask them if they would be interested in helping again and how
- Ask them if they know anyone else who would enjoy trying the challenge?
- Most importantly, thank them for their time and effort
Activity ideas for using the Four Week Challenge online
- Week 1 – Virtual Hide and Seek
Let your new adult simply join in with the activity and have fun but don’t forget to introduce them first - Week 2 – Virtual Scavenger Hunt
Your new recruit might be happy to help lead this activity – have chat with them before the session to see if they’d be willing to give it a go - Week 3 – Quick change
By now your new recruit should be happy to run this as part of a session – make sure you share details in advance so they have time to familiarise themselves with the instructions - Week 4 – Keep calm and kahoot!
Ask your new recruit if they’d be willing to run this longer activity – a great opportunity for them to give it a go at being a leader – then take time to thank them and ask them to join the team
For more amazing ideas, check out these online activities in the activity finder
What to do next
If your volunteer wants to join Scouts…
Brilliant news! But this is just the start.
Don’t lose a volunteer after all the hard work that’s gone into finding them. They’ll need lots of support and guidance, so keep going.
- Introduce them to a mentor or buddy
- Don’t leave them stranded
- Get the whole team to welcome them to Scouts
- Have a one-to-one chat to answer any questions they have
- Offer support and signpost them to the help available on the website
- Give them a welcome pack
- Give them a uniform – this’ll really help them feel a part of the team
Then, to get them started:
- Follow the appointments process
- Register them on Compass
- Request a disclosure- find out more here
- Check out the coronavirus pages for current advice and restrictions
- They should already have one, but remind them of the yellow card
- Explain training and get a TA to start the training process
If they’re not sure…
Don’t write this off as a no. Find out more and support them in making their decision. The most important thing is to make it a positive experience. Even if they don’t volunteer straight away, they may come back in the future.
- Find out what they’re unsure about
- Is there anything you can do to help?
- If you’re meeting online, it may be that they’re not confident using an online platform and could feel differently face to face
- They might need more time – or some help – before deciding whether volunteering fits in with their current situation
- Share the term programme – could they support you on few nights which interest them without fully committing?
- Would they like to try a different role/task/section?
- Keep in touch and remember to share the fun stuff you’re doing
- Say a massive thank you to them for giving the Four Week Challenge a try, and don’t push them into making a quick decision
If they don’t want to join…
If a new volunteer doesn’t want to join after completing the Four Week Challenge, it’s important to find out why. Can you do anything to help?
- Discuss the different roles and tasks that are available – if they don’t want to volunteer with young people directly, perhaps they’d like to help on the Exec Committee or share a skill with the group, like helping with your group’s social media pages or running a particular activity?
- Did they have any worries or concerns we could help with?
- Do they have any useful feedback? Was the team friendly? Did we take the time to explain next steps? Anything we could’ve done differently?
- If they’ve not enjoyed taking part in Scouts online, would they consider giving it another go face to face?
Make sure you keep the door open if they ever want to come back and volunteer in the future. Keep it positive and thank them for all the time they’ve given. You never know who they might talk to – they could just spread the word for others to try the Four Week Challenge.
