A welcome to Youth Shaped Scouting in Cheltenham from your Youth Commissioner. I believe that Young People in Scouting thrive best when they are in control of their choices. It is my job to work with the Young People and Adults to best provide the most exciting activities for Young People as chosen by them alongside ensuring that they are at the heart of every discussion.
Why Youth Shaped Scouting?
Baden Powel believed in the idea that Young People are at the heart of his organisation that would become the Scouts. The more Young People that are involved in shaping their programme and activities means that there will be more Young People engaging with activities and moving through the sections. This will give them a sense of achievement and leads to more Young People achieving their Top Awards.
What is Youth Shaped Scouting?
Youth Shaped Scouting is primarily categorised into 4 themes. These are Programme, Leadership, Management and Governance. Each of these themes means that Young People can have influence over all parts of their Scouting experience whether they directly see it happening or is in the background.
Programme
Young People have an influence on the programme that they receive from their own section and from district and beyond. This could be from selecting their favourite activities in Beavers to running evening at Explorers/Network. Young Leaders are also a great resource for Youth Shaped Scouting in the younger sections because they have have a closer connection to the Young People in those sections as they were that age not so long ago.
Leadership
This is all about giving the opportunity to Young People to “take the reins”. This starts with giving Young People to lead small groups in activities within their own section. Beyond this Young People could run evening for their peers and encourages them to become Young Leaders when they join Explorers. As they head towards their 18th birthday guidance is given to support Young People in the transition to becoming a Leader including connecting them with the Scout Network for support from their peers.
Management
This is where Young People gain the skills to take on a management and support roles when they are older. Having Young People in these roles is vital to give a different perspective on a variety of areas from running sections to larger events.
Governance
Encouraging Young People to take an active part in Governance may seem daunting but it ensures that the way we move forward as Groups and as a District is in line with the 21st Century. The world is rapidly changing for the Young People of today and by engaging with them by inviting them onto trustee boards it ensures that the Scout Association is not stuck in the past.
Being Youth Shaped
Many people ask me – how do we do Youth Shaped Scouting?
My most basic answer is: Letting your Young People decide what they want to do!
For our young Beavers this is as simple as playing a game to discover which badges they wish to achieve. These could be themed for the time of year – perhaps a paper snowball fight with their ideas written in the snowballs.
Similarly for Cubs playing games to discover ideas is a great start. Giving Cubs the choice of which way they also wish to achieve their badges means that their programme is all what they desire. This means they enjoy Cubs more and achieve more of their own goals.
Scouts is when you can start to hand over to your young people. Give them the opportunity to do exactly what they wish. They could even run their own meetings or expeditions on Nights Away Passports. As a leader its time to guide them to make their own choices.
Moving to Explorers gives Young People new challenges. The opportunity to excel really shines here. Weekly meetings are more adventurous and based around Young Peoples thoughts and views. When Young People want to do something let them run it themselves, it gives them new skills and opportunities.
At Network the Young People become Young Members and run all their own meetings. They also support as leaders whilst having a release with other Members their own age. These Young Members strive to be the best whilst achieving their Top Awards!