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Welsh Scout Council - Development Network Meetings, October 2005

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Below are examples of development work currently happening in Groups/Districts or Areas in Wales. These could be to do with Adult or Youth recruitment, dealing with waiting lists, establishing new sections or groups, promoting Scouting, development planning, or operating Scouting in an unusual way.

• Conwy District Scout Fellowship have asked to hire the Conwy Voluntary Services shop window for a month to display/promote Scouting within the District and Fellowship. Hopefully will recruit leaders/helpers/young people and fellowship members.

• Conwy District Scout Fellowship are members of local Conwy Voluntary Services and when people go into the shop enquiring about volunteering they are given information about Scouting within the district and who to contact if they are interested.

• All members of The Scout Association between 18 and 25 years are members of the Scout Network. Local Networks can be based at an Area, District or Group level; or alternatively, some may be focused around a specific activity or location. The geography of Wales will sometimes make it difficult for large local Networks to exist. The Network population of the whole of Wales will be big enough to have this identity this is where "Network Wales" comes in. As a whole it is difficult, if not impossible to hold meeting for a Network the size of Wales so it is run via its website and especially its forum creating:

  • Activity promotion and co-ordination
  • Ideas
  • Exchange of opinions
  • Communications
  • Fun

  (www.networkwales.org.uk).

• A local Scout Group in Eryri a Mon held a "Taste of Scouting Day" which was a day based on Scouting activities that was open to all. It rasied awareness within the local community, and aims to recruit new member. Last time new Scouts were recruited.

• Ormes Scout group in Conwy District have an ongoing project to try and bring girls into Scouting. It has provided plenty of offers of help each week, which is a start in recruiting new leaders.

• 1st Llandrindod Wells Group is in Radnor District is in discussion with a National chain store regarding a new headquarters and sponsorship for the group. The existing Scout HQ is built in land the chain store requires for a store development project so if it is knocked down the chain store will sponsor the group to build a new one. The sponsorship deal may include:

  • Hall equipment
  • Scouting equipment
  • Membership from store staff

• The Cornelly Group in Mid Glamorgan has recruited Cub Scouts by circulating a letter aimed at young people and their parents around schools in the area. It resulted in ten Cub Scouts being recruited in two weeks.

• 7th Caerphilly in Mid Glamorgan has found a great way to recruit helpers, sometimes even leaders! When a young person joins a rota is set up so that every young person has a parent, grandparent, older brother or sister on the rota. Each person is on rota to come once a term but often they show up more often and some do become leaders.

• The largest town in the area of Radnor had only a Beaver Colony. A 'Cub Scout Open Night' was arranged and advertised in the local schools then holding it resulted in both young people and leaders being recruited. Now both Cubs and Scouts operate when before it was only Beavers.

• The 1st Usk group in Monmouthshire heard that a neighbouring Cub pack was in danger of closing due to lack of adult leaders. Joint activities between the two packs were run, and through doing this the Cub pack increased to 40 members. While the Cubs were enjoying their meetings it enabled leaders to meet parents and in so doing they recruited 2 new leaders and the pack didn't have to close.

• In Llandelio, Carmarthenshire a dormant group was restarted. The GSL approached 2 head teachers (English and Welsh schools) to ask permission to talk to the 6-7 year olds. GSL went into the school in uniform with a badge collection, Beaver handbook and large posters from HQ. GSL talked to the young people about Beavers and played a selection of games with them and finished the talk by handing out a leaflet about Beavers. The first meeting was held for the young people and the parents were asked to accompany them to the second meeting. Whilst leaders looked after the young people, the GSL talked to the parents about Scouting and its benefits but they, as parents, needed to offer some support. Two parents came forward from this meeting. And for the first term the 2 experienced leaders had 2 helpers. The colony is now 15 Beavers strong