Volunteer

Would you like to be part of something amazing? Part of Scouting’s mission statement is…

To help young people achieve their full, physical, intellectual, social and spiritual potential as individuals, as respected members of their local, national and international communities.

There are many volunteer roles available within scouting and our group.  If you are interested in seeing what you can do to help please contact Darren our Group Scout Leader on 07463 747 899 or email gsl@backworthhallscouts.org. Roles range from committee members to parent helpers and uniformed leaders, it doesn’t matter how much you do, every little helps!

Do I really have the skills you need?

You don’t have to be an adventurer like Bear Grylls to get involved with Scouting. Do you have first aid knowledge? Are you good with numbers? Handy in the kitchen? Or are you a DIY whizz? We all have useful skills and you can volunteer and help in many ways.

What if I don’t have that much spare time?

Volunteering with us is easy, fun and flexible – how much time you give is completely up to you. Whether you help out once a fortnight, month or term or just at special events or camps, there is bound to be a role you can play, and no matter how you get involved, we’ll make sure you’re properly trained and supported.

What will I get out of volunteering?

As well as gaining externally recognised skills and having a brilliant time, Scouting also offers the chance to build on personal skills, like teamwork, confidence and leadership. A study found that over 90% of our volunteers believe that the skills and experiences they have gained through Scouting have been of relevance to their working or personal lives.

My child is in Scouting – is there anything I could do to help?

The short answer is yes. Many of our helpers and leaders are parents of our youth members because they’ve seen firsthand how Scouting benefits young people and want to give something back. It’s also a chance to spend more time with your children and learn new skills. Speak to your child’s leader to discuss how you might become involved.

Are there any age restrictions on helping out?

As long as you’re over 18, you can help out as an adult volunteer in Scouting. There is no upper age limit for adult volunteers. If you are aged between 14 to 18, there is the option of becoming a Young Leader.


BEAVER LEADER

Beavers are aged 6-8, and are the first rung on the Scouting ladder

Their motto is ‘Fun and Friends’ and Beaver Leaders help them achieve that through facilitating a wide range of activities leading to the Chief Scout’s Bronze Award. Other than a sense of fun, no special skills are required, but many skills which you have will undoubtedly be transferable. Much can be gained through exchanging ideas with other leaders. A great part of helping Beavers is that they are very receptive to new ideas.

MORE COMFORTABLE BEHIND THE SCENES

Believe it or not, you don’t have to work with children to be a volunteer for Scouting.

We need someone to help with the planning and administration. Things like organising trips and outings, making telephone calls and keeping records of who has what badges. It’s a vital job that means the adults working in Cubs have more time to spend at what they do best: working with the children.


CAN YOU BOIL WATER?

Yes, we want someone to boil water.

Boil water? Well yes in a tent, a mess tent. And yes, at a campsite

and probably in the rain. We want you to boil water to cook the spaghetti, that goes with the Bolognese sauce you made, on the camp stove you are now boiling the water on!

Camp cooking is a great laugh, good fun and really is as simple as boiling water.

CAN YOU BUILD A DEN?

Building dens is a real treat when you are nine, and even more fun when you are an adult! We need you to come along to Beavers, Cubs or Scouts and support our young people.

Not just build dens, but help do map work, craft, walking, hiking and even make stuff from bits of wood (we call that pioneering.) What we need is an extra pair of hands to help the leaders provide these fantastic activities.


ARE YOU A MONEY-MAKER EXTRAORDINAIRE?

Can you organise fundraising events that inspire the whole family?

Could you help us to organise four small events a year? We need you to help our fundraising team to stage fun and family friendly events that can raise funds for our Group. Every penny we raise is used to support children, so whether it’s bingo or a barn dance the choice is yours!

HAVE YOU EVER MADE SANDCASTLES IN DECEMBER?

Our Beaver Scouts have! Our Scout meeting place has been a beach, the surface of the moon, and even a pirate’s lair. The only limit is our imagination as we plan our activities.

This is where you come in. We need an extra pair of hands, eyes and even feet! We’d like you to help with craft activities, help to judge games and explain things when they don’t quite know the rules. If you can give us one hour twice a month to help out at Beavers it would make
a vast difference to what activities

If you are interested in any of the roles above or seeing what you can do to help please contact Darren our Group Scout Leader on 07463 747 899 or email gsl@backworthhallscouts.org