GROWING YOUR SECTION North East Region DESC Development Weekend Bradley Wood, 7-9 th February 2015.

GROWING YOUR SECTION

North East Region DESC Development Weekend

Bradley Wood, 7-9th February 2015

DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH

DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH

• In groups of 3-4– Discuss what ‘Development and Growth’

is• What contributes to ‘Development and

Growth’ of the Explorer Scout section• Is it just all about numbers?

– Develop a ‘mind map’ to understand the relationships between different aspects of development and growth

COLLECTIVE MIND MAP

• Let’s see if we can develop one Mind Map relating to Development and Growth in the Explorer Scout Section

DEVELOPMENT PLANS

• Who has a Development Plan for Explorer Scouting in their District?

• Why do we need Development Plans?• What make a good Development Plan?– SMART• Specific• Measurable• Achievable• Realistic• Timely

– Action Owners– Monitoring and periodic updating

CREATING / UPDATING YOUR DEVELOPMENT PLAN

• Tomorrow, there will be an exercise / opportunity to create / update your Development Plan

• As we run through the weekend’s sessions, think about– How the sessions apply in your District– What you need to improve

FLEXIBLE DISTRICT PROVISION

DISTRICT EXPLORER SCOUT MODELS

• Tell us how Explorer Scouting is organised in your District– Group based provision?– District based provision?– Effective District coordination and

oversight?– Young Leader Unit(s)?

DISTRICT MODELS

• In groups of 3-4– Discuss the advantages and

disadvantages of different District models for Explorer Scouts

– Be prepared to provide feedback to the whole Group

DISTRICT PROVISION

• Explorer Scout Units do not have to be District Units– There are advantage (and disadvantages) to

different models

• However, the District should (via the DESC)– Define a consistent and workable model– Agree how the model should work– Provide monitoring and oversight, to ensure

that it is working for the Young People

MOVING IN

BARRIERS TO MOVING IN

• In groups of 3-4– Come up with a list of the things that

prevent Scouts becoming Explorer Scouts

– Be prepared to provide feedback to the whole Group• So that we can then prioritise these issues

MOVING IN GOOD PRACTICES

• In groups of 3-4– Come up with ideas on how to overcome

the identified barriers• Work on the barriers assigned to your group• Use your own experience and ideas

– Be prepared to provide feedback to the whole Group

MOVING IN MODELS

• What are the advantages / disadvantages of– Group based Units only taking Scouts

from their own Troop(s)– DESCS formally managing which Troops

are linked to which Unit– A ‘free for all’ – where any Scout can join

any (and all) Explorer Scout Units– A facilitated ‘free for all’, where the

DESC facilitates Moving On

MOVING ON AWARD

• Who should present the Scout to Explorer Scout Moving On Award?

• What happens when the Scout Troop Leader doesn’t present the Moving On Award?

MONITORING MOVING IN SUCCESS

• How successful can a District be at Moving In?

Explorer Scout

Growth 2012-2013

Explorer Scout

Growth 2006 - 2013

Explorer / Scout

Proportion 2013

E/S Ratio Change 2006

- 2013

Best in County 133% 258% 57% 31%

Your District 133% 40% 35% -8%

Worst in County -29% -53% 16% -38%

MONITORING MOVING IN SUCCESS

• When Compass comes along, measuring transfers from Scout Troop to Scout Unit will be easy

• How do you do it now?

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 20130

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

ScoutsExplorer ScoutsES / S Proportion

MOVING ON

MOVING ON TO. . .

• Spilt into 3 Groups– Define the structure of

1. The Scout Network2. Adult Leadership3. Scout Active Support

– Consider the positive attractions of each for a 17½ year old Explorer Scour

– Present a summary back to the whole Group

DISCUSSING MOVING ON

• How have you discussed ‘Moving On’ with your Explorer Scouts?– What worked well?– What didn’t work well?– What was the outcome?

MOVING ON AWARD

• Who should present the Explorer Scout to Scout Network Moving On Award?– Where and when do you do this?

• How do we measure Moving On success?

LINKS

EXPLORER SCOUT LINKS

• Brainstorm: To which groups should the Explorer Scout Unit have links?– Internal (Scouting) or External

• Which of these links are– Essential for Development and Growth– Optional

MAKING LINKS WORK

• Spilt into 3 Groups– Think about how to establish and maintain

effective links with1. The District Executive2. Groups / Scout Troops3. Other Explorer Scout Units / Districts / County

– Think about• Who is responsible for the link• What needs to be done to make a link

succesful

MAKING LINKS WORK

• What are the common factors in making links work?

• How do we monitor and measure the success of our links?

LOCAL RECRUITMENT

LOCAL RECRUITMENT

• In groups of 3-4– Brainstorm “From where should we be

recruiting our Explorer Scouts?”• Internal (Scouting) or External

– Provide feedback to the whole group

HOW TO RECRUIT

• What recruitment methods are working for you?– What methods work with which target groups?– Why do they work?

• Which recruitment methods didn’t work for you?– Why didn’t they work?– Would you try them again?• If so, what would you change?

RECRUITMENT SUCCESS

“50% of marketing doesn’t work – but we don’t know which 50%”

• How do we monitor and measure the success of our recruitment efforts?

RECRUITING LEADERS

WHY BOTHER RECRUITING LEADERS?

• Why do we bother to recruit Leaders?– To support growth– To make flexible volunteering work• Ease the load on our existing Leaders

GOOD EXPLORER SCOUT LEADERS

• Brainstorm: What attributes make a good Explorer Scout Leader?

• Can we think of what makes a poor Explorer Scout Leader?– Is there any such thing as a poor leader

in a balanced team?

HOW DO WE RECRUIT LEADERS?

• Leverage the HQ Recruitment process

THE SIX STEPS

1. Define the job that needs to be done2. Identify the skills and qualities

needed3. Generate a list of who can do the job4. Target the best choice5. Ask someone to help you6. Offer support and welcome them

into Scouting

LEADER RECRUITMENT SUCCESS

• How do we monitor and measure the success of our Leader recruitment efforts?

MEDIA

PUBLIC RELATIONS

• How important is public relations?

• What is the role of your traditional, local media– Newspapers, radio, television etc

• What is the role of direct media?– Websites, social media, newsletters etc

DESCS AND THE MEDIA

• Does the DESC have any role in media relations?1. None2. Some3. A lot!

• How much of our time should be taken in media relations?1. 10%2. 15%3. 25%

• Who else can help with media relations?1. District / County Media Manager2. Explorer Scouts3. Parents

DESCS AND THE MEDIA

• The role of the DESC in media relations will vary– Depending on local media support

• As a minimum, the DESC must facilitate media relations– Ensuring good content is provided

• How do we measure the success of our media relations?

CONCLUSIONS

CONCLUSIONS

• There are many aspects to Growth and Development

• The obstacles to growth and development in any District are different– You need to prioritise– Be realistic in your timescales– Address your failures• Try, try again

– Celebrate success• Success breeds success!