I have been in the role for 18 months, and what a journey it has been so far!
When I started the role, I created a 3-year vision. Now, halfway through the strategy, I would like to give you an update of where I am with the goals I set out to achieve.
I set out three key targets to achieve in my first three years:
- A strong working relationship between District Lead Volunteers and District Youth Leads
- A District Youth Lead in every District with a plan, agreed with the District Lead Volunteer
- A clearly articulated support model in place for all volunteers, defining how they get support with youth involvement and the benefit to grassroots volunteering
So, here goes…
As I started the role, East Lancashire had a District Youth Lead in each District, but times have progressed, and some people have moved on to their next adventures. We have been able to set up strong recruitment foundations to fill the positions and continue to develop our strong team of Youth Leads across East Lancashire. We are currently in the final stages of appointing two new District Youth Leads, once appointed, all Districts will once again have a Youth Lead in place to support our mission to ensure that very young person should be shaping their experience and developing their leadership potential.
I have worked with each of the Youth Leads to develop their own plan and strategy to be presented to the District Lead Volunteers. We ran a support day for all of the District Youth Leads which also included some media training. In many areas, there has been great progress in further developing the working relationship between Youth Leads and District Lead Volunteers.
Following on from the recent County Strategy Forum we have now been able to include key areas for developing our opportunities for our youth members in our ‘Road to 2026 strategy‘ which has now been agreed by the Trustee Board. These are;
- Embed a consistent and clear process for Young Leaders, including improving the understanding of young leaders and other adults’ role and responsibilities, to improve the overall quality of our young leaders’ experience
- Ensure that young people are adequately represented in decision making at every level
- We will re-establish our young spokespeople programme
So, what’s next?
Whilst we have made some great progress there is still plenty more exciting steps to take and filling the remaining District Youth Lead vacancies is a clear priority.
I will be working closely with Chis Taylor as Lead Volunteer to ensure that our young people are at the heart of all aspects of decision making at every level meaning that young people in East Lancashire help shape the future of Scouting across the County.
I have benefitted myself from media training that I have been able to access and will be supporting Glen Fendall and the Support Team to encourage our young people to engage with a Young Spokespeople Programme.
I will also be supporting the Young Leader training programme, encouraging our Young People to join the programme and Adult Leaders to support them in their sections.
I will continue to support the District Youth Leads as they work with the Young People in their respective Districts, championing youth led Scouting in all sections and helping them enjoy and make the most of every opportunity.
I have also recently become a Deputy UK Youth Commissioner and in that role I have organised a Youth Lead Support Weekend at Gilwell Park. The event was designed to provide Youth Leads with the tools and skills to promote success in their roles. We were very lucky to have some great speakers at the event to share their experiences and pass on top tips to the participants.
It was great to see Charlotte (Clitheroe), Jacob (Darwen) and Jono (Darwen) actively engage with Youth Leads from across the UK. I spoke to our Youth Leads that attended the weekend and they said:
The YL Support weekend was a brilliant opportunity to meet YLs from across the UK to share ideas about youth shaped scouting. The sessions and conversations that followed have left me feeling better equipped in my role and I’m excited to support youth shaped scouting in Clitheroe and East Lancashire!
The weekend was a great chance to meet like-minded people from across the country and learn a lot about our role within the East Lancashire and the districts
It was a really informative weekend and a good chance to network with other youth leads from around the country.
I’m looking forward to seeing how these skills can be utilised in their respective districts. There is another one planned for next April and hopefully more of our District Youth Leads will be able to attend.
I am thoroughly enjoying my role as County Youth Lead for East Lancashire, and I cannot wait to see what the future holds!
I will be reaching out to arrange some visits with DYLs in the near future and as always if you have any questions please email me at robert.mason@eastlancashirescouts.org.uk
Hope to see many of you very soon,
Rob
