Scouting provides amazing opportunities for young people – but it can’t happen without our great volunteers.
Help support our continued success!
Scouting in the local area continues to grow as more young people look to join this great adventure learning skills they need for school, college, university, the job interview, the important speech, the tricky challenge and the big dreams: the skills they need for life.
We are therefore looking for more adults who are keen to try new things and to have fun to join our team of Leaders, to help us provide fantastic opportunities to local young people. Most of our volunteers work directly with young people aged 6-18 through our Beaver, Cub, Scout and Explorer groups, known as sections – helping young people gain skills for life through activities and adventures.
Working in teams, they might:
- Welcome young people and families to sessions and events
- Make sure everyone's safe, supported, included and having fun
- Help to plan and lead activities
- Get involved with days out, camps and expeditions
- Share and learn skills – from coding to cake decorating to canoeing
- Celebrate young people's achievements big and small
No previous experience with young people? No problem. Whether you'd like to help out week-after-week or whenever-you-can, we provide training, learning opportunities and cups of tea – every step of the way.
Alongside the opportunities to work directly with young people Cabot Scout District, which supports your local Scout Group is now looking for a new volunteer manager. This is a role we call District Commissioner (DC). The DC leads the District Team, supporting other volunteers to provide great Scouting, either individually or as a role share.
What’s in it for you?
This role offers the chance to make a real difference to local young people as you lead and direct how Scouting operates locally. Scouting is flexible and this role is open to role share within a small team.
The skills that you will use as a DC, such as leadership, can enhance your CV and can be a great way to demonstrate to prospective employers that you have additional skills. You would have access to a mentor, one to one support and a nationally recognised training scheme. If you know nothing about Scouts, that’s no problem, we can teach you everything you need to know and our award winning training scheme can lead to a certified qualification.
Next steps
If you are interested yourself or if you know someone who may be then please complete an application/ nomination form which can be found along with further details of the role on our website at:
https://bristolcabotscouts.org.uk/dc/
We would also consider a 'team' nomination or other opportunities to share the role.
If you are interested, please feel free to call me for a confidential chat about the role and how it can work around you and any other commitments you may have.
Yours faithfully,
Neil Salter
Chair of Cabot DC Search Committee
Tel – 07484 680719 email: neil-salter@avonscouts.org.uk
Volunteers in scouting
About Scouting
The Scout Association nationally provides adventurous activities and personal development opportunities for nearly 450,000 young people aged 6-25. Scouting exists to actively engage and support young people in their personal development, empowering them to make a positive contribution to society. Every year we help more and more young people in the UK enjoy new adventures; to experience the outdoors; interact with others, gain confidence and have the opportunity to reach their full potential. Did you know...
- None of our volunteers are paid – they all give their time freely.
- The majority of our volunteers have full time jobs and a family
- 44% of our volunteers are female
- Volunteers get involved because they want to have fun and make new friends themselves.
- Volunteers don’t have to be ‘superheroes’ who know everything. They are given training on the job and learn new skills as they go along. The one thing that unites our volunteers is the energy and enthusiasm they have for giving young people the adventure of Scouting
- Whilst all our volunteers are passionate about what they do, many help out on a flexible basis due to other commitments. Some may help out once a week or fortnight whereas others help once a term or at summer camp.
- 27% of volunteers help out in Scouting as they are a parent of a current Member. Many were not Scouts when they were young but have learnt new skills and made new friends through Scouting.
- Not all volunteers have to wear uniform.
- Many of our adult volunteers say they are more confident in their everyday lives as a result of their involvement with Scouting.
- Not all adults who volunteer for Scouting work with young people. There are a variety of other jobs that need to be done such as gardening and general DIY, organising events, doing the accounts and writing press releases. This means that adult Leaders who do work directly with young people do not have to spend all their time doing paperwork.
- All our volunteers are covered by a comprehensive insurance policy while taking part in Scouting.
- New volunteers in Scouting go through a criminal records check to ensure they are fit to work with young people.
Everyone has something to give
You may feel that you have no skills to offer Scouting - but everyone has something to give. Doing things such as making squash and organising games means the leader has more time to spend with the young people. Do you have any hobbies and interests that you could share? For example, are you a qualified First Aider who could run an interactive session or do you have an interest in nature and could take a group on a fun walk through the local woods? If you don’t have time in the evenings when groups meet could you use your work skills to help out a few hours a month to suit you? Are you a gardener, an accountant or work in Public Relations for example or could you take a group to your place of work such as a police station or garden centre?
Benefits of volunteering
Volunteering in Scouting is fun and rewarding. You will have the chance to learn new skills, rediscover adventure, make new friends, spend more time with your child if they are a Scout and give something back to your community.