Meet the volunteer – Erin Whyte

About the role: 
As a Squirrel Leader I get to help our youngest Scouts gain a sense of achievement and pride through earning badges, helping in their community and working as a team.

We do a range of activities, from hiking to making campfires, mini beast hunting to bivvy building. It’s all the same things the older children do, just on a slightly smaller scale. 

Why I am a Leader:
I decided to become a Leader because I wanted to be involved in something my son really enjoyed. I wanted to help other young people achieve badges and learn new skills. I work with young children teaching music, so I felt like it was a natural choice for volunteering. 

The best thing I’ve done whilst volunteering: 
There have been so many good things but some favourites would be singing songs and playing Christmas Bingo with the residents of our local care home, doing the Remembrance Day parade and taking the children to our campsite for campfires and woodland adventures.  

Have I learned anything new since becoming a volunteer?
I am slowly learning things about Scouting – how to build campfires, how to tie knots, and what all the badges mean. But the most valuable thing I have learned has to be that our young people are super capable and are able to go above and beyond what we expect of them. 

How does volunteering help in my life? 
Well, it certainly keeps me mega busy! It has taught me that I can only do what I can do and that is perfectly okay. As long as the children are happy that’s all that matters.  

What would I say to anyone thinking about volunteering? 
I would say that it is such a special thing to be involved in. You get to do really cool things that you might not normally get the chance to do. And it’s also a great way to be involved with your children. If you think you have some good ideas that could help children then you could be a huge asset to a Group.