Our Scouting Support Officer, Kirstie Armsworth, has been out and about on the search for new volunteers to support our thriving South East Scotland Scouts region. She visited Volunteer Edinburgh – Scotland’s largest Volunteer Fair – they Gyle Shopping Centre in Edinburgh and Queen Margaret University to name but a few!
South East Scotland is one the eight Regions that form Scouts Scotland. The Region stretches from Edinburgh on the south bank of the River Forth to the English border. It includes the local authority council areas of Edinburgh including Braid, Craigalmond, Pentland and Edinburgh North East; East Lothian, Midlothian and Scottish Borders. The Region covers areas of high urban population, rural areas in East Lothian and Scottish Borders as well as the developing area of Midlothian with a mix of growing towns and rural life.
There are over 6,000 young people enjoying Scouting in this Region. They are led and supported by almost 2,000 adult volunteers. Scouting offers young people aged 4-25 years an exciting, adventurous programme of activities which encourages interests in outdoor, creative, community based and inclusive activities. Most of all, Scouting is fun.
Volunteers are our lifeblood – we are volunteer-based and volunteer-led! As a volunteer, you have the opportunity to develop talents, help others and to have new experiences and adventures. By choosing Scouting you make a real difference to the lives of young people and create a huge impact in communities. Sadly, lockdown had a negative impact on volunteers with many leaving Scouts due to personal reasons impacting on our support for young people. The good news is that the Scouts – Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Explorers and Scout Network (and soon to be Squirrels) – are coming back so we need more people to help us make sure young people can once again meet friends, have fun and fulfil their potential by learning skills for life. That’s why we’re calling on our local communities to volunteer for Scouts. Please.
How can you help?
We’re looking for people like you to help out in all sorts of ways in our meeting place and behind the scenes.
Whether you want to support young people or if you’re more comfortable planning an adventure from the sidelines, we’ve got a role for you.
Scouts happens when a lot of us give a little. You’re not signing up for a lifelong commitment – just to help out, when and where you can.
We have opportunities in Craigalmond, Borders, East Lothian, Midlothian, Braid, Pentland and Edinburgh North East.
Roles include Leaders, Section Assistants, Group Scout Leaders, Treasurers, Chair, general helpers, Active Support Unit and much much more.
Our training has implications beyond a role. When applying for a job its advisable to highlight the formal scout training taken part in, as well as what has been learnt informally through experience. Why? Employers are often looking for skills that as an adult in scouting you will already have. These skills are ideal to highlight in any job application simply because any potential employer does not know about scouting. Many of the skills acquired can be described in non-scouting terms, as can the roles carried out as a volunteer.
There is a diverse range of skills and experiences that can help supplement a CV and highlight you as an ideal candidate for a job. Some of these are suggested below, but there are more including specialised skills, such as your experience as an Instructor which may be appropriate to you.
So if you’re a student then volunteer with Scouts to BOOST your CV: You can volunteer to help at a local group to enhance your work experience skills helping towards Community Based Education (CBE) and credit bearing activities such as project based work. And more! More than two thirds of our volunteers say their CVs have been enhanced by joining Scouts. Employers love to see the commitment of volunteers, and through Scouts you can get vital experience in areas like management, administration and activities.
Skills which can make you more employable include:
- Practical skills – able to plan including safety of yourself and others
- Working as a team – sections, groups, District as well as supporting others via team work
- Management skills – leadership skills, commitment and reviewing performance
- Communication – representation, reports, newsletters and being effective in meetings
- Finance – budgeting, keeping accounts, securing funds from third parties
- Training – formal training as well as informal or formal training of others
- Values – following the Scouts set of values showing integrity
- Community spirit – taken action to make the world a better place
Don’t underestimate just how much you could, and will, learn from Scouts and how you can use your skills to stand out from the crowd. Volunteering’s not just about giving back – it goes both ways. You can gain new skills while helping others and improve your prospects whichever direction you take.
Want to talk to someone directly about volunteering to help?
You can contact Kirstie Armsworth, Scouting Support Officer at 07710 703 372 or kirstie.armsworth@sesscouts.org.uk
Whether you want to work with young people directly or help behind the scenes, there’s something for everyone at Scouts.
She would be very happy to chat with you about what opportunities are available across the whole Region, how much time would be involved and how the leader training could assist you.
