Welcome to Ripon and District Scouts

This from Mike Collins, the GSL:

"Over the last two nights Boroughbridge Scouts and Young Leaders have helped the Boroughbridge Lions raise over £500 for local charities. They went out with Santa's Sleigh collecting around Kirby Hill and Boroughbridge. There was always a race to knock on doors belonging to other Scouts, but it kept them warm".

What are Lions Clubs? - they are a Worldwide Service Organisation who repond to local needs by actively fundraising to make a difference and to "help others" (just like Scouts!)

Well done, once again to 1st Boroughbridge Group!

This, from our District Commissioner, Aimée Dubiel:

It’s getting near the time of year where we are looking towards taking some well-earned time off from our Scouting duties, but I could not do that without first wishing you all a very Merry Christmas. I hope that you get to spend time in what remains of 2018 doing things that make you happy with the people that you love.

2018 has been a rollercoaster for me with it being my first year as your District Commissioner and trying to meet as many of you that I could. It IS a large District in both numbers and geography so if I haven’t yet been able to see YOU yet, then I apologise.

This time of year is a good opportunity to look back on the good times we’ve enjoyed and everything that we have achieved during 2018. For me personally, I have been delighted to see more young people being able to enjoy Scouting within the District and being involved in so many activities such as camping and outdoor adventures, with some members also able to enjoy International Scouting as well.

I trust that next year, 2019, is going to be just as successful as we try to build on, and better, the achievements of 2018. 

As the year draws to a close I’m feeling excited, grateful and even a bit exhausted after my first year as District Commissioner. I certainly could not have done this role without the unstinting support of so many people in Scouting in the District and I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you across the whole District for the fantastic job you all do as leaders and supporters. So, this holiday break comes at a perfect time for me – and I hope it does for you too.

Once again, can I say - Have a really lovely Christmas and a Happy New Year!

St Andrew's Church at Aldborough near Boroughbridge, was recently packed to standing with Beaver Scouts, Cub Scouts, Scouts, Explorer Scouts and Network Scouts together with Leaders & Supporters from all over the District as the Annual District Carol Service for 2018, hosted by the 1st Boroughbridge Scout Group, burst into singing. The Service was overseen by Bishop Clive Handford, and everyone was welcomed and blessed by him.

The Christmas Story was, of course, the theme for the Carol Service and this was ably narrated throughout by Spike (Steven Spencer,1st Boroughbridge Beaver Scout Leader) in his own characteristic style. He was ably assisted during the telling of the Story by Beaver Scouts, Cub Scouts, Scouts and Young Leaders from the Group, some of whom were dressed as people (and animals) who featured on that Christmas Night, and some others who did readings or prayers.

The Service began with the Carol 'Little Donkey' and continued with lots of communal singing of many more traditional Carols, readings and prayers. Young people, from Beavers to Network, were all involved with the readings and prayers and there was even a solo  of 'Silent Night' sung by Adele Cullimore from the 1st Boroughbridge Scouts. A Patrol of Scouts from 1st Boroughbridge introduced the Carol 'The First Noel' by playing their handbells to the assembled District.

A collection was taken during 'Whilst Shepherds Watched their Flocks by Night' for the local Charity, the JENNYRUTH WORKSHOPS, which raised £237.

After the Service there were hot and cold drinks, mincepies and biscuits for all at the nearby Alborough Institute by courtesy of the Boroughbridge Scout Group.

The District Commissioner, Aimée Dubiel, has asked me to say a big "Thank-you" to all those who took part.  Her message says: "Please may I thank all those who attended last night’s fantastic carol service organised by 1st Boroughbridge. It was really good to see all sections of Boroughbridge Group come together to give us an entertaining service that got everyone in the mood ready for Christmas. I especially enjoyed the animal sound effects. Next year’s event will be hosted by Hillside Scout Group who I hope are ready as they have a high standard to meet!"

Adults in Scouting are from all walks of life. Yet the one thing they share is the enjoyment of helping young people reach their potential. You may not be aware of the following facts:

• None of our Leaders are paid – they are all volunteers.
• The majority of our Leaders have full time jobs and a family.
• 44% of our Leaders are female.
• Leaders get involved because they want to have fun and make new friends themselves.
• Leaders 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 Leaders 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 Leaders are covered by a comprehensive insurance policy while taking part in Scouting.
• New Leaders in Scouting go through a criminal records check to ensure they are fit to work with young people.

Mike Collins, GSL of the 1st Boroughbridge Group, tells us:

Boroughbridge Scouts recently handed over a massive  34 carefully filled SHOEBOXES to Rotary International, through the auspices of the Rotary Club of Knaresborough.

The Scouts collected presents to fill the boxes which are made up for age specific children, for teenagers or for households. They will go to Children and Families who are in need over Christmas in places all over Europe.

Each box was marked as a present from Boroughbridge Scouts.

NB The Rotary Shoebox Scheme operates from Rotary Clubs within Rotary Great Britain & Ireland.  It’s based in Preston, Lancashire and the Scheme operates within Eastern Europe. Initially it started with the orphanages in Romania and spread from there.

Well done 1st Boroughbridge - gifts like this are welcome ANYTIME, but are especially welcomed around Christmas time by those who are REALLY in need!

It’s finally here. Two much-loved brands have joined together to create Scout Monopoly. Featuring some of our most iconic Scout locations from Gilwell Park to Kandersteg International Scout Centre.

You’ll start at the beginning (the first property is Brownsea Island, of course) before heading onto Humshaugh the site of the first official Scout camp. Then it’s onto London’s Olympia where the First World Scout Jamboree took place, before a whistle stop tour of our Scout Adventure Centres. The stations are now our nation headquarters. The utilities are Scout Store and Unity Insurance Services. Houses and hotels are now called tents and marquees and Community Chest and Chance are now ‘Skills for Life’ and ‘Be Prepared…’ It’s the same, but different!

The aim of the game is still to collect colour groups and collecting rent from other players. You’ll want to avoid landing on ‘camp fees’ and ‘termly fees’ and picking up cards that say things like ‘Your minibus has failed its MOT. Pay £50…’ 

Perfect to play on a Scout night or as a gift for a volunteer in Scouting this is destined to be a favourite with Cubs and Scouts of all ages.

It is being sold by Scout Store and you can see the pre-order link HERE or go to https://shop.scouts.org.uk

After great discussion and a review of County finances, the County Executive Committee agreed at its meeting on 11th October to increase County Subscription for 2019 by £2.00

Therefore, next year’s subscription, levied for young people only, will be £13.50 gross (£13.20 for prompt payment).

You will have already received advice from The Scout Association that the 2019 UK Membership Subscription for them will be £28.00 gross (£27.50 for prompt payment), an increase of £1 from last year.

After the last Eurojam in 2005 in the United Kingdom, the European Jamboree returns to gather young people from all over Europe in Gdansk, Poland, to celebrate Scout and Guide values, strengthen our international community and provide young people in Europe with the opportunity to meet and learn from each other.

The County has selected 2 leaders from Ripon and District for the Euro-Jamboree 2020 in Poland. They are:

Deputy Unit Leader: Dave Baker (Ripon & District)
Assistant Unit Leader: Alex Hockin (Ripon & District)

Congratulations to them both as they begin this exciting Scouting adventure.

Applications for contingent members will open soon, so keep a close eye on the County website (www.nys.org.uk).

If YOU are interested, mark your calendars now to save the date - 27TH JULY TO 6TH AUGUST 2020.

Just to remind everyone who has a Scouting appointment in the District that GDPR Training is a mandatory module for all appointments.

It covers the basic information that individual’s need to know in relation to the General Data Protection Regulations, what this means for their role and for Scouting and how to effectively align with it. Topics covered are Personal Data, Individual's Rights, Consent, and Accountability & Governance

Learning methods available - there are no 'face-to-face' courses and there is only on-line E-learning where a printable certificate is available at the end of the module

The DEADLINE for completion is 31st December 2018.

The GDPR training page is on the members resources: https://members.scouts.org.uk/supportresources/4800

The e-learning is at : https://members.scouts.org.uk/training_module/GDPRwithcertificate/#/

Includes a 'Request Form' link below.

Our very own Dave Baker (1st Topcliffe), who will be a Leader at the Jamboree, tells us: "The UK Contingent for the 24th World Scout Jamboree have now launched 'North America In A Bag'.

The purpose of 'North America in a Bag' (NAinaBag) is to provide a tool for Units to engage with local Scouts and Guides to allow them to join in the fun and excitement of the 24th World Scout Jamboree.

The activities have been chosen so it is possible to adapt them for use with any Section - Beavers / Cubs / Scouts / and Explorers too. The activities promote and allow learning about the 3 host countries - USA/Canada/Mexico.

There are four sections: Food, Culture, Sports/games, Creative. There is only ONE bag for each Unit to share around. Some of the activities can be led/run with just the paperwork instructions - you don't actually need all the items in the bag.

I myself would be happy to run or assist a "North America In A Bag" evening or session at any one of our Groups/Sections in Ripon & District."

Here is the link to the request form - just fill it in: 
https://ukcontingent.co.uk/jamboree-2019/north-america-in-a-bag/join-in-the-jamboree/
Please note: Bookings will be passed onto Unit Leaders who will contact you in due course to arrange a visit.

Ripon & District's annual 'TeamTest' challenge evening for Scouts was held recently at Masham Town Hall. Teams entered from six of the nine Troops in the District and a massive SEVENTEEN bases of activities were on offer!

These bases ranged from Logo Challenge, Resusci-Anne, Mapping Bingo, Spaghetti Pioneering, Leaf Recognition, identifying Yorkshire Places, Chief Scout Recognition, World Jamborees, Building the Highest Structure with Paper Cups, ......to name but a few.

After a very 'tight' competition there was only half as mark separating the eventual winners and the team in second place. 

Once the scores were re-checked, it was announced that a Patrol from 6th Ripon Troop had come second, but the outright winners on the Night were the Merlin Patrol from 1st Boroughbridge Troop.

They were presented with the 'Jim Bradford' Trophy by the District Commissioner, to hold for the coming year. Many congratulations go to them, and indeed to ALL the Scout Patrols that entered.

Huge Thanks also must go to all the Leaders present who ran the bases and the 6th Ripon Leaders who organised the evening so well. The local D.A.S. (District Active Support) Unit also gave their usual support to the event and must be thanked as well.

Everyone said that the team work had been excellent and that they would want the event to continue in the future - so - let's see what happens next year!!

Recently the Scout Association has set 31st December 2018 as the date by which all uniformed Commissioners, Leaders, Sectional Assistants and Executive Members must have completed the online GDPR support module which can be found by clicking HERE or going to https://members.scouts.org.uk/supportresources/4801

This short interactive module now produces a certificate at the end of the learning which will need to be sent to your Local Training Manager so that the module can be validated on Compass. If a printout does not work for some reason, take a screenshot and send it instead as hyperlinks don’t work! This module will now automatically appear on the Compass training records of new members and, as part of the ‘Getting Started’ training, new leaders will have to complete the module within 5 months of their appointment.

With the new GDPR legislation now in force, it’s time to clear out your inbox and folders on your PC, phone and tablet of all the out of date emails, contacts and personal or sensitive data,such as names, telephone numbers, emails and addresses of former Beavers, Cubs Scouts and Explorers, as well as their parents, as we have no right to retain this data if the person is no longer involved in Scouting. Don’t forget this applies to paper copies of information, too! Just think of the comeback if this data was divulged by accident when you have no right to hold it – protect yourself, delete it now! Accounts and Gift Aid data are exceptions to the rules as this is required by HMCR so Treasurers should be selective in what they delete or shred!

Good info to heed - and a target of 31st December 2018 to uphold for everyone!

31 million people are active in Scouting across the world – that’s equal to the population of Peru.

Baden-Powell's Scouting for Boys has sold 150 million copies since 1908, making it the fourth bestselling book of all time after The Bible, The Koran and Chairman Mao’s Little Red Book.

In the past one hundred years, over half a billion men and women have taken the Scout Promise.

There are only five countries in the world that do not have Scouting – China, Cuba, Laos, North Korea, and Andorra.

Each day 100,000 people in the UK take part in Scouting activities – more than the capacity of Wembley stadium.

The first World Scout Jamboree in 1920 was attended by 8,000 Scouts from 34 countries as well as an alligator from Florida, a baby crocodile from Jamaica, a lioness cub from Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), monkeys from South Africa, a baby elephant and a camel.

The current and youngest ever Chief Scout, Bear Grylls, was one of the youngest people ever to climb to the summit of Mount Everest at the tender age of 23.

Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of the Scouting Movement, was voted the UK’s 13th most influential person of the 20th Century.

In the past decade, 43,000 girls and young women have joined Scouts, Cubs and Beavers. That’s the same as the population of Folkestone.

Scout Leaders contribute the equivalent of 37 million hours of voluntary work every year – worth an estimated £380 million.

North Yorkshire Scouts Litter-Pick & Recruitment Week 2019

On Sunday 2 June 2019, the County plans a litter-pick across the entire Scouting County of North Yorkshire to mark the beginning of Volunteers' Week. It's hoped that Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Explorers, adult helpers, supporters and leaders from every section in every Scouting District of the County will collect litter on this day showing Scouts cleaning up North Yorkshire and our community spirit at its very best. A uniformed badge will be given to all young members who take part, for which there will be a competition to design an appropriate badge. The impact we could have across the County is considerable and so all Districts and Groups are requested to engage fully with this exciting initiative and to avoid all local Scouting activities on Sunday 2 June 2019.

Following the litter-pick and throughout the following week, which is National Volunteers' Week, the County will embark on a dedicated recruitment campaign for young members and leaders. Once again, it's hoped that all Districts and Groups will take part in this campaign at the same time to maximise impact and to achieve some amazing results.

No excuses and plenty of time to plan these events into your programmes, so put these dates in your diary NOW!