Southern 50 & Chiltern 20 – Be part of the adventure!!!
Our t
wo flagship adventurous activities in GLN, namely The Southern 50 and Chiltern 20 Challenge Hikes, have become more and more successful over the years. The organising committee is now looking to recruit more staff to support the event. We are particularly looking for people for registration, checkpoints, Central Control, IT support and drivers. This is a unique opportunity for you to be right at the pulse of these two prestigious events. The qualities we are looking for is to be able to make informed decisions and work well as a team member. If you would like to find out more info, please email Chris Foster, Walk Secretary on secretary@scouts-gln-southern5
The Chiltern 20 will take place on Saturday 13th October 2012 and we have a provisional date for the Southern 50 for Saturday 16th February 2013. The website can be found on www.scouts-gln-southern50.org.
Barnet Groups achieve fantastic result for unicef in Promise Appeal!
Members of Barnet Borough District Scouts – Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Explorers, Network and all of the adult leadership – were asked to devote part of their training programme to learning what “thinking of others” really means. The Promise that every member of the Scout Association makes upon joining the movement contains an element relating to various aspects of “thinking of and helping others less fortunate than themselves”. There are 27 Scout Groups in the Borough of Barnet, with a total membership of nearly 2000 and all were invited to participate in a number of varied fund raisers appropriate to their age group which they were invited to suggest and also to join in some study sessions.
Funds were raised by means of a variety of sponsored events (Hike, Good Turns, Runs & Walks, Challenges), Cake Sales, 20 pence pieces in Smartie tubes, Raffles, Draws, Auctions, a Boot Fair and a Mini Bob-a-Job!
The aim was not only to raise funds for unicef but to introduce our young people to the concept of charitable giving and to learn more about those less fortunate than themselves. The campaign culminated at the annual St. George’s Day Parade on Sunday 29th April when a cheque for £5,974.28p was presented to unicef Ambassador Martin Bell (well known broadcaster, former independent M.P. and “the white suit man”), in the presence of local civic dignitaries including Her Worship the Mayor Cllr. Lisa Rutter, Martin Russell the Queen’s Lord Lieutenant, local M.P’s, and hundreds of Scouts from all sections. The final total for this fantastic effort is expected to be around £6,500!
Italian Scout needs help in London next week!
We have recieved an urgent request for help from an Italian Scout:
Hello I’m an italian girl scout , 23 years old from messina. I’m going to visit your beautiful city on 1 of may. i graduated in phisic on 19 of march and so i decided to reach my dream: go to london. i studied english since i was a child and i’ve always hoped to go in your fantastic lands. my family haven’t got much money , so we’ve never had a trip (journey). so i decided to go to london with the money-gift that my relatives and my friends gave to me for my degree. one of my classmate of secondary school who studied chimic in london said me that she could accomodate me and my younger cousin daniele for 4 days and so we decide to prenote a last minute flight with only 60 $. two days ago my classmate said me that she’ll have a big problem and she could’nt accomodate us, despite we can sleep on the floor in our sleeping bags . so we haven’t a roof in 1-2-3-and 4 of may. can you help us? we’ve few money. do you have a place to sleep, for example a room(we can sleep on the floor in perfect scout style) or can you help us to find a very economic place to only sleep but we have only 50 $ to spend for it. i hope in your scout fraternity for an help. have a good way. giovanna
Room at the top!
Next week is the County AGM, at which the County Executive Committee is elected. The Executive is responsible for supporting the County Commissioner, and for overseeing the development of Scouting in the County, the training of leaders, the administration of County property and exciting things like insurance and so on. If you want to have a say in how Scouting in the County is run, or you know someone who would make a difference at this level, now is the time to nominate them (or volunteer) by emailing County Commissioner Roger Colebrook – cc@gln-scouts.org.uk
The Executive meets four times a year, so why not give it a go?
County AGM – Financial Reports now available
The Statement of Financial Activities and the County Trustees’ Report for 2011 are both now available on the AGM page – http://www.gln-scouts.org.uk/events/county-agm . Please take time to look at these documents before the AGM as that will be your opportunity to ask questions. (Neither document is very long).
Rock on with the 6th Friern Barnet
The 6th Friern Barnet are hosting a gig by Dadzone – a group of 40-something dads who play anything from Cream to Coldplay, the Kinks to the Kaiser Chiefs.
Great live music and good times – the Scout Hut, Osidge Lane N14 5DU on the 12th May from 19:30.
Licenced Bar
Entrance £10, call or text 07932 792421 for tickets, email gsl@thescouthut.org.uk or pay on the door
Funds raised will help us to provide everyday adventure for more young people
Scouting’s numbers reach highest this century
Emily, 17 - Explorer Scout
There are now over 6,000 young people and adults enjoying Scouts in Greater London North; an impressive increase of over 7% since 2011 takes our numbers to the highest this century. The news comes as details of The Scout Association’s annual census are published today.
A large part is of this growth is due to the number of teenagers joining, with a 19.3% increase in the number of Explorer Scouts (aged 14-18) signing up in the past year. Nationally, over 2,400 Explorer Scouts have signed up in this period.
Scouting provides an enormous range of adventures for young people, allowing them to experience the great outdoors. In the UK Members can enjoy more than 200 activities including zorbing, water skiing, abseiling and adventure glider flights.
Scouting offers an environment for young people to achieve their full potential as individuals and responsible citizens. When joining up, all Scouts promise to do their best and help other people. These principles are reflected in the range of community work that Scout groups undertake week in-week out.
Facilitating this fantastic growth in the County has been the growth of adult volunteers joining the movement; an increase of 3.5% in the past year (. Studies have shown that each year Scout Leaders contribute the equivalent of 37 million hours voluntary work which is the equivalent of £380 million pounds worth of unpaid youth work, and without the support of volunteers young people must often go on waiting lists to join the movement.
Emily Au, 16, said: “Getting involved in Scouting is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Not only do I get the opportunity to take part in a number of adventures but I also get to put something back into my local community.
She added “Helping young people to achieve their potential and have fun is incredibly rewarding, and the leadership skills I’m gaining help me at work as well.”
Chief Scout Bear Grylls said It is so great to see Scout numbers rising in North London and a big reason for this is the number of teenagers joining the adventure. More and more young people are realising that Scouting offers them so much – whether it’s the opportunity to go on a big international adventure or the chance to learn and hone vital life skills.”
Monopoly Run 2012
Overall there were 51 teams made up of 42 Explorer and 9 Leader teams looking to capture 50 photographs and answering 29 questions with a maximum possible score of £1932.
The overall winners of the Explorer event were the team ‘March Hares’ from Hatters ESU, Southgate, London with a total score of £1265.
2nd Place went to one of the Discovery teams from Sutton Coldfield Birmingham. Team ‘Stop the bus to let my brother Jack off’ were only slightly behind on a score £1227.
Although the March Hares visited fewer locations they managed to obtain more complete sets/questions than the runners-ups.
3rd went to Spartan ESU from Hornchurch in Essex with a score of £1160.
For more details and full results, check out the website – http://www.monopolyrun.org/
Meanwhile, watch the video!
Inclusion Appointment for GLN
My name is Matt Todd and I’m the newly appointed ACC (Inclusion) for GLN.
Got a burning question about issues such as:
- How can I support a young person with Special Needs?
- What adjustments do I need to make in order to cater for a young person with a physical disability?
- How do we adapt the Promise to suit our new child from a different faith?
- How do I support an Explorer Scout who says he is gay?
Training on ‘Scouting for all: Inclusive Scouting’ can be given to groups of people. Please contact me for information.
About me:
I have held various sectional appointments in both Cubs and Scouts in Groups around the Midlands and Bristol. I have also delivered a Scouting programme for children with complex Autism for a UK children’s charity. I am currently on a working group on Diversity and Inclusion at The Scout Association.
Professionally, I have been a support worker for children with complex physical and health needs, a Learning Support Assistant in a mainstream Secondary School and I recently took up a teaching post in London as a Teacher in an Autism Resource Provision
Contact me:
If you have any queries or requests about any of the issues I can offer support in via inclusion@gln-scouts.org.uk
Scout Community Week: plan to fundraise
Scout Community Week is almost upon us.
Plan your project: from creating a community garden, to adopting a monument, take a look around your community for something that will have impact and help you to fundraise. Now would be a great time to pop into your local B&Q and ask about their Waste Donation Scheme, or to find out if kids’ DIY workshops are available in your area.
Fundraise: not many people know we are a charity. It’s important to promote your fundraising message wherever possible. Visit the fundraising page for tips and advice and don’t forget to claim Gift Aid on every pound you raise.
Spread the word: letting as many people as possible know about your project will help you get the whole community involved and raise awareness of Scouting. Let the County Comms team know what you are doing for help with extra publicity.