{"alias":"blogEntry","byline":"Wendy Human, UK Commissioner for Programme","standfirst":"","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/12647/activities.jpg","width":1215,"height":824,"altText":"","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EWith the news that over 30 million people in the UK have had their first COVID-19 vaccine, it feels like there\u2019s a light at the end of the tunnel.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe past year has been challenging for everybody. I\u2019m so proud to be a part of a movement that\u2019s bounced back and kept going despite the circumstances. We\u2019ve learned to do all sorts of things differently, and \u00A0our programme is no exception.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat we\u2019ve learned \u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe\u2019ve been talking to people from 1st Virtual Facebook and Scouts from the nations to understand the amazing things people have been doing to support Scouts during lockdown. We learned a lot!\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFirstly, we heard that people value recommendations \u2013 it\u2019s not just about having plenty of activity ideas, it\u2019s about endorsements from other volunteers and hearing about other people\u2019s tried-and-tested favourites.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe also know that sharing should be easy \u2013 understandably, people want to share ideas through platforms everyone\u2019s already using including WhatsApp, Facebook, and local Scout websites.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBehind the scenes, we\u2019ve been thinking about how we can work with volunteers who make and share programme ideas. Great ideas come from people across our membership: we want to play our part and help leaders to discover them.\u00A0\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFinally, I\u2019ve been reflecting on how we share the activities our Programme team have made. It\u2019s easy to see HQ activities as faceless and disconnected from real-life Scouts, but nothing could be further from the truth. Lots of volunteers (and staff who also volunteer) put these activities through their paces to make them the best they can be \u2013\u00A0and I think that\u2019s something worth celebrating.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Programme team have already started working on solutions to some of these challenges and I\u2019m looking forward to sharing them with you when I can. In the meantime, let me know what you think \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:wendy.human@scouts.org.uk\u0022\u003EWendy.Human@scouts.org.uk\u003C/a\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/3438/tiny-tippy-taps-example.jpg","width":0,"height":0,"altText":null,"caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat we\u2019ve been working on\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe know that St George\u2019s Day is an important date for many people in Scouts. Things won\u2019t quite be \u2018back to normal\u2019 this year, so we\u2019ve designed a range of activities to help you mark the occasion. Find out more about St George (and what he means for Scouts) with \u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.scouts.org.uk/activities/a-soldier-a-saint-a-scout/\u0022\u003EA soldier, a saint, a Scout?\u003C/a\u003E, then reflect on the past year with \u003Cspan\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.scouts.org.uk/activities/an-unusual-year-at-scouts/\u0022\u003EAn unusual year at Scouts\u003C/a\u003E\u003C/span\u003E before it\u2019s time to \u003Cspan\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.scouts.org.uk/activities/renew-your-promise-online/\u0022\u003ERenew your Promise online\u003C/a\u003E\u003C/span\u003E. Still stuck for inspiration? We\u2019ve put together \u003Cspan\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2021/march/getting-ready-for-st-georges-day/\u0022\u003Ea blog\u003C/a\u003E\u003C/span\u003E full of inspiration, ideas, and resources to get you started.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe past year hasn\u2019t been easy, but not even a pandemic could stop Scouts from earning badges and awards. Celebrate everyone who did their best at online Scouts with \u003Cspan\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.scouts.org.uk/activities/and-the-winner-is/\u0022\u003EAnd the winner is\u2026\u003C/a\u003E\u003C/span\u003E and think about how you can celebrate people\u2019s achievements with \u003Cspan\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.scouts.org.uk/activities/virtual-awards-celebrations/\u0022\u003EVirtual awards celebrations\u003C/a\u003E\u003C/span\u003E.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe wanted to make sure everyone had the chance to join in with Holi at the end of March, so we created activities to help volunteers \u003Cspan\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.scouts.org.uk/activities/virtual-holi/\u0022\u003ECelebrate the festival of colours\u003C/a\u003E\u003C/span\u003E with younger sections and run a \u003Cspan\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.scouts.org.uk/activities/virtual-holi/\u0022\u003EVirtual Holi\u003C/a\u003E\u003C/span\u003E with Scouts and Explorers.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAt this time of year, we also mark World Autism Awareness Day. Thanks to our A Million Hands partnership with the National Autistic Society there are \u003Cspan\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.scouts.org.uk/about-us/help-others/community/understanding-disability/\u0022\u003Eplenty of activities\u003C/a\u003E\u003C/span\u003E to help you understand different kinds of disability, and take action, to make your corner of the world more accessible for everyone.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI\u2019m really excited to introduce you to \u003Cspan\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/running-your-section/programme-guidance/programme-lab/\u0022\u003Eour first programme lab\u003C/a\u003E\u003C/span\u003E, which gives everyone the chance to share solutions and ideas in response to particular challenges facing our movement. Thank you David Breakwell \u2013\u00A0you\u2019ve stepped up and taken the lead by helping others organise events to say thank you to the people who make Scouts happen.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe also sent out our first \u003Ca href=\u0022https://scouts-news.org.uk/t/31ME-14SXS-06A2F9AC8546403D3FCXU068F3414E65A985F1/cr.aspx\u0022\u003Eemail specifically for section leaders\u003C/a\u003E. You told us that you liked how concise it was, but that you wanted more badge links and more for Young Leaders. Your feedback will help us shape our approach to the next email.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/5546/screen-time_-green-time-green-time.jpg","width":842,"height":1192,"altText":"","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat we\u2019re up to next\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EDeveloping a programme for our new friends in the early years section has been top of lots of people\u2019s to-do lists recently. You can \u003Cspan\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/running-your-section/programme-guidance/programme-lab/early-years-programme-proposal/?fbclid=IwAR3zvveJ4Zr3JDifxvYxuSyLR2ovGHhkHoqC02l1H6wkuDr-jx5BpmDvR3Y\u0022\u003Echeck out the proposal on our website\u003C/a\u003E\u003C/span\u003E \u2013 scroll down to the bottom and fill out the feedback form to let us know what you think and help shape our youngest members\u2019 adventures.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe\u2019ve also been working in partnership with HSBC to develop activities that help Beavers and Cubs build up their money skills, with fun activities on topics like choosing between wants and needs and budgeting for camp.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EYou may have already seen some great content from 1st Digital Scouts: we\u2019re working together to get their videos on our website so everyone can benefit.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFinally, we\u2019ve updated our guidance on the flexibility of badge and award requirements in light of COVID-19: headlines include extending every deadline until December 2022 and encouraging you to use your judgement to adapt requirements and recognise prior achievements. If all else fails, we\u2019re working on what giving partial recognition would look like; but the most important thing is that we\u2019re as flexible as possible and celebrate young people\u2019s achievements in every way we can.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI don\u2019t want to underestimate how difficult the past year has been, personally and as a volunteer. I\u2019ve been consistently inspired by how you\u2019ve adapted and innovated to keep Scouts going for young people, and I hope that that drive and passion continues \u0026nbsp;as we get back to face-to-face Scouts.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWendy\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"callToAction","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","buttonText":"Check out our other news this month","buttonLink":{"name":"April","id":null,"url":"/news/2021/april/","newWindow":false,"target":null},"colour":{"value":"490499","label":"490499"},"alignment":"left"}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"07 April 2021","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[],"relatedLinks":[],"id":48657,"nodeName":"Programme support and what\u0027s coming soon","title":"Programme support and what\u0027s coming soon","type":"blogEntry","image":{"url":"/media/12648/pattern.jpg?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1d9becd15abe420","caption":"Pattern","type":"jpg","size":1608748,"width":2669,"height":1575,"altText":""},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"Programme support and what\u0027s coming soon","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"What we\u0027ve learned from volunteers, what activities we\u0027ve been working on and what we\u0027re up to next.","browserTitle":null,"silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC80ODY1NyJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2021/april/programme-support-and-whats-coming-soon/"}