{"alias":"blogEntry","byline":"","standfirst":"Thousands of 4- and 5-year-olds are experiencing Scouts for the first time, with the opening of over 450 Squirrel Dreys across the UK","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/13981/210510_squirrels_0144.jpg","width":6564,"height":4377,"altText":"A leader, wearing a red, white and blue scarf, points straight ahead while talking to a group of Squirrels in red jumpers","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003ESince September 2021, volunteers across the nation have been welcoming our youngest newcomers and their families into the Squirrel section. Our Squirrel Dreys have reached new communities, as well as those who\u2019ve been hit the hardest by the pandemic.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThere\u2019s been a gradual roll-out of Squirrels using a cohort model. Each cohort is made up of ten Squirrel Dreys from different locations, from Cornwall to Dundee. Bringing different counties together in a cohort means leaders can share ideas with their peers.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EEach cohort is supported by a volunteer Cohort Coach. They set up meetings, show leaders where to find information, and collect feedback. The Cohort Coach brings everyone together through regular Zoom meetings, where leaders can share their experiences of opening and running a Squirrel Drey.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ENick Coates signed up for his volunteering role as Cohort Coach in May 2021. After completing his induction, he was allocated to his first cohort, which opened their Dreys in September. Nick was keen to be a part of this pivotal event in Scout history.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018It was an exciting time,\u2019 Nick said, \u2018It had been 35 years since the Beavers was launched and I wanted to be part of this new section. The cohort approach seemed to be the most appropriate way to move forward.\u2019\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ENick\u2019s experience of opening new Beaver sections has really helped with the setup of new Squirrel groups. He\u2019s enjoyed being the \u2018go-to\u2019 person between local Squirrel leaders and the national Early Years team, making sure they have everything they need to be successful.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"quoteText":"At the beginning there were lots of questions, and having a virtual cohort get-together was valuable. It was a chance to share knowledge and ideas between different groups.","attribution":"Nick Coates, Cohort Coach","gridType":"quote","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EWhile Nick has plenty of Scouting experience, this isn\u2019t the case for all Cohort Coaches. Some come from an early years or primary education background, and others from a professional career in training and coaching.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EZoey Moger started her journey as a Cohort Coach last summer. She comes from a primary education background but she first became involved with Scouts through her children. She believes the cohort model has let Squirrel leaders from diverse backgrounds share their experiences, which has helped the groups reach new communities. She said:\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The groups in the cohort are widespread. Setting up a section in a big city like Liverpool will have different challenges from setting up a group in a small village in Hampshire. The leaders can share different experiences and discuss ideas amongst themselves.\u2019\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EZoey\u2019s also impressed that her cohort are sharing ideas on how to make the activities fun and inclusive. The leaders often talk about ways to support Squirrels with additional needs.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOver 50 Cohort Coaches have been recruited, but we need more to help us grow. If you\u2019d like to be a part of this journey and support Squirrel Dreys across the nation, apply now to be a Cohort Coach.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"type":"Promo","cta":"","body":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAll About Cohort Coaches\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESquirrels Cohort Coaches\u003C/strong\u003E are here to support adult volunteers to plan, open, recruit, and share best practice with their cohort.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThey\u2019ll run engaging and safe programmes, creating a high-quality Squirrel Scout provision for 4- and 5-year-olds.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cul\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EA newly-opened provision will be supported by their Scout Group and District team. The Cohort Coach will give peer guidance and age-specific expertise.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EYou\u2019ll bring together your cohort of volunteers from ten units, spread all across the UK, using digital platforms such as Zoom.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EThrough online meetings, you\u2019ll talk about successes and challenges, and sign post available resources and training. You\u2019ll also share best practice for recruiting adults and young people, particularly in under-represented communities.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EYou\u2019ll share insights from your cohort with the HQ Early Years team, helping to improve national tools, programme and processes.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EYou\u2019ll be supported by the HQ Early Years team, who\u2019ll provide a rolling programme of training, guidance, subject matter expertise, social catch-ups, and a Cohort Coach peer-to-peer programme.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EYou\u2019ll be in the role for six months, and at the end of this period, you may like to coach another cohort.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EWe\u2019ll need you to plan, chair and coach a cohort meeting for just an hour, every four to six weeks, followed by a call with a member of our HQ Early Years team. You\u2019ll also take part in monthly Cohort Coach feedback meetings, over a six to eight-month period.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003C/ul\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFancy applying?\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIf you\u2019re interested in becoming a Squirrels Cohort Coach, please email \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:early.years@scouts.org.uk\u0022 title=\u0022early.years@scouts.org.uk\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003Eearly.years@scouts.org.uk\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/a\u003E with your\u003Cstrong\u003E name, e-mail address, contact number and current Scouts role (if you have one)\u003C/strong\u003E.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EA member of the team will then be in touch to talk through the role in a little more detail and explain the next steps.\u003C/p\u003E","link":null,"colour":"#f1f1f1","title":"Apply now to be a cohort coach","image":null,"imageFocus":"","imageId":0,"imageKey":"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000","imageCrop":"","gridType":"card","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"31 January 2022","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[{"caption":"","title":"An update on Squirrels: over 350 Dreys registered and a camp pilot","url":"/news/2021/november/an-update-on-squirrels-over-350-dreys-registered-and-a-camp-pilot/","newWindow":false}],"relatedLinks":[{"caption":"","title":"How to run a Squirrel Drey","url":"/volunteers/running-your-section/running-a-squirrel-drey/how-to-run-a-squirrel-drey/","newWindow":false},{"caption":"","title":"Squirrels","url":"/squirrels/","newWindow":false}],"id":50901,"nodeName":"Introducing our new Cohort Coaches for Squirrels","title":"Introducing our new Cohort Coaches for Squirrels","type":"blogEntry","image":{"url":"/media/13981/210510_squirrels_0144.jpg?cc=0.0000000000000001263187085796,0.07331657908765517,0,0.08312618993222141\u0026width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1db261a5059cff0","caption":"A volunteer sat outside with Squirrel Scouts is reaching across to point to one person with a flat hand and smiling.","type":"jpg","size":948850,"width":6564,"height":4377,"altText":"A leader, wearing a red, white and blue scarf, points straight ahead while talking to a group of Squirrels in red jumpers"},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"Introducing our new Cohort Coaches for Squirrels","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"Learn more and apply to be a Squirrels Cohort Coach","browserTitle":null,"silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC81MDkwMSJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2022/february/introducing-our-new-cohort-coaches-for-squirrels/"}