March Jamboree Training

Not long to go now!

The Jamboree is getting ever closer and it is about time that I gave you all an update on it all. A lot has happened Jamboree wise recently, and I mean a LOT. So much so that I haven't had the time to write it all up for you all... hence this out of time post.

Firstly we've had two lots of training with the Unit. I was prepping the second one, which was just this weekend, when I realised that I hadn't even blogged the first one yet... and it was in March! So here it is...

March Training Day

We had a single days training with the sprogs in March held at a scout hall in Lincoln. Due to the fact that I had been away on holiday (woo hoo, Africa!) until the week before the prep for this one was way behind.

Cue sleep deprivation due to late nights prepping and early mornings getting into work.

Logo from Channel4's gameshow Shattered

How I managed to stay awake I don't know!


But everything came together and the kids really enjoyed it. We covered some information on the Jamboree, Home Hospitality, Media Training (done by the sprogs that went on the course run by UK Contingent) and a quiz with random facts about Lithuania.

Facts like how animals are believed to talk on Christmas Eve in Lithuania, The old currency was ground up and recycled into toilet paper when they switched and that Stalin World is a tourist attraction!

See... it exists, honest!

We also got the county Trek Carting team to bring them along for a bit of trek cart racing in the afternoon.

Look, it's vintage scouting!

The racing involved pushing them up to a barrier, taking them apart, getting over a barrier, putting them back together, pushing it round a post and back to the barrier, taking it apart again, getting it under the barrier, putting it back together again and pushing it back to its original position. Try saying that really fast 3 times.

We also got them to do some mini-pioneering so that we could get some ideas for the gateway.

This one had rope bridges up the sides and a swing in the middle

Going with a castle theme, this one has the iron gateway painted on fabric which could be raised during the day.

This one included a platform at the top and a number of posters about Lincolnshire

General concensus went with a platform above the gateway, so that they would be able to climb all over it. Us leaders also managed to brainstorm a couple of ideas while they were building. I don't want to reveal the ideas just yet, but if we can get it to work it will be brilliant and should help get people from other units over to our site.

Media Darlings

I said that I wanted EVIAN... not this, this, TAP WATER!

I don't know how you expect me to work under these conditions... seriously... TAP WATER!

Do you know who I am?!

That's it! I can't handle this anymore... I'll be in my trailer



Not the face!

Well... That's what generally springs into my head when told about getting media training.

Well, to be honest it wasn't even me getting the media training. As part of the preperations for the World Scout Jamboree, we sent 2 unit members to Kettering to be trained by the UK Contingent media team on how to be spokes people for the Scout Association.

They got to learn about the media; how to prepare to be interviewed, for newspapers, radio and television. They even got to have a go and see what they look like on telly and how they sound on the radio.

They also got taught about the Scout Associations branding and how it is used to try to actively promote the Scouts, and what they should do to make sure that any media coverage that they are involved in is 'on brand'.

What they were doing sounded like it would be rather fun and interesting, I was to go along and get a briefing on what they were doing and how we could support them. I also got to get a couple of details about the Jamboree! WOO HOO for new knowledge.

Can you tell that I am getting more and more excited about Sweden?

NOTE: image is from the film Anchorman and all rights belong to those people... not me, obviously

Horror Filled Silence

Okay.... so let me explain why things have been so quiet here recently.



Tumbleweed...

Put simply, it's because I havn't been at scouts for AGES.
My last post said that I was missing one week so that I could go visit my newly born niece.

But the two weeks after that I was ill with Gastroenteritis (believe me when I say that it's really not fun!) What the scouts actually got up to while I was curled up in my bed I'm not entirely sure.

At the tail end of my illness there was a Jamboree Unit training camp, which of course I missed the vast majority of. I had decided that I would be sensible and stay at home that weekend to make sure that I recovered, but I did pop out to visit the happy campers.

Which, if you have been clever and worked out the dates, brings us up to this last Friday. At which I was also not at scouts. I know, totally slacking huh. But I had a good reason, honest. One of my best mates was throwing a surprise party in order to pop the question to his girlfriend.

No, not "will you pass the salt?"

...

You know, that one that involves expensive rings... and ball and chains?

Yeah that's the one.

Thank goodness she said yes, cause I was under instruction to wrestle the sharp knifes away from the mother-in-law-to-be if she had said no, and I really didn't want to have to take her on.

At least this time I actually knew what the scouts were up to, in fact even tho I wasn't there I had provided a load of equipment for it. We sent an email out a couple of days before our Friday meeting saying that each patrol was going to be making a horror movie and they could bring whatever they wanted in the way of props/costumes etc.

From what I hear they did a really good job (I've yet to see the films... I'm looking forward to that, especially given that some of them involve singing and dancing to Thriller!)

The storylines were: A schoolgirl visiting a Transylvanian castle and getting turned into a vampire and one that I think is particularly inventive... a statue outside a house that would kill trick or treaters as they waited for their sweets (until it gets slain of course, but the hero does die in the process of killing the monster).

That's basically how we are marking Halloween this year, next week is half term so we aren't meeting up (yes, yet another week of no scouts for me!)

Of course, the images belong to whoever they belong to and arn't mine!

Jamboree Meeting

A couple of weekends ago there was a Unit Leader weekend for the next World Scout Jamboree. Unfortunately we didn't have enough spaces for all of us to go... so I wasn't able to attend and get all the buzz about the Jamboree first hand.

Last night the Lincolnshire Unit leaders all met up so that we could all be briefed on what happened during the weekend, also so that we could sort out some of the details for the next training camp in October.

I don't want to give anything away just now... we want to make sure that some of it is a surprise to the sproggage. So you guys will just have to wait a little longer for some of those details!

Wha ha ha ha <= that's an evil laugh by the way!

Patrol Leaders Training Camp

Beware!

When you're on a night out on town, are onto the third bar of the night (i think); which so happens to be a rather cheap cocktail bar; and you are getting rather pickled... don't answer the phone from your District Commissioner for Scouts!

If she is smart like mine, she'll tell that you're inebriated and take the opportunity to ask you to help with the running of the district Patrol Leaders Training camp.

...

... damn cocktails.

In all honesty tho, even tho it sounded like it might not be that much fun (given that a fair chunk of it was tutorial type talks with the 30odd sprogs)... it actually turned out better than I thought it would be.

The sprogs and the other leaders were a good laugh, and the little darlings seamed to pick up a lot of what being a Patrol Leader is. Tho, only time will tell if they really have learned anything from the experience.

Chris, (my District Commissioner for Scouts) am sorry to tell you that I no longer drink alcohol... so you will have to find other methods.


... I suggest chocolate =)

Jamboree Training

Before I get started... just to warn you... I'm extremely excited about the fact that I am getting to go to another World Scout Jamboree, this time as an Assistant Unit Leader getting to share all the experiences with the participants!

I suppose I should really fill you in as a lot has changed since I last blogged about this stuff.

[clock appears on screen running backwards]

Let me take you back, back all the way to.... March (this year too, so it's even less dramatic really)

In March this year we ran an activity camp for nearly 60 Scouts and Explorers, all hoping to secure one of the 36 spaces on the Lincolnshire Jamboree Unit. I have to admit that I found the activity camp itself rather strange. Normally when I am at camp I try to make sure that all of he sprogs are having fun, are safe and happy etc etc. But this time there was other people there to do all that... the job I had was to analyse all 50odd of the applicants and take notes on everything.

Basically, between us, we were building up personality profiles for each and every one of them. It's not as easy as it sounds... and it doesn't even sound that easy to begin with! Its only slightly easier to take all the notes from all the staff working that weekend and to compile them (in less than a week no less!)

Anyway... from the weekend we were able to select our 36 successful candidates.

[imagary of calenders flying forward with the pages pealing off] I've been working on these special effects you know, although the budget isn't what it used to be

Last week we had our first Unit get together! yee haa. well, they eventually got together. Initially we weren't allowed in the hall (the armed forces are very particular about their lists so after a little bit of sorting we found another location, thus requiring me to hang around in the car park telling people where to go... even though I had never been their before and it was my first time in that car park! Luckily no one got too lost.

The parents all got the meet each other and come up with plans of action for fundraising while we delt with the kids. During the selection activity* weekend, they had had to get someone else to draw a picture of them, which proved to be a valuable source of a ice-breaking activity.

I was to get them to design a unit badge, I had dragged along a load of badges and my campfire blanket so that they could see what sort of things were possible in the world of badge design.

In the end this design one the vote(s):

Not too shabby

We're going to make a couple of changes to it tho, mostly the flag at the back (prob to the Lincolnshire Flag)

So I am currently chasing badge companies to make it... should be interesting (will post up pics when I get them)

*can't have the little darlings put under pressure now can we lol