Volunteering at Scouts is changing to help us reach more young people
Volunteering is changing to help us reach more young people
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In the months before WSJ25, there were a number of significant issues reported with the event site. These issues were raised formally on a number of occasions with WOSM and the Korean organisers. The UK received reassurances that the problems would be rectified but unfortunately the organisers did not deliver on those assurances.
During WSJ25, as the risks became apparent, the UK Scouts formed a Crisis Response Committee which was supported by the Operational Team on-site which was very effective, acting decisively to mitigate the risks to the contingent.
The operation to evacuate the participants from the site was a success, with minimal negative impact on those attending the Jamboree. However the decision to move from the WSJ25 site cost the UK Scouts around £2.75 million, depleting the charity’s reserves. These costs comprised alternative accommodation, transport expenses from the site and during the stay in Seoul, food and providing an alternative programme to ensure that participants got as fulfilling an international experience as possible, albeit not as was originally expected.
The majority of feedback from participants was positive in terms of their overall experience, if different experience from their expectations, and supportive of the key decisions taken. Feedback was gathered via online survey from young people and volunteers who attended the event, as part of the biggest post event evaluation we have delivered. We had 766 young people respond, and 529 adult volunteers.
The UK Contingent to WSJ25 should be congratulated on having delivered a positive experience for the majority of participants despite the serious challenges that they faced throughout the project.
Ultimately, the event organisers failed to deliver basic acceptable standards and did not provide a safe and appropriate environment for the event.
As stated above, the UK Contingent to WSJ25 should be congratulated on the experience delivered for participants, despite the serious challenges that they faced throughout the project.
There are, of course, some elements of the project which could have operated better – whether in terms of governance, recruitment of the Contingent, preparation beforehand or in-country during WSJ25.
Many of the recommendations and learnings shared below in this summary were implemented in the planning and delivery of the WSJ25 experience, and the response to the crisis in Korea benefitted from having these in place. The review captures those important actions taken by the WSJ25 team that are essential to repeat for all future international events, as well as capturing areas where improvements could be made for future events.
The World Scout Jamboree project needs clearer governance and clear objectives set before selecting the leadership team. Senior Contingent volunteers should not hold other senior roles in the Scouts, and an assessment of the optimal Contingent size for future events should take place based on objectives, finances, location, and relationships with WOSM and the host country.
There should be a formal induction programme established for all Contingent Leadership volunteers and staff, and a dedicated staff member embedded in the UK Contingent Leadership team. The UK Contingent Leadership Team should develop a strong relationship with the host country Jamboree Organising Team at an early stage, and the project should be a regular item discussed at UK Leadership Team, Executive Leadership Team and Board of Trustee meetings. UK Scouts should also support WOSM to learn from the experience in Korea and develop more robust processes for their oversight at future events.
Contingent Leadership Team and UK Scouts staff teams should agree systems and processes to manage all elements of the project, such as finance, communications, safeguarding, safety, as well as ensuring a risk register is kept from the start of the project. A detailed review of lessons learned from recent jamborees should be carried out by the Contingent Leadership volunteers and staff, and an action plan developed on how to implement the findings.
There should be a full review of the requirements, skill set and roles and responsibilities for the adults at the event, at Contingent, Unit Leadership, and International Service Team (IST) level. The role of adults is to support the young people get the best experience at the event. Periodic reviews should take place of all adult volunteers and if people are not performing or suitable then we need to be bold in asking them to step down. Best practice from Units that worked effectively in Korea will be shared with the next WSJ leadership team, and we will look at how the International Service Team (IST) are best supported.
A detailed Crisis Management Plan must be produced at least three months prior to any future UK Contingent attending a WSJ or similar World Scout event, with a range of scenarios, including the cancellation of the event, role-played.
Recommendations and learning from the reviews are now being considered and worked through by teams of volunteers and staff to plan the practical implementation of the recommendations and learnings. The learnings will be used to initiate the creation of a standard operating procedure for all elements of the planning, preparation, attendance, and review of any UK Contingent attending future WSJs or international events, which will operate within any framework agreed by the Board of Trustees.