Right hero for the right job

You’ll need

Scrap paper
Pens or pencils
Erasers
Device with access to the internet (optional)

Before you begin

Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Additional help to carry out your risk assessment, including examples.  Don’t forget to make sure all young people and adults involved in the activity know how to take part safely.
Make sure you’ll have enough adult helpers. You may need some parents and carers to help if you’re short on helpers.

Planning and setting up this activity

This activity can be run over two sessions. One session is used to plan the tasks, and the second is used to run the tasks with the other section and reflect on their experiences.
The leader will need to arrange for the task to be run with other sections.
You may wish to show a clip in this activity. You can find a variety of clips that can be shown without licences on the Marvel HQ YouTube page. Use our movie licensing guidance to find out more and ask parent and carer permission before watching any clips.

Running this activity

Gather everyone around and ask if anyone knows who the Marvel Avengers are. Explain that the Avengers are a group of superheroes who work together to protect the world. Some examples are Marvel's Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye. They were brought together by Nick Fury, who is the leader of S.H.I.E.L.D., a secret government organisation that protects the world from dangerous threats.
Explain that each member of The Avengers has special abilities, such as super strength, high-tech armour or expert fighting skills. They join forces, and each of The Avengers uses their specific skills or abilities to take on different tasks in order to stop powerful enemies and save the planet from threats too big for any one hero to handle alone.
Ask everyone to think about a task they’ve completed as a team, either inside or outside of Scouts. They should think about how they did the task. Did each person do the task the same way or, like the Avengers, did people help do the task based on their individuals strengths and skills? It’s important to recognise the strengths and skills of others, and encourage people to use them.
Ask everyone to get into small groups, and hand out some paper and pens.
Each group needs to think of a task for a younger section to do. This could be a skill, such as setting up a tent, or maybe a fun game, such as Capture the Flag, that you want to share.
In their groups, people should think about who has the right skills for each part of the task. They need to make sure everyone is assigned a role, as everyone has valuable skills and strengths within themselves to become a superhero. For example, who’s the most confident in public speaking and can explain the task? Who’s the most active, so could demonstrate the task? Who’s patient and can help explain things to others if they have trouble understanding?
Once the groups are happy with their task, let them know if they’ll have the chance to run it with a younger section. If so, they’ll need to think about what they’ll need, where they will source it from or if it needs sourcing for them, and how they’ll get it there.
On the agreed night, the groups should go and run the tasks for the younger section. Please keep in mind the need to consider any risks involved in the tasks that have been created and write appropriate risk assessments. We suggest you involve the young people and write the risk assessments together.
Remind the group to encourage the younger sections to think about their own strengths when completing the task. Remember that the Avengers come together to solve a problem, and whether you’re running the task or completing the task, you’ll work together just like your favourite superheroes.
After running the task, gather everyone together and ask how they thought their tasks went. Ask each group how they thought the younger sections approached their tasks, and what they thought of their methods and strategies, such as what surprised them about how they did the tasks.

Reflection

This activity was all about understanding the importance of working together as a team and using people’s individual strengths to make the team the strongest it can be just like the Avengers.

Everyone looked at how to approach and solve tasks or problems using their strengths. Can you think of a time when you had to solve a problem as a team? How did you do this? What did you bring to the team? Even if we don’t realise it, we all have brilliant things we can do to help the people we work with and the teams we’re in. What skills or qualities do you have? How can you use these skills to help a team in the future? What tasks would you be good at? If you were a member of the Avengers, what specific role or responsibility do you think you would be given, based on your abilities or personality?

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

Active games: The game area should be free of hazards. Explain the rules of the game clearly and have a clear way to communicate that the game must stop when needed. Take a look at our guidance on running active games safely.
Dark: Provide some light, so the environment isn’t completely dark. Everyone must be able to see others and move around the area safely.
Outdoor activities: You must have permission to use the location. Always check the weather forecast, and inform parents and carers of any change in venue.

Make it accessible

All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.