Starting things up

Starting a New Scout Group

When starting a new Scout Group there may be uncertainty as to how many young people will want to join, and in which age group they will fall.

Keep your options open by allowing all young people within the three Sectional age ranges to meet together for a few weeks. This gives volunteers time to organise them into Sections and small groups.

There may be insufficient numbers for Sections to exist alone in the first instance but as word gets round the numbers will increase, so making conventional Sections more feasible.

Parents and carers, or other adults, who volunteer may be reluctant to commit themselves to an appointment if they're unsure of what's involved. By giving them time to understand what it means to be a Section Team Leader/Member and to experience the different Sectional age groups they will be more prepared to commit themselves to a formal appointment. They may even conclude it wasn't as difficult as they thought it would be!

The District Team - and others supporting this new venture - also have an opportunity to see the natural leadership abilities emerge from those helping, as well as their individual skills, thus enabling the right person to have an appointment most suited to them.

In one development project, meetings were initially organised to cater for all young people, without distinct Sections. New volunteers worked across the Sectional age groups, until they decided which age group they wanted to work with and separate Sections were later established.

In some cases the flexibility of volunteers working across all Sectional age groups has been maintained while conventional Sections have become established.

Starting a New Section

An existing Scout Group without the 'next' Section will likely find it harder to retain members. Transferring to another Group is one possibility, but it can be a daunting prospect for many. Transport, geographical and social considerations may also prevent transfer.

Some Groups consider starting their own 'next' Section when there's a small group of young people ready to move up. However, finding new Section volunteers may be difficult and, at least initially, existing volunteers may be reluctant to transfer Sections.

In one development project a group of older Cub Scouts were ready to transfer to a Scout Troop, but no Troop existed within the Group. The solution was to form a Scout Patrol. They continued to meet with the Cub Scout Pack, working on their own Patrol activities. The Cub Scout Team Leader acted as Scout Team Leader. The Cub Scout Team Member took on the running of the Pack, confident that the Cub Scout Team Leader was on hand, which was a practical and positive solution for all concerned.

Declining Sections and Groups

A Group suffering from declining numbers of young people, or where there's a lack of volunteers, may need to combine Sections temporarily. This an only be an interim measure, before either expansion back into conventional Sections or ultimate closure. The causes of decline need to be investigated and resolved.

In areas where the young population has grown up and moved on, an existing Scout Group may well be in the wrong place. It could move to a new location or close. These are difficult decisions and forming an Integrated Section is unlikely to prevent the inevitable.

Where there are sufficient young people but a lack of volunteers, the existing volunteers may take on the running of two or more Sections. This is hard work for those involved and should only be a 'last resort' solution. Overlapping meeting times may help if all Section meetings need to take place on the same evening in the same building.

Problems in recruiting sufficient volunteers need to be addressed. Integrated Sections is not an excuse for not having sufficient volunteers and the situation needs reviewing on more than an "annual basis" if lack of volunteers is the reason for the Integrated Section.

Membership

Members of Integrated Sections undertake the Balanced Programme, Awards and Badges. They make the Promise and wear the uniform appropriate to their Sectional age group.