HELPING THEM MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE!

HELPING THEM MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE! Scouts of the World Award. Information for leaders and mentors BREVET SCOUTS DU M ONDE SCOUTS OF THE WORLD AWARD scouts.org.uk

Scouts of The World Leader s resource 1 CONTENTS Introduction 2 Requirements of the Scouts of the World Award 3 Additional information 3 How a participant can get started 4 Where can participants find help? 5 Process chart for County Scout Network Commissioners 6 Process chart for mentors 6 Process chart for the SOWA SASU 7 Scouts of the World Discovery 7 Running a Discovery 8 The planning stage 8 Scouts of the World voluntary service 10 Evaluation and the sign-off process 10 The celebrations 11 Scouts of the World Network 11 Joining the Scouts of the World SASU 11 2013 The Scout Association Registered Charity number 306101 (England and Wales) and SC038437 (Scotland)

Scouts of The World Leader s resource 2 INTRODUCTION The Scouts of the World Award (SOWA) is an international award shared with over 50 National Scout Associations across the world. In the UK, it s only available to Scout Network members, with the aim of encouraging them to develop and support society locally or globally. The award originates from the Millennium Declaration and UN Millennium Development Goals and involves undertaking a Discovery (a specially-designed residential event) to learn about a topic from one of the three themes; development, environment and peace. The participants can then help make changes and impact on a local community through voluntary service in the UK or abroad. Once they have completed the award, they will have the opportunity to join the Scouts of the World Award Network with all the other award holders from across the world. SOWA enables young people to develop a range of skills from project management to planning an international trip. Many of these will benefit the participant both inside and out of Scouting. The experience helps young people recognise that they can implement change and work to improve the lives or environment of other people. This pack is a valuable resource as you support young people through each stage of the award. Participants will need to show personal commitment, determination and effort but you, and others like you, should be available to give them help and guidance. By supporting young people in this challenge you also will play your part in making the world a better place.

Scouts of The World Leader s resource 3 REQUIREMENTS OF THE SCOUTS OF THE WORLD AWARD To gain this award young people must: 1. Be aged 18 to 25 and a member of a Scout Network. 2. Register with The Scout Association and obtain their Scouts of the World passport. 3. Attend a residential Scouts of the World Discovery, lasting a minimum of four days, based on one or more of the three themes; development, environment and peace. 4. With the support of their mentor, finalise the plans for their voluntary service based on the theme explored on the Discovery. 5. Contribute to a minimum of two section meetings for Beavers, Cubs, Scouts or Explorers (or the youth section of another organisation) to introduce and explore the chosen theme. 6. Undertake Scouts of the World voluntary service, either in the UK or abroad, lasting a minimum of 14 days. 7. Record and evaluate their experiences in the Scouts of the World passport. 8. Meet with their mentor and report on what they have achieved during the Scouts of the World voluntary service. This should include feedback from the community that benefited from the project. (The evaluation criteria can be found on page 9 of this pack.) 9. Present their report to their Network. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AWARD STANDARDS The award is based on personal best effort and not on fixed standards. Therefore, the quality of the personal effort is more important than the quality of the content and will vary according to ability, age and other factors. ADDITIONAL NEEDS If a participant has any additional needs it is best practice to ensure their mentor, leader and/or Commissioner are aware of the situation, so that they can offer suitable support through the award. TIMESCALES It is recommended that the planning stage of the award lasts no longer than six months. Although the length of time is specified for both the Discovery and the voluntary service, neither need to be completed in one go. For example, the Discovery could be completed over two or three weekends and voluntary service could be over 14 separate days. LINKS TO OTHER AWARDS Participants may use elements of SOWA to qualify for parts of the Queen s Scout Award and the Duke of Edinburgh s Gold Award. Care should be taken to ensure the requirements are fully met so that neither award is devalued in any way. If the SOWA Discovery lasts for five consecutive days with a minimum of four nights away and is principally with people unknown to the participant, then it will qualify for the residential section, and nights away count of the Queen s Scout and Duke of Edinburgh s Gold Awards. The SOWA voluntary service will count towards one activity on the IEV list either International, Environment or Values, depending on the nature of the project. Alternatively, it can be used for the residential requirement as outlined above. It CANNOT count for both. h

Scouts of The World Leader s resource HOW A PARTICIPANT CAN GET STARTED The first step should be to direct the young person to the resource entitled Make the world a better place! Scouts of the World Award: Information for participants. Their next step is to register interest in SOWA online at scouts.org.uk/sowa. This will notify the national SOWA Scout Active Support Unit (SASU) and their County/Area Scout Network Commissioner of their interest. They will then receive their SOWA passport and contact details for the SOWA SASU. They will then need to contact the SOWA SASU to find out the dates and locations of upcoming Discovery events. Participants should choose a Discovery that offers their chosen theme development, environment, or peace rather than the one that is closest to them. They may have to go outside their County/Area or even Region, but in doing so will meet new people and make new Scouting friendships. The SOWA SASU will also provide the participant with a mentor to support them through the award. Note: while we are still in the process of setting up and recruiting for the SOWA SASU, it is likely that Discovery events will initially be organised based on demand. This is one of the reasons why it is so important for young people to register for the award. Once the SASU is up and running and the award is more established, it is anticipated that Discovery events will be run more frequently and at County/Area level by local volunteers. The SASU will then make sure that they are advertised nationally. 4

Scouts of The World Leader s resource WHERE CAN PARTICIPANTS FIND HELP? The SOWA Scout Active Support Unit (SASU) is made up of volunteers with knowledge and experience of running SOWA. They keep a record of all of the Discovery events taking place across the UK and can often help plan and run these locally. It is envisaged that the Discovery events will be run at County/Area level, by local volunteers interested in the award or directly connected to the Network section. Until the award is fully established and embedded in the programme, the SOWA SASU will provide first-hand support in running these Discoveries. They will also provide the participant with a mentor. See page 11 for more information on joining the SASU. The participant s mentor is likely to be someone from the SOWA SASU. They will have experience of participating in or running the award and the necessary knowledge to ensure that the participant s voluntary service is realistic, viable and meets the criteria. The mentor will also assist in the evaluation of the voluntary service and in the compiling of the report. Once this is complete, the mentor will recommend to the County Scout Network Commissioner that the award is signed off. The County Scout Network Commissioner or country equivalent signs off the award based on the mentor s recommendation. They cannot refuse the award at the final stage, but if they feel there is an issue it should be taken up with the mentor and/or SASU to avoid similar problems in the future. Assistant County Commissioners (International) or country equivalents are able to advise participants if they wish to complete their voluntary service overseas, and will help them through the Visits Abroad Process. The International Team at Gilwell Park (call 0845 300 1818 or email international@scouts.org.uk) can provide advice and support to anyone wishing to go abroad. The Scout Information Centre or Programme Team can answer any general questions about the award (call 0845 300 1818 or email info.centre@scouts.org.uk or programme@scouts.org.uk). 5

Scouts of The World Leader s resource 6 PROCESS CHART FOR COUNTY SCOUT NETWORK COMMISSIONERS PROCESS CHART FOR MENTORS Receive notification of the participant s registration when they complete the online form. A participant is allocated to you by SASU. Receive notification from SASU about the participant s mentor. Make initial contact with the participant. The participant attends a Discovery. Participant completes the award, and a recommendation for sign-off is received from the mentor. Contact the participant to help them plan their voluntary service. Sign off the award and notify UKHQ and the mentor. Contact the participant to help them plan their voluntary service. Badge and certificate received from UKHQ. Participant completes their voluntary service. Contact the participant to go through the evaluation criteria and help compile the report. Local presentation arranged. Send recommendation for sign-off to the County Scout Network Commissioner.

Scouts of The World Leader s resource 7 PROCESS CHART FOR THE SOWA SASU Receive notification of the participant s registration. Allocate the participant a mentor and let them know what Discovery events are available for them to attend. TRAINING PROCESS The SOWA uses a three-stage training process that will enable participants to explore, respond, and prepare for taking action in a voluntary service project. Exploring allows participants to undertake an adventurous and challenging team exploration with support from specialist technical or practical experts. It might, for example, involve a tour of a water treatment plant to understand the processes for dealing with sewage and recycling of waste, or a visit to an ethnic community to learn about their culture and how far they have integrated with the community. It enables participants to gain an in-depth knowledge of issues, identify possible solutions to a particular problem, and examine steps to implement a project. Be involved in supporting or running Discovery. Responding involves participants reviewing findings from the exploration. It is a chance for participants to develop a feeling of personal commitment towards an issue, through critical thinking and discussion with other participants. SCOUTS OF THE WORLD DISCOVERY This is the first main component of SOWA and lasts a minimum of four days, most likely over two weekends. This residential training course will focus on one or more of the SOWA themes, namely development, environment, or peace. The Discovery will help participants to: Taking action enables participants to develop a personal action plan to increase awareness about an issue and contribute towards solving an associated problem. Participants will go away with an outline plan of their SOWA voluntary service, which could help solve problems discovered during the Discovery, or support an existing project. DISCOVERY CONTENT A general outline of content, as well as detailed session plans can be found at scouts.org.uk/sowa. 1. Understand the Millennium Development Goals and how they relate to a local situation. 2. Understand the fundamental issues surrounding the chosen topic and find ways they could intervene and make a difference. 3. Plan their SOWA voluntary service.

Scouts of The World Leader s resource 8 RUNNING A DISCOVERY The online session plans allow anyone with an interest in the award to run a Discovery. All Discovery events must be registered with the SASU, so that there s an accurate record of demand. They can support the actual running of the Discovery, provide essential information, supply some example case studies, and answer any other questions. The number of Discovery participants depends on various factors, but remember they could be drawn from Scout Networks across the UK. Unless you already have a large group of people interested in attending, the SASU will advertise it, allowing anyone that has registered for the award to attend. THE PLANNING STAGE Once the participant has completed the Discovery they need to finalise the plan for their SOWA voluntary service with their mentor. This should be undertaken either individually or as a member of a small team, perhaps with other members of their Network or other participants from the Discovery. Time and effort should be spent planning the SOWA voluntary service and so this stage could last up to six months or longer. Participants can complete the task in a shorter time, but the success of their voluntary service depends on meticulous planning, so they must not rush things. The participant s mentor should offer guidance when necessary and ensure that enough time is spent on this stage. One of the most difficult parts for young people is often deciding which specific project they would like to do. The Discovery should have given them some ideas and they could find themselves thinking along the same lines as other participants. Their mentor should discuss ideas with them, help them decide which are most feasible and provide details of where to get further information. Voluntary service is a personal commitment to contribute towards solving a problem related to development, environment or peace. The project must be on the same theme as that chosen for the Discovery (so the participant should think carefully about their chosen theme before their Discovery). It is not acceptable, for example, to follow a SOWA Discovery with an environmental theme and then undertake voluntary service focusing on peace. If the young person wishes to change their theme, they have to redo the Discovery. Here is a list of some of the decisions participants will need to consider: 1. nature of the project; what do they want to achieve and why? 2. location; in the UK or abroad? 3. dates 4. who is involved and what is their role in the team? 5. finance/fundraising and resources 6. travel arrangements and accommodation 7. equipment 8. passport and vaccinations (if applicable) 9. preparation for working in a different culture and/or environment WHAT FORM OF VOLUNTARY SERVICE IS ACCEPTABLE? SOWA voluntary service can take two forms: 1. Planning and developing a new project; for example a team of Scout Network members develops a university campaign to prevent drug abuse or sexually transmitted diseases. 2. Working to support an existing project launched by the Scout Movement or another organisation; for example a Scout Network member leads recreational and educational activities for children in a refugee camp. In both cases any additional team members and people involved do not have to be members of the Scouting Movement or peers. However, the participant needs to show they have played an active role in the team. Bear in mind that non-members are not covered by Scouting insurance. Although there are no limits imposed on the type of organisation they can work with, it is important to consider the evaluation criteria (see below) and whether the organisation chosen will allow them to achieve their aims. Ongoing support from their mentor will ensure that the participant s plan is safe and meets the requirements of the award. The cost of the voluntary service may seem daunting at first; however, there are many ways of raising funds. Some require effort, but young people may find charities, such as a local Rotary Club, are receptive and will give a grant, subject to them making a presentation afterwards. For projects outside the UK, The Scout Association s International Team administers the International Fund, to assist with the costs of individuals who would otherwise find it difficult to raise the necessary money. The application form is available from scouts.org.uk (search Fundraising for visits abroad BP260006).

Scouts of The World Leader s resource 9 EVALUATION CRITERIA To count towards achievement of SOWA, the voluntary service must comply with the following criteria: Voluntary commitment The participant has to voluntarily commit to the project, without receiving any payment. Reimbursement of travel costs, accommodation and food is acceptable. Tangible and individual action It must be a project where they take an active role, not merely tag along as one of a team. Minimum duration It must be undertaken over a period of 14 days. For example, this can be two weeks in one stretch, two periods of one week, or seven full weekends. Much depends on the nature of the project and its location. There is no compulsory residential requirement for the voluntary service. Real service to the community Their project should benefit the community, rather than focus on their own self-interest such as being an intern in a company. It should make a difference and have a positive effect on their chosen community. Training experience It should be an opportunity for developing and implementing personal skills and especially those acquired on SOWA Discovery. During this stage, participants must visit and be actively involved in a minimum of two sectional meetings to introduce SOWA themes to other young people. This might be through games, activities and local projects; for example, by producing a flyer on environmental issues. Depending on what they choose to do, there is enough flexibility to enable them to visit the same section twice or to visit two different sections. Participants can also visit other local youth organisations to carry out this requirement.

Scouts of The World Leader s resource SCOUTS OF THE WORLD VOLUNTARY SERVICE Once the mentor is satisfied that the participant has completed the planning stage, they should step back and let the participant complete their voluntary service with minimum intervention. However, mentors and leaders should be available during the 14 days (within reason) in case of emergency, or if the participant needs further support or guidance while completing their project. EVALUATION AND THE SIGN-OFF PROCESS It is important to ensure the participant s attendance at their SOWA Discovery has been signed off in their passport by the course director. Thereafter, participants should keep records of their activities during the planning stage and the voluntary service. Once the voluntary service has been completed, the participant should meet with their mentor, go through the evaluation criteria and make a final report. This could be a diary, presentation or even short film. It should be backed up with a statement from the community that benefited from the project. The report should be presented back to the participant s Network, and where possible, a copy sent to the SASU so it can be used as a case study in future Discovery events. The quality of the presentation should not be a determining factor as to whether the participant achieves the award. The mentor will then send a recommendation and the participant s SOWA passport to the County Scout Network Commissioner (CSNC) to sign off the award. This is done by completing the form at the back of this resource and sending it, along with the SOWA passport to UKHQ, who will then send a badge and certificate for the CSNC to present. 10

Scouts of The World Leader s resource 11 THE CELEBRATIONS Gaining SOWA is a massive achievement and deserves to be recognised. Many Counties/Areas/Regions have special awards events and these are an ideal opportunity to include SOWA. Alternatively, participants may prefer a separate occasion where they can invite their family and friends as well as people they met while working for their SOWA. It s a great opportunity to give supporters and other young people a taste of the award with an audiovisual presentation. Keep it short and punchy, with time for refreshments and an informal chat. Even if the participant is camera shy, the local media should be invited too; your local Media Development Manager can help with this. SCOUTS OF THE WORLD NETWORK Once participants have achieved their SOWA they can join the SOWA Network. This is a worldwide group of young people but not part of the UK Scout Network section. In order to become a member, participants must apply to the World Scout Bureau in Geneva, enclosing a copy of their completed SOWA passport. JOINING THE SCOUTS OF THE WORLD SASU If you are interested in international Scouting and enjoyed finding out more about the Scouts of the World Award, you could join the SOWA SASU. There are no prerequisites for joining, other than an interest in the award, and you can give as much or as little time as you are able. You could help support and run Discovery events across the country and enable more young people to achieve the award. Interested in becoming a mentor? All we ask is that you have helped to deliver a minimum of two Discovery events or have achieved the award yourself. Please encourage all participants to join the SASU on completion of their award. For more information, please email the SASU manager at SOWA.SASU@scouts.org.uk with your name, membership number, and further details about yourself.

SOWA CERTIFICATE REQUEST FORM Please complete in BLOCK CAPITALS scouts.org.uk Name of participant: Network: Participant s address: Discovery attended (date): Theme followed: Dates of voluntary service: Brief outline of voluntary service: Date of presentation: Commissioner name: Section meeting attended (date): Membership number: Section meeting attended (date): Commissioner signature: Date: