New Leader Training
5th - 7th December 2014
Lockerbrook Farm
Facilitated by Eden Ballantyne and Ellie Julings
Index
Weekend aims & Agenda Page 3
Participants Page 4
Participant expectations Page 5
My Woodcraft Journey Page 6
What is Wcf Quiz Page 7
Group Agreement Page 10
Putting the aims and principles into practice Page 10
Cooperative Craft Page 13
Safeguarding children and young people Page 14
Discussion Techniques Page 16
Games and Song Share Page 17
Risk assessments Page 18
Outcomes for children and young people Page 19
Training and resources Page 22
Next steps? Page 23
Evaluation Page 24
Weekend aims
By the end of the residential, it was intended that participants will:
• Have increased their knowledge of Woodcraft Folk by exploring Woodcraft Folk’s history, aims and principles and resources
• Be able to develop a group programme based on Woodcraft Folk aims and principles
• Appreciate their role in safeguarding children and young people in our care
• Understand and have practiced completing risk assessments
• Share and learn songs and games that are suitable to use in Woodcraft Folk groups
• Value the impact of Woodcraft Folk on children and young people
• Have an understanding of the training, resources and support structures available to all new volunteers
Agenda
Friday 7th November
7 - Supper
8 - Welcome & introductions
Agenda
Games
My Woodcraft Folk Journey
9:30 Woodcraft Folk quiz
10 Hot Chocolate
10:30 History of Woodcraft Folk film
Saturday 8th November
9 Morning Circle
9:30 Putting the aims & principles into practice
11:00 Break
11:15 Co-operative Craft with the crèche
12:00 Lunch
1 - 2 Walk
2:30 Safeguarding children and young people
4 Break
4:30 Discussion techniques - with the crèche
5:30 Reflection circle
6:30 Dinner
7:30 Game and song share
8:30 Hot chocolate and bedtime
9 adults songshare
Sunday 9th November
9 Meet for tidy up of East Barn
9:30 Morning circle
10 - 11:15 Keeping Safe - Risk assessments
11:15 - 11:45 Break
11:45 Outcomes for young people
12:45 Lunch and tidy
1:30 Training, Resources and Sources of Support
2 What next?
2:30 Tidy up
3:00 Closing circle
Participants
Participants came from Wakefield, Sheffield, Manchester, Hebden Bridge and Birkenhead. Participants came with a range of experience and included a venturer, new leaders and those that have led groups for 20 years.
Participants included:
Iris and Lynne Skipworth - Manchester
Becky Bowers - nr Skipton
Rik Stack - Wakefield
Rachel Julian, Adele Kind, Rob Tyler, George Kidd - Hebden Bridge
Hamish Cunningham - Sheffield
Participants were supported by a crèche led by Sonia, Joanne, Claire, Lou and Phil from Birkenhead who also attended sessions
Participant expectations
Early in the event, participants were asked to share their expectations, particularly focusing on:
1. What they were most looking forward to?
2. What they were hoping to learn?
3. What they were anxious about?
Responses included:
Looking forward to… / Hoping to learn… / Anxious about…● Meeting new people
● Playing games
● Making new friends / ● Finding out how others do things
● Safeguarding
● Increasing input from parents
● Helping venturers settle in when they’re new to woodcraft
● How to work with paid workers / ● Getting sleep
● Having a fire alarm
● Getting snowed in!
At the end of the residential, participants were asked to revisit their responses and confirm whether their expectations had been met, questions had been answered, their anxieties lessened.
Participants then shared their Woodcraft Journey, sharing in groups:
1. Where they are from
2. How they found out about WcF
3. What interests them most about WcF
4. Things they’ve done with WcF
What is Woodcraft Folk?
Participants did a quiz of Woodcraft facts based on the list below, and then watched a DVD of Leslie Paul (Woodcraft Folk’s founder) describing the origins and the early days of Woodcraft Folk.
Who are these folk?
Woodcraft Folk are a national voluntary youth and children's organisation. Woodcraft groups are split into age ranges: Woodchips (0 - 5); Elfins (6 - 9); Pioneers (10 - 12); Venturers (13 - 15) and DFs (16 – 20).
Most Woodcraft groups meet weekly to take part in fun educational activities, including discussion, drama games, arts and crafts. They reflect our aim of Education for Social Change.
Members used to wear green folk shirts that had to be tucked in! Some still choose to wear a traditional folk shirt with various badges they sew on but others wear hoodies and t shirts, many of which are designed by young people.
Nearly 90 years on from our start, we are still going strong and taking young people on camps and activities inspired by Leslie Paul's original vision.
Most groups go camping and on residential weekends every year.
Nearly 400 groups are run all over England, Scotland and Wales.
We are always getting involved in exciting new projects and working with other organisations that have similar values and vision.
We are a democratic organisation and every year our members get together to help set our priorities for the coming year. All age groups are involved and each district is encouraged to send at least one member to our decision making conference that we call AG - Annual Gathering.
One of our mottos is Span The World With Friendship and we take part in many international exchanges including a large international camp in the UK every five years.
Everyone in Woodcraft is equal, young and old.
When we meet or camp we form a circle so that everyone can be seen, heard and take part in decision making and everyone is given a chance to share their opinions and experiences.
We have had strong links to the Cooperative movement since we started and cooperation is still one of our main values.
Woodcraft Folk are an independent charity and we are not linked with any political party or organised religion.
We welcome people from all faiths, backgrounds and beliefs.
Woodcraft has loads and loads of useful resources and materials (both on paper and electronically) to help people run fun activities.
You can get books, badges and clothes from Folk Supply, including our songbooks and Games Games Games, our popular book of co-operative games.
Many groups do things differently, but a favourite with all groups is cooperative parachute games.
For many years Woodcraft has campaigned for environmental sustainability and our activities include this as a theme.
There has recently been a comeback for Bushcraft activities.
Through our activities, Woodcraft Folk aims to develop self-confidence and activity in society, with the aim of building a world based on equality, friendship, peace and co-operation.
Woodcraft actively supports our young people in their work campaigning for a fairer world.
How did we start?
In 1925, a 19 year old man called Leslie Paul started the first Woodcraft Folk group as an alternative to the scouts. He wanted to see a group that had equal opportunities for girls and boys and that was driven by his passion for peace, freedom and democracy around the world.
Leslie Paul wanted to offer children from the city experience of the countryside and took them camping. He did this to help them learn more about nature and things they didn't see every day, including animals, trees and plants.
In the 1920s, children were not allowed to call adults by their first names and so folk names were adopted, for example Leslie Paul was known as ‘Little Otter’. Nowadays, most groups just use first names but some groups still carry on this tradition and do naming ceremonies for those who want them.
How are we run?
Woodcraft Folk are run locally and nationally by volunteer adult members, who must have a DBS clearance.
Woodcraft Folk are managed by a team of volunteers – General Council – half of them are under 25.
We have a small staff at the offices in London, Wales and Scotland, and our residential centres, led by our General Secretary.
Useful resources:
1. Introducing Woodcraft Folk
2. New Group Journey module
3. 60th anniversary film
Saturday
Group Agreement
After morning circle, children left with the creche, and adult participants were asked to agree a series of ‘ground rules’ to support us all to have a good time and get the most out of the planned sessions. Ground rules included:
Appreciate people
Have fun!
No ideas are bad
Be open
Listen to everyone
One person talking at a time
Be present - mind and body
Putting the aims and principles into practice
Participants were asked to share what types of activities make up a typical group night, suggestions included:
● Playing games
● doing project / badgework
● Group circle
● Discussions
A common format, particularly for Elfin groups, would be for group night to last between 75-90 minutes and include:
● Taking the register and collect subs
● Having a simple well known game that children can join in with as they arrive
● Circle with individual news and an explanation of tonight’s session
● Themed activity/activities
● Games
● Circle to reflect and share information about next week
● Link your Hands
Ellie introduced participants to the aims and principles of Woodcraft Folk, which include:
Aim & Principle 2 Education for Social Change – Woodcraft Folk seek to develop in our members a critical awareness of the world. We will work to develop the knowledge, attitudes, values and skills necessary for them to act to secure their equal participation in the democratic process that will enable them to bring about the changes that they feel are necessary to create a more equal and caring world.
As an educational movement, we believe that equal opportunities should extend to all aspects of activity and participation in the Woodcraft Folk. We will combat oppression or discrimination in our movement, whether on grounds of age, class, gender, race, sexual orientation, for reasons of disability, contact with mental health services, or a previous criminal conviction that does not create risk to children or young people. We will educate our members so that they may take these issues into the wider community.
Aim & Principle 3 A Co-operative and Sharing Attitude to Life - We believe that to further our aims it is vital to approach our educational work through the principles of co-operation. To achieve this we will provide a programme which ensures that our members practice co-operation through all the activities in which they participate.
Aim & Principle 4 International Understanding - Our motto is ‘Span the world with friendship’. We will therefore encourage and develop international understanding and friendship through our educational work and by our exchanges between children and young people of different lands. We will promote a greater understanding of the world amongst our members so that they are aware of the inequalities which exist in it.
Aim & Principle 5 The Rights of the Child - In our work with children and young people, we respect and defend their individual rights, and encourage them to participate responsibly and democratically, in all aspects of Woodcraft Folk activity.
Aim & Principle 6 Religion - The Woodcraft Folk welcomes all children, young people and adults, who wish to become members of the movement, and it asserts the right of all its members to practice the faith of their choice providing it does not contravene the aims and principles of the movement.
Aim & Principle 7 One World - The Woodcraft folk will encourage an understanding of the need to work towards a world where we provide for the needs of everyone on the planet now and in the future without destroying the physical environment. We aim to educate our members about issues of environmental and social sustainability and how this relates to their own lifestyles and other people’s actions.
Aim & Principle 8 A world at Peace - Because of our international outlook and concern that all shall enjoy the right to freedom from the immorality of war and want, the Woodcraft Folk is dedicated to the cause of peace. Accordingly we associate with the movement for world disarmament and for the transfer of those resources directed to the destruction of life into channels which will be used for the fulfilment of humanity’s needs.
Participants were asked to explore the principles in more detail, by standing next to the principle which:
1. Most appeals to them as an individual
2. Their group covers the most
3. Their group covers the least
In small groups, participants then created session plans for Elfin and Pioneer groups linked to the aims and principles.
Useful resources
Aims and Principles:
Aims and principles
Aims and Principles photo story
Woodcraft Folk’s heritage website
New Group Journey module on programme planning
Hinckley Film about the aims and principles
Programme planning:
Follow the Trail
Elfin Activity Pack
Pioneer Activity Pack
Venturer Activity Pack
Venturer Issues Pack
Hounslow District’s favourite songs
Ish Ash Osh website
Craft, craft, craft
Bushcraft Packs
Cooperative Craft - with creche
Participants took part in some co-operative craft with young members – building towers using marshmallows and spaghetti. At the beginning of the session teams were asked to suggest why we were doing this. Suggestions included:
● To develop / show our skills
● To work together
● Its difficult
● We can
● You have to be gentle and creative
● Its fun to do challenges
● Because more buildings should be made of food!
● To kill time
Groups were asked what they did well and what they could have done better.
What we did well
We used ‘Yes and...’
Worked together
Never gave up
What could’ve been better
More time planning
Kept marshmallows whole
Listened and learnt from team better
Safeguarding children and young people
Participants were asked to reflect on their understanding of safeguarding as a group, and then asked the question ‘What’s the difference between safeguarding and child protection?’ Then Ellie shared the formal safeguarding definitions from the National Council for Voluntary Youth Services: