Beth's favourite topic to write about is her family and their involvement in Scouts Canada.
Read below a series of blog posts and articles written about volunteer recruitment.
Issue Statement
Scouts Canada faces a volunteer shortage across the country and volunteer recruitment methods need to be addressed. Current recruitment practices are not as effective as they should be, and volunteer pools are not being replenished. Scouts Canada volunteers consist mainly of parents of the scouting youth. Parents of newer scouts are hesitant to commit to be becoming a volunteer. Typical excuses are “not enough time” or they think that they have little to offer to the group. Potential volunteers need to know that volunteering is fun, and that everyone is qualified to be a volunteer. Not everyone is amazing at interacting with the youth, but their strengths can be used elsewhere, like paperwork, fundraising, or recruitment. With the 2019-2020 scouting season starting in September, new volunteers need to be recruited as soon as possible to ensure that training and volunteer screening are done in time for the new season.
Blog Post 1: The top five reasons to be a Volunteer with Scouts Canada
Being a volunteer can be very rewarding, and if you’re considering volunteering, you need to keep these points in mind.
The top five reasons why you should volunteer with Scouts Canada:
Volunteers live longer and are healthier
When you volunteer, you’re more active. You don’t sit in front of the TV or on your phone for hours at a time. You interact more with others and stimulate your brain. When you volunteer with scouting, you’ll find yourself going on hikes, doing indoor and outdoor activities, and generally having a lot of fun.
When you volunteer, you’re more active. You don’t sit in front of the TV or on your phone for hours at a time. You interact more with others and stimulate your brain. When you volunteer with scouting, you’ll find yourself going on hikes, doing indoor and outdoor activities, and generally having a lot of fun.
Volunteering establishes strong relationships
When you believe in a cause or organization and are working with others who believe the same things as you, it creates a strong camaraderie when you have a lot in common with those around you, building friendships. You will other parents in the community who are in the same boat as you are.
When you believe in a cause or organization and are working with others who believe the same things as you, it creates a strong camaraderie when you have a lot in common with those around you, building friendships. You will other parents in the community who are in the same boat as you are.
Volunteering is good for your career
You never know who you might be volunteering with. That dad who is also a scout leader? He might be owner of a small business. It’s great for networking.
You never know who you might be volunteering with. That dad who is also a scout leader? He might be owner of a small business. It’s great for networking.
Volunteering is good for society
When you are donating your time to scouting, you are also making a difference in your community. Working with youth and helping shape them for tomorrow.
When you are donating your time to scouting, you are also making a difference in your community. Working with youth and helping shape them for tomorrow.
Volunteering gives you a sense of purpose
Being a part of something bigger is a great feeling, especially when that organization is making a difference in the world. Scouts Canada aims to help develop youth better prepared for success in the world.
Being a part of something bigger is a great feeling, especially when that organization is making a difference in the world. Scouts Canada aims to help develop youth better prepared for success in the world.
If you like the outdoors, like to make new friends and like to learn new things, then visit scouts.ca/volunteer to find out how you can become a part of something bigger that will make a difference in yourself, your community and your world.
Blog Post 2: How volunteering changed my family… for the better.
When I was growing up, I had the typical family life. My dad went to work, and my mom took care of the house and us kids. When I got a little older, my mom went out and got a job to help support the family. My parents didn’t volunteer, and we weren’t enrolled in any programs or after school activities. I’m not saying anything is wrong with this picture, not at all. We were happy and healthy… a typical family. But now that I have my own family, I find that being a part of something bigger is very rewarding and helps the kids see that it’s not just about “us”, and that helping others should be a part of everyday life.
After my husband and I settled down and started our family, I found that it was hard to get out of the “mom” rut and be myself. What else was there to talk about, other than my kids? Who had I become, other than the mother of my children? I found that when I started volunteering, I started doing stuff for myself again, as well as for others. I slowly started becoming “Beth” again, and not just someone’s “Mom”. I slowly started finding myself.
Don’t get me wrong, I was still up to my eyeballs in chicken fingers and dirty laundry. But I was happier and had something to look forward to. It gave me a sense of achievement, knowing that I was doing something amazing like running a raffle that raised $10,000 for our scout group. I’d never done that before, had no experience in fundraising, but I took that chance and rocked it, and I’ve never looked back.
You’ve all heard the saying “happy wife, happy life”. Well, it’s true. Having a happy parent generally means that the family is usually happy as well. And helping others makes me happy. What a vicious cycle...
Article: How Volunteers Can Change the World
Being a volunteer has changed my life, and the way I see the world.
I feel like I’m more in touch with what’s happening in my community, and I’m involved in providing adventures and learning experiences for the youth in my little town. I’m helping to shape our youth for tomorrow.
I feel like I’m more in touch with what’s happening in my community, and I’m involved in providing adventures and learning experiences for the youth in my little town. I’m helping to shape our youth for tomorrow.
And you know what?
I like it. A lot.
What started as “only an hour a week” ended up being a lot of fun and something that I look forward to. Volunteering with an organization can be as much or as little as you want it to be. When you volunteer long-term, you begin to see the ripple effects of small actions and how they can influence just one person, or an entire community.
For the Burke family, it all began with five-year-old Alex. His parents, Chris and Beth, wanted to register their shy, quiet son for Beaver Scouts. They thought it would be helpful with improving his social skills, and that he might enjoy the activities. But when they tried to register their son, they were told there was no room for Alex in the group, and unless there were more volunteers, he wouldn’t be able to join. The only way to resolve this was to become a volunteer, so Chris signed up to be a Beaver Scout leader. Growing up in rural Nova Scotia, his entire family had been members of the Scouting and Guiding movement. Both of his parents had been leaders, and all five of his brothers and sisters had been enrolled and involved for many years. Scouting was in his blood, and he was happy to be involved again.
After that first year of Beaver Scouts, the rest of the family slowly began to get involved. The eldest daughter Wendy enrolled in Cub Scouts and really enjoyed the activities and camaraderie. The youngest, Sam, was still a little young to be enrolled, but attended meetings as a “Beaver-in-training”.
That left Beth without any involvement in scouting. After being a stay-at-home mom for eight years, she was eager to get out and talk to grownups, and finally said she could “help out” with fundraising for the group. That was nine years ago, and she is now the Fundraising Chair for her scout group as well as the volunteer graphic designer on the National Marketing team. She has her own graphic design and marketing business, and one of her main clients is a friend she met through scouting.
Chris has been a Beaver, Cub & Scout leader for nine years, the group commissioner, as well as his current position of Area Commissioner. He has gone from being a shy introvert to addressing large groups of youth and parents, being able to mediate between upset parties, and collaborating within a team to accomplish big goals.
This is only the beginning. “Seeing the youth grow up and mature is so rewarding” says Chris. “I’ve seen kids join our group in Beavers, they had problems at home or behavioral issues, and just being able to see them grow and adapt is just amazing. For them, they know that when they come to scouts every week, they aren’t going to “lose” at anything, they get to be a part of a team where everyone wins”.
What about their little daughter Wendy? At 15 years old, she is now the Area Youth Commissioner and visits the many scout groups in the area to speak with the youth about opportunities, activities and their growth. She is inspiring and loves to help youth meet their potential. As an honour roll student, part of the leadership team at school, and working part-time at the public library, she is a busy teenager. Without the leadership opportunities that she has had in scouting, she would not be in the position that she’s in today. She is already making plans to buy her own car and deciding where she’s going to go to university. You can bet that she’ll continue volunteering with the group even when she ages out of being a participant.
There are various reasons why volunteers keep volunteering: they have fun, they feel a sense of purpose, and they’ve made some great friends along the way. But most of all, they see the difference that their time is making to the organization and their world around them. As a volunteer with Scouts Canada, seeing your youth growing up and making decisions that will improve the world around them is simply amazing.
If you want to make a difference in your family and community, find out more at scouts.ca/volunteer. Scouts Canada is now accepting applications for the upcoming 2019-2020 scouting year. Be a part of something amazing.
