Jump in & join in! Wear Their Necker Month – January 2021
Date: 22nd Dec 2020
Author: Jon Nutten
Wear Their Necker is a fun, exciting, and empowering project to celebrate Youth Shaped Scouting. The aim of the project is for Groups across the UK to give their young people the opportunity to take over adult volunteer roles. It puts young people into decision-making positions and encourages adults to hear their views.
Join in Wear The Necker Month January 2020
- Agree to take part. The young people, Group Scout Leader, Section Leaders, Section Assistants, and other helpers should all be on board, along with the adult volunteers who are willing to share their role. These could be people within or outside the Group.
- Pick a role. Your young people should think about the role, section, or activity they would like to take over and lead. They could work
together in teams to share a role if they have similar ideas. Leaders should make sure the young people understand the different roles available, including District and County roles if these adults have agreed to participate. - Decide on your timescale. Will the takeover be for a week, a meeting or just one activity? This may depend on the planned activities and the size of the sections, but, with a little planning, it will be possible. An easy-to-use planning sheet can be found at Scouts.org.uk/YouShape.
- Plan the experience. If your young people are really keen to have a particular experience, make sure you know in advance if it will be possible. Preparing in advance will mean that both adults and young people get the most out of it.
- After the experience, follow up on some of the decisions they made to demonstrate how their voices were listened to. Use Wear Their Necker as a chance to make the Group more Youth Shaped, as see if there any other challenges you could set.
What do Leaders get out of it?
• Gain a fresh perspective on your work within Scouting
• Address existing challenges and perhaps find new solutions
• Inspire your young people and offer them the chance to develop skills
• Develop relationships with the local community
