It’s that time of year and theirishscouter has some thoughts to offer on the subject of New Years Resolutions, applied to Scouting…

Plan, do, review.

We all set out with great intentions around planning but somewhere in the midst of balancing scouting with work and family, the weekly meeting plan can slip down the list of priorities. A little bit of advance planning however is very valuable. You’ll feel more organized and in control.

Get out more

Outdoor activities bring Scouting to life. It can be tempting to stay in the cozy scout den until the weather picks up to 18 degrees plus, but not only are winter landscapes stunningly beautiful, there are often less people out.

Put your foot down

To help with the hiking, once past the January blues, consider treating yourself to a new item of personal equipment. New rain jacket, woolly hat, hiking socks? Or what about a new pair of boots?

Hands off

Every good scouter understands and approves of youth participation. Adults do sometimes default back to taking over (and sometimes teens in particular are quite happy with it). Challenge yourself and challenge them. Give your youth members more autonomy in 2015.

Big Changes

Going to Scouting Ireland’s National Council these days may well be a bit like watching paint dry to some, but 2015 will see some big decisions being made. Half the National Management Committee will be replaced and among other things, we’ll have a new Chief Scout! Make sure you are there to vote!

All about you

Set yourself a personal goal for 2015 that your involvement in Scouting may be able to help you with. Get fit (more hiking), new job (Scouting on your CV) or hone a skill or area of expertise (eg; money management) by taking on the Scout Group accounts!

Summer Sun

Is your section planning a Summer Camp, Pack Holiday, Expedition or similar? If ten days from your hard-earned holidays elude you and your team or if budgets don’t stretch that far, what about a long weekend away?

Upgrade

Is the ‘new Icelandic’ now older than the GL? Are the fold-up tables made of cast iron? Have the stoves seen better days? Why not take an assessment of the Groups equipment stocks and set aside some budget towards some new kit? January is as good a time as any – many shops are offering sale prices!

Grow

New members joining in springtime are poised to see some of the best of the Scout year, with the weather getting better, longer evenings and the tantalizing prospect of lots of activities over the school holidays. Run a ‘bring a friend’* night and give the newbies a couple of months of spring madness to ensure they come back in force in September!

*check the copy though. Theirishscouter inadvertently ran a ‘bring a fiend’ night a few years back, complete with printed fliers. Vampires and other unsavouries were expected in quantity – thankfully the members were as blasé about reading as your correspondent was about spelling….