3 useful online resources to engage your members and leaders

Engaging your Scout members and volunteers during the Coronavirus lockdown can be difficult. Find out more about useful online resources that can help.

09th April 2020

With being confined to our homes and all public facing activities called off, it can be an arduous task trying to engage young members and leaders.

But for many, their weekly meetings might be the only outside interaction during this period besides schoolwork and family calls. With technological advances being the best they’ve ever been, it’s not difficult to connect virtually. For the benefit of both your youngsters and your adult volunteers, there are many online resources to help you get through this period.

Social media

A free yet invaluable resource, social media is the number one way to stay connected during these trying times. With many platforms and channels to choose from, it’s likely that all of your parents and leaders are members on at least one of them, so use it to your advantage!

Some ways social media can help you are:

Live streaming – Stream challenges, prompts and interactive meetings for your members to access live and after you’ve finished filming.
Post instant updates, get feedback and discuss ideas in your comments section.
Connect with other volunteers across the country who are in the same situation through online Groups such as 1st Facebook Scout Group and others. This is a great way to get new ideas and inspiration for online scout activities!

Website

Now is the perfect time to get your website up to scratch and enable it to be a hub of activity and source of useful information during the Covid-19 lockdown, if it isn’t already.

Often someones first destination when they want to know what’s going on with your Group, they’ll head to your website. This is why it’s important to have important information easily accessible to your users. Adapt your homepage to display important notices, make sure your news area is up to date and fill your useful resources area with, well, useful resources!

Video calling apps

A resource that has accelerated in growth during the Coronavirus pandemic, video calling apps are one of the more popular methods of communication at the moment!

Apps such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, GoToMeeting, and many more, can be incredibly useful for keeping in touch with your team of volunteers to plan your virtual meetings for the coming weeks and outline your strategy for returning to regular Scouting.

Video calling apps can also be used with your youngsters and their parents to communicate your ideas for this week’s meeting including indoor activities to keep your Scouts entertained, or as a way to hold a virtual scout camp!

Find out more about Scout Group websites here