International - Ceo And Senior Staff Meeting 2008


CEO / Senior Staff Seminar

Prague, 25th - 26th November 2008

Laura Saunders CGI National Office Coordinator

This was an excellent opportunity for me to network with peers in similar roles from other Guiding and Scouting Associations is Europe. The meeting took the format of a round table, which consisted of single group discussions and then smaller group formations to further discuss topics and opinions. The meeting covered many topics including planning, staff/volunteer relationships, staff structure, image, media, leadership, membership strategies, finance, development, and uniform. It was very interesting to see the common issues in different Associations and how people dealt with these issues in very different ways. It was encouraging to see that many problems were indeed quite common, and that there is great support in both WAGGGS and WOSM. A discussion (led by Girl Guiding UK) took place about strategic planning and decision making and it was agreed that clear decisive plans and goals that are achievable are much better than grandiose plans that cannot be reached and therefore reduce moral and produce a feeling of negativity. Fewer plans that are followed through are better than many plans that are unachievable. It was also agreed that sometimes we don’t commend ourselves enough on our achievements as Associations. In their presentation, Girl Guiding UK said that organizations need to focus on how to present plans as an Association. Some tips included:

• Follow progression of plans both short term and long term. • Every Board member, volunteer member and staff member should be aware of the plans so that every day everyone can be reminded of their common goals. • Make achievable clear plans that can be reached so there is an opportunity to feel something has been accomplished.

Girl Guiding UK have produced a very visual plan called there ‘Statement of Purpose’ that is printed on to a mouse mat and given to every volunteer member and staff member so that every day everyone can be reminded of their common goals. I think this is a fantastic idea that we could use in some different way, as many of our members and even our staff are probably not fully aware of what our goals are. An interesting discussion took place about image and media and how Guiding and Scouting Associations probably need to be more business-like and look at themselves as a brand and think of clever ways to market that brand. Some other points of interest over the weekend included the idea of social networking. We have our forum but you could also set up a group on Facebook, Bebo or Twitter for CGI Guiders. One Association had a travelling scout group to showcase what they offer and another offered after school clubs run by Guides. They all agreed that we need to find more creative ways to introduce new people to Guiding. I would like to thank CGI for giving me the opportunity to attend this invaluable meeting.

Laura Saunders

National Office