EACH week, we are profiling a member of the Scouts in the Basingstoke area to find out why they are involved in the organisation, to showcase the wide-range of backgrounds of those helping out.
Name: Jon Locke
What's your role in the Scouts?: Assistant Cub Scout leader and assistant district commissioner activities
What group do you work with?: Rooksdown and Basingstoke west district
What's your day job?: IT manager
How did you end up getting involved?: Offered to support when my son joined Cubs, partly because he has additional needs but mainly because I didn't want to miss out on the fun!
What's your favourite part of your role?: Teaching young people skills that they won't learn in school
What new skills have you learnt through volunteering?: During my time as a Cub leader I have surprised myself with how much I already knew but didn't realise. I've also had the opportunity to develop my time management and organisational skills as well as learning a lot about working with young people.
What would you say to someone thinking of getting involved?: Do it!
There is something for everybody in the Scout family.
No matter what skills you have or want to develop there will always be something you can do to help. Scouting truly has a family feel with everybody pulling together, pooling resource and leveraging each other's strengths to work towards the common goal of helping young people have fun, adventure and develop their independence and sense of self.
It is enormously rewarding when you can help a young person do something they never thought they could, and they have fun doing it.
For more information about Scouts in Basingstoke, or to find out more about how you can get involved, go to bwds.org.uk/contact.
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