VOLUNTEERING NEWS MAKING A DIFFERENCE ISSUE 6 JANUARY 2013
WELCOME A New Year, A New Drive! With over 35,000 people dedicating their time to make the sport happen, the ASA is committed to offering a wider and more valued volunteer programme across the disciplines to ensure the continued growth and development of the volunteer workforce. Capturing the interest from London 2012, the 2013-17 Volunteer initiatives will inspire bite size opportunities and personal development to combat traditional barriers of time, funding and experience, ensuring each volunteer has the opportunity of: Recruitment Training Deployment Recognition Retention Volunteers will be supported by a dedicated team of professionals and through ongoing open communication will work together to develop a skilled and effectively supported volunteer workforce. The ASA will work to ensure that volunteers feel valued, rewarded and ensure they are encouraged to continue their volunteer experience. Further information on the programmes and initiatives being delivered over the next four years will be available soon through your club and in the next issue of Making a Difference. Francesca Kelly ASA/BS Head of Volunteering Engagement CLUB NEWS Adam Crompton, aged 15 tells us about how the Winchester City Penguins Swimming Club Forum is helping to make an impact in his local community. Winchester City Penguins Swimming Club has a Swimmers Forum, comprising members aged between 14 and 18. The Forum meets regularly to discuss fundraising opportunities, to pay for social activities and other things that the club may need. We have also been actively involved in the Winchester Fit for the Future Campaign, which is striving for better sports facilities and a 50m pool for Winchester and District. During the Olympics the Forum organised a stand at an event streaming live action from the Games. We used this opportunity to get hundreds of petition signatures for the campaign from a captive audience of sport lovers. The WCPSC Swimmers Forum represents the opinions and ideas of the Club s age group swimmers, and presents them to the Club s Committee and Coaches. By doing this, we are actively involved in the running of our club and feel that our voice is heard and can influence the Club s strategy. Francesca Kelly Head of Volunteer Engagement Steph Elliott Young Volunteer and Technical Officials Co-ordinator APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN FOR GLASGOW 2014 VOLUNTEERS Building on the success of London 2012 the search for up to 15,000 volunteers for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games is now on! Applications are open from Monday 14th January Thursday 28th February, if you feel you have the skills, passion and commitment Glasgow 2014 are looking for then click here to find out more about how to apply.
BEHIND THE SCENES YOUNG AQUATIC LEADER CERTIFICATE The Young Aquatic Leader Certificate (YALC) is a dynamic, skill building, sport specific leadership course aimed to develop young aquatic leaders and provide them with the knowledge to actively volunteer in an aquatic environment. Community would be lost without local heroes Gloucestershire swimming stalwart Ian Stuart has been named Cheltenham Volunteer of the Year in recognition of the years of tireless support he has given to Cheltenham Swimming and Water Polo Club (CSWPC). Ian is the first sports club volunteer to receive the Alderman Charles Foster Memorial Award, which was presented to him by Cheltenham Mayor Councillor Colin Hay. Ian has volunteered as a Management Committee member at Cheltenham Swimming and Water polo Club for 16 years, after his daughter Emma joined the synchronised swimming section. He has willingly taken on additional responsibilities with a smile on his face, mentoring and supporting new volunteers along the way. As well as being a Management Committee member of CSWPC he is also Secretary of the synchronised swimming section and Synchronised Swimming Representative for the Gloucester County ASA. Ian has made a huge contribution to the organisation and synchronised swimming in the South West. Quiet and unassuming he is the person we know we can all rely upon. He has mentored new volunteers, acted as a key representative at South West level and filled an essential gap in resources during training sessions by co-ordinating music. Every sports club needs an Ian unsung heroes who step into the breach and make a huge difference without shouting about their efforts, said Elaine Hodgin, Chair of the Synchronised Swimming Committee at Cheltenham Swimming and Water Polo Club. I was surprised when I was told I had been nominated for the GAVCA Cheltenham Volunteer of the Year Award and amazed and honoured when I won. It s great that all volunteers are recognised for their work added Ian. On behalf of the ASA, we would like to offer Ian our sincerest congratulations on receiving this fantastic award. The training is aimed at 14 19 year olds and will support the development of the young leader s knowledge across the aquatic disciplines. The YALC is even suitable for young leaders with no prior knowledge of aquatics. The YALC consists of a six hour interactive theory session followed by a two hour practical. The Young Aquatic Leader Certificate costs 6.00 per candidate. The course covers: An introduction to Timekeeping in Swimming An introduction to Officiating in Water Polo Running an Aquatic Youth Club Running an Aquatic Competition For all those wishing to deliver the YALC course, the ASA has developed a 90 minute e-learning guide to help you along the way. Designed to support those who do not have prior aquatic knowledge and to enhance those that do, the guide will equip you with the knowledge and skills required to deliver the YALC to young leaders. Click here to find out more information. Have your say! Do you want to find out more about the volunteering opportunities available within the ASA? Do you always feel up to date and in the know? We want to hear about the different communication preferences of our volunteers to ensure that we are communicating with you in the most effective way. By dedicating five minutes to complete this survey you could win yourself a pair of tickets for the British Gas International Swimming Meet taking place in Leeds from the 7th-10th March. Please Click here to start the survey; which will close on the 28th February. The prize draw will take place on the 1st March and the lucky winner will be notified via email.
ASA Club Captain The ASA has created a brand new 90 minute interactive resource which aims to equip you with the necessary support and guidance to become successful within your volunteering role, and to make your time in post as rewarding as possible for both you and your club. The new online learning resource has been developed for recently appointed Club Captains or young people who wish to take on this responsibility in the near future and want to know more about what the role entails. Becoming a Club Captain is an honour for any Club member, but it can seem a daunting task! The Club Captain resource is available via the IoS online, free of charge to all volunteers registered with an IoS account. If you do not currently hold an account, don t worry. It only takes a few moments to sign up and is free to do so! Click here for more information. Young Coaches attend Youth Sport Trust National Academy at Loughborough University The 4th 6th January marked the start of a 12 month development programme of mentoring and support developed by the Youth Sport Trust in partnership with the ASA. 20 young ASA coaches attended the three day residential academy at Loughborough University; along with 200 aspiring young coaches from across ten different sports. The young coaches attended insightful workshops, inspiring keynotes and mixed sport sessions which provided them with the opportunity to focus on their own performance as a coach, consider what type of coach they want to be and to reflect and develop their own coaching philosophy. With the support of the National Governing Body staff and their own personal mentor they will look to develop as young coaches throughout the programme to January 2014. The National Young Coaches will be attending a Development Day led by the ASA in March, stay tuned to hear move about their coaching journey. If you are interested in becoming an aquatics coach, teacher or volunteer, please contact volunteering@ swimming.org or visit www. swimming.org/asa/volunteering for more information. British Gas Swimming Championships 2013 AQUAFACT The first diving board in England was set up at Highgate Ponds in 1893 and it became an Olympic sport in 1904. The first divers were Swedish and German gymnasts who preferred practising with landings in the water rather than on a hard floor. This year the largest, most high profile swimming event of the year is coming to Ponds Forge. The British Gas Swimming Championships will see Britain s best swimmers compete for a place in the World Championships in Barcelona. In order to deliver a high standard of event, we need a dynamic workforce to match. If you have an outgoing, engaging personality and enjoy interacting with the public then why not apply to volunteer at this event? Roles include Front of House, Activities Team, Workforce Team and Sports Admin Assistants. To register your interest, please contact National.events@swimming.org
ASA Club On-line Workshops As part of the services provided by ASA Membership Services for affiliated clubs, during 2013 a number of on-line workshops have been scheduled to take place. The aim of these workshops is to assist club officers with their roles. Booking details for the first workshop in February will be sent out to all clubs in January. Below are the dates and titles for the workshops to be delivered in 2013/14. WORKSHOP TITLE DATE TIME Data Protection - What you need to know 20th February 2013 19:00hrs 19:30hrs Getting the most from www.swimming.org 22nd April 2013 19:00hrs 19:30hrs Recruiting and Keeping your Volunteers 22nd May 2013 19:00hrs 19:30hrs Health and Safety 3rd July 2013 19:00hrs 19:30hrs Child Safeguarding within Clubs 9th October 2013 19:00hrs 19:30hrs How to Run a Successful Event 27th November 2013 19:00hrs 19:30hrs Equality within Clubs 16th January 2014 19:00hrs 19:30hrs Should you wish to book onto a workshop, but your club have not received details two weeks prior to delivery, please contact renewals@swimming.org. Alex Harrison appointed Chair of ASA National Youth Forum The ASA congratulates Alex Harrison as he is appointed National Youth Forum Chair for the term of 2013/14. Following a tough application process, 18 year old Alex will take the reins of the group with the support of newly appointed Committee members Laura Cotton and Eleanor Jones. Alex has been passionately involved in aquatics from a young age, as an athlete, coach and official. Alex completed the IoS AASE programme, became a qualified level two diving coach and also sits on the FINA Diving Officials List. Alex is no stranger to committee roles, sitting on the Merton School of Diving and Trampolining Club Committee as Competition Secretary. I ve been a member of the Youth Forum for one year and am now excited to take on this new role in leading and working with the Youth Forum during 2013. The ASA would also like to welcome our new faces for 2013. Gabbi Simmons, Nikki Gatland, Rick Atkinson and Bethan Corley will be working with the committee and four existing members over the next 18 months to support and develop the growing network of young people within sport. If you would like to get in touch with the Youth Forum, please contact asa.youth.forum@gmail.com and for further advice and support in setting up your own youth group, please contact volunteering@swimming.org