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Volunteering at Scouts is changing to help us reach more young people

Volunteering is changing to help us reach more young people

Volunteering is changing at Scouts. Read more

Discover what this means

Hello with the flow

Spend a few minutes meeting others and chatting about the topic you’re given. How well do you know each other?
Plan a session with this activity

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You’ll need

  • Scissors
  • Printed cue cards
  • A whistle or bell (optional)
Cue cards
PDF – 97.2KB
Download Cue cards

Before you begin

  • Cut the cards, so that they are separate.
  • You should have enough cards for each player to have one card each – it doesn’t matter if you have to use some topics more than once.

Play the game

  1. Give everyone a card. Everyone can play this game, even the grown ups.
  2. Everyone should read the topic at the top of their card, and think about what they may like to talk about.
  1. Everyone should move about, to mix up. They could walk, hop, or dance.
  2. The person leading the game should make a noise to tell everyone it’s time to get into pairs – they could use a whistle, bell, or their voice.
  3. Everyone should find a partner – grown ups should partner with young people.
  1. The youngest person in each pair should start. They should talk about the topic on their card for two minutes – the person leading the game should make a noise to let everyone know when two minutes has passed.
  2. The older person in each pair should talk about the topic on their card for two minutes, when the person leading the game will make a noise again.
  3. Each pair should swap cards, so everyone has a new topic to talk about. Occasionally, both people in the pair may have the same card; they can just do that card again.
  4. Everyone should repeat steps two to eight, picking a different partner each time.

Reflection

This game was a chance to practice communication. Was it hard to explain your answers clearly? Did you have to give lots of detail and explain things, or did your partner know some of the information already? Was it easy to practice talking loud enough, and looking at your partner? Was it easy to concentrate on what your partner was saying, and listen well? Could you remember things about your partners after the game was finished?

This game also helped you to value and trust others, regardless of their background. Were everyone’s answers similar, or are your friends all different? What interesting things did you learn about your friends? How can you respect people who do different jobs, celebrate different things, or like different stories? Was it interesting to learn more about other people? Could you know these things about people without asking them?

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

Scissors

Supervise young people appropriately when they’re using scissors. Store all sharp objects securely, out of the reach of young people.

Players could make their own cards before the game starts, picking their own topics and suggesting questions.

Help anyone who needs help to read the card, before everyone moves around and mixes up.

If certain cards are likely to be upsetting for anyone, remove them before you play the game. For example, if anyone’s living situation is difficult, remove the ‘people you live with’ card.

All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.

Cubs Communicator Activity Badge