V

14 February.

As part of the Adult Training Scheme, training modules needed validating, which just means they needed to be approved. However, as we move to The Learning Tree, volunteers with the Learning Assessor accreditation will now do this instead.

Is lower case, for example, Thames valley, the Welsh valleys.

As with lots of Dutch names, capitalise both words if you’re just using his surname (for example, a Van Gogh painting); leave the ‘van’ lowercase if you’re giving his full name (Vincent van Gogh). 

Don’t ask us why.

It’s trademarked; try ‘petroleum jelly’ (we know, it sounds a bit gross – that’s probably why they gave it a trademarked name).

Is lower case, even when you’re talking about Scout values. The values themselves (integrity, respect, care, belief, and cooperation) are also lower case.

Value added tax, but there’s no need to spell it out.

A large body of religious texts originating in ancient India; they’re the oldest scriptures of Hinduism. Hindus believe scholars got the texts straight from God and passed them on to the next generations by word of mouth.

Velcro is trademarked. Capitalise it if you need to use it.

The most important festival in Buddhism. It’s celebrated in May or June (depending on the Moon) and is a time to remember the Buddha’s birth and enlightenment. Every Buddhist culture has its own traditions for the day; people may go to their local temple, do good deeds, or share food with others.

Yep, you guessed it: capitalise them in Scouts, leave them lower case outside of Scouts. We’re nothing if not predictable.

A cleric of the Anglican church, not of any other denomination. All vicars are priests, but not all priests are vicars.

Though be aware that it can sound a bit old-fashioned; depending on the context, you might just be able to say ‘game’ instead. 

Not chords. Chords are the ones you can play on a guitar (or a piano, or a ukulele, or a xylophone).

Wherever you can, call people ‘volunteers’ or ‘helpers’, not ‘leaders’.

Our Volunteering Culture is a shared understanding for us as volunteers. It reminds us of our goal to help more young people gain skills for life, while supporting each other, being our best and embracing our values as a movement. It's at the heart of what we do at Scouts.

This team makes sure all volunteers have a positive and enjoyable volunteering experience. They make it easy for people to join and learn new skills.

As this is a new team, many members of local training teams, Appointments Committees, and Awards Advisory Groups may now become members of Volunteering Development Teams. But please don't assume and always check.

Please note: Volunteering Development Team, not Volunteer Development Team.

Not volcanos.