Woodcraft Folk Training Area

Woodcraft training is free for members, and a great chance to take a step back from group sessions, and to share ideas and skills. These sessions will help you to run a successful group, where children can engage, learn and have fun in a safe environment, with confident leaders and helpers.  

We currently offer online, face to face and peer led training opportunities. To find out more or participate in one of our training sessions please select one of the options below. 

Online, in your own time: 

• Webinars 

• Online training modules

• Resources

Informal skill-sharing and support:

• Peer support

Short 'DIY' session plans to run in your district:

• Introduction to Woodcraft Folk

• Bitesize sessions

• Longer sessions

Face to Face weekend residential training, led by staff and/or volunteers:

• Leader training weekend

Additional resources:

• More session plans

• How to run a training session

Online, in your own time:

Webinars

Previously recorded seminars are available for you to watch at any time: you'll watch a slide show with audio commentary, followed by questions from those who 'attended' at the time. Check the calendar for upcoming webinars - signing up to a live webinar means you can ask questions of the trainer, giving you a more interactive experience. 

Watch a webinar now

In addition, Learn to Lead training videos explain all the important aspects of running a group or district.

Online training modules

Like webinars, these modules can be taken at a time to suit you. They are a series of web pages of information, followed by quiz questions. As of April 2016, we have three topics to choose from:

• New Group Journey
• Youth participation
• Safeguarding

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Resources

There is a wealth of information on our website to support your development. Its not strictly training, but you'll get the most out of training when you also know where to find resources afterwards. 

Use our resources page to search for what you need, or start at one of the following portals:

• Managing behaviour
• Safeguarding
• Inclusion
• Starting a new group
• Playing outdoors safely 

Informal skill-sharing and support:

Peer support

Sometimes the best way to learn is to speak to someone doing a similar role. Ask on the facebook group, within your district or contact folk office to find someone to answer your questions. 

Short 'DIY' session plans to run in your district

Introducing Woodcraft Folk

• Introducing Woodcraft -A two hour training session giving a general introduction to the organisation, explaining its aims, roots and background. 

Bitesize session plans

• Putting the aims and principles into practice
  
• Staying Safe
  
• Managing behaviour
  
• Fundraising in your District 
• Working together This session is a 90 minute practical session based on the 6 hour Working Together training plan.

Bitesize sessions are best run in the order above. They cover the essentials of running a group, so are particularly useful for new groups or volunteers. You could use them informally as discussion prompts in a group meeting, run them over four evenings or together over a day or weekend. 

Longer plans

• Working together -  How can group leaders, helpers and other adult members in the Woodcraft Folk work together in a more effective way? We are very good at helping children to learn the skills of co-operation but sometimes struggle to reflect these in the interactions between adults in the movement. This workshop will cover both the attitudes and the skills needed to work together not only co-operatively but also collaboratively.
• Bored Meetings - The course is aimed at Venturers, DFs and adult members who are either already on committees (e.g. district committees, regional committees, General Council, project or camp committees etc.), or thinking of getting involved with a committee in the future. 

If you've attended any of the training sessions listed above as a participant, or if you've experience running a group, you will have enough information to lead them yourself for your group or district. See tips for running a training session

Face to face weekend residential training run by staff and/or volunteers: 

Leader training weekend

Regular training weekends for leaders, held at one of our beautiful outdoor centres or youth hostels. Our residential training weekeds are designed to develop the skills and knowledge needed to volunteer with Woodcraft groups for any age, and our experienced facilitators work hard to make them fun, friendly and free!

To book a place on upcoming training dates, please check the calendar. If you can't see any training listed, please contact info@woodcraft.org.uk to register your interest in attending training. 

Download a sample agenda for the leader training weekend.

Note: this is just a guide, the agenda changes regularly to suit the needs of participants.

If you are thinking about running this training (or part of it) yourself, or you have been on the training and are looking for the handouts, please visit the leader training plan page. 

More session plans...

These session plans haven't been run in full recently, but are available as session plans for volunteers to deliver. Click here for more information. If you would like discuss with a member of staff info@woodcraft.org.uk. 

Tips for how to run a training session

Click here to download a copy of our tips on running a training session.