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Events Management Playbook


LOW-RISK EVENTS

Congratulations!   

You are planning a local event that will help Scouts Canada provide great, safe, Scouting adventures to youth in Canada.  

This page is dedicated to the planning process and procedure requirements for Low-Risk events (Council scale and previously described ‘Area - Events’). If you are unsure about the risk level of the event you are planning, please visit the Event Assessment and Approval Procedures which outlines the risk categories. Typical low-risk events include multi-group soapbox derby’s or Kub Kar rallies and Council Beaverees and Cubarees.

The content on this page is intended to help the local event management team as well as the Approvals Team (CK3 or delegate) with the minimum required components of event planning that must be considered for a ‘low-risk’ Scouts Canada event. It will also help your local team make sure that the event that is planned provides a quality program to youth, is safe and contributes to the growth of our membership. It will also help identify the support needed by your local event team and will ensure that there is adequate support, if necessary.  

For further support throughout the event planning process please reach out to Programsupport@scouts.ca they will be able to assign a dedicated Event Support Scouter to your event. 

All events are rooted in the Events Standard which is designed to be comprehensive in scope but applied in a scalable manner to reflect the variance in complexity, location, duration and program requirements for a particular event. It is primarily targeted at High-Risk events, typically Canadian Jamborees, Pacific Jamborees or other large-scale often complex events with high attendance. Understanding and reviewing the Event Standard will be beneficial when developing the necessary planning components of a low-risk event. To make it easier for local event planners, included on the page is a specifically designed “Council Low-Risk Event Guideline” that is an extract of the minimum requirements for low-risk events from the Events Standard.

WHAT TO DO NEXT?

Review this document to understand the expected minimum requirements for low-risk Council Events, such as Emergency Management, Food Service and Financial Management Requirements etc. 

This will be the main document that will be completed and submitted throughout the approval process to the Approval Team (CK3 or delegate.)  It is divided into 4 sections, with each section covering a different aspect of the event.  Approval of each section is required before submitting the next section for approval. 

ROLE DESCRIPTIONS

NATIONAL EVENT COMMISSIONER

The National Event Commissioner is a driven leader, passionate about Scouting and champions the implementation of events within the Program Support Team.  Working collaboratively with the Associate Director, Program Support, they provide the strategic direction related to the Event Standards and the Event Support Team. 

The National Events Commissioner is the Team Leader for the National Network of (Major & Local) Event Support Scouters and plays a role in managing, coaching and mentoring the team of regional-based volunteers.  They support the recruitment and onboarding of new volunteers as well as providing personal development opportunities for team members.  

Working in tandem with the Associate Director and other Program Support sub-functions, the National Events Commissioner, is the subject-matter expert for event support and the Event Standards.  They are an ambassador for Scouts Canada, the Program Support team and the National Service Team and participate in a number of planning meetings/Townhalls regularly with key stakeholders across the organization.    

The National Event Commissioner is appointed annually by the National Key 3 (NK3) for no more than three consecutive terms and reports to the NK3 and as delegated for day-to-day operations, to the Director of Scouting Experience. 

EVENT SUPPORT SCOUTER

The Events Support Scouter role provides subject matter guidance and experience to help Local Event Teams deliver fun, safe and high-quality events that meet or exceed the expectations of the Event Standard.  Event Support Scouters may be assigned support roles for large, 'higher-risk' events like CJ, AJ or PJ (large jamborees) or more local 'lower-risk' events within a Council. By supporting Local Event organizing teams as they progress through the event management process, they function as the liaison between Event Management Team and the Approval Team (CK3 or delegate) to ensure events meet the minimum threshold outlined in the Scouts Canada Events Standards.   

COUNCIL “LOW-RISK” EVENTS — FAQ

An event is an opportunity for youth to come together, take part in new experiences, and further develop. The key difference between an event and a group activity is typically an event involves multiple groups, is often managed by a dedicated event team (not under the oversight and approval of a specific GC). Examples include anything from a Pacific Jamboree (PJ) through to a large KubKar rally with multiple groups attending. Other examples may include Canadian Cub jamboree (CCJ), Adirondacks Winter Challenge, Beaverees, Cubarees, Soapbox Derbys or Skills Camps.

Perhaps you are an experienced event organizer or it’s your first go at planning an event, no matter your experience the starting point is about the same. Take a look at the Event Management Playbook. This webpage will help you determine the scale of your event. Note – the Event Management Standard and Playbook were originally written and intended for large scale high-risk events like a National Canadian Jamboree, Pacific Jamboree or International Jamboree. Most events that Councils and Groups participate in fall under the “low-Risk” category and should be planned using the “Council ('Low-Risk') Event Planning and Approval Template” and associated guidance. This template will walk you through all the event planning steps. If your event is a bit bigger or riskier it will fall under the “medium” or “high” risk category. These higher-risk categories require more complex planning processes. Please consult the Event Management Playbook and talk to your CK3 if you are looking to organize an event in the higher-risk categories.   

We know Council events can create whirlwind for CK3s. To better allow CK3s to focus on their core business of supporting groups, our vision for events is to empower, as much as practical, local event planners (Event Management Teams) to continue organizing and running great events. Under this vision, the CK3 (or delegate) will continue to be the final go- or no-go decision-maker, but the majority of working decisions and activities will be executed by the Event Management Team. CK3s are discouraged from being involved in every step of the event planning (e.g. attending planning meeting, planning logistics) for that we have Event Support Scouters.

Event Support Scouters are dedicated Scouters that work with event organizers to ensure the successful planning of events. They report to the National Events Commissioner and may be supporting events inside and out of their home Council. While they do not report to CK3s they will certainly work closely with them to ensure events meet CK3 approval. The CK3 may also choose an Event Support Scouter to act as the event approval delegate. A complete role description can be found here.  If you have Scouters interested in becoming Event Support Scouters forward them this form.

To ensure all events across the country are conducted in the same safe, fun, Scouting manner it is important we all use a consistent approach and associated resources. The Council Low Risk Event Template is largely unchanged from what has been in use for the last 5 or more years. Similarly, most of the materials made available in the Event Management Playbook have been adapted from resources previously used by Councils and will look similar to what you are to use today.

You can start today. The event standard and associated mandatory requirements have been in place since January 1, 2021, all other support and guidance elements of the updated event planning process are ready for use as of August 30th 2021: https://modxtest.scouts.ca/resources/event-management-playbook/home.html

The Event Assessment & Approval Procedure (scouts.ca) outlines the risk classification for events. More simply, a short, small event will be classified ‘low-risk”. With increasing Category 2 and 3 activities, longer duration, or larger attendance will drive a higher risk categorization. Those classified ‘low’ or ‘medium’ will be managed locally at the CK3-level. The Events Commissioner and / or Event Support Scouters will assist in the risk-classification. A provisional assessment based off event history has been developed to guide CK3s. That said – all events need approval at the early planning stages before commitments are made.

As part of the financial consolidation project, event transactions will also be moved to One Scouts.  As part of the approval process, the event management team submits a completed Event Approval Template together with a detailed budget. The CK3 will review the budget and any requests for financial or staff support and provide approval for the plan which may include a request for money for deposits and equipment needed before cash in-flow from registration.

Take this as an opportunity to educate them on the event planning standard and process. Then invite them to take the needed steps to ensure event compliance. If they are still unwilling to follow the event planning process inform them their event cannot proceed.

There are three broad categories of risk: High, Medium and Low. Classification is based on Location, Frequency, Experience of the event planning team, Attendance, Duration, Program elements, and Incident management. A complete breakdown can be found here Event Assessment & Approval Procedure (scouts.ca)