Team Pink are the team of the Executive Officers and Assistants who are responsible for the running and development of the National Student Scout and Guide Organisation.
Amy Franklin
Hi, I’m Amy and your new membership officer! I am just coming to the end of my time at the University of Hertfordshire (studying Physics) where I help found HUGGaS as the treasurer (a role I have kept for the last 3 years!). Whilst I am sad to leave behind the society I helped create, I am ready for bigger and better challenges and that’s where joining the exec comes in!
Having joined SSAGO originally as an Indie member and then forming a club at my own university I felt members officer was definitely the role for me. Guiding has always been a part of my life, being the third generation in the organisation, so obviously I was part of every section and then became a leader in my own right (plus I even spent a few years in Scouting just for good measure!). I have loved helping at my 2 Brownie packs whilst at university but being in SSAGO has truly allowed me that well needed break from studying and has allowed me to make loads of new friends (something I hope continues in my time as membership officer).
In my term as members officer I would like to introduce a buddy system for Indie members attending national events, ensure all membership is paid and support those clubs who may be struggling financially and just be a friendly face to all members.
I can’t wait to meet you all and continue my SSAGO journey!
February 2021
Report
- International Officer: Since the last update a new International Officer has been elected, Conni! The International Officer reports to the Members Officer so I have had a meeting with her and started to support her with an exciting project
- Membership Fees: The most important and time consuming part of my role! The last few months of my life have been taken over by reviewing membership submissions, requesting updates, sorting invoices, creating a new way of paying for membership and lots of nagging!
- Contacting potentials: Throughout the year I have been helping members who don’t specify a club on the website by connecting them with their relevant local club (or the Indies!) This has also involved clearing up hundreds and hundreds of spam that is entered into the join us form on the website.
- Tidy up of membership info on the website: Alongside ensuring clubs are keeping their membership information up to date on the website, through their membership submissions, I have been doing a general tidy up of all the membership information on the website. Unfortunately this has involved the closing of several clubs some new, some that have been dead a while, by removing all their members (and encouraging them to sign up as Indies) and helping archive any resources the clubs may have that could be useful if the club were to restart in the future. I have also been sorting through a list of “naughty” members who are down as Full Members but with graduation years in the past (or sometimes no graduation year at all!), alongside clearing up the potentials list as above.
- Indie/Associate Rep Support: The Indie and Associate Reps are now settling well into their roles and I have just been there to support their plans. Some of the most exciting plans being the new Indie Necker and badges which look amazing
- Meetings: Attended lots of meetings with the rest of the Exec, Team Pink, events, SAGGA (and probably more I have forgotten)
Aims
- Handover: I have been putting a lot of work into ensuring a smooth and thorough handover for the next Members Officer. This has involved a big tidy up (as spoken about below) and an update to the fabulous handover document passed down from the last few Members Officers. I will continue to update the document with probably too much detail (it’s gone from 2 to 9 pages and I am nowhere near finished!) and plan how to work with the new Officer once they have been elected.
- Tidy up of membership info on the website: I aim to continue to tidy up the website in the ways listed in the “What I have done since the last update” section as this is a massive undertaking and I want it to be nice and fresh and tidy for the new Members Officer
- Final Membership Fees: Most clubs have now submitted and paid membership but there are a couple of clubs who have needed extra support and are still yet to pay. I wish to help support these clubs and get their payments through before handover
- Potential New Club: One of my favourite parts of my role has been setting up new clubs and I am excited to say I might have time to fit 1 more in before my term ends!
- Updating Club closing procedure: Having closed several clubs recently, it has become apparent that there is no clear process for collecting all of their resources and archiving them in a way that is accessible to anyone wishing to restart the club in the future. I am working with the Archivists and intend to start this process with the most recently closed clubs that I am still in contact with
November 2020
Report
- Indie and Associate Rep Elections: After a very unprecedented and drawn out election I finally managed to elect new Indie and Associate Reps! I have had handover meetings with both and I am very excited by their plans for the year
- New year, new members: September/October was a busy time for SSAGO with recruitment working differently for many clubs. I took this opportunity to ensure all new members were informed about SSAGO as a whole by adapting the “New Club Welcome Pack” and creating the “New Members Welcome Pack”. This pack gives an in depth overview of SSAGO and how it works and who to contact. It was sent to all new members who joined in September/October
- Virtual SSAGO: As is the new normal virtual SSAGO has become a big part of my role. I have taken part in events including Build-a-rally and giving a talk about National to SSAGO at the League of Midlands Virtual Fresher’s event. I have also helped support members create their own virtual events such as the SSAGO Bookswap and the new National SSAGO Secret Santa. I also continue to be active on the SSAGO discord and have particularly enjoyed the activities provided by the new Indie Rep
- Reps/survey follow-up: After the last Reps meeting and following on from the Full Members Survey I checked in with clubs who expressed concerns about the new academic year and recruitment. I also answered several general queries and misunderstandings that arose.
- Queries/issues: Having everything online has come with a new set of challenges from communication to general technical issues. I have, along with the rest of the Exec, taken each challenge as it comes and tried to come to reasonable solutions
Aims
- Membership Fees: Unfortunately it is coming to that time of year where I will be chasing clubs to pay their National Membership Fees. I will be working alongside the Treasurer to ensure the logic behind these fees is communicated and that the process of paying them is clear and smooth
- International Officer: Now the Indie/Associate elections are out of the way I will begin the recruitment process for a new International Officer.
- Record Management: I have recently noticed that some members details on the website aren’t accurate/up-to-date so I will be ensuring clubs/individuals are monitoring and updating their details as required, particularly with Membership looming. I will also be working with the new Indie/Associate Reps helping them keep on top of their memberships
- New Clubs/Members Welcome Pack: Now the “New Members Welcome Pack” has been created and sent out I would like to gather some feedback from both the new members I sent it to and the new clubs I have sent it out to over the past few months to ensure the information is relevant and useful
- Virtual SSAGO: I have loved getting involved in virtual SSAGO of all forms and hope to continue to support any events both big and small however I can
August 2020
Report
- Virtual SSAGO: enjoyed the Discord whilst in lockdown including the Get Active channel and Random Acts of Kindness. Also, taking part in Virtual Witan providing a campfire song and attending the opening/closing ceremonies
- Regions: ensured active Facebook groups were set up for each of the regions and connected them to the National SSAGO page to ensure they don't get lost in transition. Also, connecting the groups to the website to make them easier to find and more accessible to new members
- New clubs: set up clubs at Royal Holloway, Huddersfield, Universities of Highlands and Islands and Greenwich and the Kent universities. More new clubs in the pipeline so keep your eyes peeled!
- Indies: worked alongside the Indie rep to ensure Indie members are kept up to date with everything SSAGO and helped keep the Indie Membership records up to date
- General Queries: helped with queries/problems on a National and club level basis particularly to do with the Coronavirus. Also, helped connect local Guiding/Scouting with their relevant clubs/Indies
Aims
- Indie/Associate Rep Elections: working with Oli and current reps to run to fill these positions and ensure a smooth handover
- Potential New Clubs: continue communicating with potential new clubs and help make connections between Indies and universities interested in setting up clubs
- Buddy System: the original plan was to set up a buddy system for National Events (balls/rallies) however as this is up in the air the plan is to work with Adele (Chair) to set up a buddy system to connect new clubs with nearby established clubs and connect Indies with other members in their area
- Help with any issues with “Virtual Freshers”: for most universities it appears freshers will be virtual this year and with this will come new challenges so I will work with clubs struggling with recruitment or any other issues related to running virtually
May 2020
Aims
- Introduce a buddy system so Indie members can be connected with an experienced SSAGO member before a national event to make it less intimidating
- Be there to support clubs with any issues they may have, particularly in the current situation
- Support clubs with finding their new committee for the next academic year when needed
- Work with the Indie rep, Associate rep and International Officer to achieve their goals
- Be a point of contact for all members to support them through the current uncertainty and try to keep morale high!