Our first Unit Leader Training weekend!

Networking lunch with other ULs and the CST

The UL team before our first briefing session

This weekend Mike, Ben, Shaun & I had our first Unit Leader (UL) training weekend at Warwick University. We had everything from Q&A sessions with the Contingent Management Team (CMT) and Contingent Support Team (CST) to workshop sessions about programme ideas for Sections in the run-up to the Jamboree.

The four of us met for a breakfast meeting on the campus to talk a little more about selection weekend and other bits and bobs. Then we headed over to the conference centre for lunch. We had a chat to some of the CST and some other ULs - it's really interesting to hear how other Units are running their selection processes and to compare progress. After lunch we had an introductory session where we heard about the progress the UK Contingent have made so far, and we met the Management Team. We heard some inspirational stories about how previous Jamborees had changed the lives of the young people who went to Thailand and Sweden (no pressure, Team!), and we also caught up on some admin stuff.

We had a much-needed coffee break after all this: the enormity of the work we have to do over the next twenty months was starting to sink in! The atmosphere was buzzing.

Each of us then split off to go to different workshop sessions. They covered everything from communications to a crash-course in Japanese culture, and health & the climate. We definitely won't be short of things to do at the training weekends and there is an awful lot for our Unit to take in.

We had some really useful Q&A sessions with the CMT and CST. Look out for the introduction of the 'stupid question paddle' at meetings and training from now on - it was a personal favourite of mine.

There was a formal dinner in uniform in the evening. Special thanks to the CST members who spent their whole training weekend making origami peace cranes for the tables. We were also given some EXCITING PRESENTS:

Who wants one?!

Chatting to other Unit Leaders and CST was fantastic and we picked up some great tips and news. It was so much fun that we didn't get to bed until nearly 5am (shout out to Lincolnshire and CST member Jon).

'Strictly Come Camping'

On Sunday we had the anticipated Unit kit demonstrated to us by a semi-naked Byron Chatburn (the UK Contingent Leader, no less), a giraffe (Pikachu wasn't available apparently), a sumo wrestler and the hi-viz highlander. Kit does include a sweaty neck towel (seriously, it's going to be THAT HOT) but we're not sure about the Union Jack undies.

We've been given an awful lot of information this weekend and the CMT & CST did a cracking job of putting it all together for us. Thankfully, it's all been put together in my most favouritest present of all: the Unit handbook.

The Unit handbook!

It's going to be my bedtime reading for the next two weeks so that, by selection weekend, I'll be a fountain of knowledge on everything we know so far about the Jamboree.