Thank you to Grassroots Grant from Capital Community Foundation, WAIT UK was able to embark upon four weekends aimed at improving our proficiency and professionalism as active members of a youth charity.

Bonding Trip

The first event took place at Lyme Regis in Dorset. The purpose of this weekend on the 25-26th September was for the WAIT Committee members (four “older” and six “younger” people) to bond together, reflect on the past year, and start making plans for the future!

The first real activity was a one-hour fishing trip on the “Sunbeam” boat. This was really exciting for everyone; we caught a total of twenty-two fish using four lines shared amongst us.

Our plan at the camp site was to put up two large tents which we had hired, but after a discussion about the weather (we were told that it would get quite cold during the night!) we decided to put up only one tent (for the four boys) whilst the rest of us would sleep in a rented lodge, which would also be used for our meals and meetings. That proved to be a good (warm) arrangement!!

That evening after dinner, we held our reflection meeting, overseen by Priya Loganathan. Many interesting comments were made, including a better follow up system in order to increase our membership!

After breakfast the next morning, we all participated in a planning meeting, chaired by Farhad Nikayin. Many good points were raised, such as new dance routines for younger WAIT members; decisions were made to follow these up by various members of the team! Everyone agreed that both the meetings were fruitful.

We then moved in the direction of the Jurassic Coastline in search of fossils! Naomi Sato paired us up, explained the safety rules, and even offered a prize to the pair that found the best fossils! We gathered before lunch and displayed our findings - a number of very small ammonites! Daniel Raineri was presented with a souvenir prize because he not only found several fossils, but he also helped others in finding theirs!!

All in all, it seemed to be a wonderful bonding experience for the WAIT Committee, especially as the younger members agreed to take on more responsibilities this academic year.

Finally, the learning outcomes of working as a team, reflecting on last year, planning the Kick-Off workshop (in part) during the next Half Term, and looking towards the future were fulfilled. In addition, some new ideas were embraced by all, making us feel more hopeful and enthusiastic about taking WAIT forward in the coming year!!

Presentation Skills Training

We had two sessions by Athisia Muir. The first was a half-day session on Presentation Skills that took place during the WAIT Kick-Off Workshop on 28th October. This was an opportunity for many WAIT members to better understand the WAIT message, and then present it confidently to the public.

The second session, a day and a half Training for Trainers, took place on 6-7 November. This training really helped the older WAIT members to become trainers in order to train others in the presentation of the WAIT message to the public! We will be planning an event in March 2011 where a presentation will be given.

The key to these sessions was the obtaining of tools to make interactive sessions, rather than just reading out the power points as we did in the past. The trainers definitely became more proficient and confident in presenting the WAIT message to others.

Fundraising Skills Training

This training was held during the weekend of 20-21 November 2010 at the Indian YMCA in Warren Street.

Our learning outcomes from this training were to have the means and tools to form a financial foundation for WAIT UK, and to be become more confident in fundraising. We were shown how to target ourselves for funders, who we would appeal to, as well as how to apply for much-needed funds.

This is what the participants had to say about this training:

• "Very inventive and thought-provoking! This will help us to be better funded and have more secure future for our projects."
• "We can plan for the future, knowing that we can apply for funding for the things we want to do."
• "I liked the activities that made the training more interactive; I enjoyed the discussions and presentations!"
• "I liked the discussions and the understanding of the format regarding the process of getting grants – in terms of Overall Aims, Specific Aims and Vision."
• "I liked the collective ideas/information; the contributions from everyone; and the enthusiasm of the trainer. We feel more confident now!"
• "It helped me understand the pros and cons of what WAIT has and offers. It also opened my mind to new funding ways and methods."
• "The training gave us points to work on, not just intellectually, but practically. It gave us the confidence to imagine success in our activities, being organised, and surviving as a charity."
• "Because the training covered different aspects of fundraising, and offered lots of fundraising skills, it got people inspired and more able/confident to raise funds for WAIT!"

We were able to do some fundraising using the Internet over the Christmas holidays using www.easyfundraising.org based on confidence and ideas realised from the training.

Public Speaking Skills Training

The aim of this training, given by Stephen Blakemore, and held at the Gestalt Centre in Old Street on 11-12 December 2010, was to help WAIT leaders structure their talks, and have confidence and clarity in presenting the ideas and principles of WAIT.

These are the participant reflections from the Public Speaking Training:  

• This training helped all of us to present WAIT better to our audiences.
• It helps us introduce ourselves better and give better public speaking opportunities.
• We have a bit more experience in presenting ourselves to other people!
• The training has given us more confidence to do public speaking.
• As WAIT members, we could improve personally as public speakers, but the training has also helped us improve or make new presentations, and present more than before!!
• We now have improved confidence and improved practical experience of public speaking.
• The training has given us ideas on delivering (strategies), as well as media relationships.
• We were given great tips to use in making effective presentations, and for people to remember our message. The training was very interactive and enjoyable.

Based on the trainings we have received, we are setting up 3 action groups in order to help WAIT UK become more successful in fulfilling its aims and objectives. They are: Performing Area; Presentations and Public Speaking; and Fundraising and Admin.