What Are the London Youth Games?

What are the London Youth Games? ...... 3

What is GamesForce? ...... 4

Junior Team Leader and Team Leaders ...... 5

Volunteering at your first London Youth Games event ...... 6

GamesForce Goodies ...... 10

Volunteer’s Stories ...... 11

What’s next? ...... 14

London Youth Games are a unique season of events at the heart of youth sport in London. It has been London's favourite youth sports competition since 1977, when it was launched to mark the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. Since then, borough teams have competed on an annual basis for the Jubilee Trophy as the event has grown into Europe's largest annual youth sports event.

In 2019, we are looking forward to hosting 99 school and community competitions, delivered by 4,000 volunteers across 33 sports. The Games will involve young people aged 7-19 from 33 London borough teams and around 1,000 schools.

GamesForce is our volunteer programme (age 16+) which allows you to get involved and be part of the action at London Youth Games. It provides you with the opportunity to learn new skills, enhance your experience and be part of a fantastic team. Without our volunteers, London Youth Games couldn’t run. Last year over 4000 volunteers contributed to the Games!

Sport

Type of roles: Registration and Results; Officials (in many of the 30 sports); Assisting with the competition.

Events

Type of roles: Medal ceremonies; Results collection; Event support; Event & Information Hub; Hospitality.

Media

Type of roles: Photographers; Videographers; Reporters; Social media; Journalists.

These roles are open to everyone, and you can try out different ones at various events so you get the chance to find the perfect role for you!

Team leaders (18+) manage groups of young volunteers at event days. Becoming a team leader is a great opportunity for you to further your career prospects, develop leadership skills, work as part of team and gain experience across the areas of sport, media and events. Training, mentoring and onsite support is provided to successful applicants.

Volunteers aged 16-18 who take on more responsibility and work alongside a Team Leader or LYG member of staff.

Applications to become a team leader will open on Monday 19th November and will close on Sunday 6th January. Make sure you are signed up to GamesForce as the link to apply will be sent out via our mailing and advertised on all our social media platforms. Everyone who applies will then be contacted on the week beginning 14th January whether successful or not.

Here is what to expect if you choose to volunteer at a London Youth Games event. We hope you are looking forward to being part of the fantastic GamesForce team. The next couple of pages should give you an idea of what to expect at the event and answer any queries you may have. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch though if you have any other questions or concerns – just email Lucy on [email protected]

You will receive your role confirmation and Volunteer Pack via email containing all the necessary information you will need on the event. This will include: • Event location, directions and a map • Arrival time • Meeting point/person • Role description • Contact numbers 7 days before the event day, you will be sent a reminder email containing any updated event information and transport information that may affect you on the event day. You will also receive a text 1 day before the event from your Team Leader just to make sure you don’t forget and to provide you with their number!

On the day of the event, it is essential that you are punctual so make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get to the venue. Don’t forget to have your mobile phone fully charged and in credit in case you need to contact anyone if you are running late or are lost.

On arrival you will: • Meet your team leader at the arranged location. A team leader is an experienced GamesForce volunteer who has undergone specific training to manage groups of volunteers at event days. • Sign in. • Receive your GamesForce t-shirt and any reward items. • Be briefed (have your role explained, run through the logistics of the day, lunch, expenses, feedback etc). Throughout the day, you will carry out your role and work as part of the GamesForce team. If you have any questions, there are also plenty of people on site who will be able to help you out. These are the different London Youth Games t-shirts to look out for:

Sign in and out with your team leader and go to them as your first port of call if you have any questions relating to your volunteering role.

There to help the team leader and support you!

TOP TIP! Events can often have very busy periods, followed by quieter periods. Make sure you use your common sense and take a break if you need one at appropriate times. Once your role is over, you are free to go! Before you leave though, YOU MUST sign out with your team leader.

Feedback Within 4 days of the event ending, you will get a follow up email and also a feedback text with 2 simple questions to help us improve your experience. The cost to respond is £0 to you so please take the 30 seconds needed to reply! Travel Expenses You will also receive a reminder about claiming travel expenses. You must make sure you keep hold of your receipt and take a photograph of it and email it to [email protected]. There will also be a link sent out to you where you provide your bank details for the expenses to be paid into. Unfortunately, without any travel receipt we cannot refund your expenses.

The next bit is when the fun repeats all over again - you can look out for more volunteer opportunities so you can get involved with GamesForce again! Hopefully, you will now have a good idea of what to expect when volunteering at a LYG event. If you have any unanswered questions, you can email Lucy - [email protected] who will be more than happy to help with any questions.

We really value you giving up your time to volunteer with us, therefore we provide some little rewards along your volunteer journey with us - GamesForce Goodies! Each time you volunteer with us you will collect a sticker for each event and at some special milestones along the way you will receive an extra little gift.

We had a quick catch up with some of our GamesForce volunteers to tell you about their experience volunteering with London Youth Games. - Team Leader Sport/Event Volunteer Media Volunteer

When did you first get involved with the London Youth Games (LYG)? L-A: March 2017 – a newbie to the scene! C: The first events that I volunteered for were the Key Steps Gymnastics, the netball, swimming and diving during the LYG Finals Weekend in 2017. M: I got involved with the London Youth Games earlier in May 2017. What made you get involved? L-A: Having heard about LYG and not being able to participate in the games myself when at school I was keen to get involved in another way. Speaking to LYG staff members too through my placement year at university really helped to get me excited and engaged with the events run by LYG, including Spring finals. C: Having been competing in the LYG for several years I wasn't really aware of the amount of time that goes into running such a fantastic event. But by volunteering it's clear to see that the events are enjoyed by everyone from spectators, to participants, to support staff, to volunteers. M: I am a huge fan of sports, and I am really curious about sport at the grassroots level as far as performance and development is concerned. I wanted to contribute towards a community driven youth sports competition/ games that I knew acted as a good foundation for a lot of the young athletes.

What skills have you learned whilst being a volunteer with LYG? L-A: Communication, leadership, teamwork, time and self-management and confidence! M: I have learned the importance of communication, organisation as well as emotional intelligence. Please tell us about your overall experience. What do you think you have gained from it? L-A: Fantastic! Volunteering with LYG has definitely set me up with a range of skills that I know I will continue to use in the future. The role has also made me feel very welcome into the LYG family, and I know that they would have me back anytime again! Also, working with the competitors at the events was inspirational and life changing - The games are an amazing opportunity for young people and a lot of what happens in the sporting world all starts at these games, so being part of the event delivery team as a volunteer was just great 

C: Lucy and the rest of the Gamesforce team stayed in regular contact with me and were really friendly and supportive on the run up to Finals Weekend. I was forwarded all of the information that I needed which gave me an idea on what to expect during my time volunteering and also helped me to prepare for the tasks I would likely be asked to do. My first team leader was Daniel. On arrival he greeted me, made sure that I was aware of my roles and responsibilities for the day and also that I was looked after. I honestly loved all of it!!!! M: The overall experience was very inspiring, it was great being exposed to the young athletes and the support that they received from their families and friends. It allowed me to witness the power that sport has to bring people together even that youth level. I learned a lot from the competitors as far as the imagination and creativity that they displayed whilst performing/competing. What was your role and how do you feel your role compared to your expectations? L-A: I was Team Leader. I was given a lot more responsibility compared to what I thought I would be doing. Being given this responsibility and opportunity to do more as a volunteer helped me to work on and develop some foundation skills for careers in the future. Responsibilities just to mention a few were liaising with LYG core staff, helping with scoring and results, registering participants and being the face of the games and delivery team. C: Having experience in both Gymnastics and Acrobatic Gymnastics Coaching I was asked to help out at the Key Steps Gymnastics on the first day of Finals weekend. I was apart of the events team which required me to take on roles such as register all of the schools and gymnasts taking part, be in control of the timings for the different warm ups and rotations, write certificates and hand out medals to the winners. M: I had a media role. I think it matched my expectations as my role mostly involved documenting their performances and the overall environment of the game which brought my expectations to life.

What advice would you give a volunteer coming to their first event? L-A: Just get involved with everything and anything possible – be open to everything that LYG has to offer as it is so rewarding! Challenge yourself within your role. Finally, just ENJOY YOURSELF, HAVE FUN and THROW YOURSELF OUT INTO THE VOLUNTEERING WORLD 

C: I would tell any new volunteers to definitely get involved and be open to all of the opportunities that London Youth Games have to offer because they really are rewarding! There are so many different volunteering roles available that there really is something for all, so if you're not sure on what you could do to help just put your name forward and the GamesForce team will be able to point you in the right direction. M: Enjoy the experience, connect with people and understand that their role as a volunteer is contributing towards the journeys of the young competitors.

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By now you should have a good understanding of GamesForce and hopefully want to become part of the team and volunteer at a London Youth Games event. Have a look at the calendar and keep an eye out for the email newsletter which will be advertising our latest opportunity.

Most of our events are open to the public so it's really easy to pop down, meet the team and find out more. Let us know you're coming down and we'll send you some more information. It's that easy!

Any questions in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Email Lucy: [email protected]