Lara Cooper talks about the important role young people play within our clubs. First published in the April 2023 edition of Scottish Paddler magazine.

Volunteering:

The journey often starts with volunteering - supporting club sessions as an extra pair of hands. This can be a great way for young people to gain skills and confidence, and don’t underestimate the positive impact they can have on the paddlers they are helping. 

Safety and Navigation Training Courses:

Running safety courses is a great opportunity for many club paddlers, grounding good practice and developing skills that will support club paddling activity, not just for young people. These are prerequisites for some of the instructor and leadership qualifications so can open the door to these in the future, and there is no age limit, so getting young people involved has multiple benefits. 

• Paddlesport Safety and Rescue Course (previously Foundation Safety and Rescue) 
• White Water Safety and Rescue
• Coastal Navigation and Tidal Planning 

Paddlesport Instructor and SUP Instructor: 

The BCAB Paddlesport Instructor and SUP Instructor courses are open to anyone aged 14 or over.

Paddlesport Instructors are often the first point of contact for newcomers to our sport, and play a really important role. First impressions from these sessions can have a lasting impact on the likelihood of the person returning to do more in the future. Delivering sessions that are safe, enjoyable and rewarding are cornerstones of the Paddlesport Instructor role, and threads that run through all elements of the course. 

Not only does this qualification help get people to get started delivering sessions, for many it is the first step on the formal qualification pathway, and can provide a great source of income working in the activity market for those looking for supplementary work as a young adult. 

Last year 353 people completed the Paddlesport Instructor course, 50% of whom were under 25, 20% under 18. 

Leadership Qualifications: 

Organising leadership training within the club is another great way to support the future leaders who may support club activity. Leadership award assessments are open for people aged 16 or over (with the exception of the awards based in Advanced environments, these are 18+), but training can be delivered for those who are younger. If you have competent young paddlers who are aspiring sea kayakers, white water kayakers, SUPpers etc. why not get them started with some leadership qualification training? They can then support club sessions and trips as assistants to gain more experience and skills. 

Deploying Young People: 

Whilst paddlers under 18 can gain coaching, instructing and leadership qualifications it is important to ensure they are appropriately supported in these roles. A young person can not be deemed responsible for leadership by law until they turn 18. They must have supervision, with an appropriate adult ultimately taking responsibility for the group’s safety and wellbeing.

Hazel (15) volunteers at West Coast Paddlers.

“I did the Paddlesport Instructor course to help me support my club and to hopefully get a part time job to support me through school/university. All coaches at West Coast Paddles encouraged me to develop my skills from a young age. This led to me having the skills at 14 to do my Foundation Safety and Rescue Training and Paddlesports Instructor Course. 

The course was good as I got to meet new people and learn new games to transfer my kayaking skills to others. I was the youngest person on the course but I was made to feel welcome and included.

When I qualified as a Paddlesport instructor, West Coast Paddlers welcomed me into their coaching group. I get to support and assist coach groups at our local Loch on a weekly basis. I shadow and lead under the guidance of other qualified coaches. This enables me to observe and learn other coach techniques to advance my skills. This is preparing me to do more qualifications when I hit the relevant age. I enjoy seeing other people out on the water having fun.”

Kamron (16) is a qualified Paddlesport Instructor and volunteers with Port Edgar Watersports. 



“I help out whenever I can. All of the instructors at Port Edgar are amazing. They have given me so much useful advice and knowledge, giving me feedback on my sessions and guiding me to become a better instructor. At Port Edgar, I am focusing on developing my skill set as much as possible while helping others experience and enjoy paddling. This includes learning and shadowing some of the amazing instructors at Port Edgar and looking at how they structure sessions, help nervous clients and demonstrate a skill. 

Working so closely with people of all ages and abilities has also allowed me to develop skills such as communication and patience. I love instructing all types of people. I love the reward of being able to pass on my skills to others, and I especially like working with disadvantaged young people or just other young people in general. There is something rewarding about being able to pass on my skills and seeing someone develop as a paddler. It shows the success I’ve had in developing my teaching skills. 

I think there needs to be a message sent across that young people can be instructors too. I think the best thing to do would be to get the message to young paddlers that they can start their instructor career at the same age as I did at 14, and then work on building their experience as young instructors and gaining other qualifications too. 

I am now working towards my coach qualification. Last year I did the Core Coach Training and Sheltered Water Coach Training. My next step is assessment. After I do that I would like to work toward both my white water kayak coach and my sea kayak coach. I would love to continue to gain qualifications and teaching experiences as well as personal paddling experience. I think the end goal for me would be me being able to work at an outdoor centre, being able to pass on my skills and passion to as many people as I can, while continually developing myself.

Poppy Croal McKenzie, who coaches at Forth Canoe Club, shares some top tips for clubs on how to encourage and engage with their younger members.

• Make them aware of the opportunities that there are within the club to get involved with volunteering, and what qualifications there are that they might want to work towards.

• Support them on their qualification journey - maybe there is a group of them who could do the training courses together. Also what mentoring could they get from experienced coaches within the club?

• Get them involved with the decision making at the club so they know they can be part of making a difference. Maybe they can sit on a committee so the club can get some insight into the things that matter to them and the direction the club is going in.