When clubs cannot meet in person, it is important to create ways to stay connected.

• See the sportscotland advice here about how clubs can stay active and connected 
• See other suggestions on how to stay connected with your members and the option of conducting an online survey to see what members need from you both now and in the future
• Keep up to date with latest news, advice and resources on the SCA website
• Join in with the SCA Online Activites including topics from Paddling on the Sea to Coaching Catch up and from Club Governance to SUP Safety
• Take part in SCA Social events including online quizzes, talks, interviews and Q&A with paddlers from different disciplines from around the globe
• Participate in the SCA Virtual Connects - staying connected, keeping in touch with fellow paddlers
• Like our Facebook page
• Join your Regional Support Page

These are challenging times for all of us, and the paddling plans we had made both personally and within our clubs have been put on hold. While some of us will still be busy with our jobs especially those key workers, others will find they have more time on their hands than they would have expected. 

We are already seeing and hearing many examples of how clubs are managing to keep in touch with each other during this period. Don’t underestimate the power of communication at this time and maintaining your passion for paddlesport. Prepare for the future by planning trips, training, competition and events (even if you don’t know the exact date!).

Club members cannot physically meet during this crisis however there are many online platforms such as Google Hangouts, Skype, Daily.co, Zoom, WhatsApp and many more. Why not host a virtual club meet, a focus group or a committee meeting? See this useful post about video conferencing tips.

Should you need help to set up a call the SCA can help you do this - please ask

Delivering Club Activities Online

It’s important that you remain in touch with your club members during this difficult period. For many of them, the club will be an important place for them to socialise and meet people. Staying in touch might also encourage them to get back to paddling with the club just as soon as the current restrictions are lifted. Several clubs are running online quizzes and fitness sessions. Others are using the time to work with each other to plan trips, journeys and club challenges later in the year. 

Many clubs are finding a new creative spark to keep their members engaged. If you plan. to do this, be sure you know your way around the online platforms as well as you know paddlesport!

Some top tips: 

• Be in control of the platform - make sure you have logged in and set up the online session and are aware of how it is set up. Don’t share usernames and passwords with others. 
• Determine whether the online session is private or public - e.g. is it a defined group of people or broadcast for anyone to see. This will determine how you set it up. 
• Make use of ‘Waiting room’ and password functions where possible to maintain control of who is in the meeting and what they are able to do.
• Consider features such as screen sharing, cameras etc - whether you utilise these or disable them.  
• If you are delivering training there are many interactive features available to get the participants involved through online polls, chat, Q&A, raised hands, sharing documents, breakout sessions and more. Plan your session in advance and understand the features. 
• Check compatibility across different devices to avoid ending up in a live session with participants who cannot participate due to in-compatibility. 
• Plan the audio carefully - avoid background noise and echo
• Rehearse in advance and be sure everything is working as you expect. 

Staying Safe online 

If you are planning on including youth members on online platforms, your club need to ensure they are following the online safety guidelines that you would normally do for any contact and engagement with children/young people via social media. We would advise all clubs to ensure that you have appropriate social media policies in place.

• Avoid any 1:1 online meetings between adults and under 18s. Parents/carers of under 18s should be present in the room during online calls/meetings/training sessions. 
• Ensure appropriate language and content is being used. Do not allow children to post photos of themselves or anyone else and ensure other members do not post images of youth riders without the appropriate consents being in place.
• We should also remember that the current requirements on social distancing place some individuals at risk, either of isolation and neglect, domestic violence or other forms of abuse. If you become concerned about the wellbeing and welfare of anyone that you have virtual contact with then you should share this with our Lead Child Safeguarding Officer at Andy.Murray@canoescotland.org.
• Further information on reporting concerns can also be found on our Wellbeing and Protection resources page here
• Children 1st Social Media Guidance available here
• Further info on the sportscotland website here 

It is important to note that exercise is still possible and encouraged during this time when we cannot paddle. 

For those that are already engaged in regular training sessions, in addition to their paddling activities, here are some videos showing typical land-based sessions which may be of interest.  

The SCA accepts no responsibility for third party content. Do not undertake exercise of any kind unless you are capable of it. In these challenging times we must all do our level best not to put ourselves at any risk. This is in order to protect our own health and welfare as well as to minimise the burden on the emergency services. 

Examples:

Adam Burgess, selected to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games in C1M Slalom, yoga video

30 day yoga video

Stay at home Paddling video: Making a paddling machine using little equipment

Example circuit session:

Warm up ( Repeat 2x of each set): 

Press Ups (x10)

Squats (x10) 

Supermans (x10)

Split Squat (x10)

Rolling Plank (x10)

Main Circuit (Repeat circuit 3x - 30 seconds on/ 20 secs off, 2 min rest between sets):

Dumbell External Rotation And Press

Dish Tuck

Side Plank Rotations

Triangle Press Up

Arm Leg Raise

V Sit Single Leg Hold

Alekna

Press Up Pause

Reflection and Planning

Time spent in reflection is seldom wasted!

If you are a club committee volunteer and have some additional time at home here are some ways to help plan for the future of your club. You can use this time to consult with your members, via webinars, surveys etc, about what they would like to see going forwards 

The SCA has a Well Run Clubs Framework which is a model that clubs can use to help them reflect and plan for the future.  It is broken down into six areas: 

• Organisation / Governance
• People / Workforce
• Places and Equipment
• Communication
• Partners
• Pathways

To help with this we have a Review and Planning Tool.  All available on SCA’s Club Resources page alongside other useful information and case studies.

Alternatively Sportscotland’s Clubs and Communities Framework & Help for clubs are valuable resources and are generic to cover all sports. 

There are many different planning templates online.  SCA has supported several clubs and partners through the VMOST concept.  Here is an example Video. 

An important part of this is that it is clear what the club's vision for itself is as this should dictate that the rest of the plan is working towards it. 

Update your Policies and procedures (fun eh!?)

Other tasks that could be undertaken as well as planning for the future is reviewing the policies and procedures of the club;

• Roles and responsibilities - Does your committee have a role description for each post?  By defining the role this can greatly assist with recruiting new people to a particular role or maybe divide a role to lighten the workload on one person. 
• Health and safety - Do you have a Health and Safety Policy, Standard Operating Procedures and Risk Assessments  British Canoeing have Templates for each of these. 
• Paddle Safer is a directory of safety information and guidance that will be useful when considering RA and SOP’s as well as Trips policies and coach deployment. 
• Training - Do you have a plan to develop coaches and leaders?  Now might be a good time to speak to each of the current coaches and leaders and understand their own future aspirations and to plan for training of new coaches and leaders. 
• Annual Training Program - Laying out an annual plan of training such as first aid, Foundation Safety and Rescue Training, Paddlesport Instructor, White Water Safety and Rescue, Coastal Navigation and Tidal Planning, child protection training etc. these are all needed by coaches, aspirant coaches and volunteers.  By having a calendar of training allows members to plan ahead to attend and there is not the mad rush because it is needed as a prerequisite for a course.

If you are looking for some more reading, why not read SCA Coach Developer's hints and tips on what coaches can do?  And if you're in need of some more training, support or a social event, join us for our Online Activities

Sportscotland have provided information about managing your club during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. 

How do I keep the club committee running when we cannot meet in person? 

Most clubs should be able to continue their essential processes such as committee meetings etc via online meetings with electronic records, with many already doing so before the current crisis. British Canoeing actively encourages this approach and would support this way of working during the Covid-19 outbreak even if it is not supported by the club constitution. 

Do we still need to remain affiliated to the SCA during this time?

Yes. We want to continue to support your club throughout this period. It is also important that affiliation and therefore club insurance is continuous. We recognise that no paddling activity will be happening in your club but maintaining insurance ensures that your affiliation covers both current and historic claims against your club.

Clubs with charitable status including SCIOs (Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisations)

The Scottish Charity Regulator has provided advice for clubs with charitable status on topics including finances, holding AGMs and other key meetings and on reporting to the regulator. Full details can be found here.