Moderating Youth Voice

Young people often have brilliant ideas for what their section could do next — a particular game, a trip, a theme night. Youth Voice gives Scouts and Explorers a place to suggest those ideas from their own My Scouting login. Before any suggestion is shown to the rest of the section, a Volunteer checks it. This article explains how to review the ideas waiting for you, approve the good ones, and turn down anything that isn't suitable.

Where to find this#

Open the Youth Voice moderation page from your Programme and Events area. You'll see every idea your young members have suggested, grouped by where it is in the process: ideas waiting for review, ideas you've approved (now visible to the section), and ideas you've turned down.

A count next to the page tells you how many ideas are waiting, so you can tell at a glance whether there's anything new to look at.

Why every idea is reviewed first#

Nothing a young person suggests appears to their peers until a Volunteer has approved it. This is deliberate. Reviewing each idea first means:

• Only suitable, kind and safe ideas are shown to the rest of the section.
• Nobody can use suggestions to single out or get at another child.
• You stay in control of what your young people see from each other.

Youth Voice has no private messaging and no free-text replies between children — the only thing a young person can do with an approved idea is vote for it. Reviewing suggestions before they're shared is the safeguard that makes that possible.

Reviewing a suggestion#

Open any idea that's waiting for review to see the full suggestion and which section it's for. You have two choices:

Approve the ideas that are suitable and would make a good activity. Turn down anything unsuitable — unsafe, unkind, off-topic, or simply not workable. You don't need to explain a decision to the young person; they won't be told who voted for what or why an idea didn't go ahead.

How author names are kept private#

When you review an idea you can see which of your members suggested it, so you always have the full picture. But when an idea is approved and shown to the rest of the section, the author's name is hidden from their peers. Other young people see the idea and can vote for it, but they don't see who suggested it.

This keeps things fair and friendly. Young people can put forward an idea without worrying about what others will think of them for it, and popularity stays about the idea rather than the person.

Voting, kept simple#

Once an idea is approved, the rest of the section can give it a thumbs up from their own My Scouting login. There are no scores pitting children against each other and no public ranking — voting is simply a way for you to gauge what your section is most keen on. Use it as a steer when you're planning, not as the final word.

What's next#

• Surveying Your Young Members — ask your Scouts and Explorers a question directly, in their portal.
• Giving Your Child Their Own Scouting Login — the parent-facing guide to setting up a My Scouting login.
• Managing Your Member List — view, search and filter the members in your group.