Martin was a bachelor in his 30’s, living with his mother in the northeastern suburbs of Birmingham. By day he was an environmental health officer with Birmingham City Council, but every Friday evening he became “Skip”, the leader of the 5th Birmingham Scout Group. Along with his colleague Eric, they planned a weekly programme of activities and games that entertained 24 to 30 boys aged between 11 and 16 years for two hours every week.
But his commitment did not stop there. Every Spring bank holiday he and Eric organised a local weekend camp for the Troop, and every summer there would be a week-long camp further afield. Here, we boys learned to pitch tents, chop wood safely, light fires, prepare our food and cook it. We were taught to read maps and learn to navigate our way on foot to specified destinations. And in the evenings, we would gather around the camp fire where there would be singing and story telling. Every moment was full of purposeful activity and all was meticulously planned.
As a teenager growing up in urban Birmingham, “Skip” widened my world view far beyond my academic days at school. I was taken hill walking in Snowdonia and as a result, I developed a passion for hiking and hill-walking. And my musical tastes expanded beyond the Beatle and the Moody Blues to include an appreciation of acoustic folk music. I even tried sailing a boat, but decided getting wet was not for me!
There are of course many “Skips” in the world – volunteers who give up their free time to lead youth groups of various sorts. They perform a vital function, providing young people with an alternate adult role model outside of the family and offering youngsters the opportunity to try new experiences. Martin is the reason I am passionate about youth work.
John Wilcox
