This message is being sent to Special Olympics GB National Summer Games Volunteers and Officials
Edition 4 - February 2017
Dear<<First Name>>
Welcome to the fourth edition of our Volunteers and Officials Games Newsletter.
2017 has kicked off to a great start and we are so excited that the National Summer Games are now less than 26 weeks away! That also means registration ends in 15 weeks - please make sure you complete and submit yours as soon as possible if you have not already done so!
As always, we will keep sending you regular updates using these emails but please remember to keep an eye on our website for further information throughout the next few months.
From,
All the team at Special Olympics Great Britain
Role Assignment
We will start to assign everyone roles in the next six weeks. These will be communicated out to you via email, please keep an eye out on your inbox for further details. Please do not worry if you haven't heard from us within 6 weeks as this process will take a couple of months to complete.
We would ask that if you are no longer able to make the commitment to volunteering for the minimum four day period (Tuesday 8th - Friday 11th August inclusive) at the Games or if you have changed your mind regarding your registration, please let us know so we can update our records.
Volunteer Training Update
Compulsory National Summer Games Training
Training sessions for volunteers at the National Summer Games will start at the end of April 2017 and finish early August 2017. Each volunteer MUST attend one 3 hour session.
The sessions will be:
Midweek evening sessions from 1800 to 2100
Weekend sessions (Saturday and Sunday) 1000-1300
There will be a number of training sessions available to choose from.
There will also be some role specific training/briefings for certain volunteer roles, those who need to attend this additional training will be contacted separately once roles are allocated.
We are aware that volunteers will need exact dates as soon as possible so that arrangements can be made however, we cannot confirm the exact details yet as we are waiting until dates and venues are 100% confirmed to avoid any disappointment. As soon as we have the confirmation, the dates will be released and volunteers can book a session. These will be in a venue in Sheffield however, there will also be several London training sessions to try and accommodate those volunteers living in the South of England. These dates will be confirmed at a later date.
If there are any further questions, please contact our Training Manager Emma.Roe@sogb.org.uk
Spotlight on You!
We heard that a number of you were involved with the Special Olympics Great Britain Sheffield Games back in 1993!
We wanted to share with everyone some of the stories you have told us of the great legacy and memories you have, so we will be featuring these over the next few editions.
Hi, my name is Jean and I would like to give you some of my experiences I have had with volunteering with Sheffield International Venues. I have worked on most major events including the last Special Olympics, Student Games, Fire Fighter Games, Transplant Games and many more but I have to say the Special Olympics would have to be one of my favourites! To see these people give everything they have to take part in their events make me feel so happy to be able to help them in any way I can.
Taster Event - Can You Help?
Calling anyone in Sheffield and the surrounding area! On 26th March there will be a Taster Event at EIS open to any participant with an intellectual disability, their families and friends to give a new sport a go! Local coaches and clubs will deliver their sessions and provide information for follow on sessions to get involved.
We need 20 volunteers for the event.
About the day:
You will need to be available from 8:30am - 4pm
A packed lunch and T-shirt will be provided
We are pleased to announce that ALL the venues for the National Summer Games have now been released!
To see the full details, click through to the website.
Update for Officials
Please could we remind you to log onto your account and complete your applications as soon as possible. We are now in the process of assigning individuals to particular roles and we will only be able to do this with applications that are fully completed.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need any assistance with your applications, I am more than happy to address any questions or queries you may have.
Finally, if you cannot complete your application or are unable to officiate please let Sophie know so I can remove your details from our database.
OFFICIALS ACCOMMODATION:
Accommodation will only be provided for key non-local officials if pre-approved by Special Olympics GB National Office.
As an official you are NOT guaranteed the offer of accommodation and may be required to source your own. However, we will be providing travel expenses up to a certain amount (TBC).
Please contact us to discuss this possibility directly.
If you need help or advice around your National Summer Games Volunteer Registration, come to our drop-in with VAS at The Circle and have a chat with one of our advisors – they themselves are volunteers & are really ahppy to help others get into volunteering too! Open: Monday - Wednesday, 10am - 4pm Where: (Sheffield City centre, just off Division Street)
VAS - The Circle,
33 Rockingham Lane (behind Costa Coffee)
Sheffield
S1 4FW
For more information, visit: http://www.sheffieldvolunteercentre.org.uk/
Photo Upload:
Lots of volunteers are having issues uploading their photo. This is generally due to the file size which should be no bigger than 5MB. Please try compressing your image if possible. If it will still not upload or you need any help with this issue, please email admin.volunteer@sogb.org.ukwith your photo so we can upload it for you.
Referees:
We ask that your referees be someone who knows you closely. If you have been in employment in the last three years it would be ideal if you could put forwards your current/ex employer, or colleague.
For anyone still finding it difficult to put down referees, please get in contact with us directly.
Upcoming Events
2017 National Partnership Swimming Competition Hosted by Mencap Sport & Special Olympics GB - Can You Help?
Location: John Charles Centre for Sport, Middleton Grove, Leeds, LS11 5DJ
Date: 20/05/2017 to 21/05/2017
We need volunteers for the event. Roles Required:
Field of Play
Registration
Athlete Staging
A packed lunch and T-shirt will be provided
Please remember we have a Frequently Asked Questions page on our website, so any queries you have maybe answered here. If not you can input your questions and we will endeavour to answer you as soon as possible. Please click the buttons below to be directed to your FAQ area:
Spread The Word
Please help us spread the word about the National Summer Games and encourage many more people to be involved. Join us on Facebook and Twitter and where you can, please share and re-tweet our stories!
