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Strategic planning in Junák - CZ

by Permi

What is a strategy?

„Strategy is a plan of activities of a long-term character meant to help us achieve previously definied objectives“

Why have a long-term strategy?

• It helps us to use available resources more efficiantly.

• It enables us face risks and make use of opportunities in a better way.

• It helps us aim towards the common goals.

Evolution of long-term planning in Junák

Look into history

• Scouting in former Czechoslovakia was re-established in the beginning of the 90‘s and was made to face a historically unique and new environment.

Competition of various free-time activities New trends in education and ways of spending free

time Changed climate in the society with a strong focus on

success in your carreer and individualism

Look into history• Junák did not get along well with the new conditions. This can be

well observed in the drop of membership. (losing 30% between 1996 – 2006, losing 1500 members a year – a patrol each day!)

Source: Membership data

1996

Look into history• In 2005, at the General Assembly of Junák adopted the Charter of Czech

Scouting that became the basis for further strategic developments. Those were behind the stop to the membership drop.

Source: Membership data

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The Charter of Czech Scouting

2005-2008

The Charter of Czech Scouting

A general document - a vision that: Answers the elementary questions

• What should the people be like who have gone through the Scout education

• What is the role of Scouting in today‘s society? • What should Junák be like to better fulfil its

mission of a Scout organization?

Sets strategic priorities for the few years to come

Strategic priorities originating in the Charter

If we want to be serious about Scouting, we need to:

1. Start to deal with the issues of the society more than those of ours.

2. Base on what‘s common: Mission, Principles and Method of Scouting

3. Support succesful groups and units as examples to others.

4. Accept that Scouting is not the only good educational method and accept that we dwell in environment of competition.

5. Share joy from a success, from the community, friendship and a great idea.

This means: Innovate the Scout educational programme and search for tools and

processes that address the youth of today. Be relevant to today‘s society, diffrentiate between the basis of Scouting and obsolete programmes.

Adopt training of leaders to the innovated programme. Target those young people that we fail to address. Try to offer

Scouting to everybody it can be relevant to.

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Strategic Priorities

2008-2011

Strategic priorities

• A strategic document approved by the General Assembly in 2008, pre-formulated in expert groups

• Out of many areas, 3 were picked for 3 years

Identity and Belonging Quality in Youth Programme Human Resources

• These priority areas were elaborated into concrete projects that are being carried out in due time.

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What lies ahead of us in near future?

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Long-term Strategy of Junák

2012-2020

Bases

• We want to have a balance between the expert and participatory attitudes

• We want to create the strategy based on a profound knowledge of the status quo of the organization

• We want the strategy to be a lively tool that will bring us to successful accomplishment of our goals

Participation in the creation of the strategy

Participation = involvement of the broad membership base into the creation of the strategic plan with following effects: Stronger identification with the vision Bigger willingness to work to achive the vision A result of higher quality based on experience of the future

users of the strategy The process of the creation of the strategy is transparent

Disadvantages: Very time- and human resource-consuming Potential conflicts in various issues

Basic steps in the strategy development

Basic steps – Finding agreement

Finding agreement on both the process and its outcomes

Basic steps - Analysis

• Describe the structure of the association• Set the hypothesis in individual parts of the structure• Create the methodology and appropriate analytical tools• Carry out the analyses and gather data

Basic steps - Evaluation

• Sort the gathered information using appropriate analytical tools and according to topics

• E.g. SWOT analysis, generational analysis, trend analysis etc.

• Set basic priorities in individual topics• Identify the „quick victories“ = possible activities that can

be carried out almost immediately without big investments and with bit impact

Basic steps – Forming the vision

• Create the working version of the Vision 2020 document• Organize meetings in regions and gather comments and

feedback• Include comments into the 2nd version• National strategy conference• Elaboration and approval of the final version

Basic steps – Development plan

• Elaborate individual areas of the vision with the horizon of 3 to 5 years

• Identify general measures that will lead to reaching the objectives

• Set priorities of individual measures

Basic steps – Plan of activities

• Elaborate the Development Plan into concrete activities woth the horizon of 1 year

• Sort activities into individual agendas• Distribute the agendas to Executive Board members and

further units

Feedback

Evaluation of the vision does not happen at its end but in the middle of it. The Vision goes through a reflection then and might be updated or altered.

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„Strategy cannot be just a heap of unused paper. It must be a living organism. For it to be that way we must make sure the organization knows it belongs to us all and accept it as optics for our common efforts.“

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Thanks for your attention!

Junák – Association of Scouts and Guides – CZ

Petr ‚Permi‘ Vaněk

International Commissioner of Junák

international@junak.cz