Organisers wishing to register a Go Canoeing Starter Sessions should complete the electronic registration form, which you can download here.
Organiser Information
It is fundamental to ensure that a welcoming and positive paddling experience is provided to participants within a managed environment. The actual content of the session should be decided between the coaching team, however, we would like to encourage you to not only provide the taster session but also a follow up session within a month, aimed at gently taking the next step along the paddler pathway.
Ideas for your session:
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Warm welcome to all participants
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Go Canoeing Starter Session Consent Form
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Brief explanation of the benefits of your club/ centre and Canoeing
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Introduction to equipment
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Safety briefing
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20 – 30 minute paddling experience
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Encourage all participants to complete the Participant Feedback Form
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Issue Go Canoeing Certificates
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Promote the follow up session
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Present Club Welcome Pack (see guidance below)
Club Welcome Pack Guidance
We recommend that a Club Welcome Pack contains:
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Welcome letter from club/ centre
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Club/ centre newsletter, joining information and membership form
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Information about a follow up session
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Club Code of Conduct/ Junior Code of Conduct
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Participant feedback form
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Any additional information relevant to your club or centre
Resources and Templates
To help support you with the Go Canoeing Starter Session, Canoe England will provide you with a resources pack for each Starter Session you run. The pack will include posters for you to advertise your event, certificates for the participants and printed versions of important documents such as Consent Forms and Feedback Forms. Once you have registered your Starter Session(s) these will be sent to you prior to your event date.
Gathering feedback and statistics is very important for assessing the success of the programme and whether we are meeting the needs of the participants. Sport England are also very interested in the number of participants attending Go Canoeing sessions and these will be used to help secure future funding for the sport. Therefore we strongly encourage you to return the feedback forms in your packs within 10 days of the event.
Insurance Information
All Canoe England Affiliated Clubs* are covered under the BCU Civil Liability Insurance for Go Canoeing Starter Sessions. Canoe England Insurers have agreed to extend cover under the civil liability policy for clubs to give non members up to 4 introductory sessions without the individuals having to become members. No charge will be made for this extended cover and the Come and Try it Session Insurance Form and fee are no longer required (on the fifth session the non member must join the club in order to be included in the club liability insurance).
In order for the insurance to be valid clubs must maintain records of those individuals taking part in the taster sessions and make available to insurers in the event of a claim against the club (this could be done using the Participant Register, which will be provided in your Starter Session pack). Any injuries or damage to property occurring during the sessions should be immediately reported to Canoe England.
*Unaffiliated clubs and all other providers, including BCU Approved Centres, must ensure they have their own insurance in place to cover Go Canoeing Starter Session activity and participants. A copy of your insurance certificate should be sent to [email protected].