To run a cub scout camp

My son is 12 and is doing a four night scout camp.

I can see that it's a lot of hardwork for the volunteers and depends a lot on the help/attitude of the parents. The parents have to facilitate and help, if not volunteer.

It's a huge amount of work but really beneficial for the kids.

We're not religious and my wife is culturally hindu but send our kids to a church camp in the summer, £120 for a week in the countryside and childcare sorted, I think it's a great opportunity to get them off the sofa.

Camp is an alternative school holiday care for families.
Of course it is.

I have never felt like that in real life, but maybe I'm lucky with our lovely parents and girls.

Although the post I responded to above did make me feel like that - 'weekdays at convenient times' - camp is not school holiday childcare!

As a recently ex guiding leader I'd say the same as many on here. Too long and too expensive.

Something is amiss; maybe a week is too long? Our cubs only do weekenders or 3 nights at a jamboree.
Our Scout summer camp is 6 days/5 nights for £250. There’s a waiting list for drop out places after all 20 places filled up.
Parents have to drop the Scouts off but it’s an hour from our meeting place - but might as well be another planet it’s so different!

We always do weekends with no issues. We have one next weekend - 22 out of 24 Rainbows are coming. 2 weeks ago we had a brownie weekend one - 20 out of 24 Brownies coming.

You want it to be 'compatible with your working day'! You do realise most leaders work, and have their own children, so their annual leave is precious.

Weekends my DH can have my girls, if they aren't coming.

Week seems too long, especially for the younger ones. Year 6 (10-11) schools do a 4 night usually

I lead Brownie camps (ages 7-10), are they are a max of 2 nights. We don't allow parent helpers for overnights, only have qualified leaders. Luckily we have 8 leaders across Rainbows, Brownies and guides so we help out at each others camps. I think this helps with parent confidence.

We have never done more than 4 nights away with 8-10 yo and I would prefer 2-3 nights.

Dd2 is going to an international camp this summer with her lot - 8 nights away but she is in secondary school. They enjoy it and don't need much supervision from leaders.

I have been a GG leader for years. Parents and girls tend to treat us as paid staff now.
I have scaled back.

No not a weekend. Yes 2 nights but make it mon-wed or wed-fri with drop-off and pickup times that are compatible with a working day. Weekend camp will have a whole load of different reasons why people can't come

Beaver leader here, how active are the beaver section for camps/nights away? We do minimum 5 nights away per year with beavers. Fri-Sun every term (autumn term is sometimes a 1 nighters depending on when we hold it) by the time they get to cubs there are plenty of kids that are experienced at camping and happy to go to camp for a week. They went in the May half term to Hertfordshire Scouts Cubjam. Obviously we still get some kids that go up to cubs having not camped but the options have been there and its not the end of the world if they don't want to. Do they get everything out of scouting if they don't camp? no but simply some kids/parents don't want to/can't. I know of at least one child that wants to but can't due to court order on where they must sleep.
Scouts in our group have travelled to Guernsey for a week long camp and my 13yr old is on 43 nights away and is off to Poland next year with the UK contingent for WSJ (now that is expensive).
We have camp coming up for beavers and we have 50% of the group beavers coming. Not all dates work for everyone so our every term camp gives everyone the option. If you don't consistently offer camps then a week is too long as a first experience. Do you have outside space at your meeting place that you could use for a local camp if your struggling to get attendees. We are very fortunate that we have the space and facilities to run a good programme in our own space so familiar to the kids/parents. Local for those parents that worry they will have to make a late night trip to pick up their child (nobody does)
Invite a cub or young scout to do a "this is what we did last summer camp" run a parents information session and review when information is given out. Scouts a few years ago had an issue with not getting the sign up. People have to plan their holidays and childcare far in advance. If you know the dates for next year's camp then add it on emails as a date to be aware of. Don't need to go into detail of where etc but a "camp has been planned for x" will really help uptake as those interested will try to avoid clashing with their own holiday plans. If they don't know until the summer term I can guarantee that many will have booked summer holidays. "dates for the diary" tagged on to emails via the template used on OSM so they don't even need to remember to add it now has made % attending much higher

£200 is a lot - you can get a week of 9-5 multi-activity holiday club for a lot less than that.

I think kids need a gradual acclimatisation for overnights and a cub's first camp away should be in a bunkhouse-type place rather than under canvas, and for no more than 2 nights, with 4 nights under canvas as the next thing they do having enjoyed the first one. Do alternate years mini-camp and big camp.

You'll always get low takeup during the summer. Try doing it at Easter or May Half Term

If you're only in your twenties, this is hardly a lifetime of service.

I think your attitude is actually quite childish, your arguement seems to be 'if they don't want to do it how I want then why bother, they can all stay home and watch screens cause 'today's parents' are all helicopters.'

There's a whole lot more nuance here.

I'd say shorter but more frequent.

And please don't be disheartened. All of us other leaders know how much work you put in, and how frustrating it can be when parents don't seem to engage with or appreciate it.

I think the price is good for a whole week. My 9 year old daughter did a PGL weekend with brownies not long ago. The price wasn’t far off and 2 nights was a good length of time for her and she loved it. They fundraised a bit to top up as a group. I think it’s the length of time you’re offering that’s putting the cubs/parents off. It’s great you’re doing it.

All of my children loved Cub and Scout camp and I'd sign them up to anything going!. Thank you for volunteering and the time you give up to this! Cubs and Scouts offer fantastic outdoor experiences and I'm sure you are a great role model for them.

Thinking back, our Cub camp might have been around 3 mights and Scout camp up to 7 nights. One bi-annual Scout trip was abroad for about 6 nights and included flights. They also attended the huge 'Poacher' camp at Lincoln.

Our village primary school did residential trips every year from Year 2 though. By years 5 and 6 they were doing 4 night school trips, Monday to Friday. So both children and parents were very used to residential sfrom school. Perhsps that's changed for many schools after Covid, or with the CoL?

I would also be wary of thinking higher cost trips are ok because it's an 'affluent' area. It's great that you have support for those who need it but not everyone will ask.

One thing our leader did was cost the trip to include the minibus, fuel, camp fees, food etc. The parents paid that basic cost. But if the group wanted say an afternoon canoeing or climbing as a highlight of the trip, the Scouts would fund-raise for that as a group.

As a former guide and a kid who went away to do PGL holidays week-long at 8, I’ll be honest and say that I really didn’t like going for a week at that age. I think my parents were trying to give me lots of opportunities, but I missed them and it was too much, but I never said anything. One of the camps was over my birthday and I really hated it.

I was a scout, DH was a scout. I was a brownie and guide leader, DH is a scout leader.

We went away for 2 week jamboree and scout camps as kids but DH is bringing our sons troop away for 3 days.

I did 4 nights 5 days with guides.

DD did one 2 week camp a while back and loved it but times have definitely changed.

A week is too long.

People are funny about sleepovers these days.

£200 is cheap for the camp but it's still a lot of money out of a family budget. Especially if there's more than one child to pay for and 7 weeks of childcare to pay for.

As others have said it’s the length of time. Probably not the cost of you’re in an affluent area. Your fellow leaders have told you it’s too long. Parents here have told you it’s too long. Just own up - you were wrong!

I’m a volunteer for scouts too (although in another country so different names etc).

The longest we take the kids away is 4 days, and that’s for the national camp. They tried to extend it to 5 days this year, parents voted no.

It’s €45 for the camp itself, and €30-40 for food. We fundraise during the year to cover transport (3-4k for a big bus for us all), and some parents volunteer to be the cooks, transport the kit in their vans, etc.

No child pays more than 100, basically. We also run some weekend only camps and they’re intense - but then, we’re also in a culture where activities can easily run until midnight. So I don’t recognise your description of shorter camps - by the time we put the tents up, the fun has only just started. It’s an almost uninterrupted 36-48h of fun, even for shorter camps.

It says £300 on the website that’s what we’ve paid……. We’re only in Nottingham tho so no transport we’re driving the kids as it is Lincoln so only 45-60 mins away and they’ve been fundraising for food.