Scouting staffroom type thread on Mumsnet?

Once of our cub parents gave an Amazon voucher - that was very useful, as we could buy exactly the games/craft equipment that we needed.

Something they can enjoy at their next planning meeting maybe e.g. beers?! Or something for the cubs group e.g. equipment or resources of some kind, I'm not sure. Thanks in advance for suggestions

Something they can share at a planning meeting is a lovely idea - a box of nice biscuits or similar. We've just been given a box of Haribo by one of our cubs - we're very much looking forward to that on our next meeting!

While it's a very kind thing to give equipment for the group, at the risk of sounding very selfish, if you are thanking the leaders, get something for the leaders. As a group, any donations of money or equipment are always very welcome and appreciated, and leaders often put in their own money in addition to time as it is. But as a thank you for all the work that the leaders put in for free, a gift that is purely for them is, in my opinion, more appropriate. Even just a lovely handwritten card from your child would be cherished, it needn't cost much at all.

If you would like to buy resources, just ask what they want! You might catch them at a time when they're desperate for new felt pens, for example.

@Schooliform first, thank you for thinking of doing this - I sometimes feel that Scout/Cubs/Beaver leaders rarely get end of term presents (when teachers get loads, and they're paid to do it!) The things I've liked most have been little things that the young person has either made, or had some involvement in choosing. I have a splodgily-painted Christmas tree ornament that I bring out with pride every year, a pretty rock (found by a Beaver, who then stuck googly eyes on it) on my desk, and a chicken made out of Hama beads. And a few thank you cards and drawings kept in a safe place. But if time is tight, biscuits are usually a winner.

Hi, hope it's ok to ask on here, I'm not a scout leader but a parent of a kid moving up to scouts. I'd love to get his cub leaders a gift to say thank you for all they've done for him in cubs, what would be a good gift? There are a lot of leaders & helpers in the group so it might be outside my budget to get an individual gift for each person. Just wondering if anyone has any suggestions. Something they can enjoy at their next planning meeting maybe e.g. beers?! Or something for the cubs group e.g. equipment or resources of some kind, I'm not sure. Thanks in advance for suggestions

Bravo @zebrapig !

Yes, the pre-jamboree kit check is always fun. I find myself uttering phrases like "what do you mean, you can't find the mess tent? It's bloody massive!" and "why in holy hell do we have saucepans but no sodding lids" and "who didn't empty the water jerrycans properly before putting them away, and when I find them I will kill them". Three weeks until Poacher and I'm getting a bit stressed 😆

I just couldn’t help myself. I’ve joined our local group as an assistant cub leader. I’m also helping with all of the planning and organising for our group trip to Chamboree in the summer. We had a big session this afternoon checking our mess tents and normal tents. Never seen so many tents missing poles or inners. At least we found enough full sets to have enough to take away with us.

Hello all! Advice needed. Does anyone have experience of dealing with another volunteer, who seems to rub everyone else up the wrong way? We have one. They mean very well, but can be a bit of a loose cannon. They do stuff they haven't been asked to do (which is great in a way, very proactive) but they don't consult first. So the section leaders are sometimes left a bit blindsided. Or they don't do something they've been specifically asked to do. They're also sometimes rude to parents. When pulled up gently on things, they get a bit "oh I can't seem to get anything right".

Parents on a rota will need a DBS (and be the mysteriously named "Non member - needs disclosure") if they're going to help out more than 3 times in a 30 day period, or overnight. But they can't have access to the kids' personal data (so no access on OSM).

If a parent isn't going to help overnight or more than 3 times a month, then there's no need for a DBS, but they must not be unsupervised at any point.

As for any other section, you cannot be 1:1 with a Squirrel unless it's an emergency. So if they have continence issues, or will otherwise need help toileting, I think you should be asking a parent to stay with them.

@VioletCrawleyForever This is a great one to keep in mind post-Xmas and Easter - thank you! Love your username btw.

@ItsPeggyOlson

for another jamboree one of our scouts bought up loads of selection boxes cheaply in the sales after Xmas and then did a tuck shop at each section. She made a profit of £400

Congratulations.

Im trying to get to grips with things like parent rotas (will they all need a DBS before we even open?), toilets etc. Its a brand new section for us.

Off that topic, I got my Campsite NAP at the weekend! Slightly terrifying to have two assessors turn up and basically wander around making notes on a clipboard.

No, but I used to run Beavers and my other Beaver leaders doubled up running Squirrels. What do you need to know?

Does anyone run Squirrels? I might be having a role change...

Thanks so much @CarpetKnees and @moggerhanger - lots to look at here. Will have a good read. Well done for being so organised, ok impressed.

Would you mind sharing some WSJ fundraising ideas please?

Social evenings - barn dance, casino night, race night, quiz night. Quizzes in particular are really popular and you can probably repeat every 4 months.
Car boot (ask friends and neighbours if they have anything you can sell - I've got lots of stuff I'd donate to a youngster doing that
One member of one of my dc's Unit members did similar (asking friends, neighbours, people from Church, people from the group) for things to sell on e-bay as an on-going things over 18months or so
Have a quick and easy 'game' or stall ready to be able to have a stall at local Summer / Christmas fetes - you often only here of them at short notice, so great to have a simple 'prize every time' type card game or tombola type thing. But make sure it is something that doesn't need more than one person to play at once, or doesn't involve lots of set up. You can usually supplement income on the table by selling things (cakes / costume jewellery / books/ etc on the side
Cake stall - Group and District AGMs, (but get a slot to do a quick talk first so you can explain what you are doing. Don't 'price' the cakes, but ask people to donate whatever they would like to (you make far more money).
100 Club type thing, asking people to have a number for £1, by standing order, and each week or month half the money is given in prize winning and half goes to your fund
Can't remember what it is called but the Easy Fundraising thing where people go through your site and the Unit earns commission on everything anyone buys on line - costs the buyer nothing, but there is a % that comes in commission. (Would have to be set up by the Unit as a whole) but isn't just your Amazon deliveries, it covers things like buying your car or home insurance and your holidays, so adds up over a Unit
Santa Runs - usually supporting local Rotary, but two Scout Groups near us have their own 'sleigh' and have let the Jamboree Units use them (for different roads) on nights they aren't using them (these are such fun to do, too).
Pudding party - Invite all your friends round for the evening for 'puddings', on the understanding it is a fundraiser and you hope that at the end of the evening they will make a donation to your young person's fund.
Host a Cream Tea or Afternoon tea at the Scout hut or Church hall. People live a cream tea.

@ItsPeggyOlson we're really lucky - one of our County's contingent leaders is based in our District, and is terrifyingly efficient and energetic in getting fundraising off the ground! So all our District attendees are largely working together. So far, we've done:

• helping the Rotary with their Christmas Santa Sleigh collection around local villages, getting a donation in return
• bingo night at a local Scout premises
• cakes and other refreshments at our District St George's Day parade
• stall at the town Christmas market, selling tree decorations made from slices of wood felled locally that the Scouts painted.

My daughter has also done face painting at a village event, and is offering a badge sewing service to other parents. One of the other District attendees has busked (she's a talented violinist). I think yet another is doing car washing and babysitting around his suburb.

District have given a small donation too, as they maintain a fund to get jamboree attendees started with their fundraising.

Would you mind sharing some WSJ fundraising ideas please? Not sure if this is the right thread as I am a scout parent rather than leader. Feel rather late to the fundraising if you’ve already raised £800 per person @moggerhanger ! Getting a bit worried about how we are going to get anywhere near that amount…

Luckily our District is absolutely on it as regards fundraising, we have loads of support. Already raised about £800 per person!

Its just one if those things. Its not quite the same, but shes been abroad with her father due to his "Scout job" so shes luckier than most.

As we told her before Selection weekend.. there are more keen, dedicated Scouts then there are places. (And realistically, its only the ones tgat can afford it that even consider it)

I thought that would be the case, but I wasn't sure if there was a bit of overlap. A pity! It's hard for the younger ones.

No, everyone is only in the right age group once.