Guiders' staff room - tea, wine, chat and optional dancing around the toadstool

Hello there! I'm Birdboo and I'm also a Assistant Guide Guider at the moment. I'm also a Senior Section Guider but I'm not wearing that hat at the moment.

My current unit is interesting. I really like the Guides, all 8 of them, but I feel very excluded from the other leaders and I'm not sure if I really want to stay there in September. I really feel out of place and have some serious issues which I have raised at District and Division level but not much has happened.

Rivier, I've 4 student aged helpers in my unit. It's been a bit tight this last month with exam season. But we make it work. And our little rainbows look upon them fondly as big sisters.

Rivier whoever gets you will be grateful for any help you can offer, even if it's not every week. We mostly help for sleepovers, because the ratio is tighter than it is for running a meeting.

Everyone please spare a thought for Brownies in North Wilts this weekend who will be camping in the rain.

Ooh, a fellow student!
Mine's unpredictable in that classes aren't on a set schedule week to week and the timetable doesn't come online till the end of August. Plus the uni is really bad at admin

I do hope it works though, haven't done volunteer work for years and I miss it.

senior section is the only one I haven't done meetings with because I'm 25 and would find it too weird.

Don't worry too much about the unpredictable schedule, I'm a student too and just make sure when we have planning meetings that i don't sign myself up to organise anything during the exam period so then if I suddenly can't make it it's not the end of the world.

Good for you for putting yourself forward!

I don't really mind, as I have no experience, but presumably not the senior section as I'm still young enough to be part of them.
i'm just worried about my unpredictable schedule messing it up. (still a student)

Hello rivier I hope it works out for you, what section/age group are you thinking about?

Welcome to the dark side rivier

But seriously, great to see someone keen to volunteer I get so much out of it as an adult leader.

I've just filled in the join in form on the site for volunteers. Really hoping it works out, you all make it sound such fun and hard work sometimes

I hadn't seen that thread. I'm going to look for it now ...

Was Colchester zoo for us this weekend. Was a blast. Peed off with the thread about scrapping guiding and going over to scouts instead 'to solve the waiting list crisis'. Such short minded views. Thankfully most people seem to be sensibly suggesting op might volunteer themselves...

Am thinking next term I really need to get advertising for more help. One of our yl will have gone to uni and I'll be losing an assistant when her dd goes up to brownies. We're running at 23 so need to make sure we can still run the group.

We had Starquest this weekend. I think I've just about recovered

Was anyone else on a Big Brownie Birthday stay away this weekend?
We had a blast! I am so definitely starting camping with my girls: they loved it!

Have the afternoon off to snooze and don't book anything for the following day. I recently did a BBB stay away and got about 2.5 hours sleep.

Maybe take some story books incase someone can't sleep and needs a story.

thanks for the link Groovee, I've got most of the badges I was missing now and found a new one for my Rainbows to earn.

i'm helping at my first Rainbow sleepover soon, has anyone got advice? I was a leader for 5 years before having children but we weren't allowed sleepovers in those days and have only just come back to it, so have no idea what to expect.

Pizza making this week... had tried to get the Frankie and Benny's workshop but they kept ignoring my emails. Despite asking me to email. So doing it myself.

Next Week we're having a Big Brownie Birthday Tea Party as our end of term. Then it's the holidays for us, back in August! Been a quick year.

Lifestoo - sorry I wasnt clear, I am taking my brownines to a UK TAC which is pretending to be Sangam.

I have been to actual Sangam a couple of years ago though so PM any questions you have :)

Which programme are you doing?

Psychicpaper - we are off to Sangam next year, currently fund raising for the trip. Would love to hear what you think, and any advice you have. Thanks

No, this one

is that this one? I've found most of the brownie and guide badges on there but no Rainbow promise badge. x

Try the facebook girl guiding buy, sell swap page, there is a ot on there x

Bit of a long shot but I don't suppose anyone has any old badges laying around in the back of their cupboards? my camp blanket got damaged in a flood and I'm trying to replace the stuff I lost.

Particularly after an old Rainbow promise badge (the green cloth one and the cloth rainbow that went over the top).

We had a fab night, one brownie went sleep walking and landed on top of another poor brownie who managed to get out and alert us. The leaders had a right time trying to move her and we were poorless with laughter at 3am about it all.

I got about 2 and a half hours which was impressive for us. Felt quite sad the 2 guiders kept themselves to themselves and when speaking to others were really quite rude! The organiser said in future she won't be taking up their offer of help due to the amount of rudeness to those of us working hard all night.

Otherwise it was a fab night and worth the experience x

We are doing the world centre brownie trip in a couple of weeks

Very excited to go to "Sangam"!