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

I missed out on candy floss grapes! So devastating . The girls were well behaved and the photos look fab.

Great news on the new members.

3 of my girls are doing a coffee afternoon tomorrow missing that too! Also missed the Krispy Kreme trip with guides on Tuesday

Yeah I would be doing a block email to all the parents as a recruiting drive... I'm always at a loss as to how many people would rather be disappointed and moan about there not being enough spaces, but won't bite the bullet and volunteer on behalf not just of their own kid, but twenty others. Sigh.

I have 5 new girls - we are up three from last year, yay!

Groovee, I am still lol that your main thought is missing the tesco visit, not having mumps (obviously, not at you having mumps, just the priority system involved)

It's official, despite one no show and two non returners,we have 8 new girls this term.

Having to miss our Tesco visit. They think I have mumps X

haha yeah, i already have 30 girls so cant go any bigger!

Wow 20 new enquiries. Sounds like you need to find some leaders and open a new unit!

I only ever get one at a time, do they come in order of who applied first?

I have had 20 new enguiries on join us today!!

I think they have all come from the local rainbow unit as they will never get into rainbows, but not entirely convinced I will ever have space for them all either! What do I do?

Mad, hope you get it sorted!

Oh dear Mad! That sounds like a lot to happen at once. Hopefully you will get soe wonderful volunteers soon.

It is only me and some Mums at the moment, and they are great, but their daughters are turning 9, and I do wonder what will happen when they go to guides.

We told our Brownies that there was a baby Owl on the way. They were so excited. ????We let the young leader do her night. She did a brilliant presentation via her laptop. Was really impressed. She's going to make a fab leader. Sadly we'll lose her as she's doing a gap year then moving away for uni.

Boo. I have no guiders for two units. Am just about to email all the parents and tell them if no one steps up, they won't run this year.

I'm no longer the DC. But our DC hasn't quite got her act together, so if I don't do it, we're going to be left with two units full of parents wandering around town not having a scooby what is going on. Sigh.
I think my best hope is to try and amalgamate them into a multi-branch unit (it's our local equiv of rainbows and brownies) and hope we get enough volunteers to run one meeting a week. Any other ideas? We've been running ads in the local rag, and had an open house for anyone interested last week. Nada.
In other news, our guide unit didn't send out their welcome email, so everyone called me last night to find out why there was no one at the hall (answer - they start next week...) so today I am mostly sending apology emails and begging emails. And politely requesting that existing guiders contact their parents.
At the moment I would settle for any meeting lol, let alone a Pinterest one!

Yup, had planned loads for our first night back, then ended up singing the same silly song over and over for 45 minutes because they were properly rolling on the floor laughing! Sometimes the simplest things are the best

Don't forget sometimes they love a night of just playing games and singing songs.

It doesn't have to be a perfect pinterest meeting every week!

Delegation is how it works. Next week my young leaders are running the meeting.

I'm finding being guider in charge and starting a new job a bit of a difficult combo at the moment. I don't want to short change the girls by not planning meetings properly. I've just got to get used to it I guess.

I've just laid out my camp blanket on the floor and have about 20 badges to sew on plus two neckers. I've laid it out nicely, but didn't have the heart to start sewing.

Hi Pasta in my ranting I forgot to answer your question about the hierarchy: DC= district commissioner, DivC = division commissioner, CC =County commissioner then you hit regions and Gill Sl.

Some areas organise it a little differently but broadly looks like that.

If finances are tight and this is the only or best way to get another adult (if needed) on a regular basis / increase the number of girls in the unit, then the budget needs to be looked at and the subs possibly go up. CHQ are very clear that leaders should not be out of pocket and should reflect the true cost of running the unit in the accounts.

I charge £25 a term because that's what I need to run and would charge £40 if there was justification. We are incredibly good value for money with almost unlimited demand for what we offer kids and there are ways to support those with financial barriers to participation.

Some units close to me seem to see running pack holidays and terms on a shoestring for no reason as a point of pride. I want my girls to be constrained only by my/their imaginations and practicalites of delivering ideas. I do feel that not claiming for things which make running a unit easier and keeps Leaders engaged in guiding sometimes smacks of martyrdom.

Ooo sorry for the rant This is a sore point for me from my former unit experiences where I was expected to subsidise parents and the unit, not just with cupboard spares which we all would anyway.

Knowing how tight the finances were I suspect babysitting would be too expensive. They did know childcare was the reason I couldn't continue (in fact DH coming home a tad early once a week may have been a factor in his being pushed out of his job, few colleagues had kids so they worked until late). They got parents to sign up to help once I left for 'maternity leave'. I think one or two parents who helped did bring little ones too so it could be possible. I know the district commissioner was very understanding but it depends on the individual leaders. Is the division commissioner one higher up?

Hopefully I won't encounter a rude parent if I am one myself this time - one mother asked if I was Guide helping out in Brownies and then she was bloody rude about me being pregnant. It's also shocking when people think you are paid to do it. It is brilliant so many volunteer and DD will benefit so much whether I get back involved or not. I have find memories of guiding myself, although I missed out on Rainbows as I'm slightly too old.

Yes it can be paid for by the unit of its the only way to guarantee adult help.

Also don't forget that babysitting is a legitimate unit expense.

is it? are you sure?

I just saw this thread in active.
My daughter is a brownie. Obvs I've said it to Brown owl, but I just want to riase a glass to you wonderful people who run guides/ brownies etc.
I cannot volunteer due to absent DH and other DCs, but I have volunteered with other youth stuff in the past, and know how tiring it can be.
Thank you for your willingness to give up your time, energy, and money to give such wonderful activities to our daughters.

You'll be welcomed back with open arms Pasta

Contact the County or division growing guiding advisor to talk about which district would work for you. They will have some idea of local politics and find out what you are looking for.

Also don't forget that babysitting is a legitimate unit expense.

When I came back in 2011, I emailed dd's division commissioner which scared the living daylight a out the guide leaders but now they are grateful when I can step in.

Thanks for the responses. It's just good to know it's not completely unreasonable to suggest. I know they were desperate for adults for safeguarding rules so I don't mind helping just to make up the numbers, which is what it felt like most of the time anyway. It would be good to get properly involved in a few years - can you apply to areas outside of your own to help, where volunteers are more needed/appreciated? I'm in London so there will be many units in a close proximity. I asked this previously but was warned off some locations due to politics and personalities. Volunteering can be more tricky than paid work in some respects.