New Girlguiding Programme, Subs and A lack of funds - Rainbows, Brownies, Guides

[IceRebel]

Is anyone else struggling with the cost of the new programme? I would be interested to find out what other units charge as subs, as we're struggling with having to pay out for the new materials, as well as balancing the costs of the activities we provide. As far as I can see there isn't an online / paperless version, which would really help as finances are quite tight. Is it just our unit or are others out there struggling as well?

Also, if you've ever thought about volunteering your time any local units would love to have you, so please do ask. I've never known it to be so difficult to get adult volunteers, we have such long waiting lists but are unable to accept more girls without additional help.

I don't feel like we're moving back to books as we already used them, but previously you could access the requirements for badges online where as now it's only available in the books. Which feels like a step back.

www.girlguiding.org.uk/what-we-do/our-badges-and-activities/badge-finder/?SearchForm.Text=&SearchForm.GuidingSectionIds=54&SearchForm.Age=0&SearchForm.TypeId=&SearchForm.ThemeId=&SearchForm.Order=0&SearchForm.PageNumber=1

I agree with you about the rent though, it's very variable and does take a large amount of our subs.

I also feel that with the new programme we're losing some of the innovation and spontaneity that comes with running a pack. As now we have to complete specific Skill Builders and Unit activities, it all seems very samey and prescriptive.

'Im curious about the cost of compulsory uniform items. What is the minimum required and the total cost?

In the rainbows/brownies/guides my daughter has been through the minimum is the polo shirt. I have just bought her a new guide polo shirt as she's grown so much, cost me £14. The girls just wear their guide tops with leggings, jeans and trainers. There are all manner of other things like hoodies and skirts available but they're all entirely optional.

Subs for DD1 are £2 a night - 1hr session. It seems incredibly cheap to me. I was aware of the new programme so I bought the badge and welcome book for DD1 myself. I let the leader know it was one less that had to come out of Unit funds.

Goodness me Gamerwidow, if the subs don't cover the hall hire how does your leader pay for activities, census and the extra costs for books? I know you're paying £5 but that doesn't cover the full cost of the books.

It's a shame your daughter might not be continuing Whirlwind, but it's helpful to know you would prefer an all in price. Although with the new programme I don't think we'll have as many badge related trips as most of the badges are supposed to be completed away from the unit meeting place.

Wow Stargirl £2 a week is very cheap, I just don't know how units manage on such low amounts, I wish they'd tell me. It's very kind of you to buy the new badge and handbook, I bet the leader was very appreciative.

The leader is rifling through her shed and loft to find resources she won’t have to pay for. The venue has also agreed to only charge for when she is in it so she tries to arrange as much stuff outside as possible. A visit to the supermarket for example or to the local woods.
It’s a massive struggle for her that I only know about because she is a friend. I would pay more but she doesn’t feel she can ask the other parents for it.

My boys are in beavers and scouts. We pay £13 each a month via direct debit and I think it's amazing value. It's almost twice what you charge but I don't even think about it because it just goes out of the account each month. We pay extra for camps, although these are sometimes subsidised, but there is no charge for swimming or ice skating, which they tend to do once or twice a year.

If you moved to £10 a month you'd be increasing your income but I don't think parents would notice it as much iyswim.

Guiding leaders did you know there's got a chat thread? www.mumsnet.com/Talk/extra_curricular_activities/2775707-guiders-staff-room-part-3?msgid=81070665#81070665

My eldest has just joined Brownies. We got charged £35 subs and £10 joining fee! In Rainbows we were paying £30 subs.

I didn’t know what to compare it too. So I payed up! It’s really hard to get a Brownies place round here - although harder to get Rainbows. We are Weds Midlands.

My daughter has been to two units (still at current one).

We pay £10 joining fee.
£5 insurance fee at start of each year.
£3 per week subs at one unit, now current one does £15 per half term (but meets less than other so seems to work out at £3 a week too)

We pay one off fees for the district events and local special badge activities which range from £7 (for hostess badge) to £40 for adventure day to £120 for sleepover weekend

Speaking as a parent, i would be happy to pay more either per week or as one off fees if i knew why. So if a leader gave a basic outline of how much extra books and so on cost now then I'd understand why i was paying more and be fine with it.

I've offered help but due to shifts i couldnt commit to every week. Not been taken up on this nor my offer of doing one off specific craft or other skilled activities that I'm trained in. That's fine and i assume it's because they have enough help and activities of their own (just wanted to explain that other units fortunately are doing ok help wise)

For money making ideas, could you organise a community bingo night and flyer local homes and sell prepaid tickets?

Or have a bake sale in your local co op or tesco...that seems popular round here (they have stall set up in foyer)

Also register for the Waitrose give away (think its £1000 a week and shoppers put tokens in one of the three charities then the tokens are turned into actual money.

@IceRebel only one set of badges need to be completed away from the meeting place.

Girls will still get badges for: skills builders and anniversary without working at home. If they do the interest badges at home they get theme badges and can work towards the section Gold badge.

Interest badges have been simplified so they go back to what they are supposed to be, something a girl does becasue she's interested.

I'm a Guides (& Cubs) parent and an ex Rainbow leader. This is the first I've heard of the changes but our Guides unit aren't particularly well organised. Is my understanding correct that the children won't do badges at the meetings, but at home? What is the point of going then? I have lots of children and a very busy life (like most of us) and this just won't get done at home. Not because I don't care, but after work, running a busy business, running the house, cleaning, washing, tidying, homework, music practice, packed lunches, making meals; I simply just don't have the time (or motivation!).

Thank you to the Leaders for all you do.

I dont have a child in any of the Guiding or Scouting groups but I just wanted to say your subs do seem low. Our football subs are £20 a month all year and cricket is the same. Rookie Lifeguards is £4 per session and extra football £5 per session. Considering the rent, consumables such as arts and crafty stuff etc ot seems your parents are getting a good deal. Maybe if you had a meeting and explained the actual coat or running the club then you might find people more underatanding of a price increase and/or willing to get involved in fundraising.

Watching with interest, I help out at out local guides and the leader is really concerned about the costs of this. We charge £20 a term and imo that isn't enough, however she's really reluctant to increase it as she's concerned about excluding low income families. We do live in a low income area so she may have a point. It's such a difficult balancing act.

I was a Guider before I had children so I had an idea that the programme change would be challenging!

DD1 is enjoying the interest badges. She has started on the Drawing one. I like the idea of separate badges at home and in the Unit but DD1 doesn't do anything but Rainbows so we have the time.

I'd also ask the last time you went through your accounts to check the subs are right. We did last year when we got told census was going to rise for 3 years on the trot. Sat down and added up rent, first aid kit, leader training costs (first aid, division day etc), leader census, girl census, basic supplies, badges, leader top every couple of years. We also include Adventure and becoming a brownie in our overall costs. Worked out the average spend over 2 years, added a contingency and raised subs.

We're likely to spend more on badges in the future as we didn't do challenge badges, did one interest badge a term or so and kept very much to the programme/adventure books while encouraging interest badges at home.

@Becles, I didnt know there was a chat thread so thank you. Also, I know we're still doing skill builders and anniversary badges within units. However, it's the interest badges that are girls really enjoy, and these are now supposed to be done out of unit time. Although I doubt many of my girls will complete them at home as they already have lots of other activities, school work and it also relies on parents / guardians helping to facilitate these, which doesn't always happen. I have many girls who only have the badges we've done as a unit, and i'm sure i'm not alone in this.

Gamerwidow she sounds very stressed out which is a shame as after all she is a volunteer, I would definitely encourage her to ask parents for more subs, it's just not sustainable to run on such a small amount, there's only so many things in the loft.

Justabout, it's also very difficult to get a place where I am too, there's a list, which gets longer each day, but not enough unit space to allow everyone to join.

Squirrel, I appreciate a parent's view, especially regarding paying for extra costs. Also I had no idea waitrose did the token scheme. I haven't applied there so will get onto that.

Our subs are £35 a term (a bargain given the number of sessions) plus a £10 joining fee to cover the badge and intro books.

The district bought a full set of materials out of the general funds, and they’re kept in the guide building as a library available to all. You are allowed to photocopy individual sheets to use for meetings (or just take a photo with your phone).

No problem with girls dropping out, and out waiting lists are very long. Our problem is that we’ve no adult leaders and at least two groups are in danger of folding as a result.

I’m Guides so it is a move back to books for us, as there wasn’t a Guide badge book.

bunny they do still do badges at meetings (both skills builder ones and the special events ones that unita create or are centrally promoted) but there are also ‘interest’ badges that they can do at home in whatever order they wish.

@ManicLoki Leaders tie themselves up in knots about subs and do the girls a disservice. I have a patent who refused to pay as she was poor and didn't have to pay in Rainbows or anything else. I insisted that she actually speak with me rather than announce she didn't feel like paying and gave her the option of a payment plan to spread over 6 weeks.

Same parent pays in full for both dance and drama classes, declined offer open to all parents of full secondhand uniform (top, leggings, skort and hoodie) for £5 loan. I told her that daughter only needs a top but chose to spend £60 on uniform and went to Italy in the half term and 3 weeks in Disney for the summer.

Financial difficulties has differnet meanings

The interest badges have also been redesigned to actually be achievable by the majority at home if it’s what they’re interested in, rather than the old ones which essentially needed you to be doing swimming lessons, horse riding lessons etc. or for the leaders to plan and run bits in meetings.

I actually really like how the badges have been done, each has 3 activities but with plenty of room for interpretation and personal spin, so structured whilst not being overly prescriptive. Younger ones might need a bit of help with reading and planning, but they should be able to do the majority of it unaided.

@IceRebel They'll learn to enjoy the skills builders. I'm doubtful about the prescriptive and dull unit meeting activities. I agree with you that the leaders' skills and interests that's given units differnet flavours will be lost but that's what happens when too many leaders ignore the official programme in favour of only doing challenge badges and interest badges in meetings.

The one bright side is that a very new leader (average volunteer stays for under 2 years 😯) can pick up and go.

@icerebel i will do. It’s not fair she works so hard and she shouldn’t have to be subsidising it too!

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