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In praise of Brownies and Guides.... also ARRRRRGH

22 replies

Blurpblorp · 11/05/2021 18:42

My DDs have been going for a few years. During Covid their units moved their meetings online. The Leaders are older so I gather Zoom was an especially steep learning curve but they've managed incredibly well. And I am so utterly stunned at how they have done over a year's worth of meetings, given so much of themselves (even dropping off activity packs and print outs to me each week because we don't have a printer). They've been such a constant for my DDs and I couldn't be more grateful and in awe.

And here's where I sound like an ungrateful bitch... instead of having an hour or two one to one time with them each week (or occasionally a few hours to myself) online meetings has meant that I spend my time dicking around with my least favourite thing - finicky and messy activities. I'm just awful and so impatient with this stuff. Inevitably my youngest has a tantrum if the task doesn't go to plan. The mess and time and sh1t I now have to clean up! And there's a list of items they need each week that I always seem to be scrabbling around trying to find (I need to be more organised but as I say, I'm awful at this stuff).
I had to set up a virtual camp from home over a summer and spend all weekend ahdering to a schedule helping them make fires, craft things, bake things, set up sleeping bags, clear up so much mess afterwards.

I don't know how to say this without seeming hideous. I'll miss these times with my DDs when they're gone but also... it's the thing I'm worst at. Safe to say that pre-pandemic, I didn't appreciate just what angels the Leaders are and how much they do for us. They should seriously charge more for subs!

OP posts:
RosesandPumpkins · 11/05/2021 18:45

Dear god this sounds like my worst nightmare!! You’ve done very well to persevere this long!

MotherOfGodWeeFella · 11/05/2021 18:46

Thank them with a card and some flowers or chocolates?

Eileen101 · 11/05/2021 18:51

We find it's a learning curve for the parents of the girls too, with doing the activities and making sure they have their crayons etc. Just tell the leaders that you've enjoyed having the one to one time with your girls.
We like to be appreciated rather than treated like a babysitter Grin

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Blurpblorp · 11/05/2021 18:57

Oh don't get me wrong... I in no way treated them like babysitters; I was in Brownies through to Venture Scouts and I wanted my girls to have a similar experience and all the great things that come from girlguiding that I didn't get in school. But it would be a lie to say I didn't appreciate the one to one time/time to myself!

We've had whip rounds for them and gave them gifts at Christmas and for birthdays. Lost count how many times I've thanked them and they get so much love on the parents whatsapp group. Another gift might be in order though. Wondering about nominating them for some sort of citizens award...

OP posts:
BogRollBOGOF · 11/05/2021 18:59

I get it. I've been there dutifully with my pack week in week out... but my DSs didn't do the Zoom Scouting. It's not their thing, and it was better to sit tight for a year than to turn it into a tedious battle each week. There's a reason why I take them off to do these things!
Ironically I don't completely get out of it as I help one of their units too, they're just better at doing it with different people, in a different space and with their peers.

It's so good to be back to face to face!

badlydrawnbear · 11/05/2021 19:27

I am a Guide leader and also mum to a Brownie and a Ranbow. All 3 of us have been meeting online until this week when my Guides and DD1's Brownies returned to outdoor socially distanced meetings (in the pouring rain). As a leader and a parent, it has all been much harder on zoom. DD2 will not engage with Rainbows unless she has me there, usually literally sitting on my lap in front of the computer, DD1 is sometimes reluctant and will not join in with certain activities or just wander off. I am terrible at arts and crafts and have struggled to help her with some of the activities, which can be embarrassing as their leaders can see me failing to make a craft aimed at 6 year olds. We have done Brownie sleepovers at home and DDs have also joined in with several Guide camp at homes. As leaders, we did appreciate that we were asking a lot of the Guides parents to give up a weekend to help the daughter with activities, setting up camp indoors in a den or outside in a tent in the summer, getting all the random craft materials and cooking ingredients and other stuff we need. Recently there was an online Brownie sleepover and both DDs slept in a den I had constructed and were awake until midnight. I told the Brownie leader this the next day and said I am sure that is normal for Brownies but usually I wouldn't have to put up with that bit as DD would be away with them and I would be at home!

oohmyback · 11/05/2021 19:49

On behalf of leaders I thank you for your patience lol

I personally am so so happy to be back in person with my guides and rangers!!

Blurpblorp · 11/05/2021 21:04

Oh to have some of what Leaders are made of! You're better women than me that's for sure. Some of my happiest memories are from girlguiding days and I know my DDs will be happy to be back when it's allowed.

Forgive my exhausted brain for the whinge...

OP posts:
underneaththeash · 11/05/2021 21:10

I’m a brownie leader. I hated zoom (we still did it though), was really glad when we could go back face-face.
When we did zoom, I usually delivered a resource pack do that the girls were mainly self sufficient.

oohmyback · 11/05/2021 21:29

@Blurpblorp it’s fine! I’m also a mum of 3 girls so I’ve experienced the other side in the last year!

My leader role is the perfect antidote to my secondary teaching job. Love spending time with amazing kids when sometimes work feels like one big nagfest!

ChocOrange1 · 11/05/2021 21:33

I'm not a fan of Zoom. We have done Zoom with our Brownies since September and its been a hard slog at times, but the parents have been very positive.
We have been careful to ask parents only to provide minimal equipment, like pens and paper, and everything else was dropped off in packs. Apart from one week when we did baking we haven't done anything particularly messy. At least it shouldn't be too long now. We are meeting ours outside now and most Brownie units are planning to go back by September if not before.

TofuQuinoaKale · 11/05/2021 21:46

My unit have just started meeting in person again, outside.

I'm so glad. For various reasons it is just not suitable for me to be doing anything remotely messy or complicated from home.

It was also no difficult to keep my own Brownie concentrating and behaving appropriately whilst leading online.

We didn't do virtual camping, but several of us aren't in regular housing, or don't have gardens either. It would have excluded several children.

I'm grateful to the parents for getting involved for the sake of the kids, it's not been straight forward and it's been wonderful to be able to work together to keep the kids spirits up.

Poppiesway1 · 11/05/2021 21:48

Omg..
I ran Beavers all year on lockdown. It was a nightmare. Working full time in nhs my hours increased there due to covid staff shortages and extra patients, suddenly parents being at home and not at work wanted me to do more with them.. I would get non stop messages / emails about giving them more badge work.. on my day off I would drop packs off for them for those who had said they wanted to attend a zoom session that week to then decide on the evening that they were too tired and didn’t want to zoom that night.. I’ve stepped down now for a while. I literally have had enough of the parents not the beavers Sad. Out of all the messages I had Not one was a Thankyou, we dont do it for the praise but just one Thankyou would have been lovely.

Blurpblorp · 11/05/2021 22:17

Yeah, they've been awesome. @Poppiesway1 my good god I'm not surprised you've stepped back for a bit. Not one thank you?! Can't understand some people... at least you know the Beavers benefit from it and that's the main thing. So much planning and prep must go into arranging these activities and how you managed to do it whilst working for the NHS I don't know! Some good karma must be coming your way for sure...

OP posts:
HugeAckmansWife · 11/05/2021 22:40

My dds pack have completely stopped. I literally haven't had any communication since last March. Im quite sad reading about what others have done but actually I know it also wouldn't have gone well trying to do it here.

BackforGood · 11/05/2021 22:50

What a lovely thread.
Thank you

(I'm not a guider, I'm a Scouter, and I'm not "at the chalkface" as it were). I too am in awe of what some people have learned how to do, and then been creative enough to come up with different ways to deliver programmes and then had the strength to do all these zoom calls after no doubt many were either on (work) screens all day themselves, or home schooling themselves etc etc.

It does make ALL the difference when someone says thank you / sends an e-mail or a card or something. Flowers

blackheartsgirl · 11/05/2021 23:30

Our unit has done bugger all. They shut the unit for over a year and now keep cancelling zoom meetings that they only set up 2 months ago for one reason or another, still not allowed to meet face to face.
Dd is close to jacking it in

Still asked for yearly subscription which is a bit of a cheek to be honest.

I feel sad when I read of what other local guide units have done but oh well 😕

ChocOrange1 · 12/05/2021 07:41

@blackheartsgirl don't forget they are volunteers and probably have their own jobs, families and stresses. Girlguiding didn't waive the annual subscription for units this year, so who do you think should pay for that if not you? The unpaid volunteers?

They are allowed to meet face to face now (if in England, I don't know about Scotland and Wales) but if the leaders are vulnerable they may choose not to.

blackheartsgirl · 12/05/2021 21:31

I'm not moaning about the volunteers themselves, I know our unit has had shielding leaders etc.

But I do think girl guiding shouldn't have asked for the fee this year when there's been barely anything from the unit.

I can barely afford the fee. I lost my job myself this year and I'm still struggling. So paying for something that's pointless in effect. That 40 pounds was almost a weeks shop for me.

Face to face can now take place..our unit is still not and only does zoom rarely. Dd2 is losing motivation rapidly.

The volunteers are not volunteering at the moment. But I still had to pay the 40 quid

carolinesbaby · 12/05/2021 22:04

The annual subscription is a membership fee. In my unit (Guides) we take it out of the termly subs, but not all units do. If they didn't ask for the subs in February, then your DD would no longer be a member, the unit would have no members, and there wouldn't be a unit to go back to once face to face resumes properly. Recent membership figures show that overall membership has dropped by about a third in the last year.
In the last 15 months, we've done lots of Zoom (everything from baking to craft with delivered packs to overnight 'camps' to visiting guide dogs). None of us enjoyed running these sessions, we all work full time in key worker jobs and for me, another zoom meeting at the end of a long day at work is not fun. We are now back face to face and having a lot of fun having planned outdoor meetings for the whole summer term. I long to go camping! Thank yous are still thin on the ground though, sadly.

carolinesbaby · 12/05/2021 22:05

it really was a choice this year of asking parents to cough up the membership fee, or close the units down permanently.

capercaillie · 12/05/2021 22:27

Brownie leader here! I am very grateful to parents who have got stuck into it and supported their daughters. My Brownies have been the funniest hour of my week over the last year - mostly zoom but now on to outdoor meetings!

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