To not be happy about Brownies litter picking?

[ImNameyChangey]

I know it's part of what Brownies are about...to be public spirited and I do appreciate that it's important for them to learn about this sort of thing but the area around the Brownie hall is very large, open and is close to a lot of houses and flats.

It's an area with mixed social issues...on the one hand it's middle class but on the other there are people with drug problems.

My DD like many of the other Brownies is only 7 and giving her one glove and a bag and telling her to pick up packets etc isn't sensible imo. There could not only be syringes but dog mess and all manner of other nasty stuff.

I feel like I want to say something to the leaders about this.

This thread is very MNy, isn't it?

hope you are ok permanently

FFS Permanently Please continue posting your balanced, measured posts.

OP - your comments sounded nasty

I'm sorry but I really disagree with children having to go round picking up other people's disgusting litter, which they didn't drop. If I pay for my child to join Brownies I want her to have fun and learn not beva skivvy.

Probably best you don't put her in brownies, then, momma. The guiding movement is all about teamwork and social responsibility, community service is a huge part of the ethos, right from the beginning. Being a skivvy is pretty much the central tenet of the Brownie story, along with selflessness and not expecting thanks for your help.

Along the way, they develop a whole raft of personal skills, and get to widen their horizons and make a ton of new friends. They actually have fun doing community service.

But if you are expecting to 'buy' an all seeing all dancing entertainment package where the darling girl doesn't have to lift a finger, and becomes further convinced of her sole right to do nothing to better her community or help others less fortunate than herself, then really, don't bother. Please. Don't.

it's a shame, because it's usually daughters of parents like yourself that would get the most out of the programme. Once they have got over the entitlement and individualism, obv.

As I leader in a different youth organisation, I get fed up with the "I pay, therefore..." parents.
You pay for the hire of the hall, craft materials, squash for when the kids have been running around and are thirsty, the enormous administration costs that go with running a group, gas, electric, water, insurance, spare equipment for when parents decide their little snowflake doesn't need wellies for a muddy expedition to find bugs and frogspawn. Etc.
There is no profit to be made from running youth groups and if it is resented, probably best to volunteer, (leaders kids often get discounts as their parents graft so much.) Or perhaps your child is not right for the group.
Which is a shame, because the experiences are normally valuable and leave the child with lifelong memories. I still remember my first camp and the jamboree and I loved it. I detested any sort of public performance, but I did it in brownies, and I became a stronger person. There is something to be learnt from everything, even litter picking. If you can't see that then I pity you.

momma that is one of the worst comments I've read about Girlguiding ever, and I have heard a lot of bad ones in my time. Do you work for the DM, it's the sort of comment I'd expect fromt hem.

Please don't send your daughter to Brownies. Please - for the sake of your dds leader.

I once had a parent make a complaint that her dd had been asked to sweep the floor after breakfast at a Guide camp. I got a tirade of abuse, saying I had made her daughter clean up after she had paid to go on camp and "isn't this what the staff get paid for?" Simply.didn't.get.it

OP, of course I don't know how your disability affects you (the FFS you threw at me is very rude and totally unwarranted), but you said "I can't volunteer as I am disabled"
I simply pointed out that there are many roles in Girlguiding that can be done by people who have a wide range of disabilities, as a suggestion if you genuinely wanted to volunteer, but felt you couldn't due to disability. If you simply don't want to volunteer, don't. It's as simple as that.

The following roles can be done by anyone who is reasonably literate and can sit at a computer (at least some of the time if you are not having a very bad day) - both of which seem to apply to you. Task are rarely super-urgent, so can be done as and when ( ie, you are having a good day and able to sit on MN and type out long rants at people)

A researcher: research venues for sleepovers and camps, read reviews, join the leaders open Facebook groups where they discuss programme and trip ideas and report back to leaders which you think would be worth shortlisting and visiting by leaders (This is incredibily valuable for me so I know when I go to visit a new venue, the obvious questions have already been asked)

Treasurer: You do not need to be an accountant- the GG accounts package can be used by anyone who can use a basic spreadsheet

Key User for GO/JU (the database)- fairly simply database management, but a huge time-sucker for leaders.

"Volunteering" does not necessarily mean running a weekly meeting for 30 girls.

I'm sure you'll come back at me with another FFS and reasons why you CAN'T. Most of the disabled people I know focus more on what they can do rather than what they can't. But maybe I'm just fortunate to know more positive people. It's one of the benefits of Guiding (and Scouting) - it can turn people into resourceful positive thinkers, whose default setting is CAN, rather that CAN'T.

I do pity your leaders (and momma's if the worst happens and she sends her dd to Brownies to have "paid for" Fun).

I'm sorry but I really disagree with children having to go round picking up other people's disgusting litter, which they didn't drop. If I pay for my child to join Brownies I want her to have fun and learn not beva skivvy.

You seem to have missed the fact that they are actually learning what happens when we drop litter. They are learning that it doesn't magically get picked up by the litter fairies, someone has to go and actually pick it up. Hopefully anyone who has done litter picking will think twice before dropping that crisp packet or sweet wrapper next time.

They are also learning how to care for the environment and that it needs caring for.

I've done litter picking before as part of the Geocaching CITO (cache in trash out) initiative. It is actually very satisfying to see the full bags of rubbish at the end.

Try to think beyond narrow boundaries.

Very very unreasonable. The activity of litter picking is the best possible way to teach Young people about the consequences of littering. Great experience and a good life lesson. Isn't this why your child is in the brownies? What exactly do you think could have gone wrong?

Horrible thread by the way. Thank you to all the guides and brownies volunteers on here. Please I try to gnore us moany ungrateful parents!

To the people objecting to this activity, I really really hope that your DDs have not picked up on your negative attitude to this. A skivvy? Ffs. Are you raising princesses?

There are some excellent posts on here - particularly SoupDragon's just above, and AnnieOwl's a long way back.
It really is quite scary how many people do think it's an unreasonable activity though, and also some really 'off the wall' perceptions about what Brownies actually is - yes, I'm talking about you mommabear12

I was at London zoo a few weeks back, there was McDonald's all spread about the car park, dirty nappies. Yet there was plenty of bins. What the hell is wrong with people?

I just don't understand why people object, someone's got to do it? Our litter picker got cut, so there really is no one.
What a great safe way to learn the impact and amount there is.

When you've seen a red kite caught with a carrier bag, a hedgehog stuck in a krushums cup or with elastic bands stuck round it, a fox with cuts because of drink cans. You realise it really shouldn't be there.

I'm a teacher and when it comes to parents my mantra is 'you can't please all of the people all of the time' - whatever you do, someone will be pissed off.

Hats off to Guide leaders for putting up with this sort of shit for free.

I've ventured back and would like to say thank you very much for all your supportive comments. I'm fine - personal circumstances plus PMT yesterday meant just about anything could have set me off and it just happened to be this thread.

Only question now is - when I take my Brownies out and about this week, should we do a litter pick while we're there?!!

:)

Good to see you back Perm. Can I ask for your full risk assessment with all 7 headings being used within 24 hours then for litter picking

I help out at a Brownie group, i'm a Tawny owl, and have been asked by my Brown owl if I would consider taking over in the future, as she is a full time teacher as well as a wonderful leader. However, threads like this remind me why I have so far refused to do so.

I love my Brownies, enjoy spending time with them and seeing them develop over their time with us. What I don't love is the flack, criticism and often self entitlement that comes from some parents. (Not all, in fact most are wonderful and supportive)

I just think it's a shame that some parents are so eager to criticise, and it's often the very same ones which rush off after a pack holiday, trip, or camp without so much as a thank you. They need to remember that without these leaders, helpers and volunteers the brownie group would cease to exist. :(

Welcome back, Perm.
It's so sad to see that many do not understand what the Guiding movement is about and are unwilling to learn why litter picking is entirely appropriate and safe when done as a Brownie exercise

The listed activity was Geo Caching!

TBH if they had been geocaching there is every chance they might have put their hand in somethng nasty while searching for the cache. I have lost count of the times that has happened to me.

The thing is though, it probably isn't the brownies who need to understand about the wildlife being injured and so on - they are probably not the ones who are dropping the litter, and dare I say it, probably not the ones who will go on to drop it when they are bigger.

It's targeting the wrong people perhaps. I have great respect for the Guiding people, though I was never involved myself, and despite that respect I feel uncomfortable at sending little children out to pick up litter dropped mainly by adults or teenagers.

It doesn't seem right. But I might well be in a minority. There are a lot of ways they could and I'm sure do learn about the impacts of litter without the hands-on approach.

Aside from all this, I do wish I had been a brownie sometimes as it sounds terrific fun

But the Brownies who did this can go on and encourage others not to drop litter. That is part of the point of the exercise: educating as well as civic service

Fairenuff
I very much doubt the OP will answer that question

Oh, and good to see you have seen the supportive comments Perm

watch plastic paradise. that will put you straight about the utility of litter picking.

PS I would also like to remind people that the OP said she would LOVE (her emphasis) to volunteer.