Scouts camping trip

[MissSmiley]

DS (13) was supposed to be doing a hike next weekend with explorers and then staying overnight at a public campsite with three other scouts (ages 13-15) all girls.

They are going to be covertly monitored by one of the leaders who will also stay in a tent but they won't know he's there. They will have his mobile number in case of emergency.

We've discussed it and decided not to let DS go. He's very sensible and understands why. I feel bad that the leader thinks I'm a lightweight. I'm normally quite liberal and trust DS completely but can think of a million and one things that could go wrong.

The main thing that puts me off is that I wouldn't leave him alone with 3 girls at home overnight and being in a public campsite is probably less safe. AIBU?

Back in the day when I did DofE we didn't have mobile phones so not having a signal wasn't a problem.
Other people on campsites will be camping themselves, not roaming around looking to start trouble.
I would have thought they would have to cancel the hike if your son didn't go as 4 is usually the minimum number so if someone got injured 2 go for help and 1 stays with the injured member

I do understand your worries but tbh they are a bit silly. Your concerns are more likely to happen when they walk to school/local town on their own.

These sorts of events are well planned and risk assessed. There will be documentation to support this which you are entitled to see.

The whole point of the exercise is for the kids to learn how to respond in all the situations you are describing. I have run similar events with guides so just girls and never had an issue.

It is your decision ultimately but should your ds really miss out on something just because you are scared and being a bit pfb?

If it was him that was worried I might say Yanbu but in this case I think yab a little u

Glad you changed your mind, you were over-worrying a bit too much there!

Apologies I missed your update.

Glad you spoke to the leaders and feel better!

Thanks for update! Hope he has a great time.

What are you worried about? He molests the others? They molest him? Creepy wood folk come out of the trees and molest them?

There's an adult with them. They are young, good kids who go to Scouts. With an adult. If you don't like the idea of your kids a) camping with friends and b) mingling with the opposite sex, maybe sending them to Scouts was a poor choice.

Sorry to resurrect a zombie thread, but I just wanted to share my understanding in case it is useful. Bear in mind that I lead Beavers, not Explorers, so please don't take what I say as gospel.

There seems to be some confusion about which section they are in. As far as I can tell they are not Scouts (10.5-14) but Explorers (13.5-18). In this case they do not actually have to have an adult with them 24/7 as far as I know. Instead, a Leader with the right qualification and experience can grant one of them a 'Nights Away Passport' for the event if that Leader is satisfied that they can be trusted and other risks are mitigated.

In this case, the one who is granted the passport effectively becomes the Leader, even if they are not themselves an adult.

Maybe an Explorer Leader could give a more definitive answer.