Guide Camp

[MoanyMum12]

To think that £40 is a ridiculous amount of money for Guide camp?!
Two nights in a tent for £40...

If we have parent helpers at scout camps etc we usually only ask for a contribution towards food.

but even £80 for both of you to go isn't that expensive?
Where else can two of you go for a weekend, all-inclusive for that price?

I am surprised that you are being asked to go on the camp. What role are you being given? If you're an occasional helper you wouldn't be allowed to stay overnight, surely?

Sorry I was trying to post my rant on the train and missed your update.

Anytime we have parents along, they don’t pay. Our budget is worked out to cover everything from Cubs camp fees and subsidizing from term subs. All adults at an event are included in that budget - as they are all giving up their time to come and we usually need any parents along for ratios or other reasons (one Cub has disabilities but can do most things , just needs some help from his DF for a couple, and another might be very anxious on their first trip away but really want to go and having Mum along in the background may be enough).

Their costs are absorbed into the budget as they are seen as necessary for the event to happen for all.

i love taking my Guides away to camp.

despite the late nights and super-early starts (i'm up early to start cooking their breakfast!) and the constant "whats for breakfast/lunch/dinner"

they're great fun, you get to know the girls better, have stupid moments, quiet moments, tender moments - and the food is awesome ;)

Exactly what @arethereanyleftatall said! These people are giving up their time for free to ensure kids get great experiences! Don't like it? Leave!

definitely YABU - I get kinda giddy when the £40 camp letters come out, its the ones that cost hundreds that are met with gritted teeth wondering if she wants to go, but knowing that the experience and the activities, not to mention all the new people she will will meet will be well worth it...

our £40 one is about 30 mins away, wouldn't dream of expecting them to put transport on for it that close, and we usually send some 'midnight snacks' for the tent and some goodies for the leaders/helpers, we've also been known to help unload/load supplies and equipment at the start and end of camp...

BiddyPop, I was exhausted just reading your post!
Dh was a scout leader for 20 years and camps (especially ‘just’ weekend ones) are really labour intensive. From prep of equipment and shopping then full time from Friday evening to Sunday night, including cleaning and putting away equipment. Bath and back to work on Monday.
All this is not included in the prices of course.

BTW, I love my Cubs. My rant is towards those parents who purely see it as a babysitting service at their beck and call, and who are late to collect their DCs, and as someone else said, expect the moon on a stick.

I have twins in scouts and my eldest ds has just finished his scouting journey so costs me a small fortune every camp and its worth every bloody penny. The skills my 3 have gained over the years are invaluable in my opinion so much so ds1 passed his DofE with ease using all of said skills.These experiences stay with them forever and make them stronger,independent determined young people.I admire our scout volunteers so much so I joined our troop exec committee so I now know how many hoops they have to jump through just to put on a camp nevermind the minimal charges for it.
Without volunteers this charity would fold leaving lots of little people with no life experiences at all.
Its not just £40 for camp its the experience and skills gained along the way too & that is priceless.

I do have a DBS check. I had one done because they were calling on me quite regularly to help out when they were short on adults.
Yes £80 probably isn't that expensive for a weekend away, but when you are on a tight budget and I'm not particularly desperate to go (I'm just volunteering so they have enough adults to run the camp!) then it is quite a lot of money.

You are being unreasonable. Spent £50 for my boy for two nights at cub camp. He was on the go constantly with activities and kept well fed. He loved it.

I'm sure they aren't expecting you to pay £40 to volunteer! We never pay as volunteers.

I'm just volunteering so they have enough adults to run the camp

Then you shouldn't be paying. Have the actually asked for you to pay £40 for yourself? If the trip can't run without you, then you shouldn't need to pay for your place.

They have asked me to pay!

What other activity could your dd do for less than £1 an hour?

Have you asked the leader why you're being asked to pay? I've run so many trips and been involved in many more and adults are never expected to pay, unless it's a trip to the cinema / theatre where they aren't required to be there but also want to go.

It's really not usual to ask volunteers to pay. If you think you'd like to, then just say "yes, but I can't afford to pay".

I suggest that one of the MN leaders pops over to the Guide leaders group on FB and I bet they will someone on there asking very shortly, I bet, if volunteers should pay "because we always do because it's our hobby" (that's usually how it's phrased) and 99% of the other leaders will tell them no, they shouldn't, and why are they even thinking of making parents pay.

They shouldn’t be asking you to pay unless they are all paying too. But remember, they are also only volunteering too.

Sounds completely reasonable to me and pretty good value actually.
What were you expecting to pay for 2 days of camping and activities?

Water, food, first aid supplies, pitch fees and all activities,£40 is probably standard.

They have asked me to pay!
That’s very unusual, we never ask parents to pay if they are helping out at camp.

However, I do know of one scout group where all adults pay to go on camp - leaders and parents - because they don’t want to pass the cost on to the children. Perhaps your guide unit is operating like this, I wonder if the guide leaders are also paying £40, maybe they are.

So YABU to think £40 is a lot to pay for a guide camp. But YANBU to be annoyed at being asked to pay for yourself when you are helping out.

You are very unreasonable, volunteers give up their weekends for things like this. Insurance, equipment, food, activities, first aid stuff...it all adds up.

My dd pays a smaller amount as she doesn’t do the crafts when she helps at brownie camp. Maybe the trip is so barebones that they cannot factor in parent helpers into the cost - if people are upset at £40, them another £2-5 might make them say no......

What sort of activities are they doing? Is it with paid instructors and would you be able to take part in those activities. That would probably be the only time we would ask parents to pay in full, or as others have said when it is a family trip to the theatre, where you can normally get a good group discount anyway.

Otherwise if a parent is helping all weekend we may ask for £5 contribution towards food, especially if they are bringing any other members of their family (who aren't scouts eg younger siblings)

£40 for a weekend camp is good value for your DS.

To charge you as a volunteer is a bit rich if you are there to fulfil ratios for the whole group.
If you are there as an extra because your DS wants you then it is slightly different and other kids shouldn't have to subsidize that.