Not comfortable about returning to Cubs...

[RoughSeas]

I’m a Cub Leader. We’re looking at getting back to face to face indoor meetings pretty soon. National guidelines say that we can have 15 Cubs, plus Leaders/Young Leaders, in our hut at a time. The Cubs come from different Schools and Year Groups.

I’m in my 60’s and I have damaged lungs from a childhood illness. Even a common cold becomes bronchitis, when I had (real) flu some years ago I ended up in hospital with pneumonia - so yes, I am worried about COVID. But we don’t have enough Leaders to cover if I don’t go back and I’m being perceived by some as a bit of a ‘party pooper’.

Am I worrying unnecessarily? I don’t know if I’m being over cautious. I don’t want to mess things up for everyone but I don’t want to risk my health. I’m pretty robust, good hiker, climber etc so people think I’m fit and well.

What do you think?

YABU = stop worrying about a tiny risk and crack on with it
YANBU = you’re right to be concerned, your health comes first

Thank you

No I wouldn't due to your health. Can you assist in background eg planning but another leader take physical meeting.

Well, I would be telling the parents that if they want the meetings to continue, then some of them will just have to step up and help. If they're not willing then they don't get to moan at/about you.

You're not unreasonable here. You're a volunteer as a cub leader. You should do what you're comfortable with, and it doesn't sound like you're comfortable going back yet.

You're a volunteer. Don't put yourself at risk if you are concerned. What you do for the kids is fantastic, but it is not more important than your own health and wellbeing.

You sound like you might be our Cub leader! But I’d say to her what I’d say to you - do what is right for your own health first.

Maybe let the parents know about your health issues (if you’re comfortable telling them the basics) as they’ll
a. Be more understanding, and
b. Be more likely to try to find ways to help

YANBU. If the parents want it to continue, they need to step up and help run it!
Our Brownie Unit can also get back to meeting (we're aiming for after half term) but we're going to have to have a parent rota to make numbers work as one of our leaders is vulnerable.

Ours will be doing outdoor meetings for the forseeable future to keep risks down. Its scouts, so a bit of rain won’t hurt them.Would that help?
otherwise, please do what you need to stay safe - your cubs would be devastated if you would fall ill!

We are doing outdoors only and moving to weekend meeting to have daylight.

Thank you all. It’s good to know that others don’t think I’m wimping out!!

timeforanew and littleducks, meeting outside was our first plan and I was completely happy with that, but indoors is a step too far.

Time to bite the bullet and phone our Section Leader 😳

Don't do it. Don't feel guilty about it. If others try to guilt you into it, ask them how they (and the cubs) will feel if you are hospitalised.

My Brownies are outdoors which is a substantially lower risk.

My scouting group is still online only for various reasons. My DCs don't engage with it, and we'll wait patiently until we can be f2f again.

You're a volunteer. It's not a press-gang.

Whoops....NC fail there but let’s all pretend that we didn’t notice it 😊

I completed the return to scouting covid risk assessment and decided that outdoors was the best option for our circumstances.

Im a volunteer, I'm not happy to be cleaning toilets between cubs or disinfecting buildings (our hut is a nursery in daytime). I am planning a hike, wide hands and pioneering ballistas. I think it will be fun.

I am a Guide leader and as a leader I would not expect anyone to return if it put them at risk.

My team are all ok to return, but we aren't just yet - I don't have the head space to sort out the risk assessments currently, my job is taking all my time!

littleducks That’s exactly what I had planned, we have a large Scout camp ground fairly nearby and I’d intended to make good use of that and other local facilities.

We also share our premises and cleaning down will be part of the job!

OP I'm a fit forty something Guider. I'm not going back face to face, end of. I can't compromise my job with potentially multiple track and trace quarantines. I love Guiding but it, frankly, doesn't pay the bills. I've also spent more hours than I care to consider making our workplace COVID secure. I don't have the energy to repeat the exercise in a voluntary capacity. I miss my girls, but it is what it is and I have parked the guilt. Make the decision that's right for you!

I'm very grateful to our scouting family leaders who after a day at work find the will and energy to come and give their time to our children (in normal times). You need to do what's right for you - you have already given more than most. Put yourself first.

@RoughSeas i think you should insist on outdoors. I’m not from the Uk (but from a country with really, really cold winters), and the idea of scouts meeting indoors is quite strange to me. Its scouts, not the local sewing club. Get outside!

My daughter does brownies and other after school clubs on zoom. I would be very supportive of the leaders taking the decision to keep the zoom classes for the foreseeable future, or moving the classes to outside, especially if they were making that decision to protect their health.

I am the Section Leader for 1 of our Cub packs and have reasonably bad asthma. We are also short of leaders (only have 3 for 24 Cubs). We had zoom meetings all spring, 1 in person meeting in July as the investiture before summer hols, and started back 2 weeks ago in person.

But we are currently meeting outdoors and only 2 patrols per session, running it twice with a gap to allow changeover without interaction. And those sessions are outdoors - boating until early October (Sea Scouts group) and then we plan an outdoor programme in our local parks and beaches for the rest of the year until our Christmas break. Subject to being allowed to meet in those smaller groups. We’re moving the patrols around each week so the Cubs will see their friends in other patrols over a few weeks.

But we have had to cancel our plans for a 1 night camp (well, leaders doing 2 to cover all 4 patrols) as we were all getting wobbly but I was particularly so. And I made that call to say no.

At present, the Group has decided that Den is out of bounds to all youth members, we even changed all the codes on all the locks for that purpose (many many locks...). All meetings are outdoors. For all sections.

I’m totally happy with outdoors. I’m so pleased that so many of you are sticking with that, it makes so much sense.

I’ve arranged a doorstep meeting with our Section Leader on Thursday and I shall tell him that I’ll do outside activities plus planning and admin but I’m not going inside. I’m taking this thread with me as back up 😂, but he is a very reasonable chap so I think he’ll be fine.

I’m so glad I asked though, you’ve all made me much more confident in my decision 😊

No offense, but surely it would make more sense than to discuss this with your GP rather than a bunch of randomers on MN?

We’ve recently had a brownie planning meeting and the first question was ‘does everyone want to go back’.
It’s up to you OP.

Your health comes first!

My Brownies are meeting outdoors and on Zoom all this term - too many girls to have all of them at the outdoor meeting so they alternate weeks - one week outside, one week on Zoom. Leaders are comfortable with outdoors and so far it's been great, and made us try activities we wouldn't normally think of. I think parents understand and appreciate that we are doing our best and we have to be comfortable too.