To think scouts attracts the more ‘quirky’ kids?

[JumpTheGun]

As the mother of a (wonderfully) quirky DS myself who has recently started going to beavers, my observation is that quite a few of the other children in his colony also seem a little bit geeky, shy, quirky etc. Is this a general thing? Or will the ‘geeky’ types tend to drop out? I’m kind of hoping DS has found somewhere that suits his nature!

There isn’t really a “type” at DSs club. Lots of different personalities there. It’s a good mix

Following because I would quite like my quirky DS to start Beavers. He doesn’t really have any interest but I just have a feeling it would be good for him. (He’s not only quirky but extremely outdoorsy and a capable fire/den builder - I just think it would suit him well!)

Ours is a real mix. The joining up is usually parent driven and parents can have lots of reasons.

It depends on the group.... if a child makes friends and likes the activities on offer, they want to stay. But the friends and activities on offer vary a lot, so you can have completely different experiences.

(For example... we have our woodland and field. We can do a lot more of the natural activities, bushcraft etc than a group who meets in a hired hall with no outdoor space)

Agreed - I think it's mostly parents who'd like their child to have more community and experiences or feels the need to push the child out of comfort zone, whereas a confident easy going child with clear desires of their own is less likely to need this.

I've been a leader for more years than I will admit, with the cub section and 14+ explorers
If anything it's the opposite to what you say.
The young people who are the "trendy" and worried about what their peers will think are mote likely to drop out around 11/12. The "geeky' types if they enjoy the range of activities on offer will stay.
The middle ground, it depends on the parents a lot.

My experience is that it attracts all sorts of different kids. That's one of the lovely things about it.

Actually at beavers it's probably more about the parents making the decision to send them, and then as they get older it's the kids choosing to go to cubs and scouts.

Not true in ours as there is a huge waiting list so it tends to be the ones with pushy, very involved parents who put their children's names on the list when they were born (this is not an exaggeration!) My ds got a place because my dh agreed to help out weekly. However I think perhaps the more quirky ones keep at it as lots drop out as they get older, my ds will likely want to keep going for a long time.

In my experience it’s the parents who sign kids up to beavers - for an infinite number of reasons. By the time they’re at cubs/scouts the kids who actually want to be there are left. Definitely at scouts I’d say the more quirky or outdoorsy ones are the ones who remain. The “cooler” ones often drop out during scouts if it’s not seen as cool enough.

my kids love it.

Think it depends on your area. Inthink sport often takes over as kids go past cubs age and they havent got time to commit to everything. My son (11) is not very team sport driven but loves scouts. On the other hand his younger brother lives in his football kit but goes to cubs as all his friends do. He might stay on because his brother goes but it is hard finding that evening every week.

Our colony does amazing things though - sailing, cycling, fire building, camp, air rifle, open air swimming are the last 6 weeks alone.

The one my ds attends certainly does. I think this is because there are so many really good sports clubs round these parts that scouts is one of the few things the non sporty kids can do. It’s perfect for geeky kids like my ds as it’s something he can achieve and feel proud of without having to be able to be physically coordinated

My son went as a kid and no it was a mix of all personality types from his school

Beavers and cubs attracts the kids who's parents have decided to send them. So it's a mixture of all sorts - academic kids, sporty kids, outdoorsy kids, we have them all. Young kids also tend to do quite a few clubs, so they can fit it beavers/cubs, while also doing swimming, football, chess etc.

Once they get to late cubs and scout age (around 10-12) then some start to drift away, and I would say that on average, it's the quirkier kids that are more likely to stay. At this age, homework increases, plus sports clubs tend to demand more time (for those who are quite sporty, they may have two or three sports meetings a week). It's also not as cool to be a scout as it is to be a footballer!
It also seems to be, on average, that the more academic kids stay on.

My two football loving boys left at the end of cubs, but my DD, who is not particularly sporty, but is quite quirky and academic, has stayed all the way from beavers to explorers, and is also a young leader. Thinking about it, I have three young leaders who help at cubs, and they are all none sporty, all go to super-selective grammar schools, so it certainly appeals more to a certain type as they get older.

I'm not sure about at Beavers, but is say it's true as they get older. Scouts is basically for kids who don't care about being cool, that's what makes it great.

I also think as they get older, children who are really into their sport don't have time for Scouts.

Thanks for all the insight - might just be our colony that has a quirky intake! But it definitely sounds like the kind of thing my DS might enjoy long term - he’s not sporty but loves the outdoors. He’s just been on his first overnight camp, loved it, and has been telling me he wants to get the badge for 200 nights away!

Mine didn’t do Beavers but in Scouts it was a mix of all personalities. I wouldn’t have called many of them quirky. And I didn’t send them or persuade them, it was their idea to go and they had some very happy years at Scouts and Explorers.

DW and both BIL's went to scouts. They all grew out of their quirkiness as teens, but you would definitely describe all three of them as quirky now!

My experience is that in the younger sections it's a complete mix, and very much parent driven, but there was definitely a big drop off in Scouts and it tended to be the more image conscious kids who dropped out, so there was something of a concentration of the slightly "different" ones. Though in the troupe my boys went to, there was still quite a lot of variation - quite a few geeky types, plus the serious outdoorsy ones, the environmental activists and so on. Just not what my DS calls "the cool kids". Though actually, I think that on the whole, the Scouts I know are way cooler than a lot of other youngsters their age. I was sad when my boys left but there isn't an Explorer group in our area that doesn't clash with their other activities unfortunately. They both got a lot out of Scouts, but especially my shy, geeky boy who tried all kinds of things that he would not have attempted in a different environment.

Same at ours OP

It's quite lovely as a lot of the boys who go don't always feel confident to come out of their shell at school, so it offers them a real safe space to do it. My son had done so much he would never have attempted in front of kids from his school

Guides and Scouts can be a safe space for the quirky and quiet kids because they actually get a chance to shine and they tend to be more open minded about teying whatever activity you throw at them.

There's definitely a type here, including the leaders tbh.

Scouting and Guiding are great for children who are a little different. It's not like school where there is a big group and you have to "fit in". And because its a smaller group and mixed ages, and often from different schools, there don't tend to be cliques. Also there is such a variety of activities and you rarely have to be the best at something, everyone just gets to have a go at their own pace.

Off topic but is girls brigade still on the go? (And if so is it still strictly for girls)?

Same here , generally outdoorsy types, quirky, maybe less concerned about appearance than some.

At ours you get all sorts in Beavers. By the time you get to Scouts it is more the eclectic types remaining