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!

Agree with previous posters, for beavers everyone goes along it’s more opportunity for a play with friends. The “cooler” kids who are often in football clubs etc tend to drop out by scouts - often because they are busy with sports and sometimes it can’t be fitted in to their week.

but scouts kids are lovely a great option for the more quirky natured

my experience is mostly Guiding but I’ve been to quite a few joint events and met plenty of scouts and scout leaders too

i think the quirky kids are more likely to stay longer tbh. In younger sections, it’s more the kind of activity that loads of kids do, whereas as they get older it’s not really seen as “cool” once they get to secondary school.

i think Scouting is a great activity for quirky kids, they get to do so many varied activities, its not just sporty or just crafts or just outdoorsy.

Round here it’s the kids whose parents signed them up to get the ‘attends church’ box ticked on school applications.

My DD was Beaver of the year 😂
she stayed through, cubs, scouts and explorers plus attend the jamboree in Canada and America. Amazing experience.

@SmellyToilet Girls and Boys Brigade do still exist although some groups have merged together due to lack of numbers to be able to have separate groups.

@BasinHaircut how does that work as Scouts isn't a church group. They often use church facilities but so do yoga/bingo/knitting groups.

I wouldn't say quirky per se. You just tend to find that the kids most likely to leave the group play a sport which have an eye on a prize.

My dd does cubs she's at the end at 10 and so far still keen to do scouts. She didn't go to Beavers. She loves all the outdoor things on offer, she's pretty athletic but doesn't like sport, so it really suits her. She also really likes quirky people so maybe there are more in her cubs??

I went to Scouts and Explorers and whilst we had a huge variety of personalities, the ones who thrived were all the oddballs who didn't necessarily have lots of friends elsewhere. And loads of us oddballs still talk 15 years later - some of the best friends I ever made 🙃

Our son is definitely a bit quirky and geeky 🙂
He has friends at school, but he was also curious about trying out the Scouts. So far, he really likes it there.
It seems a nice mix of kids - some are more confident, others are a bit more shy, but they all seem to be getting on well.

DH and all our sons went right through Scouts from cubs to Venture and benefited hugely. My GCs (11) have just joined Scouts and DS (their Dad) DH and I are cheering.

We've known lovely Scout leaders (past and present) and a dear woman friend was a longterm Guide/Brownie leader. I'd certainly agree that they are all quirky people. In the best possible way, they are all memorable.

The Scout leader role requires it for that commitment of energy, time, patience, generosity, trust. ONE of the many benefits of Scouts, is that it will introduce your child to a safe and trusted relationship with quirky energetic positive committed happy confident adults beyond the family circle. IME, some of their qualities rub off on the kids.

Why? Scouts embrace all religions and have no connection to church attendance whatever.

I help out a fair amount at my kids beavers/scouts.
Totally agree it's parent driven, totally agree the leaders are a bit of a 'type' (significant scout/PTA crossover at ours 😂) but yes, at present there's a big mix of personalities in the kids.

Whatever - scouting is fantastic. They've started fires, built dens & catapults, biked, camped & cooked.... They were sailing & kayaking one evening last week. And it's lovely for them to have other friends away from school.

Ours is a sea scouts division so I suspect cool kid drop-out will occur when they are required to wear the sailor suit...

I’ve no idea as we don’t do Scouts, but it definately counts round here!

Yes it does these days I think. Once it was an offshoot of milatry culture and probably many different types of boys, some quite rough and tough would have gone. But now that it’s more new age and multi sex I do think its mainly for nerdier (not in a bad way) lads who aren’t as stereotypically boyish as some of their peers at school. And maybe girls the same.

@2bazookas @Needmorelego sorry thought I was replying to you both above.

it definitely counts round here to get you up the list re school places and that’s why you can’t get a place for love nor money.

Our village group was very mixed and included Cubs and Scouts from different schools. Scouts was mixed from early after it was possible. Could not get enough leaders to take girls in Cubs.

They do sort themselves out quite well. Would really look after mates falling behind on things.

Just seen a couple of posts.
Our was Sea Scouts as well. That kind of focus makes easier planning in some ways but means that Leaders or separate Instructors have to have RYA Qualifications or Canoe/Kyak equivalent that can be difficult at times.
We were not affiliated to a Church. But traditionally took part in Remembrance Sunday parade/Service.

Scouting and Guiding are definitely attractive to quirky and neurodiverse children. They are structured with decent clear boundaries for socially awkward children. They explore a large range of skills and interests. If one week is not your cup of tea, the next week will be different.

DS1 has diagnoses and loves Scouts and karate. DS2 is enjoying Cubs more as he goes up, but he loves his football too. He's had issues getting into a team and isn't a core player and long term, I'd like him to keep the Scouting up for the variety and life skills.

So many extra-curriculars are sports/ dance/ drama based. Scouting/ Guiding are more suited to introverts than most.

I think they attract a range, much like anything else. And if we’re all honest, later down the line, you’d rather end up with a ‘quirky’ ex-Scout who was handy with a hammer and could survive a nuclear apocalypse than one of the more popular lads at school!

Agree

I assume you mean shy/introverted when you say quirky OP?
I have found Scouts to be the same sort of mix of shy and outgoing children as there are at school. It does seem a lot louder when they are in an echo filled scout hut though!
My children are all shy (? what you are calling quirky) and they have all continued with the various scout groups - I think it’s good for them to learn to rub along with different personalities.
It all depends how firm the wonderful volunteers are that run the group. Some let them run wild and others are more controlling. Anyone who volunteers is amazing and most parents end up on a rota to help either on a weekday meeting, a camp or a weekend event, so you should be able to see for yourself.

😂😂

The ability to craft a trebuchet from bean tins and pipe cleaners will be the equivalent of a Porsche and an iPhone in the forthcoming Mad Max apocalyptic society.

Yes op!! My ds is the same and so is his group. Thank god for scouts!

It was originally religious, as were many voluntary organisations. They are very inclusive of all religions and none nowadays. All are welcome.