Scout groups not enough Volunteers

[girlfriend44]

Local Scout group has lots of children signed up but enough volunteers do in danger of closing.

Is this the same everywhere?
What stops people from volunteering?

Time, other obligations, endless and increasingly complex rules about what you can and can’t do as a leader. You

Too many feckless parents see it as a baby sitting service

I would love to volunteer at my kids scouts but I am so socially awkward it would make me quite ill. I really really do hugely appreciate the time given up by the leaders to give them these fantastic experiences.

Time. I gave up volunteering somewhere when they'd ignore my offers to volunteer and were crying out for volunteers

The size of the commitment required to do the job properly is what puts me off. Becoming a scout leader isn’t just a couple of hours a week and it comes with a huge responsibility.

I volunteer a lot with ours as a parent helper. I don't have the bandwidth or the confidence to be a leader but I help as much as I can. The leaders are amazing people and give up a huge amount of their time.

Our District is seeing it across the area, waiting lists for young people but leaders are leaving, so some sections and even whole groups have had to close. We are desperately trying to recruit

There is way more commitment than just a meeting each week. Lots of planning risk assessments all the rest of it I would never ever do it again!!

I am an ex scout volunteer and I quit because of the politics.

Time. My dh takes ds to cubs while I’m still at work.

We have a good amount of volunteers in our group. We are a very friendly
And welcoming bunch and do lots of things to involve parents and then entice them in 😄

Do you volunteer OP?

Time

I have a crazy job (60+ hour weeks sometimes), my DH often works away, and I volunteer because if I didn’t my son wouldn’t get to go to beavers! I also ended up as chairman somehow 😂 if we don’t volunteer it doesn’t happen.

I would be put off by their inability to quote the Law correctly in their safeguarding procedures:
'We recognise that the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk is paramount and that all children, young people and adults at risk, regardless of age, disability, gender, gender reassignment, pregnancy, maternity, marriage/civil partnership, race, religion and/or sexual orientation (all defined as protected characteristics within the Equality Act 2010) have the right to equal protection from all types of harm or abuse. Working in partnership with children, young people, adults at risk and their family, support network, volunteers and staff is essential in promoting and embedding this policy. This is a national policy and subject to the laws and guidance of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland; it’s also in-line with the Local Safeguarding Partnerships in England, Wales (previously LSCB) and Scottish and Northern Ireland counterparts.'

Sex not gender is the correct protected characteristic. This mistake is likely deliberate and part of Stonewall's influence.

I’m a long standing Brownie Leader. Accounts, admin, maintaining records, badge work, planning, purchasing, dealing with parents who are not always polite or appreciative as well as turning up each week after work. It can suck the fun out of it all. Times have changed and less people want the extra commitment and responsibilities.

I quit Guiding over their treatment of volunteers who objected to their trans policy

Yep. We’ve got enough Cubs for a whole new Group and then some and I emailed all the parents on the waiting list offering to split it into a rota and we’d provide risk assessment and activity plan etc (from the current Group) and I had one response…who understandably can’t do every week. The people grouse at the school gate that we can’t find a space for their child….grrr….

Volunteering elsewhere. So so many activities, support groups etc are only able to exist because of volunteers. With the cost of living crisis, many, many charities are rushed off their feet providing increased levels of support which they need their volunteers to provide.

No I haven't got a child in Scouts. I do other volunteer work though.

Time is a huge one. More and more people work full time, or work multiple jobs taking up full time + hours. People have caring commitments too, outside of their jobs. People are having to work for longer too, before they retire.

I think in the past (until relatively recently), a lot of these things were run or had volunteers from SAHP or parents who worked part time, as well as the active recently retired. I think this pool of people has got a lot smaller, so there are less people able to give a large time commitment to volunteering.

If people are stretched for time, they are less willing to put up with any stress from volunteering, as well- so they will volunteer if it's easy, but when it becomes more difficult, they will decide not to.

I do also think running groups such as scouts has probably become more demanding due to both the increased demands of health and safety and the increased demands of parents.

They all need a couple of leaders willing to devote lots of time (and therefore not in a full-time job) plus eg a parent rota so each family needs to help say two evenings a term.

Problem is that, unlike 30-40 years ago, in most families both parents work so don't have time for one of them to run a group like that or even help. Or they are single parents juggling lots of balls. And those that might have time are often already volunteering in multiple other ways, eg running food banks, toddler groups. A friend runs a brownie pack and the actual time spent at the group on a Tuesday evening is the tip of the iceberg, she spends hours each week planning, doing admin, dealing with parents (who often don't even thank her for what she does), etc and not surprisingly she frequently thinks about giving up.

Im a Girlguiding volunteer and we are also massively struggling. In my area, the issues are the following. But not sure if its the same everywhere.

• parents dont want to help out / join a rota so drop and run. Fine but ultimately might mean there is no unit to drop and run at
• since covid, number of enquiries for young members to join has massively gone up. But no corresponding increase in volunteers to increase group size / start new units
• taking on new volunteers isnt the most straightforward. Girlguiding requires a DBS, two references and for the person to do the first level of safeguarding training. Then more training if they want to become a leader rather than a helper
• people being unwilling to commit weekly anymore. I run a unit with 8 volunteers, because some of the volunteers are shift workers so cannot always come on a brownies night for example, and others (those without kids) want to be able to go away in term time. So we have a complicated rota and google plan for who needs to come when.
• there is a lot of paperwork, including risk assessments, accounts, safeguarding matters, first aid / accident reports etc. It grinds me down tbh and im barely hanging on because i enjoy the time with the girls
• i get 3 volunteering days off from work a year but it in no way covers all the time i spend outside of weekly meetings

TL;DR - it's really REALLY hard work for not a lot of thanks or appreciation.

Because I can't volunteer until DS's can both get a space.
Because you can't get a space until there are more volunteers.

My daughter wants to go to rainbows but there’s a waiting list. I’d be happy to volunteer as a helper, but I have another child so I’d need to sort childcare, plus I’d rather not volunteer in the group my daughters in, as I think she’d get more benefit if I wasn’t there, and they only run one session per week.

I have adhd and am possibly autistic as well. The coordination, planning and social interaction required is quite overwhelming. Thats before we even consider the sensory issues of a horde of kids in a room. I have so much respect for our volunteers and would love to help more but know that being a leader is beyond me. My contribution is those parent helper bits with a defined task like running a tea and coffee stall. Even that pushes me way outside my comfort zone!