Scout camp plans excluding weak swimmers

[LostMySocks]

DS scout group have announced a summer camp....surf camp. They have also linked the camps to getting the Gold award.
DD is a weak swimmer. No way should he be in the sea as there is a real risk that he will get into trouble. There doesn't seem to be an alternative plan even though there are younger children joining before summer. I'm assuming they won't all be super swimmers. I know they are all volunteers but this seems short sighted as a supposedly inclusive organisation. DS is very upset at the idea of not going but I don't want to pay for him to sit on a beach.

First. He needs to learn to swim. Get on it, it's a life skill if he doesn't learn now when will he? COVID isn't an excuse at this point, it really isn't.

Secondly, you need to actually speak to the scout leaders about what type of 'surfing' will be happening. As PP says, they will probably be in knee or waist deep water at the most. Being a weaker swimmer need not prevent him from taking part.

Those saying book swimming lessons or take him swimming. Sadly our local pools have long waiting lists
We do swim regularly but they keep weak swimmers in a small area.
I'll speak to the group leader. They're likely to have younger boys joining by then.
I'm happy not to send him but the leaders are stressing that the need to go to get programme awards.

Get going with the lessons! And swimming lessons have been back for ages now do its not really an excuse anymore.

It would be terrible if being inclusive meant only doing everything to the least able ability though.

So book some one to one intensive lessons. It’s not great that a ten year old can’t swim well (10+ lengths in multiple strokes).

When you say a weak swimmer how far can he actually swim? Also as many people have said beginner surf lessons take place in the shallows. Have you actually asked about how the surf sessions will work? Who is providing them? If you contact the surf instructors they will probably put your mind at rest.

It was always a condition of the camps when I was younger (early 00s so not 100yrs ago) that kids could swim 50m. I think it's a sensible precaution. Plenty of time to get them swimming confidently by next summer. If they can't swim perhaps it's not the camp for them.

I think you have a bad case of "main character" syndrome @LostMySocks. And yes, sign your dd up for this camp and spend the next week months working on her swimming.

If it's right that scouts start at 10, the younger kids joining will very likely be able to swim. Most 10 year olds can.

Climbing isn’t necessarily inclusive either. My DS has a crippling fear of heights. Neither he nor I think that’s a reason his scout group shouldn’t do climbing & abseiling. He just joins in the bits he can bear and cheers his friends on for the rest. Surf camp sounds great, especially if you don’t live that near a beach so it’s a chance for new experiences. Plus you’ve got ages to get his swimming up to scratch - the missing it due to covid excuse is a bit lame, that was 2 years ago now! My 9yo had to stop his lessons but is perfectly competent to swim the 50m required for scout water activities now.

I organised sailing for Cubs last summer. POR states that they must be swimmers (scouts' definition is able to swim 50m and float for 5 minutes in a buoyancy aid) or they need 1:1 supervision. There may well not be enough Leaders. It's a volunteer run organisation (at group level) so it's up to them and their risk assessment.

I absolutely sympathise with you that it is a shame that DS is going to miss out on this trip.
On the other hand water can be dangerous and if your child is not a good swimmer it may be too bad but he’s not up to the trip and nobody should take risks in the sea.
So set a good example. This trip is not suitable, let the others who are stronger in the water go and enjoy it with good grace. There might be a different or better opportunity for your child in the future. A camping trip perhaps, where swimming ability is not a priority!
in the meantime continue the swimming lessons and other development opportunities for your child, everything from activities which build his physical confidence to his planning abilities and can he safely produce his own beans on toast independently etc etc

I don’t see why the others should miss out because your scout can’t swim. Rather than moaning online ask the leaders or better still help them organise it

This.

You’ve got about 10 months to sort out his swimming , which should be a priority for you anyway . The leaders are volunteers leave them alone .

It's crap that you've not got him swimming lessons since covid, it's been years, do better - get him on those waiting lists, keep ringing around places to see if there's free space yet. Yes, it'll suck that he's in a class with much younger children, but it's better that than him never learning, the problem will just get worse the older he gets.

If you can afford it, get him private 121 lessons, and make sure you take him swimming yourself too so he can practise what he's learning.

Next summer? And scouts start at age 10 or 11? Most children that age are strong enough swimmers to cope with surf camp. I’m a neurotic parent about the sea and both mine were ok by age 8 (under close supervision) and that was only just post covid.

You’ve got masses of time to fit in 2 or 3 intensive courses plus lots of practice with you. It’s an essential life skill you should prioritise anyway if you can afford it.

hugely limiting for secondary school age children not to be reasonable competent swimmers.

Getting your child to be a good swimmer is one of the best things you can do for them, imo. You never know when they might need it.

I take kids on a school residential and we do surfing. Last year for the first time we had a child who was a non swimmer (could manage 25m just about with a float or noodle or similar). I told the leaders and they said it was fine, we didn’t go in deeper than thigh deep anyway. She was fine.

If they're doing risk assessments for water activities then they can add canoeing and kyaking.

Your child can then get their badges for water safety or even boating qualifications.

They will need a qualified lifeguard available and someone who can teach surfing. Most water babies know another water baby who can teach different skills.

Challenge the leadership team and ask what other skills can be learnt on water whilst the surfers are training.

Alternatively keep sending your child into scouts with latest research on shark sightings in the uk and they may suddenly find a land alternative.

You really don’t need to be a strong swimmer to do beginners surf lessons.

It’s waist height water at most.

And you can wear a buoyancy aid if wanted, as well as having the buoyancy of the wetsuit.

Just make sure the instructor knows he isn’t a strong swimmer, and tell him not to mess about or go beyond waist depth.

Teaching ratio is usually 1:6 for beginners, in shallow water. Weak swimming is not a bar to beginner surfing.

I think I’d be more concerned about my child’s inability to swim than the inability to attend a scout camp! Unless there’s some reason like disability why he can’t, I’d use this as a good reason to book in some intensive lessons. And as for Covid, sorry, but lessons have been running without disruption for at least two years. Pull your finger out OP! He doesn’t even need to go to scouts, but he needs to be able to swim.

I think that's perfectly reasonable for Scouts, as they are 10+. Scouts do a lot of water based activities so they really should have learnt at Cubs/Beavers age. Even if two years delayed that should be enough time for most children.

There’s nowhere near you, or reachable, where your ds could practice swimming proper lengths, supervised by you in the water? I find that really hard to believe.

I think calling him a “weak swimmer” is part of the issue - it’s not something inherent to him, it’s just he hasn’t been taught or given the chance to practice.

Have you offered to volunteer to run the rock climbing?
What about the kids who are afraid of heights?
What about the kids who can't climb even if they're not afraid of heights.
Not everyone can be included in everything!