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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

If you're a guide/scout leader - do you award yourself the badges?

29 replies

WaterReacher · 02/07/2024 08:10

Just that really. I'm a uniformed group leader and I wanted to have one of each of the badges I've taught on my camp blanket. Has anyone else done this or is this really bad form??

YANBU - Buy the badges
YABU - Badges are not for leaders

OP posts:
JacquesHarlow · 02/07/2024 08:22

I voted YABU, but not according to the options you laid out in your 'guide' above.

Beamur · 02/07/2024 08:23

I think you deserve the badges 😁

Wavywoo · 02/07/2024 08:26

Why not? A nice addition for your camp blanket. It's not like you're planning to wear them on your uniform.

PuttingDownRoots · 02/07/2024 08:30

I wouldn't use unit funds, but if you want them for your camp blanket, why not?

Some of my Cubs think its unfair that we don't have our year badges or Nights Away on our uniforms!

(Just don't let the Badge Police catch you. DH likes to wind them up with his uniform... its a work of art!)

Whinge · 02/07/2024 08:43

I wouldn't buy the skills builders badges or theme awards, but I have quite a few special badges that i've purchased over the years, with my own money rather than unit funds. I also have quite a few that have been gifted during events, or swapped with other guiders.

SockQueen · 02/07/2024 08:48

I give the leaders the skills builders we've been working on, any special badges we do (unofficial challenge badges or places we visit), and nights away badges. I don't do theme awards or interest badges.

budgiegirl · 02/07/2024 17:33

As a cub leader, I have lots of special event/camp/souvenir badges on my camp blanket. But I don't have the badges that the cubs earn (activity/stages/challenge etc). I wouldn't because I feel that I didn't earn those badges, but if you want them on your blanket, I don't see why not. No right or wrong answer I think.

sunhat0 · 02/07/2024 17:34

Yes, I have a camp blanket will all the badges I have facilitated for the pack to learn.

I see it as a memory and it's great to show new starters what they can achieve.

Sprogonthetyne · 02/07/2024 17:41

Hey Duggee has one of every badge, why shouldn't you

InTheGloaming · 02/07/2024 18:14

Yes! All the badges! You've got to have some perks 😁 almost every adult leader I know collects the badges, and we pay for them with unit funds too. It's definitely the 'done thing' round here.

PurpleGoose · 02/07/2024 19:10

Our leaders get the special badges to go on our blankets, e.g camp theme, gang show, some of the PawPrint ones, but not the activity/staged/challenge ones.

Noodledoodledoo · 02/07/2024 19:13

Challenge badges most of the time we buy for all members of the unit. Interest/Skills Builder badges - no.
Nights away yes as its for all members not just the young members.
Commemorative Badges - for all members
Camp / Event badges - for all attendees.

JellyBabiesSaveLives · 02/07/2024 19:19

Dh has a "I drove a minibus of scouts to Holland" badge (not an actual Scouting one obviously).
I'm tempted to buy him the Grave Robber badge from Etsy and see who notices first

mummysherlock · 02/07/2024 19:27

Just the commemorative badges/event ones.

Bedofclouds · 02/07/2024 19:41

Our Brown Owl used to make sure all the leaders had badges for our camp blankets. I really liked it, used to sew them on during sleep overs whilst waiting for the excitement to die down and the girls to fall asleep!

NewName24 · 02/07/2024 21:14

No.
Not the activity and challenge badges that are for the dc.

I have the 'occasion' badges that you have to take off your uniform after a year / the special camps / the campsite ones you buy / some fun ones from events or occasions.
My (now adult) dc have some of the ones on their blankets that they earned as young people, but wouldn't add ones on that the dc they are now supporting, earned.

WaterReacher · 03/07/2024 06:47

Well that’s a fairly even mix! It’s not trying to claim I’ve done them, more a memory of the things I’ve facilitated during my time as leader.

i have the special badges and event ones etc. I think there should be badges for leaders!! I would pay for them myself, not out of unit funds.

OP posts:
llamajohn · 03/07/2024 07:31

No. Not interest or skills builders etc.
We used to do the nights away badges for leaders, also things like commemorative/I was here/"we made it happen" badges etc

Hedgehogsaremything · 03/07/2024 07:41

Absolutely! I give all badges being awarded to the whole unit to all the leaders too. And I use unit funds. The units wouldn't exist without the leaders' gift of their time. The least you can expect is a badge!

llamajohn · 03/07/2024 07:49

Hedgehogsaremything · 03/07/2024 07:41

Absolutely! I give all badges being awarded to the whole unit to all the leaders too. And I use unit funds. The units wouldn't exist without the leaders' gift of their time. The least you can expect is a badge!

You award interest badges to leaders?

PuttingDownRoots · 03/07/2024 07:54

I just did a quick count... I've run over 40 of 54 Cub activity badges in my 7 years. (I'm missing ones like sailing, martial arts, skating etc). But definitely not earned all of them. I wasn't the one doing Athletics last night for example... although I probably walked a mile up and down the field from the start to the finish and back again!

Event badges are different... I have my Jubilee and Remembrance badges for example.

turkeyboots · 03/07/2024 08:01

All the guide leaders I knew had all their own guide badges on their camp blankets. The ones we earned as guides. It was always fun to compare and see how things changed. All the Guides were bemused by my 1980s ironing badge!!

BiddyPop · 03/07/2024 08:33

We participated in a national night hike challenge a few years ago, and I gave all the leaders the badge as well (I wanted one for my campfire poncho 😁) as we had all done the night hike as well.

The same for the Water Day badge, as they ran a full afternoon for our and a neighbouring troop doing boating activities after our normal morning session.

I've given them the national scouting at home challenge badge in Covid, as they did a lot of the work organising challenges and dropping packs of materials and instructions to the house of each Cub, and ran a pretty full programme online, and ran 2 sessions per week when we were allowed meet in smaller groups - they had definitely put in the effort for that one!

We've given a few more fun badges (UK Scouts had a couple of Christmas themed ones that I got a full set of), and they took one the first year but not the second (I took both). But we "awarded" those on the basis of participation in the programme and all the f we'd had in our scouting year (which finishes at Christmas).

But all the leaders when I was there were former Scouts or Guides and had decent badge collections they had earned themselves.

I didn't give the annual progression badge or the adventure skills badges to leaders - we were teaching those things so well beyond level 1 🤣🤣. Although I was tempted to give 1 a firelighting badge and another a "I survived this year's camp" one for their skills in getting everything organised, lighting fires no matter what the weather and keeping everyone cheerful come what may. But I had to leave before the end of the year because of work so never got a chance to implement that one.

WaterReacher · 03/07/2024 09:50

My thought was to have them in a section of my blanket with a badge with my leader name on it above it to indicate the reason they're there.

I was never a scout/guide myself so have no badges of my own.

I award leaders any non-programme badges we do and any commemorative ones.

I have given myself the 'anniversary' badges to show how many years i've been a leader.

OP posts:
HarrietJonesFlydaleNorth · 03/07/2024 11:32

I think it sounds like a lovely idea. Camp blankets are full of memories and this sounds like a great way to record your own scouting journey 😁