Guiders Staff Room Part 4

[Groovee]

Moving on from Part 3

I have just accepted the Commissioner role in our District. I'm not new to Guiding, have run a Brownie unit for nearly 18 years but I'm still really nervous about taking on the extra role, fitting it round work, three kids, continuing to run my own unit... and nervous particularly about how to approach things during the current climate.

Anyone got any top tips?

@AlsoKnownAsMillicent I'm a DC in a joint role and my district has been fairly straight forward. The hardest thing for me is timings for meeting new volunteers. They seem to think I'm available all the time and it's my job. I've had people complain that they're only available in school hours, but I work then. They don't grasp that I am a volunteer too.

My biggest bugbear is then getting them to start at units. Have seen a number of people disappear off the face of the earth when they don't want to continue instead of saying "it's not for me!"

I also have a DC diary and use it all the tine for requests from leaders. And I try to visit each unit each term too.

Next term...? What’s everyone doing? I‘ve been shocked to find that I haven’t missed Guides at all, haven’t really enjoyed the last few terms and feeling like we’ve done all the best uma s and sbs. I feel a bit like the ethos has changed from helping the girls to challenge themselves & have new experiences to a rather preachy, almost political/campaigning movement putting responsibilities onto the girls to solve things that are beyond them (eg climate change) when they should be having fun! + fundraising to pay for HQ’s legal action re the trans issue has annoyed me more than somewhat! How can I get my enthusiasm/ interest back!

@Sittinonthefloor seeing as we return to school this week... there's no guidance at all so just sitting tight to begin with.

@Sittinonthefloor I'm no longer in the UK, and obviously Covid guidance will be different. But I find taking the girls outside really helpful for feeling like that.
It seems to be generally safer for covid and you can work on all sorts of skills etc. The most straightforward for me is to set up some variety of treasure or scavenger hunt as it is fun for the girls, you can build in skills (map reading, compass skills, morse code, signalling, first aid, nature lore, agility etc ) and they tend to be in small groups so easier covid wise.

Not done much to prepare for the term as my unit team disappeared and the DC seems uninterested in supporting me for a change.

Guiding is really funny. If you're able to give they'll take, but if you're the one in need it's like a dirty secret to be ignored.

Feeling used and sorry for myself.

So sorry to hear that @Becles
Don't have anything useful to say other that I hope things improve in some way soon and you can find some support somewhere. Always feels bad when fellow Guiding leaders don't support; think we could sometimes be better at the 4th law with each other...

I'm really sorry to hear that, Becles. If you need to chat, or bounce ideas off someone, or need an extra adult on calls, feel free to PM. It can be rubbish feeling unsupported.

I came to this topic looking for something else, and had completely forgotten you guys were here (sorry!).

Still leading Rainbows, but Zoom is weird, I have to put on my "children's entertainer" hat for the meeting, it's definitely hard work. But we've done 3 now, and are managing one UMA a meeting. Sending out activities via whatsapp or email to those who don't zoom, but hardly ever hear back from anyone.

What are people doing re census and members who you haven't heard from since March? I'm wondering if I need to do a ring round over half term to figure out who wants to stay on the books, and see if they can pay to cover census at least even if they don't want to pay subs for meetings. I've already sent emails last term & this, but simply haven't had replies from about 1/3 of the parents.

I’ve just removed anyone who hasn’t replied since April - there have been several emails and texts.
Not a zoom fan. We’ve started face-face and they’re going well so far.

I resigned a DC and having done everything over lockdown with no help and practically being ignored by the team except to tell me I was letting the girls down, I have resigned. No contact whatsoever. So that's me done!

Groovee sorry you have resigned. I'm a bit confused you said you did everything during lockdown. Did you do zoom sessions? If you were doing things why did your team think you were letting the girls down? If you had no contact with the rest of your team could it be they were I'll or keyworkers or ?

I emailed out the tasks so the girls could get their theme awards. It took a lot of time to collate. Made videos for girls to do tasks and little updates. Couldn't do zoom as no extra adult to help me.

I am a keyworker too. I worked in the hubs for the keyworker children in my area. Working longer hours than my usual hours in my job.

One team member was working 7am to 10pm and was fine. She was upfront from the start. The others disappeared, no contact, not replying to texts or emails. Then at the start of the school year when I updated that starting a new role I was struggling with time, got told "you are letting down the girls, it's a such a shame for them!" So I've handed everything back and walked away. To have done everything for 9 years and be told at a time when I needed that support that I was letting girls down was the final straw.

I'm really sorry to hear that, Groovee. It sounds like you were absolutely doing your best, and that comment must have felt like such a kick in the teeth.

Oh no Groovee, I'm so sorry someone said this to you. No one should be judging anyone's contribution at this time. We all have different contexts. Some of us are able to continue, some not. It's just wrong for people to judge at any time but especially at the moment!

Found you all! What a few months.

I'm so sorry to hear that Groovee, that is quite the kick in the teeth. It's a horrid time for all of us, but worse when you're juggling extra stuff on top.

One of mine has worked her little socks off and finished Gold, I'm so proud of her and gutted to be losing her in Jan. I'm going to go for a little bike ride and drop her badges off in an envelope marked "please hide until Tues!". She took silver to show &tell at school, she's going to be on cloud nine with this.

That's fab! I've had one Gold through transition, nobody else has got close so far.

I've got a couple of Bronzes to hand out at the end of term though, and while checking, I noticed that my Rainbow who happens to be Brown Owl's daughter has got enough UMA minutes under reduced time in 3 themes already and I've only had her since Easter :o no SB and only 1 IB yet though thank goodness!

SBS are the bit I need to catch up on, nearly all of mine have loads of minutes. Except the sporadic attendees, obviously. Still not got the envelope to her mum yet, my excuse is the weather being rubbish! I had a very excited one show her collecting badge work off this week, as she earns SB badges she'll be gaining the other awards too!

What's the honest opinion on the role of DC? Atm I have the district admin role, I do the non-people side. DC finishes in March and she's warned me she's looking to move so won't be extending for the extra 2 years so I'll be the first one they consider. Just trying to get my head around the potential of all that extra responsibility. Am I grown up enough? Eeeeek!

Unit sleepover over this weekend though. Massive advantage, I get a good night's sleep!

I think being DC is as much or as little as you make it. I've had 3 different DCs, and currently the post is vacant. 1st was ok, bit neurotic, and flapped a lot about how much work there was to do but rarely went to visit other units as I think you're meant to. She did take it seriously and did pick up and sort an issue with the accounts of one unit.

2nd was a job share, which worked ok but one of them was more absent than present...didn't make things very easy for the partner!

3rd has been good, she was very responsive and did visit units, was very proactive about progressing volunteer enquiries etc.

Now the post has been vacant for a year or so, our district secretary is attending division meetings and dealing with volunteer enquiries but nothing else. Commissioner stuff goes to DivC instead. We've had district meetings on Zoom so at least the info is still being cascaded.

Ladies; do you think guiding in tier 2 areas will be back from next week (subject to covid restrictions/ risk assessments etc) - there's nothing yet on the National youth agency website and I just had an email saying it was virtual so am confused. To me the gov guidelines clearly say young people's activities can resume...
Maybe I am being inpatient? Tia

My gut feeling is we'll be encouraged to not meet f2f before Christmas. Chatting with a couple of other leaders last will, they're all planning to zoom to the end of term.

I saw scouting in my county will be amber after the 2and, so expect Guiding will be similar. The post stated that for all tiers they will be amber as per NYA.

Personally, after Christmas, I have a choice of outdoors or zoom, the measures put in place by my hall make it impossible for me as the only leader - I don't volunteer for what they're asking of me. I'll probably zoom until half term in Feb and reassess.

I'm planning to stick with Zoom until Easter I think - our hall isn't accessible currently, it's a church hall and we'd need to meet Covid requirements of the church as well as GGHQ, and I can't keep on top of who needs what completing by when :o

We're also in the final few months before our hall is demolished (it's been going on for at least 5 years!), so I suspect we won't be back there until its replacement is complete. The church have offered us an alternative place to meet, but again it depends on the cleaning requirements and whether we can comfortably meet them.

Scouts have now said back to what it was before lockdown, ie f2f ok but with restrictions (15 kids/ social distancing etc). Guides haven't yet updated: www.girlguiding.org.uk/making-guiding-happen/coronavirus-keeping-safe/ perhaps they will today.
I do feel for leaders - it's so very difficult. One leader I am close to hasn't gone back, no zoom as she's not au fait with it, was really struggling, wrote to all her girls and had like 3/4 responses back. So sad for everyone.

Guiding have just announced that they’ll be publishing updated directions tomorrow morning, but that they expect it to be similar to that in November before the lockdown. 🤞🏻

Guidance is out. Think if there's no further changes I'll book the local camp site and do 2 sessions back to back for my lot.