Scouting staffroom type thread on Mumsnet?

[PerplexedOnceMore]

I've seen one for Guides on Mumsnet and was wondering if there was anything similar for the Scouting Movement?
I'm fairly new in post and would appreciate a place to go for advice, share some hints and tips etc.

Hello all! Advice needed. Does anyone have experience of dealing with another volunteer, who seems to rub everyone else up the wrong way? We have one. They mean very well, but can be a bit of a loose cannon. They do stuff they haven't been asked to do (which is great in a way, very proactive) but they don't consult first. So the section leaders are sometimes left a bit blindsided. Or they don't do something they've been specifically asked to do. They're also sometimes rude to parents. When pulled up gently on things, they get a bit "oh I can't seem to get anything right".

I just couldn’t help myself. I’ve joined our local group as an assistant cub leader. I’m also helping with all of the planning and organising for our group trip to Chamboree in the summer. We had a big session this afternoon checking our mess tents and normal tents. Never seen so many tents missing poles or inners. At least we found enough full sets to have enough to take away with us.

Bravo @zebrapig !

Yes, the pre-jamboree kit check is always fun. I find myself uttering phrases like "what do you mean, you can't find the mess tent? It's bloody massive!" and "why in holy hell do we have saucepans but no sodding lids" and "who didn't empty the water jerrycans properly before putting them away, and when I find them I will kill them". Three weeks until Poacher and I'm getting a bit stressed 😆

Hi, hope it's ok to ask on here, I'm not a scout leader but a parent of a kid moving up to scouts. I'd love to get his cub leaders a gift to say thank you for all they've done for him in cubs, what would be a good gift? There are a lot of leaders & helpers in the group so it might be outside my budget to get an individual gift for each person. Just wondering if anyone has any suggestions. Something they can enjoy at their next planning meeting maybe e.g. beers?! Or something for the cubs group e.g. equipment or resources of some kind, I'm not sure. Thanks in advance for suggestions

One of our parents after camp made up a hamper containing different items like beer, chocolate, biscuits etc. It was a really lovely idea and much appreciated. We all got to take an item each.
Equipment for the group is a lovely idea but unless you know that the group is short of something it's difficult to suggest what to purchase.

@Schooliform first, thank you for thinking of doing this - I sometimes feel that Scout/Cubs/Beaver leaders rarely get end of term presents (when teachers get loads, and they're paid to do it!) The things I've liked most have been little things that the young person has either made, or had some involvement in choosing. I have a splodgily-painted Christmas tree ornament that I bring out with pride every year, a pretty rock (found by a Beaver, who then stuck googly eyes on it) on my desk, and a chicken made out of Hama beads. And a few thank you cards and drawings kept in a safe place. But if time is tight, biscuits are usually a winner.

If you would like to buy resources, just ask what they want! You might catch them at a time when they're desperate for new felt pens, for example.

Something they can enjoy at their next planning meeting maybe e.g. beers?! Or something for the cubs group e.g. equipment or resources of some kind, I'm not sure. Thanks in advance for suggestions

Something they can share at a planning meeting is a lovely idea - a box of nice biscuits or similar. We've just been given a box of Haribo by one of our cubs - we're very much looking forward to that on our next meeting!

While it's a very kind thing to give equipment for the group, at the risk of sounding very selfish, if you are thanking the leaders, get something for the leaders. As a group, any donations of money or equipment are always very welcome and appreciated, and leaders often put in their own money in addition to time as it is. But as a thank you for all the work that the leaders put in for free, a gift that is purely for them is, in my opinion, more appropriate. Even just a lovely handwritten card from your child would be cherished, it needn't cost much at all.

Once of our cub parents gave an Amazon voucher - that was very useful, as we could buy exactly the games/craft equipment that we needed.

@zebrapig how was Chamboree? We had a great time at Poacher (eventually; quite a lot went pear-shaped at the start - not Poacher's fault - so I was mega stressed). But plenty of funny moments to chuckle about in the months to come.

@moggerhangerit was great, I’m absolutely shattered now though! It took the kids a few days to get into it (not helped by one leader deciding to get them into Dungeons & Dragons) but by Wednesday night they were joining in with everything. Seeing them bond as a group was so lovely!
We’ll gloss over the state of the toilets and the need for a toilet rota to stop graffiti by the end of the week.

@zebrapig yes, it took ours a few days to get the hang of how it all worked. Me too TBH, as a first timer! But most of them are apparently now bewailing that they'll have aged out of Scouts by the time of the next one. I pointed out that if they stay into Explorers, they can come back as alumni of our Group (assuming the Explorer unit doesn't take a contingent anyway!)

Why is Squirrels, which is only 15 children, and 1hr, so exhausting compared to Cubs ir Scouts with nearly twice as many children and 2hrs long?

Solidarity! When I used to do the Turquoise Terrors, some nights I'd almost be beyond the point of speech when I got home.

I could barely eat dinner last night. Then still had to take DD to Explorers (and puck her up at 10pm as they ran late!)

I definitely find Scouts less exhausting than Beavers. I'm not as able to wing a session on minimal planning, but I get a reasonable night's sleep on camp!

We don't have Squirrels, but as a cub leader, I do occasionally help run beavers if the leaders are away. It's pure chaos compared to cubs, they're absolutely bonkers, and I always come home exhausted in a way I never do with cubs. I can't even begin to imagine what Squirrels must be like!