Guiders' staff room - tea, wine, chat and optional dancing around the toadstool

[MadBadandDangerousToKnow]

Thought it might be nice to have a place to swap ideas and experiences. Shall we do introductions first?

My name's MadBad and I've been a Brownie guider for about 5 years.

Good luck rivi. New units are always daunting x

Only a guider could understand going through all the bunches of bananas being annoyed they are in bunches of 5 when you need 6!!!!

I have 13 new girls starting on Monday.

I think its going to be a little nuts.

i like to have them join in bunches so we are not constantly trying to find time to go through the becoming a brownie book, but I also want to make them all individually feel welcome. Argh!

Welcome to the new term We've got 7 new starters and a new unit helper, so a little bit more nervous than normal.

Hi, can I join please?

I'm a Brownie leader in training (happened accidentally - the leader left DD's Brownie unit so I volunteered to be an assistant to a new leader, but seem to have become a leader by default. Yikes).

The district commissioner is running the unit with me at the moment and is incredibly nice and supportive, but I feel pretty nervous!

Hope to get some tips here.

Welcome oldestcat

Thank you! Am going to have a cuppa and read through the thread tomorrow

Well done Oldest, my unit only still exists as some mums stepped up to help when Brown Owl and her daughter left and I was all alone!

Welcome Oldestcat, first rule of Guiders club: do not talk about leaders' ribena

Ask any and all questions you may have, we've all been there. I spent over a year building up the nerve to ask what a wide game was and suddenly a light dawned on me

Slightly more balanced thread on one of the other boards...

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/extra_curricular_activities/2463358-Why-do-you-send-your-daughters-to-Brownies

Hi all. I just moved areas and have somehow gone from assistant leader of a Guide unit, to Brown Owl of a Brownie pack.

How different can it be, I thought. I was a Brownie once.

Turns out there's quite a lot too it!

Welcome Fiona, good luck with being brown owl x

Hello, I wondered if anyone could advise - I was an assistant leader for about 18 months before my second child was born and my husband moved jobs which made it impossible to get there - no other babysitters. I did some Guides and Brownies. My eldest is now about to start Rainbows at the same unit and I'm very excited for her, I loved Guiding as a child/teen. But I'm also wondering whether I could start getting back into helping, perhaps just as a parent initially. The problem I would have is no one to look after my 3.5 yr old. Is it likely I could bring her if needed. I did bring DD1 when she was a baby if it was an emergency but a 3.5yr old is quite different.

I have been helping with a youth group elsewhere in the meantime which does fit with my husband's commute, although 5-7 yr olds are very different from 11-15 yr olds! I'm also a tad nervous as I had a bad experience with the first leader I worked with and it left my confidence and enthusiasm in tatters. I still hold off from trying to get more involved in the youth work, tending to take a back seat. This meant I didn't get to fill in any of my leadership course booklet or retake my promise in those 18 months so starting again if fine. I do sill have my uniform (and my trefoil and promises badges from my youth).

Ask the unit leader! It wouldnt be a problem for me, would just need to take it account into ratios

Or perhaps one of the other parents would take DD2 during brownies?

Speak to the unit leader. I took ds with me when I helped at rainbows when dd was in rainbows.

Thanks for the responses. It's just good to know it's not completely unreasonable to suggest. I know they were desperate for adults for safeguarding rules so I don't mind helping just to make up the numbers, which is what it felt like most of the time anyway. It would be good to get properly involved in a few years - can you apply to areas outside of your own to help, where volunteers are more needed/appreciated? I'm in London so there will be many units in a close proximity. I asked this previously but was warned off some locations due to politics and personalities. Volunteering can be more tricky than paid work in some respects.

When I came back in 2011, I emailed dd's division commissioner which scared the living daylight a out the guide leaders but now they are grateful when I can step in.

You'll be welcomed back with open arms Pasta

Contact the County or division growing guiding advisor to talk about which district would work for you. They will have some idea of local politics and find out what you are looking for.

Also don't forget that babysitting is a legitimate unit expense.

I just saw this thread in active.
My daughter is a brownie. Obvs I've said it to Brown owl, but I just want to riase a glass to you wonderful people who run guides/ brownies etc.
I cannot volunteer due to absent DH and other DCs, but I have volunteered with other youth stuff in the past, and know how tiring it can be.
Thank you for your willingness to give up your time, energy, and money to give such wonderful activities to our daughters.

Also don't forget that babysitting is a legitimate unit expense.

is it? are you sure?

Yes it can be paid for by the unit of its the only way to guarantee adult help.

Knowing how tight the finances were I suspect babysitting would be too expensive. They did know childcare was the reason I couldn't continue (in fact DH coming home a tad early once a week may have been a factor in his being pushed out of his job, few colleagues had kids so they worked until late). They got parents to sign up to help once I left for 'maternity leave'. I think one or two parents who helped did bring little ones too so it could be possible. I know the district commissioner was very understanding but it depends on the individual leaders. Is the division commissioner one higher up?

Hopefully I won't encounter a rude parent if I am one myself this time - one mother asked if I was Guide helping out in Brownies and then she was bloody rude about me being pregnant. It's also shocking when people think you are paid to do it. It is brilliant so many volunteer and DD will benefit so much whether I get back involved or not. I have find memories of guiding myself, although I missed out on Rainbows as I'm slightly too old.

If finances are tight and this is the only or best way to get another adult (if needed) on a regular basis / increase the number of girls in the unit, then the budget needs to be looked at and the subs possibly go up. CHQ are very clear that leaders should not be out of pocket and should reflect the true cost of running the unit in the accounts.

I charge £25 a term because that's what I need to run and would charge £40 if there was justification. We are incredibly good value for money with almost unlimited demand for what we offer kids and there are ways to support those with financial barriers to participation.

Some units close to me seem to see running pack holidays and terms on a shoestring for no reason as a point of pride. I want my girls to be constrained only by my/their imaginations and practicalites of delivering ideas. I do feel that not claiming for things which make running a unit easier and keeps Leaders engaged in guiding sometimes smacks of martyrdom.

Ooo sorry for the rant This is a sore point for me from my former unit experiences where I was expected to subsidise parents and the unit, not just with cupboard spares which we all would anyway.

Hi Pasta in my ranting I forgot to answer your question about the hierarchy: DC= district commissioner, DivC = division commissioner, CC =County commissioner then you hit regions and Gill Sl.

Some areas organise it a little differently but broadly looks like that.