FFS: Woodcraft Folk Rainbow Camp

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

Is it just me or is this a bit of a safeguarding fail?

TLDR: This camo is for LGBTQ + allies, age 10-17, no parents, mixed sex/age sleeping, mixed sex/age toilets and showering.

---

"What ages is the residential for?
The residential is open to anyone aged from 10 to 17'

"Do young people need to be accompanied by an adult?
The residential will be led by experienced staff and volunteers. All staff and volunteers are safeguarding trained and have enhanced DBS checks. Group leaders/parents are not required to stay at the centre for their children to take part"

"How will sleeping arrangements be decided?
We will discuss with participants what they are most comfortable with and allocate sleeping spaces accordingly."

"How will toilet, changing and showering facilities be arranged?
There are two toilet blocks on site. It is expected that we will be the only campers on site for the weekend. On arrival, signage for these will be changed to “with urinals” and “without urinals”. These are to be used at their convenience and for all campers who wish to use them. There are two identical shower blocks, which will also be used for all campers. There is an accessible toilet/shower, which will be freely usable."

[Edit: spelling]
[Edit 2: clarify for LGBTQ + allies]

I enjoyed being a Woodie (loved being a Brownie but Guides was run by a mad ultra religious Christian Scientist) but my group was quite a bit younger than me so it wasn't great socially. The songbook was a bit cringe (we sung old African-American spirituals and gems like Can You Hear The H-bomb's Thunder? but it WAS the 80's!) but their hearts were in the right place. A friend who went to a more dynamic group did peace crusades to Germany and loved it all.

When I heard that LR-M had taken over as CEO I thought, well that's that fucked, then ... I'm sure they were captured long long before that, but I'm really concerned that he's now in charge.

Really good points about the tight age ranges in normal groups. And yes, why exactly is this camp needed when Woodcraft Folk in general is extremely inclusive?

Volunteer-led Sessions
Sessions at the local level are run by dedicated volunteers, often parents/carers of the children who attend, though it is not compulsory to be a parent to volunteer. These volunteers share the leadership responsibilities and coordinate the weekly programmes and logistics.

Hmmm

Why did scouting change it's age groups and discourages 14-17 year olds mixing with 10 year olds unless in a young leadership capacity - and certainly not camping together?

Can anyone guess?

Answers on a postcard

If only Scouting had been kind, it wouldn't have had problems 🤔

"How will sleeping arrangements be decided?
We will discuss with participants what they are most comfortable with and allocate sleeping spaces accordingly."

So what happens if/when a teenager decides they’d be most comfortable sleeping with much younger children? Or teens of the opposite sex? Are they all just supposed to shut up and accommodate them because one person has said that’s where they feel most comfortable? Even if it makes everyone else distinctly uncomfortable? Will any dissenters be told off for not being a sufficiently supportive ally?

It sounds like an absolute recipe for disaster. Children are not guinea pigs for social experiments.

My son's just got back from Scout camp, ages 10-18 stayed overnight, they've had a great and as far as I know safe, single-sex facilities time!

Though I do think activists are purposefully targeting children.

We had men sexually assault women in prisons. In the US, there have been pregnancies.

We had men sexually assault women and children in loos. Nobody seems to care.

They didn't listen when we warned these things would happen, they just shrug when we point out they have happened.

Butterflies don't run! 😎