Scouting, what do you think?

BBG

How do folks. Not a parent myself but a scout leader in my mid 20s. More interested in your views than anything. What do you think of scouting? What do you know about it? I wanted to get an opinion outside of scouts from parents. This isn't for any report or a PR exercise, more curious. (its more based on both good/bad reactions I've came across and heard of in the past)

I'll leave it at that for now as I don't want to say anything to influence opinion.

Nevyn

The ideals and goal of scouting are wonderful.
Scouting can lead to a child gaining many skills that they would not learn otherwise and fosters a child thinking for themsleves and also team work.

If a parent has not been invovled in guiding or scouting it can be very hard to get info and it can seem rather cliquish.
You never hear anything about the well run units and troops but only of the scandals and the personailty clashes when things go wrong.
Scouting/guiding has it's own language of terms that can seem to put distance between scouting and the outside world and a child and it's parents.

A welcome to scouting handout for parents would be a good idea explaining the structure from patrols, troops, unit leaders, unit commitee, regional commitee
and the history of the troop/unit and explaining the ethos of scouting and what a woggle is.

BBG

I take it you have first hand experience.

Nevyn

a bit

BBG

Positive so far then. I can remember being on a ferry going to England as part of large contingent of scouts a number of years ago. We're talking a good 400 scouts all in uniform and well behaved if not a tad hyper but still good to see that everywhere you looked, there was a kid in uniform having a good time. Another leader and myself were sitting in the cafe getting our caffine fix (it was bloody early) when we overheard the family at the next table (couple and son). Father stating to the son (15/16 years old) he would never let him join scouts as a kid and basically slated us. (gang of no goods up to, well no good) Pretty sure he didnt realise he was sitting beside us. Hard to miss us all the same. There can be generally a pretty interesting (in the bad sense) perception of scouting from parents sometimes. Just wondering what the basis for it is.

The intro to scouting for parents sounds like a great idea btw.

Slutmonkey57b

The idea of sending your young ones off with male strangers in the woods is going to scare a lot of parents off regardless in this day and age.

Nevyn

All scout leaders are vetted by the garda and have to conform to the standards
and reuglations laid down in the child protection act the same as anyone working with children in anyway. This includes never being alone with a child and what is acceptible conduct towards and arround children.

Agent Smith

Slutmonkey57b wrote:

The idea of sending your young ones off with male strangers in the woods is going to scare a lot of parents off regardless in this day and age.

Child protections laws FORBID one on one meetings with a scout leader...


There must be 2 leaders Present.


and its that style of thinking is damaging the scouting movement tbh