Female leader for camp

**sjl14** · 18-10-2010, 03:10 PM

Originally Posted by big chris

i would question the "best practice" advice.

I don't see that the events I run with all male leadership teams are any worse than the ones with mixed leaders. I have yet to need a woman on camp to deal with something that a man cannot.

What not even the washing up?

Joking aside neither have I in all honesty, however with a mixed group of scouts I feel it is better to have a mixed leadership team. There are some things girls would prefer a female leader for. Or maybe its the parents that feel that way. I know we have one who was a bit apprehensive about her daughter going to camp when she found out the female ASL wasn't.

**Walsallwizard** · 18-10-2010, 03:10 PM

Originally Posted by GBH7

Good practise? Yeah, I agree. But is pulling a 'female' leader from another section, who knows nothing about Scouts a better option than no female at all?

This is why I said a suitable volunteer

**sjl14** · 18-10-2010, 03:15 PM

Originally Posted by TRH

I am a bit confused at the best practice label.

I male sout leader at a scout camp would be better than a female non scout leader at a scout camp IMHO

Maybe its just the way we work, but we've always had female beaver or cub leaders come and help with camps for numbers anyway. We are very close knit across sections so not being of that section doesn't seem like an issue to us.

**TRH** · 18-10-2010, 03:19 PM

Originally Posted by sjl14

Maybe its just the way we work, but we've always had female beaver or cub leaders come and help with camps for numbers anyway. We are very close knit across sections so not being of that section doesn't seem like an issue to us.

Being Female is not the issue, it is not being a Scout leader.

**GBH7** · 18-10-2010, 03:26 PM

Originally Posted by TRH

Being Female is not the issue, it is not being a Scout leader.

Couldn't agree more!

**sjl14** · 18-10-2010, 03:28 PM

Originally Posted by TRH

Being Female is not the issue, it is not being a Scout leader.

Our leaders all help out across other sections for camps and other activities including regular meeting nights so when we have drafted in another leader from another section (male or female) they do have some experience of working with scouts. Maybe we just prefer having mixed leadership teams as for a few years the number of girls was more than the boys. Personally I have no issues with an all male leader team at camp but I know parents and some of the other leaders prefer it to be mixed.

**TRH** · 18-10-2010, 03:40 PM

This is wher i light the blue touch paper and retire to a safe distance.

Scout leaders are from Venus and Cub leaders are from Mars.

**GBH7** · 18-10-2010, 03:42 PM

Originally Posted by TRH

This is wher i light the blue touch paper and retire to a safe distance.

Scout leaders are from Venus and Cub leaders are from Mars.

And where do you stand with Beaver Leaders?

**TRH** · 18-10-2010, 03:45 PM

Originally Posted by GBH7

And where do you stand with Beaver Leaders?

Where i am told

**GBH7** · 18-10-2010, 03:49 PM

Originally Posted by TRH

Where i am told

Good Boy!

**Wilton** · 18-10-2010, 03:50 PM

Originally Posted by TRH

Being Female is not the issue, it is not being a Scout leader.

Surely camps (and any activity for that matter) is a great way to get parents interested, involved and ultimately turning them into leaders. They have to start somewhere - Scout leaders are made not born

**TRH** · 18-10-2010, 03:53 PM

Originally Posted by Wilton

Surely camps (and any activity for that matter) is a great way to get parents interested, involved and ultimately turning them into leaders. They have to start somewhere - Scout leaders are made not born

Again this is probably something i differ in from a lot of leaders. I really don't like parents at camp. Camp is a chance for the YP to get away from the parents. To get up to all sorts without worring about mummy or daddy. If you wan to recruit parents as leaders then i want them to show a little commitment in the weekly meetings. It is only an hour a week you know.

**BigBadBaloo** · 18-10-2010, 03:58 PM

Originally Posted by TRH

This is wher i light the blue touch paper and retire to a safe distance.

Scout leaders are from Venus and Cub leaders are from Mars.

So you should especially when one of my lady ACSLs, who also happens to have been an ABSL, and is also an ESL, sees this - I suspect that Belfast might not be a safe distance!

**wolfie** · 18-10-2010, 04:29 PM

It also works both ways, we have ony 2 girl scouts at present but all our leadership team for the troop are female - so it sometimes works out on camp like that too, even where it's all boys. We actually only have 1 male in the entire leadership team (an ACSL) at present so there is no way he could come to every single camp etc, as like most of us he has his own family and works. Having said that lots of parents will happily volunteer to come and join us if we ask, and sometimes offer before we ven have asked!

**DonTregartha** · 18-10-2010, 06:47 PM

I've clashed with escouters on this before.

I do think its good for balance to have a female adult on camp whether you have girls there or not.

One of the 'mums' - not one of the scouts' mums came to camp with us a couple of years back.

She liked.

Tonight she's having her interview with our NAA to get her permit signed off ...

oh and she's turned into a great ACSL!