A Scouting rant!

[Stew]

I don't like to rant often ( ) but I'm annoyed!!

My boy will be 6 soon so prime time to get him into Beavers (he wants to go).

I've just spent the last few hours or more searching out local groups to us and it's really, really difficult. I can use a computer and google but the groups just have rubbish web presence which means no one can find them!!

In my case, I'll pursue it - I was a beaver, cub, scout, venture, sent to Turkey as a uk rep for a conference, went to Chile World Jamboree, travelled to Switzerland, Holland, Spain, Assistant Scout Leader - I know the value I got from it and I know the value my kids could one day receive but other parents won't know and won't bother pursuing it if it's not easy enough!!

No wonder it's a struggle to recruit!

I know there is more to life than the internet and other ways to find information but it is a very useful tool that is much used by people. Something as simple as an address of the group and what sections meet there would be better than the lack of info now (just a group name in most cases - how useful is that ?!?!? )

I'm frustrated and actually going to contact the District Commissioner and tell them off!

 

[g4ghb]

If you fill in the contact me form on the HQ website that will automagically contact the local contact for your area who should then get in contact with you. Beavers is generally the most popular section so is often hard to find a place, this way you hopefully will find a colony with a space.

Http://scouts.org.UK/get-involved

 

[Stew]

Sounds good but I also think phoning Matt Hyde the Chief Exec tomorrow is a good plan!

 

[Goatboy]

You could go old school and hit your local library, they keep a list of local groups.

 

[Stew]

You could go old school and hit your local library, they keep a list of local groups.

Yep but I guess my point is more about other parents that are less keen to hunt out the info.

I know I will find the details, one way or the other.

I'm just annoyed about how they are not helping themselves.

 

[Goatboy]

I know some Cub/Scout groups deliberately don't push themselves as they're oversubscribed as to what they can offer in an area. Unfortunately there are a finite number of adults who are prepared to go through the rigmarole of being able to help out at these things.

 

[Macaroon]

Yep but I guess my point is more about other parents that are less keen to hunt out the info.

I know I will find the details, one way or the other.

I'm just annoyed about how they are not helping themselves.

I agree; there's no justification for such an organisation not having a good informative web presence these days......That's the way it is now and it's daft to ignore it. Give 'em a rocket!

 

[Monikieman]

Could be a child protection point as well? It can create vulnerabilities as to when/where etc.

Single point of contact is through web site Scout.org.uk. this might help

http://scouts.org.uk/get-involved/

Updating a page for each Scout troop would take leaders way over the '1 hour' a week that it allagedly takes to be involved in Scouting

 

[Duggie Bravo]

I'm a Scout Leader. My group doesn't have a website and here's why:
We don't have the skill or the time to run one.
We are volunteers, giving our time for free. When you get in contact with the local group please feel free to offer to run a website for them.
The Scout Association has a very good website with a contact form that works.
Local authority website list the local groups too.
Where are you, I may be able to help you find a group.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Lister]

Stew, these should help you:

bucks.scouts@btconnect.com
0845 094 5526

Edward Ryan
ryanson@sky.com

If you use the group locator on scouts.org.uk and put "Aylesbury" in the search, it'll bring up local groups.

 

[vestlenning]

Yep but I guess my point is more about other parents that are less keen to hunt out the info.

I know I will find the details, one way or the other.

I'm just annoyed about how they are not helping themselves.

Ahem, making web pages is not what their activity is about. They're not a company, cut them some slack...

 

[Stew]

Ahem, making web pages is not what their activity is about. They're not a company, cut them some slack...

No I won't cut them some slack. They are a massive world wide organisation and HQ should be thinking what happens on the ground.

 

[Stew]

Could be a child protection point as well? It can create vulnerabilities as to when/where etc.

A fair thought but I doubt it. I now work in a school and attended child protection training a few weeks ago - not something that was really highlighted. I'm sure if someone wanted to stalk the hut they would do just that.

 

[Stew]

I'm a Scout Leader. My group doesn't have a website and here's why:
We don't have the skill or the time to run one.
We are volunteers, giving our time for free. When you get in contact with the local group please feel free to offer to run a website for them.
The Scout Association has a very good website with a contact form that works.
Local authority website list the local groups too.
Where are you, I may be able to help you find a group.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It looks like I've annoyed you.

I'm sorry about that but I also think it's a bit of a good thing to shake up the system.

I know the leaders are volunteers - I've been one as have my parents. I also know that some leaders moan about the lack of help and support and some grous moan about declining numbers.

HQ should be supporting and helping.

These guys: http://scouts.org.uk/about-us/organisational-information/senior-leadership-team/ should be saying, 'How can people find out about local groups?' HQ, on the main scout page, shoud be abe to have basic details for groups negating th need for eachgroup to have a web savvy leader/helper. Yes, I know they have a basic locator fr groups but it is not the easiest to find initially.

 

[Goatboy]

Stew just out of interest I went on to the Scouts home page, in the top right hand quarter of the screen was a box to pop in my postcode, then clicked and in less than a second I had the 25 nearest groups to me with contact details included.

They don't seem to be hiding under a bush at all.

Scout Home Page HERE

Hope this helps
GB.

 

[Stew]

Well thats good then. I tackled it from the other way round, searching on Google - obviously the wrong way.

 

[Goatboy]

Google-fu is an ancient art, much dedication and practice is needed! Sorry it just seemed strange that their main page wouldn't have contact details. Sometimes it's better to go to the horses mouth as they say.

Glad to be of help.

 

[Duggie Bravo]

It looks like I've annoyed you.

I'm sorry about that but I also think it's a bit of a good thing to shake up the system.

Not annoyed, touched a nerve maybe.

My group is in a village that used to have two, it has two guide, brownie units and a single rainbow.s.
We are limited by size of our meeting hall and the throughput from the junior sections. Looking at the sections below I shouldn't be taking walk ins younger then 13 as I have to offer those coming up from Cubs spaces.
We don't need a web presence to recruit kids a quick google for my area brings up the name of a group that has a it's own IT suite and is a lot bigger than ours so they probably have space.
Scouting at a local level is not a business, as has been pointed at a national level the website is pretty good.
At District level we look to help the struggling groups by directing enquiries to them, so approach the district.
Kids numbers are up again this year, but we need adults, both as leaders and helpers (working in support - design and running a web site 😉, fund raising and lots of other stuff - or skills instructors)
Our priority is not a website, but making sure the kids enjoy the game too.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Trojan]

No I won't cut them some slack. They are a massive world wide organisation and HQ should be thinking what happens on the ground.

Run by volunteers who are unpaid and run activities in their spare time for other peoples children - So I also say cut them some slack to. There is also around 30,000 on the waiting list which to most people would suggest they are doing something right and not as you say 'struggling to recruit.'

 

[Goatboy]

I think the problem is that the OP couldn't find out through Google. Now that's either Google's problem or the OP hadn't tackled the problem in such a way that Google could give him the answer.

The Scouts have done their bit and made it easy to find if you hit their website. Maybe not having a go at the Scouts in the thread title would be a good thing as the folk who volunteer and put their time in see it as a slant against them.

Though I must admit Stew that rather than going through the Scout website I did a little experiment and typed in Beavers in Aylesbury and the first thing that came up was the Aylesbury Scouting District website with the address and meeting times.