Some Background and FAQs

Friday Night Scouts - The Issues

For some time, the Friday night Scout troop has been facing challenges with recruiting and retaining enough leaders to run the section effectively.

Friday evenings are difficult for many people at the end of the working week. Leaders and families often want to make the most of their weekends, including travelling away, attending events, or spending time together. This affects both Scouts and volunteers and makes Friday nights a particularly challenging time to maintain a consistent leadership team.

There are also fewer opportunities available to our Friday night Scouts compared with those meeting on other evenings of the week. Weekend Scout events and other activities often have a greater impact on the Friday group, as Scouts can miss regular meetings when they attend events that begin on a Friday. Similarly, when we attend larger camps, there is usually no Friday night meeting, meaning the number of meetings available to Friday Scouts is reduced.

In February this year, we invited all parents of Friday night Scouts to a meeting to explain these challenges and ask for additional support. Following that meeting, we were grateful to welcome one new volunteer to the team. However, the wider challenges remain, and we continue to need more support to ensure the section can continue to provide a consistent and rewarding programme for all Scouts.

Below are some extracts from the presentation shared at that meeting, which explain the issues in more detail.

The Crunch of the matter

If we do not make changes, the majority of the current Friday night leadership team — who have, on average, supported the group for more than 15 years — have reached the point where they are unable to continue committing to Friday evenings.

This means we will need to find new leaders to take on responsibility for the Scout troop. However, finding volunteers with the time, skills, experience, and confidence to immediately deliver the same quality and range of activities that our Scouts currently enjoy is likely to be challenging.

Without more adults stepping forward to share the responsibility, the longer-term future of Friday night Scouts is at risk. We need to make changes now to ensure we have enough leaders to continue providing a safe, varied, and rewarding programme for our Scouts.

FAQ

Q: What other options have you considered?

A: We have looked at many different options. We have been working for over 18 months to find a solution that would avoid such a significant change, but unfortunately we have not found anything that is workable and sustainable in the longer term.

If you have a suggestion that we have not considered, please do let us know. We are always willing to listen and consider alternative ideas.

Q: Aren't you going to lose adult volunteers in the move?

A: Unfortunately, we recognise that there may be some changes to the leadership team as a result of these changes. However, the reality is that we are already at risk of losing leaders, and without making changes the future of the Friday night Scout section is uncertain. However, by changing the night away from Friday, we hope that more adults will be encouraged to support and grow the team.

Q: Aren't you going to lose young people in the move?

A: Unfortunately, we recognise that some young people may not be able to continue if they cannot attend on the new night. This is something we have considered carefully, and it is not a decision we have taken lightly. Attendance on Fridays is always hit and miss, but this week only 17 out of 42 Scouts were able to take part in the Friday meeting.

So, without making changes, the long-term viability of the Friday night Scout troop is at risk. These changes are intended to ensure that we can continue providing Scouting opportunities for as many young people as possible in the future.

Q: What if my child is in a section that is moving and they will not be able to attend on the new night/time

A: We understand that changing evenings may not work for every family, and we will do our best to support everyone affected.

Possible options include:

• If your child is within approximately six months of moving up to Scouts or Explorers, we will hold their place until they reach the appropriate age.

• We will try to arrange a place in the other Cub pack where spaces are available or provide information on other local Scout groups you can contact yourself.

• We can put them back onto the waiting list and get in touch when they are eligible to start the next section.

Please send an email to sectionchanges@2wk.org.uk and we can discuss individual circumstances, and work through the options with you.

Q: What if I volunteer to help?

A: We would be delighted to hear from you. We are always looking for additional adults to support our sections, and in some sections, we urgently need to recruit new volunteers to support us.

This does not however solve the problem we are facing.

You do not need to be an experienced Scout leader to help. There are many different ways to get involved, from helping occasionally at meetings to taking on a more regular leadership role. More volunteers will give us greater flexibility and help us continue offering a varied and exciting programme.

Find out more about volunteering on the website below and speak to one of the current volunteers.

https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteer

Q: Why is the change happening so quickly?

A: The discussion has been going of for some time within the group, and parents were invited to a meeting and circulated with information at the beginning of February.  We wanted to see the response, and whilst delighted by the one individual who stepped up, it isn’t enough.  

Many clubs, and teams take a break over the summer, and often young people are given new opportunities for sports and activities as they enter the new academic year in September.  We therefore felt we needed to push for the changes then, rather than cause more disruption by delaying our decision.

Q: What if I have Football/Hockey/other activity on the new night/time?

A: Unfortunately, this is one of the difficult compromises we have had to consider. The troop has met on a Friday night since, we believe, the 1960s, but over the last 15 years — and particularly since Covid — we have found it increasingly difficult to recruit and retain regular leaders for Friday evenings.

We have been without a dedicated Friday night team leader for several years, with Neil stepping in to help keep the section running.

We understand that many young people have other commitments, and we will try to be as flexible as possible. If your child is close to moving up to the next section, we can hold their place until they reach the appropriate age. This may mean they miss a few weeks or months, but it will ensure they have a place waiting for them.

There is also some flexibility within the age ranges and where appropriate, we can consider young people starting slightly earlier to help with this transition.

• Scouts normally covers ages 10½–14

• Explorers normally begins at 13½ earliest

We will always aim to follow the recommended age ranges while considering individual circumstances wherever possible.