Guiding is a hobby.
There, I've said it, attack me now.
Because I can already hear the people saying 'Of course not, it's far more than a hobby!' But it is just a hobby. And the Founders stated several times that every Leader in Scouting and Guiding should have at least one other hobby or pastime unrelated to their Scouting or Guiding, otherwise they would soon become stale.
I appreciate that during the current Covid lockdown, many people who would normally be in paid employment are finding themselves furloughed and with large amounts of unexpected time on their hands as a result. And I also appreciate that there have long been a number of Leaders in Guiding who aren't normally in paid employment due to their own health or to acting as carers for others, who find Guiding an engaging way of occupying their spare time, and in the absence of the weekly meeting, are devoting their spare time to creating resources and activities to send out to the girls - although they aren't always receiving the enthusiastic responses hoped for in return.
But I return to what the Founders said. At least one hobby or pastime unrelated to their Scouting or Guiding. Now it doesn't much matter what it is - it could be a handicraft such as knitting or woodwork, sketching or flower arranging, singing in the choir, playing in the orchestra, hillwalking or fishing or sailing or dancing or - or anything really. Anything which gets you away from Guiding, and if possible, mixing with people beyond those involved in Guiding, giving you fresh ideas and inspiration, and keeping you from becoming stale. "All work and no play . . . "
Unit Guiding can be a treadmill. Each year, new girls join the unit, old girls move on, but the unit and it's Leaders keep on going - because there is no natural end-point. There used to be - used to be a maximum age for Leaders, and though there were downsides, one advantage was that at a certain point people had to get off the bus, and at an age when there was often still plenty of time and energy to take up the other hobbies which had been laid aside as Guiding took up the time - but now there isn't a retirement date, and so Leaders tend to keep going, month by month and year by year, unless an outside reason causes them to stop - either a change to the Leader's personal life, or falling numbers in the unit due to demographics making it no longer viable. It's why they've had to bring out ever higher-numbered long-service awards - at one time 30 years was the highest, then a 40 year one was introduced, then a 50. It may only be a matter of time before 60 year awards are needed.
I often hear, too, of people who 'live for Guiding'. Who wouldn't know what to do with their time if it wasn't for Guiding. And - I feel sorry for them. Great as Guiding can be (and I do believe it can be), it isn't a substitute for a varied range of acquaintance and of inspiration. If you only mix with the same sorts of people who have the same sorts of viewpoints and the same sorts of interests - then you don't encounter other viewpoints and other ideas. Another Founder quote - "when you think you're looking wide, look wider still!"
I've long had a rule - a bare minimum of one day per week where I do nothing Guiding-related whatsoever, ideally more. I might do some musical instrument practice, I might go walking in the hills, I might visit a museum or place of interest, I might visit family or friends - it matters not what I do, so long as I am doing something, and it is unrelated to Guiding - no playing Guide songs or doing a recce for a future Brownie visit!
Covid-19 has meant no unit meetings for a period of over four months - far longer than any summer break would be. For all it's downsides, what it does offer is an opportunity for us to evaluate our hobbies - and Guiding among them. Which hobbies and pastimes would we like to be doing a year hence - are there some 'on the back burner' that we'd like to get started on again? Some we've always fancied trying - is now our chance to do something about starting on them, perhaps through an online course? Which hobbies and pastimes do we want to continue, and would that be at the same level of intensity, giving a bit more time to them, or giving a bit less? Which hobbies would we like to either drop, or change our role or commitment in - perhaps dropping some roles, or swapping for fresh ones, or moving to a job-share?
Most Leaders in Guiding have a full-time role - paid employment or caring work - and the Guiding hobby. It should be obvious to anyone which is the full-time role and which is the spare-time hobby. But - is it?
Monday 27 July 2020
Friday 24 July 2020
Don't Panic, Captain Mainwaring!
Covid lockdown has been extremely disruptive for all units, mine included. But after so many weeks where we could not hold physical gatherings of any sort, there is light at the end of the tunnel - proposals have been posted which will allow physical gatherings under certain limited circumstances. And with the prospect of schools returning in August in some parts of the UK and September in others - there can be hope that once that is achieved, it may be possible for youth groups such as ours to find realistic, safe ways of holding meetings.
Some initial options for holding meetings outdoors have already been published. And within days of that, the chaos has started. For on online forums, we already see people analysing every sub-clause of what has been said in every interpretation they can muster, in order to try and find a way to legitimately hold the events they long to.
Hence, I say, don't panic, Captain Mainwaring. Please, step back for a moment and ponder bigger picture. The reason we have gone through, and are still going through, such major disruption affecting everyone in the world - is a disease which can be deadly, not just to the poorly and the frail, but also to the comparatively young and comparatively healthy. Every rule which has been put in place hasn't been imposed without forethought, or without consideration of the implications. Governments are aware of the freedoms being withdrawn, of the impacts on physical and mental health, of the impacts on so many areas of normal life. But the reason why has to be our focus. Covid-19 hasn't gone away, even if you happen to be fortunate enough to live in an area where prevalence is currently low. We don't have any vaccines to prevent people from catching it and we're only gradually finding out how best to treat those who catch it. It need only take one bit of carelessness to allow it the chance to spread from unwitting host to large numbers of unwitting recipients.
Please, keep in mind the reasons for having restrictions - our liability for the safety of the girls in our charge in the presence of an illness which can cause long-term illness, or worse. Please read the guidance thoroughly and carefully, making sure you understand each element of it and how it would apply to your unit and it's circumstances. Please take in not just the letter of the rules but also the spirit - don't hunt for loopholes, or for ways of making your brilliant idea work by making a particular interpretation of what's said that will be favourable, rather than the interpretation which would not be. After all, if what you are thinking of is borderline permissible now depending on interpretation, it's entirely possible that in only a few weeks time it would be clearly permissible, and few good ideas are harmed by a little delay.
We do not need to rush back to holding outdoor unit meetings on the first date we legally can. We do not need to hold indoor unit meetings on the first date we legally can. Far better that we take time to work out things like how the girls will arrive and depart the area without ending up in crowds. How we arrange facilities like toilets and shelter in inclement weather. Coming up with lots of ideas for socially-distanced games and crafts and activities. Working out our risk assessments and getting clearance for them from the DC, including allowing time if she wants us to tweak and then resubmit some of the entries.
Guiding will come back, and in time, it will come back in a broadly similar format to what it was before. It'll happen all the sooner if we can behave calmly and sensibly now, rather than rushing in. Hence, "Don't panic, Captain Mainwaring!"
Some initial options for holding meetings outdoors have already been published. And within days of that, the chaos has started. For on online forums, we already see people analysing every sub-clause of what has been said in every interpretation they can muster, in order to try and find a way to legitimately hold the events they long to.
Hence, I say, don't panic, Captain Mainwaring. Please, step back for a moment and ponder bigger picture. The reason we have gone through, and are still going through, such major disruption affecting everyone in the world - is a disease which can be deadly, not just to the poorly and the frail, but also to the comparatively young and comparatively healthy. Every rule which has been put in place hasn't been imposed without forethought, or without consideration of the implications. Governments are aware of the freedoms being withdrawn, of the impacts on physical and mental health, of the impacts on so many areas of normal life. But the reason why has to be our focus. Covid-19 hasn't gone away, even if you happen to be fortunate enough to live in an area where prevalence is currently low. We don't have any vaccines to prevent people from catching it and we're only gradually finding out how best to treat those who catch it. It need only take one bit of carelessness to allow it the chance to spread from unwitting host to large numbers of unwitting recipients.
Please, keep in mind the reasons for having restrictions - our liability for the safety of the girls in our charge in the presence of an illness which can cause long-term illness, or worse. Please read the guidance thoroughly and carefully, making sure you understand each element of it and how it would apply to your unit and it's circumstances. Please take in not just the letter of the rules but also the spirit - don't hunt for loopholes, or for ways of making your brilliant idea work by making a particular interpretation of what's said that will be favourable, rather than the interpretation which would not be. After all, if what you are thinking of is borderline permissible now depending on interpretation, it's entirely possible that in only a few weeks time it would be clearly permissible, and few good ideas are harmed by a little delay.
We do not need to rush back to holding outdoor unit meetings on the first date we legally can. We do not need to hold indoor unit meetings on the first date we legally can. Far better that we take time to work out things like how the girls will arrive and depart the area without ending up in crowds. How we arrange facilities like toilets and shelter in inclement weather. Coming up with lots of ideas for socially-distanced games and crafts and activities. Working out our risk assessments and getting clearance for them from the DC, including allowing time if she wants us to tweak and then resubmit some of the entries.
Guiding will come back, and in time, it will come back in a broadly similar format to what it was before. It'll happen all the sooner if we can behave calmly and sensibly now, rather than rushing in. Hence, "Don't panic, Captain Mainwaring!"
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