What you are about to read is the Diary of a Scout Leader, or what some people may translate as a back to front blog? Perhaps you are thinking of becoming a Leader, or just want to help with your local Scout group, or perhaps you are a leader who's just looking for inspiration, or being nosey. Well 'whatever,' I first got involved with 1st Great Eccleston Scouts back in 1989, and during those first months as an unsupported Leader I decided to write something about the problems I encountered, and how I got over them, with the hope it would help other Leaders in the same circumstances. The thing is I am still writing about my experiences, and now having built this web site, thought perhaps this is as good a place as any to publish a condensed addition of my exploits.
I am no scholar, and what you read in the next pages, is my personal attempt to interpret the things I have done, in order to continue what I think Baden Powell wanted Scout Leaders to do, to promotion good citizenship in young people. Ok how did I get started? Well one of the questions I’m asked is how or why did you get involved in Scouting? And I think I’m supposed to say something like, I wanted to get involved in my local community, help young people, or to promote Scouting and what it stands for, etc.
But in reality, like most of the people I talk to in Scouting I had no intention of becoming a Scout Leader, well yes I was a Scout in my younger days, but like most people I got involved because of my son, yes you’ve got it “Cub Camp” 1989.
The Cubs are looking for volunteers to put tents up for Cub Camp, “Dad can you help?” The trap was set, and dad arrives at the camp site, on the Thursday night. If there’s one thing an old Scout never forgets, its how to put a Patrol tent up, amidst all the confusion of mums, and dads, I find myself a tent, ask where its going, and to the dismay of the Group Scout Leader, with the help of 2 other parents put it up, you’ve done that before he said, almost putting his arm around me.
Have you ever thought of helping out at cubs (never miss the opportunity to recruit)? No I reply, I’ve the wrong temperament for working with people of that age, thinking I’ve foxed him, well it so happens, he replies, we are also looking for helpers with the Scouts, they’re ‘probably’ more within the age group you’re speaking of, they meet on Friday night at 7.00, can you help? and that’s how my first steps in Scout Leadership started.
Friday night 7.00 the Group Scout Leader smiles, as I walk through the door, at the time I was unaware that the GSL (Group Scout Leader) was temporally acting as the "Scout Leader," and the Leader before that, resigned after a few weeks, before which the ADC (Assistant District Commissioner) for Scouts had been running the Scouts, as a temp for two years, ‘no wonder he smiled,' to cut a long story short as they say, my fate was sealed, not long after came the words its time we got you in Uniform, but by this time things had gone from bad, to worse, and the Scout Troop looked set to fold, so on my Warrant form, at the part where it says position in Scouting, went the words Scout Leader.
In the next months, I was getting advice (not help) from Scout Leaders, former Leaders, District Leaders, instructors, etc, but the best help I got, was in the form of two former Cub Assistant Leaders, a young couple in their late teens my new Assistant Scout Leaders,