Small camps this year — and why that's a good thing

Over the coming year you may see some camps advertised with limited numbers, or a smaller-than-usual group heading away. We wanted to explain why — because it’s a very deliberate, and very positive, part of how we grow the group.

Building our permits

Taking young people away on camp requires leaders to hold the right nights-away permits. Earning a permit is a careful process: a leader has to demonstrate their skills, run nights away under assessment, and satisfy an assessor that everything is safe and well run. It’s thorough — and rightly so — which means it takes time.

To get more of our leaders qualified, we’re running a number of smaller camps this year. These give leaders the supervised experience they need to complete their permits, with visiting assessors coming along to observe and sign them off.

The same adventure

Here’s the important bit: your child still gets the same brilliant camp experience. The adventure, the activities and the fun are exactly what you’d expect. The differences are mostly behind the scenes:

• numbers may be capped so the camp stays the right size for assessment;
• the adults present might be different faces — leaders from other sections helping out, plus a visiting assessor;
• your child might camp alongside young people from a slightly different section than usual.

Why it’s worth it

Every permit a leader earns means more camps, more nights away and more adventures for our young people in the future. These smaller camps are an investment in the whole group — more qualified leaders means we can do more, more often, for everyone.

Thanks for your patience and support while we build our team’s qualifications. If a camp your child would love is full this time, please don’t be disheartened — there will be more opportunities as more of our leaders qualify. Any questions? Email info@144glasgowscouts.org.