h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Its a very sad day when a committed Brown Owl reaches her 65th birthday and the Association do nothing to commemorate the occasion. Our Brown Owl has been with the Brownies since 1978 and now, as bureaucracy goes mad, there is no-one to take over the role, and the pack is closing.
There is far too much red tape involved in achieving the Warrant. Everyone is looked at with suspicion and distrust as if the entire world is made up of child endangering people.
Our Brown Owl has not been contacted - other than to be reprimanded for not completing the census correctly (which I think she did!) - and when she mentioned that the pack was folding, almost had her ear chewed off.
Fortunately, the pack, and the pack which our out-going Brownies are joining, are throwing a small surprise party for her at our last meeting next week.
Be warned, other Brown Owls. You are obviously not as appreciated as you should be.
As a Barn Owl, but more so as a parent, thank you to all who volunteer free time to keep the youth of today off the streets and involved in something useful and educational.
To the Association - you should be ashamed of yourselves!

You are joking me!? That is rediculous!

I help lead a Brownie unit too and it's taking me ages to get my warrant. it's for lots of teasons, like that they keep changing the stuff on me and our District Commissioner's rubbish.

But I can't believe that there was no acnowlegement for your Brown Owl. A couple of years ago two Brownie Units in my town had to close too. Mine only got saved as it's the 1st unit. There's a desperate shortage of leaders, but they don't seem to give a toss about the ones they already have. We often feel quite neglected.

Where abouts was your unit? I'm in Northern Ireland, but I hear that the leader situation is the same all through the UK.

I find if your having probelms and you go straight to the top, i.e ring headquaters, they soon get their fingers out just a little tip if your still having problems

Thanks. Might have to resort to that with some stuff. They seem kinda useless at times here. You've found that works then?

Yes had the same problem with another matter here, got fed up of trying to sort if at District, Divsion then County level, so just called headquaters, Had everone else down the chain running round like headless chickens then trying to sort the matter out so my advice would be "go for it girl"

Will remember that. Our District Commissioner's totally useless. Don't think she'd like it going over her head, but my unit is so out of it, it might be what we need.

They didn't like it either, right to the point of issueing statements about the proper proceedure to follow blah blah blah, but if it had been sorted in the first instance I wouldn't have felt I had to do that, they forced my hand and I told them in no uncertain terms that if they had done somthing when asked I wouldn't have felt the need to go above them

Yeah. Why is it that they don't seem to do anything? Our District Commissioner would tell us about events like the day before they were happening and things like that. We're not even told about things at all at times.

Is your divsion comish any good?

If not County comish?

I'm not even sure who they are, to be honest. But it might be a good idea to track them down.

you should have been given a list of whos who but if your district comish is not very good this would explain why you haven't recived it

I'm aware that the people exist and would probably know them if I met them, but the idea of a list of who they are was never even mentionned to us. Flippin typical!

if you ring headquaters they'll tell you, all you'll have to do is explain what county you are in and they'll explain the chain of command

Good idea!

good luck hope you get it all sorted

Thanks! Maybe need all the luck we can get.

Why do you think she is 'useless'? Like everyone in guiding she is a volunteer with a life and a family and only so much time and energy ... maybe all she needs is a little help from her District ... it is so easy to criticise but much better to offer support

I can see what you're saying. Of course I do understand that there's more to life than Guiding and that we all do lots of things.

But to be honest, she isn't married and doesn't have any kids. She works as a teacher and leads the Guide unit that meets in that school.

I don't know how much of the backlog of this thread you've read, but I think I've said a bit about her already. For example, frequently she would tell the leaders of my unit about trainings and district meetings only a day or two before they happen, or on occasion, not at all. To be honest, I find myself wondering why.

She also doesn't seem to pay a lot of attention or offer much support to our unit.

Heres my 2 worth

My sister also is a guide guider so I get all the moans


I know the work is voluntary but, if you don't have the proper time to do the job properly then you shouldn't be doing it, as IMHO as an outsider, all that I can see that happens is that the girls suffer.

True. I do agree with you there. Ifd you don't have time, don't do it. If do it badly, everyone suffers.