Summer camps using the "lottery" system.... wtf?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How does she participate in school year Girl Scouts if you don't have time to volunteer?

She could help at weekend camping trips once they start taking those. Or, whatever trips they do on the weekends - hikes, museum trips, etc.
Though Girl Scouts often ends up being lame and just sitting in a room doing crafts after school instead, so I don’t have high hopes. Nowadays your girl can possibly join the Boy Scouts and do weekend trips or just be on the lookout for better GS troops that do activities on the weekends.

The Boy Scouts manage to include working dads, the Girl Scouts should start adapting more, but that’s totally up to whoever is running the troop. The Girl Scout troops are sometimes run by women who don’t particularly want to include working moms (& want them to feel bad about it).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was a camp volunteer this summer. Most of the volunteers had full time jobs, and had taken vacation days to do it. The senior level volunteers spent more time than I can comprehend working on the camp. For sure their kids should automatically get spots.

That said, as a troop leader, ITA that troop leaders should get priority. I bust my hump 9 months/year for a troop - I’d really like a break from the responsibility.

Oh, you KNOW you do it so you can be a star in your child’s and neighbors eyes, and so you can control what the troop is doing.
You know you don’t do it just out of the goodness of your heart and that you would literally beat other women away with a huge stick if they tried to take your leader spot. Also you do it so your DD gets a camp spot. You wear the stake through your heart well - good show!

If you really want a break from the responsibility take it and let another mom do it- but you won’t because you don’t think the other moms are as good as you.

And yes - I volunteered plenty.

I am not sure where you live - but as a troop leader this is not my motivation. I have asked for others to take on roles - no one makes eye contact. Yes - I do control what the troop is doing. It is framed around my availability and commitments. I am sorry- but if I am going to be responsible for your children, I need to do it on my terms. In the past when we have had parent chaperones for events, the parents do not follow directions. Meet at location "A" at time "B" they only do if it works for them and their child. I have had parent's not answer cell phone calls after they were 5 minutes late at a meet up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was a camp volunteer this summer. Most of the volunteers had full time jobs, and had taken vacation days to do it. The senior level volunteers spent more time than I can comprehend working on the camp. For sure their kids should automatically get spots.

That said, as a troop leader, ITA that troop leaders should get priority. I bust my hump 9 months/year for a troop - I’d really like a break from the responsibility.

Oh, you KNOW you do it so you can be a star in your child’s and neighbors eyes, and so you can control what the troop is doing.
You know you don’t do it just out of the goodness of your heart and that you would literally beat other women away with a huge stick if they tried to take your leader spot. Also you do it so your DD gets a camp spot. You wear the stake through your heart well - good show!

If you really want a break from the responsibility take it and let another mom do it- but you won’t because you don’t think the other moms are as good as you.

And yes - I volunteered plenty.

I am not sure where you live - but as a troop leader this is not my motivation. I have asked for others to take on roles - no one makes eye contact. Yes - I do control what the troop is doing. It is framed around my availability and commitments. I am sorry- but if I am going to be responsible for your children, I need to do it on my terms. In the past when we have had parent chaperones for events, the parents do not follow directions. Meet at location "A" at time "B" they only do if it works for them and their child. I have had parent's not answer cell phone calls after they were 5 minutes late at a meet up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because making it first-come-first-served means that everyone jams up the lines trying to register the minute enrollment opens.

There's really no perfect system, and lottery seems as fair as anything else.

I wish all camps were lottery

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How does she participate in school year Girl Scouts if you don't have time to volunteer?

She could help at weekend camping trips once they start taking those. Or, whatever trips they do on the weekends - hikes, museum trips, etc.
Though Girl Scouts often ends up being lame and just sitting in a room doing crafts after school instead, so I don’t have high hopes. Nowadays your girl can possibly join the Boy Scouts and do weekend trips or just be on the lookout for better GS troops that do activities on the weekends.

The Boy Scouts manage to include working dads, the Girl Scouts should start adapting more, but that’s totally up to whoever is running the troop. The Girl Scout troops are sometimes run by women who don’t particularly want to include working moms (& want them to feel bad about it).

The bold is unfortunately true for some troops but not all, and if your child's troop is like that and your child isn't into it -- please find her another troop! Parents often think their girl "has to" be in whatever troop meets at her school, after school, but that is not accurate. Any troop, at school or not, that still has room can take any girl. Some troops camp a lot; some craft a lot; some do both; some do a lot of badges which can be very cool if the girls and leader choose cool ones. So don't stay stuck in a troop if your DD doesn't like it. Your GS Service Unit can help you find other troops.

If a troop is "lame" have you tried to help out? Looked up less lame badges and said you'll lead the work on one badge? (I know one troop had parents take turns shepherding badge work.) Helped the leader look into field trips? Said you'd go camping with the troop so the leader has enough adults to meet GS safety ratios?

Girls who stick with GS into MS and HS get to do amazing stuff if they want. That's the key-- they have to know what's out there. Parents as well as leaders are able to go to the Council site and see all the activities for girls of all ages and some activities are open to individual girls, not just whole troops. If "crafts after school" is not what you want for your younger kid from GS, you can seek out other troops, and if your DD stays in GS - or even if she leaves and comes back later, because girls can join at any age or grade -- she will find the coolest stuff is out there. But you need to be engaged too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was a camp volunteer this summer. Most of the volunteers had full time jobs, and had taken vacation days to do it. The senior level volunteers spent more time than I can comprehend working on the camp. For sure their kids should automatically get spots.

That said, as a troop leader, ITA that troop leaders should get priority. I bust my hump 9 months/year for a troop - I’d really like a break from the responsibility.

Oh, you KNOW you do it so you can be a star in your child’s and neighbors eyes, and so you can control what the troop is doing.
You know you don’t do it just out of the goodness of your heart and that you would literally beat other women away with a huge stick if they tried to take your leader spot. Also you do it so your DD gets a camp spot. You wear the stake through your heart well - good show!

If you really want a break from the responsibility take it and let another mom do it- but you won’t because you don’t think the other moms are as good as you.

And yes - I volunteered plenty.

This PP is the type that should not be around kids as her attitude is ugly and toxic. I actually want to thank PP for not volunteering. PP I do not believe that you have "volunteered plenty" btw. You do not sound like the type to give of yourself in any way. Takers take and you sound like a class a taker.

[Anonymous]

5 or 6 years ago it was first come first serve. It was a clusterf$ck! I remember sitting at my computer exactly when it opened trying to get siblings into the same week. It was impossible.

[Anonymous]

OP, we also passed on Girl Scout day camp when my daughter was a Daisy - I couldn't volunteer, but I also understand why they give priority to families that can. The day camps count on volunteers for staffing, and that's a big part of why those day camps can be so inexpensive.

My daughter has had a great experience with Girl Scout sleepaway camp, and they have half week options for girls who want to try it out or don't want to spend a whole week away from home.

[Anonymous]

While I'm very sympathetic to the working parent/volunteer problem, you should recognize that having adult volunteers during the camp day with the campers allows GS to run the camp with a smaller paid staff, thus keeping costs lower. Adults who volunteer outside of camp hours really wouldn't be able to provide a significant cost reduction.