Allowing your child to bring a mobile phone to camp

(What Parents and Carers should know)

We appreciate that your child can stay in touch with you and you with them. If they are upset they can call you and tell you. They can stay in touch with their friends. They can use their phone to play music and games on.

However the downside can often be;

They have 24/7 access to YOU. This often means that even the smallest of things can be reported to you as soon as they happen, even (and probably) in the middle of the night.

This could cause you anxiety and distress and you might call the leaders in charge....Possibly just as they are trying to deal with the very situation that you are calling about.

You could find yourself driving a considerable distance to collect your child because they sounded so distressed and upset, only to find on arrival that they are perfectly fine now because we have dealt with the situation or the situation has resolved itself.

Some children will use their phone almost constantly to text friends and family. This often results in them not joining in with activities and missing out on things.

Those children who have abided by our rules and not brought a phone with them often become upset when others ignore these rules. This in turn can lead to pier pressure and even bullying by children who wish to "borrow" a phone.

Mobile phones are often mislaid and even lost or broken during activities. This causes considerable distress to the child who often is so distraught that they will not even eat until the phone is found. On occasions when the phone has not been found or is broken the child can be inconsolable because of the loss and perhaps, in anticipation of the parents reaction to the loss.

You may well think that none of this applies to you or your child. Well,

MOST OF THE CHILDREN WHO HAVE BROUGHT A MOBILE PHONE TO CAMP HAVE SUFFERED ONE OR MORE OF THE ABOVE!

Jewelry, personal hi-fi, communications equipment and any items not essential for use during an activity must not be brought to it.

We do not accept responsibility for any personal items which become lost or broken.

Both Skip and Chief take mobile phones, the numbers of which can be found in the members section. We will call you should the need arise and, you are more than welcome to call us.