{"alias":"blogEntry","byline":"","standfirst":"Louise and her son, George, are part of a Squirrel Drey in Wales. They\u2019ve already gained so much from their group, from spending more time together to learning lots of new skills.","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/18936/dsc_6222_mmp.jpg","width":7360,"height":4912,"altText":"Louise, a Squirrels volunteer, is wearing a blue polo shirt with a necker while helping her son, George, in Squirrels uniform, toast marshmallows. They\u0027re both looking at the marshmallows and smiling.","caption":"Louise and her son George toasting marshmallows together","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EAs soon as a Drey opened near their home, Louise made sure George was one of the first to get a place. When she took him to his first Squirrels session, he felt unsure and wanted her to stay. Louise sat in the background to begin with, but she was quickly drawn into the fun activities.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ELouise is now an Assistant Squirrel Leader, going along with George every week to help at the group. They\u0027ve no other family in the area, so Squirrels is a great place for them to spend time together and meet new people.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ELouise had previously struggled with her confidence and leadership skills, but she gets so much out volunteering. She\u2019s now running various parts of the evening, including running games, telling stories or even organising the main activity.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s a chance for her to grow and develop her own skills, while getting to spend more time with George and seeing him enjoy the activities.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ELouise\u2019s favourite thing about Squirrels is that the volunteers give her time and space to do whatever she feels comfortable with. Louise says there\u2019s never any pressure, and they understand and appreciate how much she can give.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EGeorge loves going to Squirrels. It\u2019s a place for him to run around with young people his own age. He gets to make friends outside an educational setting, and he learns new things every week.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u0027s lovely to hear that Squirrels is an enjoyable experience for both volunteers and young people alike.\u0026nbsp;\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"26 October 2022","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[{"caption":"","title":"Find out more about Squirrels","url":"/squirrels/","newWindow":false},{"caption":"","title":"Become a Squirrels volunteer","url":null,"newWindow":false}],"relatedLinks":[],"id":50419,"nodeName":"Squirrel stories: Quality family time","title":"Squirrel stories: Quality family time","type":"blogEntry","image":{"url":"/media/18936/dsc_6222_mmp.jpg?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1d9becd22be24c0","caption":"DSC 6222 MMP","type":"jpg","size":6448303,"width":7360,"height":4912,"altText":""},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"Squirrel stories: Quality family time","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"Louise volunteers at her son\u0027s Squirrels Drey, and they\u0027re both having lots of fun. ","browserTitle":null,"silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC81MDQxOSJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2022/october/squirrel-stories-quality-family-time/"}