Re: listserver etiquette
Amick Robert (amick@spot.Colorado.EDU)
Thu, 16 Jan 1997 13:25:33 -0700 (MST)
Subject: Re: Service (Explorers supporting Scouting events-part 1 of 2)
Susan addresses one of the more difficult parts of Exploring as far as
youth are concerned, but not one which is insurmountable. Bear in mind
that those Explorers who are former Boy Scouts have probably been
subjected to the importance of service since they were 11. Explorers who
come in without prior Scouting training or experience, may have a
different set of values which are not sympathetic to this aspect. Since
they are already at least 14 or more, this is a difficult situation to
quickly break them in on. However, it can be done.
The remaining Explorers who have previously supported Scouting activities
should be called upon to be an advocate for the Service Program if they
are willing to do so, especially if they agreed to do it as part of Post
program planning.
This may need to be addressed as an area of
committment and responsibility which is a significantly flawed area in
a broad spectrum of youth today, but one which Exploring can significantly
influence and improve.
I am seeing a trend among many youth groups in particular where it is
"acceptable" for members to make a commitment, and then "blow it off"
without notifying anyone or otherwise being accountable for participating
if they have previously agreed to do so. Fortunately, this is not
pervasive, but it can be very embarrassing and frustrating for the
organization who commits to something only to have members "back out" at
the last minute and leave a serious gap in the operation of the event.
The only way I know to "turn this around" is peer pressure where it
becomes unacceptable to the group to tolerate irresponsible behavior such
as this. Adults are not probably going to be able to reinforce the need
for commitment and trustworthiness nearly as well as peers who believe in
and support the concept. If the Explorers as a group feel that such
irresponsible behavior reflects badly on their reputation and "esprit de
corps" with others, then they will take steps to "fix" the problem.
Sometimes it helps if the head of the group needing their help also comes
to them with a "plea" expressing how important their services are and how
much they are needed. Often this carries weight that the advisors would
not be able to express.
To illustrate a point about Explorers who are committed to Community
service I use the example of our Law Enforcement and Division of Wildlife
Explorer Posts. Most of the members in both those organizations have not
previously been Scouts. However, the Post strongly emphasizes the aspect
of Service to the Sponsoring Organization (Sheriff's Department and
Division of Wildlife respectively) as a significant requirement of
membership. Both of these organizations provide service
opportunities which are naturally of great interest and fun for Explorers
(e.g., working crime scenes, doing lost person searches, doing traffic
control for major events and incidents, working in various specialized
bureaus such as crime prevention and D.A.R.E; and for wildlife, doing game
management surveys, conservation projects, etc.) These posts also do
substantial service to Scouting in the form of working first aid and
rescue or doing traiing/teaching at Klondikes, Scout Shows, Mock Disaster,
Rendezvous Camporees, etc.
The "spin-off" of these programs is that Explorers get substantial
recognition and appreciation from the Sheriff, the Division of Wildlife
Directors, and good Public recognition, in the form of newspaper articles,
special awards for leadership, letters of appreciation from members of the
Departments or Community groups, Political officials, or often and perhaps
most important just a sincere "thanks" in the form of a personal contact,
a phone call, a letter, taking them out to dinner and/or a movie at their
favorite place, etc.
Another very effective marketing tool is to quantify their
service contributions in
terms of how much their service has saved the Departments or sponsoring
organizations if they had been compelled to dedicate paid employees to do
the work. In our case, our Sheriff's Explorer Post contributes time and
effort valued at well over $125,000 per year. That is no small piece of
change, and the Explorers are reminded of it frequently. More
importantly, much of what they are asked to do simply wouldn't happen
because there is no budget to pick up such services, or staff who would be
available to make those kinds of contributions.
(Part 2, continued in subsequent post due to text length limit)
Bob Amick, Explorer Advisor,High Adventure Explorer Post 72, Boulder, CO
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