Re: About Professional Scouters (2/2) *long*
settummanque, or blackeagle (blkeagle@DYNASTY.NET)
Mon, 8 Dec 1997 19:22:04 -0600
*This posting is LONG* and comes in two parts because I couldn't respond to
the posting in our 200 line cut-off.
Ian wrote:
>What we don't have in UK are paid staff at district and county levels
>processing advancement reports, tour permits, membership applications >etc.
As a Group Scout Leader my " advancement reporting " consisted of >a form
to be completed once a year that said that my group had awarded >a certain
number of each award, and a breakdown of membership by age >and gender.
Of course, in a typical local Council, there's much more reporting going on
to support the program. Off of the top of my head, I can remember making
reports on program accomphishments, number of advancements broken down by
Cub, Scout and Explorer, by unit, by community, by chartered partner; I can
also remember additional work reports on how much money was raised each
quarter, where did it come from, who spent it, and what the program outcomes
were; I also had to make a report on how much money I spent, how did I spend
it, if it was for materials, why didn't I get it from National....a
District's Executive has a lot of stuff that he or she has to keep track of
each month.
>As District secretary I collated these figures, added some information on
>leader training and district leaders and passed it to county, where
>another volunteer would collate ther district replies and pass then to HQ,
>where presumably a clerk was paid to enter them onto the database.
At the Council level (the American equal to the District for this
discussion), not only is there someone there to input the data and get it
ready to be sent to its servicing Region, but also the Council Scout
Executive or a member of his or her staff has to explain WHY the increase or
decrease was there, and has to explain it to both the Region AND to the
volunteers in his or her Council (through the Council's Executive Board).
>In twenty five years as a British Leader I have had one visit from a
>professional to my unit. This was exceptional ... most youth will never
>see a professional apart from staff at a jamboree or large event.
This is why, Ian, I am ALWAYS encouraging professionals whereever I go to
GET OUT THERE AND SHOW THEMSELVES TO UNITS AND YOUTH!! The first time I saw
Ted Taylor (the first BSA employee I had ever met) was during a campout in
Europe. He was there and introduce himself to my Troop as their "District
Executive". I didn't even KNOW what a "District Executive" was and really,
at that age....even if he told me that he worked for the BSA or the Council,
I wouldn't understand it. But I never saw another DE until Doyle Fuller
showed up at my Troop meeting and introduced himself..and then stuck around
to answer questions about what he did for a living....which was different
than "being in the Army" and assigned to a unit as a "umpty-umpt with the
14th Mess Kit Repair Battalion"!!
>There are no " membership drives " organised by professionals, and no
>" Friends of Scouting " solications either. Professionals' salaries are
>costed into the annual membership subscription, and depending on the
>budgets set by the leaders in each district and county this may be >between
$20 and $30 per member. This includes a substantial liability >insurance and
a limited accident insurance.
Again, "membership drives" are SUPPOSED to be organized by VOLUNTEERS, not
by the professional...he or she should be coordinating the volunteers'
drives and insuring that schools and other facilities are open and available
for the volunteers' drives and programs. And he or she should ONLY be there
AS A SPEAKER and not as a "organizer" nor "developer".
While the Friends of Scouting (or Sustaining Membership Enrollment in some
Councils still) campaigns are COORDINATED AND DIRECTED by the Council, those
drives are too, should be organized and managed and ran by the volunteers.
It works better that way, and in those Councils that actually allow their
volunteers to run and manage the campaign with little professional
"nosing-in", they raise MORE MONEY. It's a matter of seeing volunteers out
there truly rasing money instead of standing beside the pro while he or she
is "making the pitch".
Professional salaries are set annually by the Council's Executive Board, and
take in account the seniority of the professional, the roles and
responsibilities that the professional has to perform and support (hence, a
District Executive that does not serve as Council staff advisor to a program
or program emphasis gets paid less than those that are also advisors to the
Order of the Arrow, Exploring, camping program, in-school Scouting or
Leearning for Life, special Council programs, and other additional duties).
Salaries are taken from the total amounts that the Council raises from
Friends of Scouting/Sustaining Members, as well as from camping and outdoor
programs, special events, project sales, gifts and development grants, and
other sources. There is a national "scale" that actually says what a given
professional should get in general terms depending on their title and scope
of their roles; but a local Council can add to or take away from that scale
depending on *locality*.
>That does not mean that " Headquarters " is not available ... to the
>contrary, any leader, and youth member for that matter, can call or write
>to Headquarters.
As with the BSA.
>However, the National Commissioners for each program
>area are volunteers ; they have a paid support staff.
Which is the same here in the States...our National President, his five
National Vice Presidents, our International Commissioner, and Chairs of each
of our programs have professional counterparts that serve as Directors of
those programs and advises the volunteer and answers much (not all) of the
mail that comes into that division or program. And the BSA has been pretty
good about letting us know how to reach those volunteer chairs WITHOUT
sending mail to the National Office, BSA. While they don't release the
actual "mailing address" of the Chairman, Boy Scout Division, they do inform
us through the BSA's publications of the name and "civilian occupation" of
each Chairholder of the BSA's programs and support positions.
(but no, I don't know who is the Chair of the Boy Scout Division is
presently...I should, but I don't know.)
>Nearly twenty years
>ago the rule was that Cub Scouts had to wear short trousers, and most of
>the members disliked this. So we had our regular Sixers' Council ( a
>meeting of the Sixers (denners) and Leaders ) and one of the boys wrote a
>letter to the National Commissioner for Cub Scouts. A few weeks later we
>had an acknowlegement. Two years later there was a change in " Policy,
>Organisation and Rules " in response to pressure from units. That Sixer
>was by now a Scout, but when the rules were changed I told the Cubs >that "
our Sixers Council helped to change that "... a practical lesson in >the
democratic process.
The same has happened here in the States with regard to WEBELOS badge
colors, with training awards for Cub Scouters and Roundtable staff members,
with bringing back the Exploring Green uniforms and insignia, and recently
with bringing back the older Exploring Silver Award and the older boy/girl
rank structure that we'll see after the first of the year. While we all
don't like the "bureacracy" of the BSA's National Office, we can all rest
assured that they don't just "read and toss" our letters, faxes (and now)
emails sent to them "roundaboutly". I would love to see the BSA finally
come alive and join us all in the 90s and give us the opportunity to send
emails directly to the National Office....but until then, we -- the
volunteers out in the field -- are still able to "effect change" if we lobby
for it in sufficent numbers and send our requests to the appropriate office
at National!
Norman also noted that:
>Another point to consider is that, in most Scout Associations, the rules
>governing Scouting (most often referred to as something along the lines >of
"Policy, Organisation, and Rules) is made available to any adult >member or
parent who wishes to look at or purchase a copy.
Well....I can't argue that the BSA Rules and Regulations and the Charter and
By-Laws aren't available to the "Joe or Jane Scouter" or the parents of "Bob
Scout" without some waiting...but they *are available* through the local
Council office (and eventually, given someone's time to scan/type/post it
all, on the World Wide Web). But in addition to those basic rules, there's
about 12 or so *other booklets* or manuals that explain other aspects of the
BSA's many rules and policies and regulations.
>The rules to play by in the BSA are, I understand, much more difficult to
>come by, which can easily lead to the rapid development of an "us in the
>trenches" vs "them what are keeping the rules from us" mentality.
A lot of that doesn't come from the *professional* saying that, as much as
it from *other volunteers* that choose to make themselves "powerful" by
keeping others from knowing the same level of information that they know.
That's why this list and lists like it have been a boon to BSA volunteers
and some professionals because unlike that person, there's now hundreds of
others that can explain to you the policy and even send you an electronic
copy of the policy or procedure...therefore "knocking down" that person that
feels that "since *I'm* the so-and-so, only *I* know the answer and way it
should be done!!"
>Please note that this situation would appear to come from a corporate
>policy, rather than anything at the local council level. (Not too long ago
I >observed a BSA professional holding up a red three-ring binder during a
>training session and telling the course attendees that it told him how to
>accomplish any aspect of his job...perhaps the Red Binder is the BSA
>version of the POR?)
Nope...it's the BSA's Administration Manual or the Scout Executive Manual,
depending on the level of the professional holding the binder up.
The color doesn't matter....the BSA professionals (and some former
professionals that have "squarreled away" a copy to refer to later) use that
manaul to work with volunteers and others....but it's NOT the complete BSA
"POR". I would love to write one someday, but it won't even apply to many
of the local Councils....for they are STILL ALLOWED to "modify" or
"extend" the BSA's many policies and procedures locally.
Hope that ALL of this adds to our discussion...its a good one!
Settummanque!
(c) 1997 Mike Walton ("no such thing as strong coffee,...") (502) 827-9201
(settummanque, the blackeagle) http://dynasty.net/users/blkeagle
241 Fairview Dr., Henderson, KY 42420-4339 blkeagle@dynasty.net
kyblkeagle@aol.com or waltonm@hq.21taacom.army.mil
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