Re: Assistant Scoutmaster Needed
MAJ (")
Fri, 17 Dec 1999 11:16:56 -0600
Alan Stewart has a problem common to many rural and innercity communities:
>I have 9 active boys in my troop. I have one fully trained assistant
>scoutmastr who is a step-dad and has since summer camp been a step
>asisstant sm. Told me he was getting burned out and was not really that
>interested in doing much. He has only made it to 1 out of the last 6 meetings.
And he further explains and then asked us:
>Our troop and pack are the only ones in our County, out of 13,000 people I
>think we can do better than 9 scouts and 40 cubs. Adult leadership in the
>socuting program in this area seems to really be limited. I have pitched
>to the CO and COR, but have been unable to get any participation by them or
>members of the CO to participate. We ahve participate din many service
>projects, and fundraisers for the CO but have not been able to get any
>leadership. Where do I go to find some energetic leadership? Any ideas
>would be great!
Alan...I've been there...believe me!
Before you run a want-ad, how about first holding a meeting with the MOMS
AND DADS of your nine Scouts. You're emphasizing the males of your Scouts
but there's an additional source of adults: the female wives and those
single females whom are part of your unit's chartered organization....or
just in the community.
A lot of rural Scouters may not be confortable with females serving as
"leaders" but that's the reality of Scouting today: as I've told lot of
groups over the years, the days when we can just rely on "Dads" are over and
done with: Scouting needs ALL of the hands it can find, and that means that
lots of those hands are going to belong to females...whether it's Mom, a
fellow church or community member, or a teacher.
Likewise, for a lot of various reasons, there's not a lot of urban Dads
around too. So the same principle applies.
>Thought about going to all the churches in the county asking for young
>adults that might be interested in scouting.
That's also a good idea, but start with the churches in the county that your
nine Scouts attend or closely associate with.
>Thought about waiting long enough and growing my own.
Not a good idea *grinning*...there's no guarantee that "your own" will want
to voluntarily serve as Assistant Scoutmaster (and remember, some of the
best volunteers are those already volunteering in other ways....)
>Have a good WEBELOS I leader, he will be a real asset in about a year, he
>will bring 12 to 13 boys with his group when they crossover. At that time
>I will really need a few "good men" to help out.
A few "good people" to help out will be more like it, Alan. Remember that
today's Scouting is an "equal opportunity opportunity" and you're missing
the tapping in of those many females whom as kids were cussing under their
breath about not being able to become "a Boy Scout" -- whom would make great
Assistant Scoutmasters AND/OR members of your Troop's Committee. Don't
forget them, either; they form the support screen for your Troop (and the Pack).
Finally, Alan, don't worry about the number of youth in your Troop now.
Good program somehow mushrooms Troops and Packs. I started out with very
small numbers and within a year, I literally had to redirect Scouts to the
other Troop in town because at that time, we couldn't accommodate them (the
meeting place, a temporary classroom, can only hold 40 Scouts and
Scouters.....and we were up to 43!)
Good programming grows Packs, Troops, Teams, Crews and Ships.
Hope this all helps out!
Settummanque!
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(MAJ) Mike L. Walton (settummanque, the blackeagle)
http://www.mninter.net/~blkeagle
personal inquiries via kyblkeagle@aol.com,
blackeagle@SCOUTER.net or blkeagles@hotmail.com
professional inquiries via waltonmi@usarc-emh2.army.mil
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