Re: New Requirements
Settummanque, the blackeagle (waltoml@WKUVX1.WKU.EDU)
Tue, 29 Aug 1995 14:10:12 CDT
Michael J Pagelkopf <mjp2@SPARC.ISL.NET> writes:
>Given the recent discussion on requirements this announcement sends me to
>the floor in wonderment. Pro Speak is the professional newsletter of BSA.
>What appears above was in the July issue. As a unit leader have you been
>notified? Gosh, my calendar shows September 1, 1995 to be just around the
>corner. Look again, the word DEMONSTRATE is a part of the requirements.
Hi Mike!
I'm glad you posted the information here, but please allow me to place
on my old Paraprofessional's hat and explain why it sometimes APPEAR
that your Council (and others out there) have "suppressed information
like this".
*hat on*
_Professionally_Speaking_ (ProSpeak) is the professional journal of the
BSA and is sent to every present and former professional Scouter, to
members of the Council's "Key 7" (the Key Seven are the Council's
President and Commissioner, the four to five Vice Presidents of the
Council. The Council Executive/Scout Executive is also there, but he
already gets one because of his professional position) and to other
Scouters upon application and approval by the Council Scout Executive.
There is NOTHING in ProSpeak which cannot be shared with volunteers.
Likewise, many professionals will make copies of the pertainent
articles and share them with those that have roles relating to the
column (for instance, I get copies of Exploring issues and information
from ProSpeak).
The journal is intended to give professionals an "heads up" as to how
they SHOULD INTERPRET AND ANNOUNCE THE CHANGES IN PROGRAM TO YOU AND
ME, THE VOLUNTEER. In this case, those announcements to program
changes will be made in MOST Councils in two ways: during the program
Kickoffs after or before the Labor Day weekend (this weekend) and by
way of the Council's newsletter or bulletin (you may have noticed that
in lots of Council's, the clipped article taken from ProSpeak appears
right in the Council's newsletter along with a paragraph or two as to
how the Council is implementing the policy).
With regards to the new physical/mental "disability" (Scouter Pat, how
do I "PC" that word today?) standards, a Council may have already or
is preparing a statement to go out to each Scoutmaster or to the
Chartered Partner Representative in the mail, rather than to waste a
half or full page in the Council's newsletter with the new policy.
And remember, Mike, as Kathie and I have stated numerous times, there
are STILL Local Councils out there that take what the BSA says is
"policy" and places their own "spin" on it, which is NOT what the BSA
intended but what does happen in real life as we deal with policies,
localities and personalities.
With regards to the changes in the Tenderfoot and Second Class
requirements, look for the Editorial Service to print special "insert
pages" which will come to each unit leader after the first of the
month (if they have not already started mailing!!!) explaining the
changes to the requirements.
Those same pages will be probably available from your Council Service
Center starting in a couple of days also. Again, this information
will also be shared with Scouters at September's Roundtable and Huddle
meetings. So folks, make a special effort to attend your District's
Roundtable or Huddle meeting in September!
Finally, with regard to the changes in the merit badges, usually
during the same quarter that it is announced through ProSpeak, it will
be published in _Scouting_ and (for those things like merit badge
changes which affect youth members) in _Boys'_Life_. Additionally,
changes are also posted in the Supply Bulletin, in the Direct Service
Newsletter and in the Support System Newsletter. The National Eagle
Scout Association's Eagletter and the Order of the Arrow Bulletin also
gets copies of what is in ProSpeak and it is published there as well.
So, between eight or so publications, many of which come out on a
bimonthly or monthly basis, the information gets to the field.
*hat off*
Where it is many times thrown in the "recycle bin" (the wastebasket)
(the circular file) ("file 13") by the person getting ProSpeak and never
makes to anyone like you or me that NEEDS to know these changes.
That's why Scouts-L continues to be an additional source of
information for ALL Scouters, even if the information, as you wrote
Mike, is almost a little late in being released.
As Scouters, part of our reponsibility is to constantly stay in touch
with our professional counterparts and INSIST on getting the most
current and pertinent information we can get in order to do our jobs
well for the youth we serve. Also, it is OUR responsibility to attend
those "Kickoffs" as hokey as they are, to get that written information
and most importantly, how OUR Council (not National, and not some
other local Council, but *our* place) will be handling the new policy.
In a lot of cases, Mike, the local Council will continue to allow
Scouts to earn those merit badges as long as there is a badge left for
award. In other Councils' cases, the merit badges are taken off the
shelves and sold to patch traders or others on a given cut-off date.
Finally, some other Councils will no longer accept merit badge
applications for those badges after a given date.
As I've stated here, and as others have also stated, *your local
Council* continues to be your first choice for those changes, followed
by (naturally) us here at Scouts-L!
Thanks for taking time to post it here and please continue to do
so....we NEED the information!!
Settummanque!
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Settummanque, the blackeagle... (MAJ) Mike L. Walton (
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