From: Alexandria Lone Scout (scouts_alex@HOTMAIL.COM)
Date: Fri May 12 2000 - 05:20:03 CDT
Howdy Scouters:
Some questions have come up again about Direct Service Council. Too many to
answer individually. I am also not the only Direct Service person on the
list. This is a short note to clarify some points.
Scouting in Direct Service territory is the same and different from scouting
anywhere else. We are defintely more on our own bottom for program, funds,
and support than most units in the CONUS.
1-There is only one BSA Direct Service Council and only one council office.
2-The official website is http://www.directservicecouncil.org
3-The DS-Around the World CSP is the default CSP.
4-The CSP styled DS-country patches are for units within a locality, not for
separate councils. They are direct kin to the old R-W council/country strips
that Aloha, Transatlantic, Far East and Direct Service issued before CSPs
took over. Nine of these are issued by the council. The rest are produced by
units or groups of units with or without council knowledge.
5-Contrary to the latest CSP Guide BSA is not disbanded in Panama. There are
still several units serving the ex-pat community. There was a truly
functioning district, DE, staff and all the trappings, that took over from
the Panama Canal Council in 1987 until it wound down between 1996 and 1999.
The DS-Panama CSP was issued by the district and not the council.
6-As a practical matter in several locations a troop and pack work
cooperatively with joint/overlapping committees to make the program work.
There are a few places with enough unit density where informal districts
function for camporees and such.
7-Lone Scouts are considered units by the council.
I hope this clears up some questions and puts to rest some misunderstandings
that have crept into e-mails.
Yours in Scouting,
Phil Abbey
Alexandria Lone Scouts, BSA
Alexandria, Egypt
Email: Scouts_Alex@hotmail.com
Website: http://www.geocities.com/scouts_alex
American Scout Traders Association #3281
Vice President for Africa & Southwest Asia
U.S. Forwarding Address
(allow at least two weeks one way):
Philip R. Abbey AGOSD-ISPR
c/o Chemonics International
1133 20th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036 USA
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