JTE & Community Service

[fred johnson 936]

Related to growing membership, a friend shared a discussion he had with others. It came down to ...

 

Why doesn't JTE also have a Community Involvement measure ? We want the community to support scouting, but scouting does not seem to support the community as much except through Eagle projects.

 

It was raised as part of membership growth. Scouting is way less visible than it was 50 years ago. People just don't know scouts exists as before. And when they see scouts, they are selling. What about giving back to the community? What about being visible in the community?

 

Suggestion ....

 

BRONZE ... While in uniform, perform two service projects. One for a local school. One for your charter organization

 

SILVER ... (In addition to bronze requirements) ... While in uniform participate in a community event (fair, parade, city event, etc)

 

GOLD ... (In addition to silver requirements) ... Organize scouting participation in a community event that scouts did not participate in the previous year

 

 

BSA's vision includes citizenship. But if you don't measure it, do you really value it?

[Twocubdad 665]

Run your program. JTE is just extra paperwork.

[blw2 433]

Run your program. JTE is just extra paperwork.

 

 

I agree.

 

Also, I find it unfortunate that leader recognition is locked around it.

No that I'm CM, I'm looking to recognize the leaders, and would like to award them the knots

Most of us don't care really about them, but I do think it would be good to give them awards that they have earned, showing the youth .... blah blah blah....

 

BUT, an excellent and hardworking leader that happens to be in a pack that doesn't bother with the paperwork of JTE, is not eligible....

Just a like a CM who's pack decides to take a break in the summer, is not eligible.

 

I get that these are measures of a strong unit, measures of a unit that benefits the BSA with growth, etc....

But these are not the only measures... AND as you pointed out, it's extra paperwork that we just don't need.

Just doesn't seem right to me.

[CalicoPenn 729]

JTE does have a community involvement component:

 

 

To earn Star: While a First Class Scout, take part in service project(s) totaling at least 6 hours of work. The service project must be approved by your Scoutmaster.

 

To earn Life: While a Star Scout, take part in service project(s) totaling at least 6 hours of work. The service project must be approved by your Scoutmaster.

 

 

There is a lot of room there to nudge Scouts towards more visible service projects. Though most of us would probably not do so, there is nothing preventing a Scoutmaster from saying that working on Joe Scout's Eagle Project will not count towards service project hours - and starting a tradition where working on a fellow Scout's service project is expected as being Scoutlike and is in addition to service projects for Star and Life. If Scouts aren't visible in your area, I'd be trying to change the culture of the units - to start training ASM's and SM's that part of the PLC planning process should include 2 to 3 Troop-wide non-Eagle Service Projects, with at least one of them for the Chartering Organization, and should include being part of the local community's festival or parade so that it's automatic.

 

Here's a question - do Packs and Troops still approach stores, banks, insurance offices, etc. in their communities in February to ask permission to set up a window display for Scout Week (Month)??

[Eagle94-A1 2687]

In regards to uniforms and service projects, don't get me wrong as I am pro uniform. BUT some service projects the uniform is not appropriate wear. Best example I can give was the reforestation project one of my friends did. It was in a swamp.

[Twocubdad 665]

It's been years since I looked at the leader award requirements (no one from our troop wants to waste time at Roundtable, so we don't bother with the awards) so I hadn't realized they linked individual awards to JTE. That's just confirmation to me that JTE has ZERO to do with quality programs and everything to do with the professionals making their numbers. Why don't they link youth advancement to JTE, too?

 

I guessed they slept through the goal setting session in Wood Badge. I thought the "A" in SMART goals stood for attainable -- making sure that goals are within your power to achieve.

[fred johnson 936]

Wow. I didn't expect much thought, but did realize the total disdain.

 

CalicoPenn - I meant involvement versus service because we have many service projects ... building picnic tables, train clean up, etc. But Scouts just are NOT visible much in the community anymore. Groups chartering scouts barely know they exist. Schools and cities with scouts often have citizens asking if scouts exists anymore. It's interesting and sad to see.

 

I am not big on the awards part of JTE either and it is mentioned so often that I get rather sick of it too. And I really don't care if our scouts have a quality patch on their shoulder or not.

 

But it's a BSA program to evaluate troops, districts and councils. I was just thinking BSA should have a measure for how much scouts are trying to be visible and involved in their community. Not just service. Think of it as presence or involvement.

 

[scoutergipper 277]

We want the community to support scouting' date=' but scouting does not seem to support the community as much except through Eagle projects. [/quote']

 

I agree with your premise, but I don't think it was stated as clearly as it could have been - hence the responses.

 

Scouting is invisible, almost exclusively except for Eagle Projects, kids that get every Merit Badge, paedophilia or homophobia. Scouts and Scouters act like they're embarrassed to be part of it. When I was in Cub Scouts (for instance), I wore my uniform to school for picture day and for Pack meeting days. That almost never happens today.

 

Our Troop is very active in service for our CO - a Church. I do what I can to involve my Troop in local community service projects, in uniform when appropriate, and try and get media attention. We did a local City clean-up and Meals on Wheels this winter. Last Spring, our Troop partnered with a local Pack to put on a "field day" at the Pack's school because the teacher who usually did it was sick and couldn't. Most Packs in my area are chartered by schools, and I've made it a point to talk with the school administrative assistants and leave a calling card in case a parent asks them about Scouting. I try and have a display table at every event where they're allowed in the local grade schools. The Troop volunteers at a local public concert and serves free Dutch Oven cobblers to all comers. It's all I can do to keep myself from setting up a recruitment table at Home Depot on weekends.

 

Not every Adult Leader wants to do this kind of thing, knows how to do this kind of thing, has the time to do this kind of thing. If only there were a paid, "professional" Scouter who would think in terms of marketing the program in the community, and do some of this work for Units that can't/won't. But if we're going to save Scouting, I think yours is the critical question.

[fred johnson 936]

I agree with your premise' date=' but I don't think it was stated as clearly as it could have been - hence the responses. ... [/quote']

 

Yeah, you're probably right. I think it should be measured as "Community Involvement". And, BSA should encourage it. It just felt slightly wrong to approach scouting values from a marketing perspective. But, it's the view that's needed. Scouting needs to encourage the visibility of scouting. Parades. Festivals. Fairs. Community involvement.

 

... But if we're going to save Scouting' date=' I think yours is the critical question.[/quote']

 

I really think BSA is at an inversion point. Something needs to turn around otherwise scouting will be just another small niche activity.

 

This fall our scouts did a service project for another youth group. We ran activities for several hours and received great feed back.

 

I feel slightly bad because to get our scouts to help with smiles on their face, we scheduled a pizza, movie, video game event immediately after for 3 or 4 hours. Scouts worked extremely hard, but then got to just hang with each other for another three or four hours. ... And our scouts just love doing that.

 

 

[Twocubdad 665]

Do we have a PR problem? Sure. Would better visibility of the good works Scouts do help? Absolutely! Will making this part of JTE help? Nope.

 

Anytime Scouts are in the public eye, they should be in uniform. But from a practical standpoint, service projects are often messy work. Not many Scouts have a separate uniform for painting.

 

But how about making a point of having the Scouts wear their uniforms for a photo op, even if they change afterward. We provide out Scouts "Eagle Project Underway" signs for their projects. We also provide he Scouts with small, permanent plaques to attach to their projects. It's pretty cool to be sitting at a picnic table and discover it was built by the troop years ago. Uniform or no, we try to submit photos of our Scout doing service projects to the local paper. We made large "Scouting For Food This Saturday" signs for the annual food drive. Mostly it reminds folks to put their bags out Saturday morning, but also serves as a visible reminder of the project.

 

Checking a box on JTE and logging hours on the Good Turn for America website (which I've never been able to access) only allows the council and national to tout a number of hours on their FOS flyers and annual reports. Wup-dee-doo.

[Scouter99 265]

When I was in Cub Scouts (for instance), I wore my uniform to school for picture day and for Pack meeting days. That almost never happens today.

And when it does http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=dfe_1302195872

A few years back, a middle-schooler wore his uniform for picture day. He was bullied so badly that he decided to get even, so he filled 11 Coke bottles with gasoline, put his knife in his pocket, and off to school. The school resource officer walked in on him mid-scheme in the bathroom. The officer was stabbed several times while subduing the boy, but survived. At sentencing, he asked for leniency for the boy.

[pohsuwed 19]

This is an interesting one. I think we would all agree that Boy Scouts in general has been suffering with its public perception for some time now which has led to a decrease in enrollment and retention. I think we would all love to see this reverse direction.

 

HOWEVER, we are also a group of people who for some reason are prone to cannibalizing our own whenever anyone gets any attention for what they are doing. It's very evident on these message boards, and it is probably evident in most of our districts and councils as well.

 

In my case, our Venturing Crew was recently highlighted in the local media for their work in cleaning up roadside trash which included over a hundred cans of "huffed" whipped topping in just one mile of road way. We asked the media to do a story on the dangers of huffing and they included our community service work in their story. One would think that this would be a great multi-benefit story including a public/youth safety story and a great story about young people working to help the community. While there were positive public comments in social media on this, word got back to me through the local scouter network that we were just looking for "atta boys".

 

If we want to reverse the tide of scouting participation, we need to regain public support for the program by highlighting what we represent. We also need to show parents the type of program we follow and that we aren't just an after-school program.

[qwazse 4342]

... While there were positive public comments in social media on this' date=' word got back to me through the local scouter network that we were just looking for "atta boys". ...[/quote']

 

Get used to it. The luddites who resent venturing will carp at anything you do. You are, in fact, looking for "atta boys", not from your SE or DE, but from high school kids who may need to be part of your program and know that you're willing to confront issues like substance use and pollution head on!

 

To be fair, I've heard advisors talk smack about troops. That kind of one-upmanship makes kids not want to be in either program.