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LATEST POSTS
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By Eagle94-A1 · Posted
I got concerns for BSA's future after all the recent new rules and NAM announcements. It appears to me that folks at national are clueless as to what is happening in the field. Take the new One Night Cub Scout camping rule. That is going to hurt a lot of pack who have been doing 2 night camp outs for the past 20 years+. We are already hearing of malicious compliance, and I see it happening even more in the future. Heard some packs will start offering 2 camp outs when they do their own: one Friday-Saturday and one Saturday-Sunday. Year-round dues collection direct from families will be a nightmare for a variety of reasons. One will be those families that are members through insurance plans, unit scholarships, sponsorships, council scholarships, etc. Half my unit has their membership paid via insurance, and 1 has a unit scholarship. Add in keeping tack of who is and who isn't registered. And what happens when a Scout is dropped, but is still active? And whose idea was it to segregate coed dens at 5th grade in preparation for Scouts BSA? There was research done showing that the transition from Cubs to Scouts need to be 18-24 months. I was part of the old 9-12 month Webelos program in the 1980s, and can vouch for the need. Today I see too many Webelos and AOL dens being run like Tiger-Bear dens, and it is not only hurting the Scouts, but retention. Heck I know of one den that didn't begin the Scouting Adventure requirements until a month before they Crossed Over. None of those Scouts joined a troop, despite "crossing over" and getting troop regalia. Other Dens start trasnsition in August/September of 5th grade, and their Cubs, and parents, are not much better prepared either. Speaking of transition, having the Webelos/AOLs follow Cub Scout camping rules, specifically one nite only, when they do their troop camping visit is stupid. Even back in the 1980s, the Webelos Overnighters with troop was one to two nights. I know they did this in order to allow parents to camp, still. And I have mixed emotions on no longer allowing a parent to camp with troops. I understand that it is a condition of the bankruptcy. But when a troop does not have a Cub Scout pack, it is very hard when you have Webelos visit, and cannot camp. Do not get me started on visitors who have never been in Scouts at all. And what about MB counselors? I guess they can camp now since they are paying a fee as the rules that came out a few weeks ago are no longer valid since MBCs will start paying a fee. You would think folks within the organization would communicate with each other. And the price increases. 6.6% increase on youth and 33.3% on adults. Do they not realize they are pricing families out of the program? I am so glad my older two have, or will, age out. Youngest met his goal, he got Eagle, and if he decides not to renew, I cannot blame him. -
By seattlecyclone · Posted
Ah so we've entered the malicious compliance phase of things. I see. That's usually not a great sign. -
Just circling back to say how helpful this thread has been. We just did annual planning this week and the PLC switched all of our Troop's monthly campouts from two nights to one. We had been inadvertently counting those two-nighters towards First Class! But read closely! "Since joining Scouts BSA, participate in 10 separate troop/patrol activities, at least six of which must be held outdoors. Of the outdoor activities, at least three must include overnight camping." So for the past few months we haven't been signing off on any camping trips of two or more nights, as those are not overnight camping. Too many of the guys started coming on Saturday or leaving on Saturday so the activity would count, so now the PLC just changed them. Thanks for clarifying! -
By AwakeEnergyScouter · Posted
My reaction was in part due to that the word hit an uncanny valley for me. I have no idea what the word means exactly, but there are so many possibilities that lack genuineness that I can't help but then wonder how on Earth any large session called that is going to help scouters execute the program like @MattR was saying. I hope I was wrong, but it sounded like no matter what it was, it was a wasted opportunity to get practical in favor of some kind of rah-rah our country is the best cheer fest. There's a time and place for that too, but I don't think it's an organizational conference. JMHO. Too close to... some historical bad stuff. And common practice in some countries where human rights violations are routine. I kind of recoil as soon as I'm expected to make a public big show of how patriotic I am. Doesn't matter for what country, bad vibes. That just makes me want to be patriotic in my closet so nobody can use my feelings for their political campaigns. -
@skeptic , you're right that a one word title can't possibly convey what the session is about, but that's the fault of the one that chose it. Vague titles indicate vague talks. I can honestly say that the only thing I'd be interested in would be topics that will help units improve their programs. Everything else, given what the BSA has been through recently, is pointless. If there's one thing that the leadership could do it's focusing on what's important.
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