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What was interesting, is that we never placed a value on those paintings in our filings … just listed that we have them. I would be in favor of selling them if it helps protect some camps from sales. What I found interesting, is that for the first time I have read, an attorney representing victims said something could be protected. He likened it a bit to not touching "cherished religious relics". In terms of scouting, my "cherished religious relic" would be my summer camp I went to as a youth .. or perhaps Philmont … not a painting. Perhaps those outside the organization don't under

The BSA should be out there talking a lot more about what it is doing and why. The point isn't to blame those suing the BSA or to criticize those attacking it. The point is simply to explain and get the message out there. By doing nothing, the BSA is letting others define it. The BSA is doing itself more harm by not saying anything than by simply stating what is going on. If someone says - "the BSA should be punished", then engage in a conversation about how 1.5 million kids in the program today are paying to benefit from Scouting. If someone says - "the BSA should pay tho

Eagle 1993, I completely agree with the idea to sell artwork before camps. Artwork sold to a collector or museum isn't lost; it will be cared for and cherished and there is nothing to prevent a future exhibition of loaned paintings being brought back together. Camp properties sold, on the other hand, will likely be developed and forever lost.

I agree with a letter signed by the IH informing the council that the scouter's resignation was accepted, and he is no longer on the unit's roster. Copy the SE, COR, CC, and unit leader. Then, it doesn't matter what council does our does not do. He's not on your roster, even if his name appears on a printout somewhere.

@dkurtenbach, I concur with one small exception: despite the best efforts of some councils and districts, I think unit operations will be negatively impacted quite soon. This will largely be due to the factors you mentioned: declining numbers, increasing fees, and negative publicity. "The bankruptcy is certainly a big problem, but membership decline is BSA's real crisis and BSA isn't going to do anything about it -- either because they are too preoccupied with the bankruptcy or (as I think) because they gave up on it long ago." That statement is absolutely spot on! Indeed, the

Late to the topic and trying to digest the entire thread in one sitting. I completely agree with the second sentiment: BLOW UP THE COUNCILS! We don't need them. The only good things that Council ever provided me was a storage space for our district archery equipment (could be much cheaper as a Public Storage space and with better access!) and the Scout Shop (which could be handled better as an online resource with less traffic.) Camps can be run independently, left to fail, or be replaced by state parks. The only other things that came out of that hulking real estate cow patty were negati

I don't - no. Running a large organization and leading a PR campaign are very different things. Leading an effective PR campaign means knowing how best to utilize the different media options available to accomplish the BSA's goals. A good PR person would have established media relationships as well. You want the CSE to be able to speak for the BSA, but absolutely should not be leading the effort. Most major organizations that do PR well have a dedicated PR staff. GIven the image and membership problems of the BSA, we really ought to invest here. I believe this is one of th

I think we have to distinguish between an advertising campaign and a PR campaign. An advertising campaign is a bunch of commercials designed to sell Scouting. A PR campaign could be a proactive effort to get out there into the media and talk about what they are trying to do. They could get spots on news talk shows, on the morning TV programs, etc. If the news is reporting it, now's the time to get out there and share our vision. I've said this before - the BSA ought to go out and hire a really good PR person to serve as spokesperson for the organization.

I teach hammock camping at our council training event every year - here is a deck that I use Hammock_101_.pdf

Judge Silverstein has scheduled Omnibus hearings for April 15, May 18 , and June 8. https://casedocs.omniagentsolutions.com/cmsvol2/pub_47373/802829_111.pdf https://casedocs.omniagentsolutions.com/cmsvol2/pub_47373/802850_112.pdf "An omnibus hearing is a Court hearing at which the Court may hear a variety of different matters relating to one particular case." https://www.bankruptcydata.com/glossary-of-bankruptcy-terms

My thoughts. I. HATE. NEW. SCOUT. PATROLS! In 34 years of seeing them used, I have never seen it used successfully. Either the Troop Guide, or Patrol Leader as I was called when my troop was asked to try it out in 1986 before it became the recommendation in 1989, gets overwhelmed working with bunch of new Scouts by himself, or adults need to intervene so much that it becomes Webelos 3. OPERATION FIRST CLASS, as the idea was originally called in 1989, is based on skewed data. More on that later

Council registrar would be my suggestion, but not sure of your council org structure (some leave this function to the DE). Short of that Field Director if you have one, otherwise go direct to the SE.

While I sometimes wish we would defend current practices more, I have to agree with @Cburkhardt. Trying to fight the narrative now is like spitting into the wind. We have to take our lumps. I was surprised to have a couple parents come up and vigorously (in anger) defend the BSA. I think BSA's response, "we believe you, we are upset about the sins of the past and we want you to come forward" works. In the short term, we will be hit, but after bankruptcy, we can start anew and while holding true to the scout oath & law.

Maybe this should not be used as an example, during the bankruptcy proceedings, to demonstrate how councils are separate and independent entities.

In this immediate moment I am going to suggest that it might be hazardous for the BSA to engage in almost any proactive messaging on YPT or the bankruptcy at this moment. Anyone on this site could easily write the response that could come from an abused-claimant. It could be: "the BSA does not get it" or "the BSA is insensitive with its statement" or worse. These people need to be treated with kindness. For now the best route might be to just quietly prepare our means by which we will try to give them some justice. As for competitor organizations that are piling-on with their PR, this is

Others may have already posted this but it came across my news feed today. There's more than land at stake, https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/02/27/boy-scouts-chapter-11-bankruptcy-rockwell-paintings-sexual-abuse-victims/4820331002/.

The BSA, for all of it's marketing and development folks, is absolutely the worst at any type of marketing. Basically it is non-existent. This is at both the National and Local levels. For them to be able to get out in front of something, they need to have a grasp of what that something may in fact be and UNDERSTAND why they need to get in front of said something. They need to be able to TELL the positive story, but they may not understand why the story needs to be told. Yes Scouting is local, but it's like any franchised business. The National office generates the buzz to drive cons

The shape of any merger or other reorganization will depend in large part on the shape of the eventual bankruptcy settlement: Will sexual abuse victims agree to a comprehensive resolution process that brings in all claims against councils, chartered organizations, and other Scouting-related entities in addition to claims against BSA National? To get there will require substantial financial contributions from councils. If they can't get there, BSA National's bankruptcy may be resolved (eventually), but victims will be in litigation with councils and other entities for years to come, with num

Some earlier MIchigan Crossroads topics

I strongly agree with @ParkMan's concerns. For me, what is troubling about councils is that they spend the majority of their time, effort, and money in activities and services that units don't need (and often don't even know about) or would get anyway without all the fuss. Now, there are a few services that, in my view, some BSA office or BSA professional must be responsible for, even if much of the work is done by volunteers: administration of registration, chartering, and other "official record" matters dissemination, implementation, and enforcement of BSA policies specia

Regarding your final statement ... let me reassure you as calmly as possible: First Class First Year is a lie. Tell your crossovers and their parents the truth: it is hard to obtain First Class rank. The skills therein are difficult to master. Furthermore, for those crossovers and parents with Eagle in their sights, I remind them that I have not seen a difference in who earns Eagle based on how soon they earn 1st class. A large proportion of 12 y.o. 1st class scouts either quit or take 6 years to get to Life rank. A scout who finally earns 1st class at age 16.5 has accumulat

@Cburkhardt - I fully respect what you're asking here. I want to keep the thread positive, but I'd be remiss if I didn't state my concern. Pardon in advance. Fundamentally, I'm worried that we have attached ourselves to an organizational model in Scouting that is not correct for the challenges of today. I'm worried that in a effort to re-organize after bankruptcy we rush to deploy a model that has not proven successful over the past 40 years. My concerns can be summed up in: The DE to Scout ratio is wrong. We have a ratio of about 1 DE to 1,000 Scouts/50 units. If a DE costs ab

@HashTagScouts and @carebear3895 … I didn't even think of the increased nation fees on councils that will be coming, but you are right. There was a lawyer asking how the BSA plans to pay their massive legal fees given the income was relatively low. But I was thinking the state lawsuits that will be placed. This article below is simply one example. Both National BSA & council were sued in state court. National BSA was asked to be pulled from the lawsuit given the bankruptcy filing … but the lawsuit will continue against the council. https://www.seacoastonline.com/news/202002

What Carebear3895 is talking about is the discontinuance of Scoutreach in Pathway and its replacement with a home-grown approach called "Restoring the Village". The quick way to describe it is that volunteers from the Black fraternity alumni associations are now running the most-difficult urban units as volunteers with specialized pro assistance. No more paid Scoutmasters and no-fee kids. These people are actual Scouts and Scouters. Sorry to hear some of the pros had a rough time there, but it was a complete re-organization from scratch that was done within 2 years. NDW5332's comments

The biggest issues I've seen with hammocks and trees is when people use hammocks with strings or ropes instead of straps, or when they don't hang it right and the strap/rope is sliding down the tree during the night, stripping off bark. The next biggest issue is with scouts tying up to trees that are too small. The rule in our troop is that if you put the hammock up and when you get in, the trees move, the trees are too small. Obviously, 5"-6" diameter is a better guideline objectively, but "if you make the tree move it's too small" is more functional with tweens and teens.

This sounds like a government solution. When in doubt, form a new committee. I don't think we need a new committee, or any other new entity. Just ask the Chartered Organization Representatives. This could be done by mandating a one-time vote of confidence/no confidence in every council. Only the COR's vote. If they vote no confidence, everybody at council is fired. Then let the COR's form a new council. If they want to merge with another council... fine. If they want to divide up into smaller councils... fine. Let them decide. No interference from national. Once the new coun

There is a certain amount of "local" logic in having regional high adventure or destination bases in the southwest, upper midwest, south, and now mid Atlantic, so I don't hate the idea of Summit either, but I think it's implementation has not been well managed. The loss of council camp properties has been an ongoing crisis BSA has ignored. It speaks to the lack of outside expertise because support easily could have been offered through property management expertise and advice, bench marked program adjustments, or collective purchasing agreements. Facility upgrades are a common challenge a

Unfortunately, our council camps, nationwide, will be the first items on the auction block. Many of these camps have been neglected for years. Execs consider them cash cows, skimming the profit (little if any) and spending it elsewhere. The BSA has de-emphasized the outdoors for years. Many council decision makers will offer up the camp/camps and won't blink an eye. As mentioned earlier, legacy camps with solid alumni support like Bartle and Ten Mile will survive. Most of the others won't.

Yes, now is not the time to merge. Bigger council: bigger target. I'm also not sure bigger is better. Amuse me for a moment: The approach of this thread, let's decide which councils to merge, appears to be a bit top down. There doesn't seem to be any input from the units and volunteers that put on the program and not even the councils. If there's to be a bottom up, service view of leadership then here's a good place to start. To begin, evaluate each council. This is not JTE as that's crap. Pick an outside entity with no skin in the game an

1000% agree. Unless I'm missing something, it would be incredibly stupid for councils to start merging now. Why would any financially strong council merge with a weaker one in the face of litigation? Depending on how the national bankruptcy shakes out, I could see lawyers going after councils and a series of bankruptcies there (or perhaps councils brought into the National bankruptcy). Now, post bankruptcies, I think it really depends on what is left of the BSA. If, as rumored, a lot of work will transfer from National to councils, then it probably makes sense for many council merg

Yeah, wonder why. But at least there was a guise of local autonomy , per By-Laws, merging council executive boards had to approve even if those boards were badgered to repeat voting until they did approve. Merger Suggestions. Consider, if these sudden, proposed council mergers are or perceived as National orders This will be happening , such actions IMHO will discredit the BSA statement "Local councils are legally independent, separate and distinct from the national organization. " Another concern, Council X has liability lawsuit(s) pending and is merged with neighboring Councils

I'm definitely tracking, Cburkhardt. I'm approaching this from the standpoint "council X is a poor performer because of a weak exec team." Could these poor performing councils be turned around with a team of aces at the helm? If we're downsizing organizational structure first and execs second, we're allowing weak performers to stay on board and probably under perform again in the new structure.

"Top down thinking" has been restructuring councils for as long as I can remember. The promised economies (locally), service improvements, and increased membership and resources have not been proven, but let's get it right in the next merger, e.g., The Spirit of Adventure Council (unless they merged again and changed their name since I started writing). I expect all Mass will be one council as neighboring NH is (except for one or two counties). Remember how councils were required to develop strategic plans? JTE? If a council met their five year plan or is a Gold Council, why merge it or wa

While I agree that councils should be merged and downsized, I think there is an important step that must first take place. Rather than focusing initially on the poor performance of ABC and XYZ Councils, a centralized board should first examine the records of all executives above the DE level. Only the top performers should be retained, say 30%. These top ranked execs can then be divided into regions and develop a game plan for merging councils. As important as the merger exercise is, it would ultimately prove fruitless if bottom tier execs were allowed to continue in any position o

I can see how merging councils can result in financially stronger entities. I don't see how merging councils can result in better unit service.

Ahhh, a scouty question There are quite comfortable backpacking pads. Get an insulated one. That and a down quilt and you should be quite comfortable with little weight. And, when you finally get your troop backpacking, you'll have the right gear.