GWL NY 121

Thanks to all. The forum here at Scouter.com has provided us with a pool of suggestions from experienced people as we had hoped. We have a Committee/Leader tonight and all of your suggestions will be considered.

Here's how we got to this point and this is from my viewpoint as an Assistant Scoutmaster:

A scout father who did not come to many troop meetings and barely participated in troop events and is the Cub Master in our village, suddenly and without knowledge to our troop, pulled his son (and friends of the same school-age follow) out of our troop, and began his own troop. The parents of the following scouts were inactive in our troop and were embedded in the Cub Program. Vague reasons were given for the action and these issues certainly could have been worked out before starting a new troop. One or two issues were brought up beforehand and were looked at by our Committee and pool of Leaders and discussed. The issues were somewhat trivial and now appear to me as though they presented as as a reason to leave because they were either voted against by 100% of the Committee/Leaders or too lofty to enact in a short time frame. The CM/SM approached a local civic organization in hopes of sponsorship for the new troop but was turned away(I believe the civic group found out about how our troop was being unethically maligned and resented the back-door trick put upon them). The CM/SM got a few parents of the new troop together and chartered themselves. The CM/SM soon demands that we not communicate with any one individually in the Cub Program and all correspondence be handled by himself only (all of which go in the round file). This effectively means that our Troop is cut off from the Cub Program = no chance for recruitment there and our Troop is continually bad-mouthed by the CM/SM. A den who wishes to cross over to our troop has kept us informed about the Pack not getting our out-reachings and the misinformation which is given about our troop and leaders.

We had a few meetings with the parents of a few Webelos who want to cross over and they asked that we not make it known until the last minute that certain boys are crossing over. These boys expressed fears should the CM/SM find out. The parents have participated in a few of our events and were so shocked by the untruths told to them about our troop at the pack level, they were ashamed to tell us.

It was mentioned where District and Council were with this. I'm imagining that they're confused as to whether they should deal with this. Maybe a lot of this comes out like he said-she said. The Cub Master/Scout Master had to have some help arranging all of this behind our back and without our representation, who knows what case was pleaded? Two District Commissioners are concerned about the duality of CM/SM in this case.

We'll take the high road as we have been trying to do through all of this and welcome our new Scouts and try to find some way behind the iron curtain.

Let cool heads prevail! Our intent was never to ruin the B&G. We're thinking of the boys crossing over to our troop. The idea to "deputize" the parents seems most practical since the parents of these prospective new Scouts are completely behind them and us. Again, sparing details, if this matter of a new Troop had been handled in a friendly way, not secretively and vindictively, our Troop would have the opportunity to welcome the new Troop and cooperation would flourish. Be it that our efforts to reach out are squashed and not passed along to the Cub Community, our image is being unfairly manipulated. Parents of Scouts whose sons left told us their sons left to follow their friends and those parents don't agree with the indignant tactics used by the CM/SM. Maybe my few 10 years of Scout leadership won't allow me to believe that people will be so unfair to the Scouting Community.

The answer to my question has been answered in many creative ways. What I am most afraid of has been presented by Clemlaw regarding who has to right legally to allow who to attend Scout events. I think that will keep us out of the B&G crossover. We're concerned about how these boys will feel when there is no one there to welcome them to our troop. Perhaps we'll suggest that the parents of those crossing over to our troop leave at the time of the actual crossover and take part in our ceremony???

I'll present these ideas to our Committee.

I didn't want to get involved here about the extreme manipulative Napoleonic complex of the CM/SM that we are up against - that seems to be the motivation for secretly starting a new troop - reverse alienation being fueled by misinformed propaganda. There is too much more not appropriate for this forum. I'm speaking for the dedicated volunteers from a small Troop who has produced 39 Eagle Scouts since 1941 who have been hoodwinked by the situation. Please excuse me for getting upset and thank you all.

Very pleased to have found Scouter Network.

For some reason, and I suspect disinformation from the Cub Master, the District and even the Council seem to be shying away from our situation. So we bring this matter here for other's feedback.

A father from our BSA troop split off and started his own troop in our small town of 3,000 people. He is now the Scout Master of that troop AND the Cub Master of the towns only Cub Pack. He took our base of youngest Scouts with him. He has complete control of the Cub Scout community. He demands that correspondence between our Troop and the Cub Pack only be through him and Cub parents tell us they never get event invitations and information that we extend to the Pack. He continually discourages Cub Scouts and parents from considering joining our Troop. We're cut off from the Cub Scout Program so he can funnel Cubs into his Troop. Luckily, we have one Den who sees the unfairness of this situation and want their Scouts to become members of our very active Troop. The Cub/Scout Master has denied our request for our Troop to be represented at the Blue and Gold Dinner. The parents our the Webelos II Den crossing over to our Troop want our Troop Representatives there to receive our new Scouts. Our Scout Master, Committee Chair and a few ASM's would like to show up at the B&G Ceremony. Can they be kicked out? Has anyone been in such a situation?