Backroads

"First perhaps we need to define our terms, from MacScouter who says: If you are paid to do Scouting, you are called a Professional. If you are not paid to do Scouting, you are called a Volunteer. If you pay to do Scouting, you are called... ... A Scouter So, you love people, its the public you can't stand? Other than saying, we can only process the paperwork we receive, I don't know as there will ever be a solution " I'll take those terms. Not what we use 'round the office, but they make sense. Thank-you. I really do apologize if I'm making myself look nasty and bitter, but I do hate it when I have to send people away from my desk unhappy--I like to think my motives are in the right place. Believe it or not, but I'm usually sent as the diplomat when things are ugly 'tween council and volunteers. I work in both a crew and at the office, so I suppose I see a different perspective than those of you who are just working with the youth. You see the mistakes people in my position make... and I get to see the mistakes those in your positions make (probably not a reality you want to hear, but it's true...) I guess I shall just keep smiling and giving what explanation I can. Perhaps candy at my desk will at least make them a little happier...

"If we bug you then maybe it's time to look for another job where you don't have to work with the public." I actually find my job quite pleasant most of the time, thank-you very much. However, like many of those who work in public-sector jobs, I don't appreciate being a scapegoat or being treated like a lesser being. If you're teaching the Scouts under you that being rude, irresponsible, and unprepared is not only acceptable but ideal, perhaps you should find another hobby.

My crew works in tandem with a Scout troop, and we recently had some bad blood between leadership... sounds like similar emotions are involved. My advice: get a moderator. You have all these people emotionally attached to what they want.

"This might be a red flag Backroads, it's my observation that whining professionals don't last very long. It's not going to get better. " Actually not a professional, by the way. At least not in the DE terms. I'm just the registrar. And you're right that it won't get better. But what is the best reply to give when someone wants to know why his unit never had him registered? As in, didn't potentially lose an application, but never gave him one in the first place? Saying anything along the lines of "It's up to your unit" or even giving them the application and showing what signatures they need to get, is often not good enough. Those of you who are volunteers... what sort of response would you want?

"I have no idea how many of my boys, over the years, participated in the program unregistered, but there were quite a few. " And yet, from my perspective, shouldn't you? (Unless it really was a nasty case of the office losing it, in which case it wouldn't be your fault--Believe me, I'm not making any excuses for faulty work in a council office). But is it really ethical for leaders to accept boys into the program and never bother to get them registered, all the while informing the boys and parents the kid is in fact registered? Shouldn't you as a leader be regularly checking the roster to make sure it's accurate? When does it become my job (I'm not a professional) to make sure the units to do theirs? Am I really supposed to weekly call every unit in my council to ask if they are up-to-date on their registration forms?

We actually do have a pretty good reputation for not losing stuff (at least in my department--we log everything and anything), so we rarely have the accusation "you lost it". Rather, we have "why didn't you go get the registration forms from our unit or make sure they registered us?" These ones are frustrated at us that their units didn't know they were supposed to bring in the application. They want to know why they aren't registered, why the unit didn't bother to register them, and what I will do right then and there. I suppose I just don't understand why a unit gets off scot-free and I have to fix what they neglected to do. So often I have a sheepish CR wander in with 9-month-old registration forms. Sorry, this is really a rant.(This message has been edited by Backroads)

So I'm one of those horrible people who work at the council offices... In my council, it's extremely common for a unit to accept someone into their ranks... and never have them fill out the registration form. Or, if the form is filled out, no one ever brings it me. Almost a year later, someone will storm into my office wondering why he isn't on the unit roster. Most people make it feel like it's my fault for not magically knowing who is supposed to be registered and no one wants to hear it's the unit leaders' fault, not mine. What's a good customer service way to avoid this drama? There's only so many strings I can pull.

I have heard rumour that a counselor is only allowed to teach so many merit badges to the same Scout--yet haven't found anything printed on the topic. It's a rumour I often hear, so I'm not sure just what the truth is.

I'm beginning to suspect it's a local thing, because those at National don't seem to know anything about a change, and neither do the LDS scouters I've asked. Alas, this pack's frustration lies in the fact they think these boys can join Scouting, but can't get them registered yet.

I work as a registrar, and for quite some time I was under the impression a boy could not join LDS Cub Scouts until he was 8 years old--and my computer program backed me up on this. Some LDS volunteer recently told me she had been told they could register boys at 2nd grade... regardless of age... in LDS Cubs. When did this come about?

Thanks, y'all!

My council is largely LDS (it's a Utah council, that's what happens) and I've seen plenty of female leaders (I register them!) in all programs. Makes me wonder how strict the LDS church is on the policy at ward levels.

I am a registrar with a council, and we are trying to get ready for rechartering. It's always a headache time of year as our council as a high rate of leader turn-over and it's rare to see the same leader and commissioner rechartering a unit two years in a row. So... part of my job is to come up with a lot of hopefully helpful information for rechartering. As leaders, what would you like to know (from the council) when you go about rechartering?