ParkMan

Hopefully no other councils suffer the same fate. What a numbskull.

I understand the point. But, I would go back to my earlier point. Before we start talking about changes, we really need to focus on why we'd make those changes. Simply doing more re-orgs, changing the program, etc. is not going to address the reality that we live in a more competitive world today in the youth activity space. We've got to raise our game in Scouting in order to "compete". Our Scouting program is excellent - but you can't surround that with lackluster execution. Packs that repeat the same activities year after year. Troops that don't camp and having a boring program.

I think we have to ask ourselves - why would the bankruptcy change things at a council level? What fundamental structural thing will be different for councils after the re-organization that is not true today? Will more money be available to councils to hire those now available council-service Scout Executives? Will councils suddenly restructure their executive boards to focus more on districts? Will the experience pool of current employees and board members be different after the re-organization? What's needed at the council level is a plan for success. How can a counci

Respectfully - that's not the USA at all. We are the great melting pot - a place for people to bring their diverse backgrounds and experiences and together to form a more perfect union. We are open to new ideas and are the land of opportunity. We all win when we work together to solve problems and grow. That's America.

@Protoclete - as a fellow district volunteer, I too have struggled with the quality of data we get as volunteers. I know on membership, I wanted some simple reports to track size/adds/drops. That was very difficult to get and often involved converting some of the data available to professionals. However, in our case the data generally seemed to track ok. My only suggestion is to see if you can work your network to find the right contact at National. I'm sure there's a solid staff person there that would be glad to explain the process to you if you ask. The "system" sort of discou

My suggestions: 1. Invite all past Scouts, Scouters, and families to attend the celebration. When I show up at events like Scout Sunday, there are always people who walk up and tell stories about their time as a leader or as a Scout in the pack or troop. I bet you'll find a lot of people will want to be there. Get the network going! 2. Setup an exposition/display room. In wherever you are holding the celebration, fill it up with as much memorabilia as people can find. We've done this in the troop a few times and people find all kinds of things. Extend the ask to former members

I'm of the same belief as @mashmaster. Fun what if's to ponder. But, really - in reality it will all work out and be pretty boring.

@Eagledad I think your post reinforces my prior point. We already had the first Atheist Eagle Scout - he earned it probably 90 years ago. Rather than us being so caught up in the extremes on each side, how can we craft a program that permits both perspectives to coexist. I don't want to see God driven from Scouting. But, I also don't want to see the Atheists driven from Scouting either. I do understand the point that without some absolute moral guidance from God, morals and values are then infallible human concepts. In a Scouting context, 98% of all value based decisions are ob

The world today is more polarized than it once was. We're more focused on pursuing what we believe is correct than on getting things done. 75 years ago we were focused simply on bringing the Scouting program to kids. Today, we've got this dimension of arguing over what the right Scouting program is. Again - this is true in lots of places and is not a Scouting phenomenon. I suspect this comes from lots of things and we could fill pages upon pages discussing why. The implication is that this is the new normal and so we have to figure out how to still have Scouting apply broadly while a

Respectfully, I wasn't. I was thinking specifically of just about any single individual religion in making that statement. It isn't even remotely close whether the Catholic Church or Scouting has a bigger impact on the world. If I run down the list of major religions - Catholicism, Protestantism, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, etc... Whole cultures are built around these faiths. People's lives, belief systems. I love Scouting, but it's just a whole different kind of thing altogether. I do agree with your last statement. I think they were really trying to make a different point. Sc

I have to agree with @David CO here. I'm giving these Scouting for Equality folks the benefit of the doubt and hoping that they simply chose some ridiculous wording. The rest of the paragraph is fine and makes sense. One could easily argue the Scouting and it's principles are broader than any one religion. But saying that Scouting is a force more powerful than any one religion is simply a ridiculous statement. Scouting has a profound impact on many, many people. Similarly, to many, the impact of Scouting on their individual lives is probably bigger than their faith - of that I

Same here. Attend service at our CO.

Possibly that he really thinks of himself as a volunteer who's now charged to run the ship. If I were hired to the CEO role of our Scout council, I don;t know if I'd really consider myself a Scouting professional either. I'd consider myself a volunteer who now has a job to run the council. It's neither respecting or disrespecting the professionals - just simply that he doesn't think of himself as one.

I will say though - as a district/council volunteer myself, I know that there are indeed plenty of well heeled volunteers - but not everyone. Cheers & thanks for the insight! Much appreciated.

Much appreciated @jjlash. I'm 100% in sync with you. As a repeat WB staffer, I see the same issues and we have the same conversations at a local level. I appreciate you seeing my comments for what they were - friendly feedback. I look forward to hearing how the course goes. Maybe we'll both be there in 2021

I guess that makes sense - who you know and your ability to donate money to get known. I imagine it's also like other things- you work your way up by climbing the ladder. Some people take 30 years to do that, others 10 - others 3.

I found his Linked In profile. . Looks like he was at Heart of America Council for about 7 years. That's a very respectable amount of longevity. He's been at the Summit for a little under 2 years. Makes me wonder if he either just didn't like the Summit role or if he simply wanted to return to a council. I have to imagine that for some, being a SE at a major council is a very exciting role.

We had a local Scouter that I was lobbying we should nominate for one. This chap wasn't an area or region Scouter, but he'd had significant impact on Scouting over decades. Everyone I talked with about it thought it would never get selected. I was more optimistic. On another tangent - I always wondered how one becomes an area/region Scouter. The only three I know were people who were long time Council scouters who moved up. But, I assume that not everyone waits 30 years to make that transition. I wonder how anyone serves at that level for decades. Guess like anything it's who you k

@jjlash - thanks again for adding your insight here. It's been very helpful. Since you're on staff and I know that occasionally other national folks check this forum, let me generally second @mrjohns2 comment. I think it's pretty natural for people who are weighing taking a 4-6 day course to look at it and ask - "is this worth it for me?" Wood Badge gets this question a lot already - what will we do, what should I expect, is it work 2 days off from work, and is it work $250 to attend? In the case of SLC or PLC, it's $450, 5 or 6 days off from work, and probably a plane ticke

About a year ago, we had to take a BSA online course underscoring the importance of truth in membership numbers. How times have changed.

Your silver beaver insight is intereting. I wonder what they do for Silver Antelopes. I've only seen one person who had received one. But, I do imagine there are lots of nominations

Thank you again @jjlash. This continues to be great background info and very helpful as I discern whether this is a good fit for me. My sense is yes - this would be helpful in continuing to grow as a leader in Scouting - particularly in this era with parents and leaders from so many backgrounds. I checked again and we're still on for a summer family trip that same week. I'll have to keep it on the list for 2021.

I don't, but it sounds like he's had a number of high profile rolls. On paper, sounds like an impressive resume for a SE.

This is what we've seen in our district too. Even the DAOM did not have many nominations. I understand our neighboring districts are similar. Since we'd have 2 or 3 nominations for most categories, the selection was a discussion amongst the awards committee.

I would encourage you to decide whether you'd enjoy the role. Whatever role we taken on as volunteers, it's important to find the fun in it. Is there something about being RT commissioner that you'd enjoy? Perhaps the ability to put your mark on Roundtable and to work with others to make it happen? Perhaps the ability to find and inspire others who might have similar interests to yours. Also, you might find that this role provides some new challenges and is a fun adventure. Yet, I would not take it out of a sense of pressure. There will always be opportunities to serve and I've found