ParkMan

I'd be interested in hearing specific ideas that packs & troops have done that have resulted an in increased draw for Scouting. Where have you faced losses to sports and other activities, done something to address that, and been successful? Thanks in advance

Sure - but why would anyone want a professional to get involved anyways? Locally we've got really great professionals and I like them a lot. But, they've got no more insight into complicated leader issues like this than any other Scouter. But if I had a unit issue like this one, I'd rather have an experienced SM or CC to go to.

I would suggest that as a SM or CC, you'll need to get comfortable dealing with these kinds of situations. Don't worry about BSA registrations and recharters. Don't worry about what is the COR's job and what is yours. Assume control of the situation and have a plan to deal with it. As a member of the key three, this is your troop. I would stop letting parents bully the volunteers (including yourself). Tell them privately, tell them in a meeting - it doesn't matter. This kind of nonsense is unwelcome in your troop. End of discussion. I'd go back to the Stages of Team Develop

We seem to have someone attend about once every two or three years. We get a mix of ASMs & Committee Members to attend. In our case, we're a bigger troop (about 80 scouts) and so some of our committee positions tend to be pretty active. That's not to say we're an adult led troop - not at all. When I started as CC, the committee was pretty much a few folks who did it all. Over 5 years, I made a concerted effort to push ownership out to the volunteers on the committee. As a result, many of those volunteers have taken a lot of initiative in what they do. So, in the past 5 years w

I was a CC for about 5 years - it was a lot of fun. It's one of the very few roles where you get to be plugged into everything in the life of that troop. Some things I learned along the way: A big part of the CC's job is preparing for the future. It helps to be looking ahead 6-12 months. What's next year's recruiting plan? What's the budget look like? Who will be stepping down and need to be replace? Get along with the Scoutmaster as much as possible As CC, you lead the adult team. You've got to provide some high level vision for the troop adults. Are we Scout le

I concur. You all discussed this, reviewed it, and made a decision. Your authority as a leader will be hurt much more by changing this back. Stick with your current plan.

Might be a NJ thing

Do you think it's a case of: A. scouting doesn't have the value of sports? -- or -- B. the typical troop program doesn't have the value of the typical sports team?

Thanks. We can't really do anything about the financial interests. If parents are going for a sport scholorship, then more power to them. As for being "done Scouting" - this is in our power to address.

So, I'd peel the onion here. Why are they willing to choose sports and walk away from scouting?

This is why we have assistants. If you've got a Scout who can be there enough to provide leadership to a function, then let him lead the function. If he has to miss 50% of the events, then no big deal. Take a more junior scout, make him/her Asst. of whatever POR that scout has. Benefits: The Scout learns to balance the realistic demands of life. A younger scout gets to learn from a senior scout Older scout learns delegation The job probably gets done better Negatives: None?

In short, no-one. The leaders of these activities understand that to field a team, they need participation. So, they draw a line and say "no participation, no team." Most of use Scouters are not willing to do the same. So, in short, for the most part, we do it to ourselves.

I'm willing to concede that I'm in the minority opinion on this one. The literature encourages the idea that the CC supervises the unit leaders. If a volunteer's supervisor cannot remove said volunteer, then that puts the supervisor in a pretty weak position. But, this isn't the point of the topic - so I'm not looking to push the point. I'm just adding it for context. More likely, what I think happens is a parent knows someone in a district role. They ask their opinion on an issue which then gets related as fact. Too many unit leaders go along with it because they don't realize t

BTW - can we once and for all recognize: The BSA makes very clear that within a unit, the Scoutmaster has the final say on advancement. District Volunteers can not overrule unit level volunteers with their unit.

Goodness - sounds like you've got a real mess on your hands with this troop. Two points: The COR absolutely does have to sign the new Scoutmaster's application. A position change requires a new adult application. Until such time that the COR signs the application of your successor, you're the Scoutmaster in your Council's & National's eyes. The Troop Committee can not fire a SM. The COR can absolutely fire the SM. There's some difference of opinion on this, but I believe the CC can fire the Scoutmaster. But the unit committee - nope. The best they can do is to agre

Interesting observation. I'll admit that district service often feels more like a job than my real job. I need to remember sometime to start a topic "How can we make District Service fun?" I'd love to hear ideas.

18 years is an amazing amount of time to volunteer! Thank you for your many years of service. I'd encourage you to step back and re-evaluate. In the process, hand off your responsibilities and take a sabbatical. Think about where your fun is. Maybe you're really done, maybe you decide these something else you'd enjoy doing. But, it's hard to do that while you're still committed. But whatever you do, find your fun in it.

Ok - uncle. I give up. If the BSA basketball team got so ticked off at the GSUSA basketball team that they refused to give them the ball I don't think I'd care either.

This hardly seems like improper behavior. If the lawyers had hidden information or not properly disclosed what is required than that is improper. But, stalling is simply a tactic. Yes, the lawyers employed tactics to make it more difficult for the opposing side to make their case. There was nothing illegal here as far as I can tell. In sports, this is simply playing defense. "The best offense is a good defense". The judge finally had enough and told them to stop - so what? Yes, the Oath & Law provides us guidance on how to conduct ourselves. This line of thought suggests to f

What specifically do you think the lawyers did wrong and what do you think should be be done to be in the character of the Oath & Law? Why does it not reflect poorly on the Scouting community that we sit here and criticize the lawyer's defending the BSA for simply doing their job?

I'd second that. It's very common in my area for Scouters to grab a beer after a meeting. Many great scouting ideas have been launched over a pint.

I read what you posted here and all it looks like to me is that the lawyers were making it difficult for the opposing side. This case is stupid, but the ramifications of it are a big deal. I am glad the counsel for the BSA is aggressively representing their cause. While I'd love it if everyone could hold hands and get along, I recognize that in some circles - like law, when you're in the midst of the case you have to push boundaries at times. I saw nothing in what you posted that suggested unethical behavior. Simply a judge who thought they were not playing nicely with each other an

The lawyers for each side would not be doing their job and fulfilling their obligation if they did not aggressively represent their clients. It's silly to suggest that the lawyers should be following the Scout law inside the courtroom. It would be like saying race car driver needs to be a friendly, courteous driver in the midst of a race.

It is beyond any question that abuse is a horrendous, heinous, awful crime. From what I can tell, the most recent abuse listed here was in 1990. Is that correct?

If the problem is a lackluster Webelos program that is causing Scouts to loose interest in continuing, then perhaps you could have the troop do some signature events that let the Scouts know what is coming. Every year, our troop very visibly puts on some awesome events that are unlike what is typical for a Cub den. We invite Webelos & AOL scouts. Those scouts see the troop, what we do, and it looks pretty cool. As a result, we easily have 80%+ of the AOL scouts crossover. If anything, we get the "I'm soooo tired of Cub Scouts, I cannot wait to crossover."