ParkMan

The reoccurring theme I see here is the atrophying of our district committees. I imagine this extends to the commissioner staffs. I'm guessing that there probably wasn't ever a time when there was a nation full of well formed district committees devoid of politics and personalities. But, I am guessing that something happened 20 years ago that has led to a slow erosion of them. What that is I don't know. I'm not entirely sure it matters. The point is that we're at this point where district committees are struggling. That leads to what I see,in my community - irregular troop pro

My recommendation is for us volunteers to get re-engaged at the district level. If you really want to improve tbe,program in your area, this is where to do it. Get involved with district program, camping, training, or membership. Sure, skip the finance part. The BSA is supposed to be volunteer led, professionally guided. I'd worry less about what the council employees are saying and just do the right thing for the units in your area. Maybe we use this forum as a place to brainstorm how to do that?

Sounds pretty weird. Makes me wonder if something happened that resulted in it. Given the tight budgets, can't imagine they're doing it on a whim.

I saw those performance problems too. It was pretty slow. Took me about 90 minutes. I thought it was a very good improvement over the old materials. It was much more matter of fact and focused on the problems at hand. It really felt like the authors were saying - "we're taking this seriously".

I'm not sure the answer. Again, I'm fine firing the council staff and trying your approach. We struggle for district volunteers now, so I'm skeptical. But let's try it. It just really saddens me the culture that exists where everything council or professional is bad. I think it's sad to treat a group of folks who have chosen to dedicate their careers to the movement like this.

In our council, we don't get 99% of the services from volunteers. Yes, volunteers handle things like training, camporees, day camp, etc. But, anything having to do with registration, Eagle paperwork, most Council Camp upkeep, and Summer Camp is done by professionals. I'd be game for that - let's cut the staff by 75%. Here's my guess how that goes... Our councils sound like they are similar in size. We're a council of about got about 26 professional staff at any given time. Looking over the staff list, it looks like it breaks down as: - Scout Executive - 1 council registra

Welcome to Scouting. Thank you for volunteering! It sounds like you're enjoying Scouting and will have a tremendous impact on the Scouts in your den. In my experience, Packs all have a certain culture. Coming in and trying to change things can result in lots of extra work for those other volunteers around you. That's when leaders get frustrated. As a new leader, my recommendation would be to attend the meetings and learn. During that initial time, attend the meetings and see what goes on. You will very quickly go from being the new leader to one of the experienced folks in the r

That's correct. In most councils the registration fee goes to National. The local council gets none of it. The funding model for local councils is funny. They provide the bulk of services to local units, but then generally raise money outside of the troops to support that. I can only gather that there is a historical reason for this. I don't love what this leads to. Yes, I wish the council never asked for money. But, short of every family spending another $150 to pay for the council, I'm not sure what else to do.

Both the BSA and GSUSA have seen significant membership declines. Some of this is undoubtably societal.

I understand that some packs have a Cubmaster/den leader program meeting and a separate committee meeting. The committee is just business talk. Unless you're a huge pack, I like the combined model myself.

In our pack, we always wanted the den leaders to attend. So much of what we covered involved them. Pack meeting plans, campout plans, join Scouting plans, advancement, etc. These always had some impact on, and needed the involvement of, the den leaders. So, we were glad to have them. If your pack is organized in a way that you cover this in a different forum, then it may be less important.

Thanks for all the thoughts in response to my last set of questions on this. My basic thinking going in was that there would be things we can make sure we do in a troop's program that will put the boys in situations that develop these traits. I do see the other line of thinking - that it's the myriad interactions and decisions a scout makes in the context of simply being in the program that do that. That's something for me to think about. BTW - I hope that no one misunderstands my comments about the mom's being involved. I'm very appreciative for what they do and am glad to have them.

I'm so very sorry to hear your frustration. I fully understand being frustrated and burned out. I've had such a frustrating experience in my role in the troop. It wasn't until recently when I decided to walk away from the troop and focus my Scouting energy other places that I've even begun to get some excitement back. I'm also sorry to hear about your experience with money & the council. I've got other non-profit volunteer experience and one thing I've learned is that money is always important. A council consists of full time paid employees - folks who don't have a job if the FOS

I'd not seen the form. That is very specific. Interesting to see all the hoops for and early adopter program that heads things off by 6 months or so. They should've just done it from the start. Take your licks once and be over it.

I think we agree. So how you structure the kids at a particular rank is not known to the BSA. A pack doesn't even have to pretend. Just find a male & female to run a den and give the kids the same den number. BTW - not suggesting that a scout leader should be dishonest or anything. Just fully expecting that operational realities will trump the theory.

I'm sure it's just a matter of time. My guess is the most everyone will ignore it anyways. If I recall correctly, there's reporting of who is in which den during recharter - so it seems easy to forget about.

Thanks for the feedback so far. This is helpful. To provide some more context. I've got no idea what's going to happen with our troop in a year or two. Will we be co-ed, will we be boys only, no idea. I'm not concerned with either outcome as we'll adjust and run the best program we can. When I read the original article, my thought was "yep, makes sense." I've got a son and two daughters. I don't really raise them differently - that all get the same feedback and opportunities from me. I teach my daughters how to use power tools and my bring my son to the ballet. But, I can clearly

I think I'm looking for something a more in terms of program today. We've been a troop for 25+ years. I've got no idea if we're teaching these guys to be masculine or not. That's what I'm trying to put my finger on. Just what kinds of things should we do in our program to make sure we're teaching these young men to be masculine?

I'm still somewhat lost on the specifics here. I like facts & figures - probably why I'm a CC. I still have a "boys only" Boy Scout troop. I've got an opportunity to focus on teaching these guys to be masculine. What things should we be doing to help ensure that?

I'm not aware of a policy that would be against it. Giving a gift card would be appropriate in my book. It's not really any different than the pack buying him something. Myself - I'd prefer a gift that said something about Scouting and my time in the pack. A card signed by everyone, something special special to your pack, or something from my time as Cubmaster. Maybe a picture of me from my first pack meeting or camping trip. Or perhaps something practical I'll use everyday. Years ago someone gave me a ridiculous key chain. I use it everyday and think back fondly to when it was pre

I agree that these are the things we do today. My bigger point though is that I think the movement needs to regroup a bit. We're I in charge of things, I'd do three things: - clarify the program. There needs to be much clearer guidance on how to implement much of this stuff. There should not be arguments on wherther the scouts or the adults should buy tents. This kind of thing ought to be more clearly spec'd out. - improve the mechanics. Just about every troop has boring troop meetings. It's great that some troop has this figured out. It needs to get captured, distilled, and r

I'm optimistic. In our district, there is a very uneven distribution of scouts in troop. A few large troops (50+) and many smaller (~20) troops. The packs are the same way. What that tells me is that the scouts are out there and some packs & troops are better at attracting them than others. What I think is going on is that adult leaders are really struggling to figure out how to deliver a good program. The days of hanging out a "Scouts welcome" sign and getting a full pack or troop are gone. The proliferation of other activities has taken care of that. So, to have a success

Well said. This captures my thoughts. This is why I think it helps for us as adults to remember this balance. We can't make it all game or all purpose. But, we orchestrate the game to achieve the purpose. In the context of this discussion, I'm struck that no-where in the BSA literature does it say "turn boys into men". We talk about boys developing character, but don't talk about what that means. What does character mean for young men today? So, as we orchastrate that game, how would we do it differently for boys than for girls?

I don't think there is anything in the G2SS that says a scout has to tent with his parents. Just that the only adults he can tent with are his own parents. I think he's fine to say in the cabin with the other boys.

I tend to take a little more optimistic view of the councils. I've gotten to know our DE and some of the council staff. Yes, they have goals for new units started, but they also have goals for membership. A successful unit like this one is gold to a DE and the council. It helps make membership numbers, it helps make FOS numbers, etc My gut tells me that this isn't the "Council" so much as it is the DE & maybe Director of Field Service. I'm thinking they are trying to figure out how to make a successful pack more successful. They probably fear that the unit is getting too big t