Sentinel947

Only pro job I'd do is camp director and only once I'm just about done career wise.

As I've started grad school, I don't camp much with the Troop. I need weekends to complete homework since I work and take classes during the week. I'm just not willing to put aside my pretty limited free time to Scouting commitments for other peoples kids anymore. As we all know, the "Hour a week" is substantially more when you factor in the good practices that need to be done outside of meetings. Most of my tasks with the Troop have become corralling/advising adults. I've reached an experience level with the program, where I get easily frustrated because the solutions and steps forward to me are fairly obvious, but I don't have the time or energy to execute myself. I think my "retirement" from the Troop would be good for the Scoutmaster, because it would get me out of his hair for better or for worse. I'm back on NYLT staff in 2020 but I'm not sure beyond that. I definitely enjoy that program, and it's a more manageable commitment than the Troop. That might scratch the itch for working with youth over the next few years.

Hey all, I haven't been as active here over the last year or so, but have done my best to keep up. When I first joined the forum I posted quite a bit for advice, and got some great help from some folks like @Eagledad and @LeCastor. I forgot who it was, but I remember there being a topic a few years ago about when it was time to hang it up. I attempted to search to for it, but couldn't find it. This is mostly me just having a sympathetic group to post to, so feel free to skip over this post if you don't like long stories that don't really lead anywhere. 😂 More or less, the poster at the time said "When it's become another job, or a chore you don't want, it's time to be done." I hit that point this year. I became an adult volunteer (Unit reserve) in 2011, and an ASM in 2012. 2020 will be my last year involved in my Troop week to week. The last few months have made me realize that while I still have a passion for Scouting, I've become stagnant in my Troop, I've become a crutch for the other adults, and as an ASM, I don't have the time, energy or authority to implement the organizational structure or procedures I feel are necessary. Other adults tend to defer to me because I've been around for 15 years now and will happily share my opinions, and that's not always healthy. When I first became an ASM, I realized that my experience as a youth in my Troop had been good, but had really missed some great opportunities for me and my friends to take ownership of our Troop and work the patrol method. We had a Scoutmaster who was new, inexperienced and open to change. He bought into the vision I had, we both attended Wood Badge together, and he built a great team of ASM's. The Troop grew quite a bit, we were able to get the patrol method back into place and mostly functional. (We never quite solved the ad hoc on outings aspect of the running the patrol method.) It was the experiences of many of the posters here, far too many to name, and the resources suggested that helped me grow as a Scout leader, and helped my troop grow through that. My role in my troop has changed multiple times over the years, but mostly what I've settled into was coaching one of our ASPL's who has the Instructors and guides report to him. Basically an ASM of weekly program. In 2018, the Scoutmaster handed off to a new guy (The previous Scoutmaster and I discussed me taking it, and determined it wasn't a good idea.) He's still learning, but I think he's moving in the right direction. I get frustrated sometimes, but I have to hold him to realistic expectations, and not what I expect the old Scoutmaster to do, or what I would do. He's entering his third year on the job, and is starting to build his own team. In 2019, I started graduate school while continuing to work full time. I took about 5 months out off from the Troop. I missed it sometimes, but I was busy and NYLT staff scratched the Scouting itch just fine. Late in the spring, I attended a few meetings, and the Scoutmaster seemed like he was pretty alone on the island trying to hold things together, so I stepped back in. Over the rest of the year things improved. Towards the end of the year the new(ish) Scoutmaster traveled regularly for business, and I covered for him for about two months. While I think it went well, and proved to myself I would have been fine as Scoutmaster, it's not my gig and I'm not going to make decisions that are up to the Scoutmaster to make. Then the holidays came, and I felt relief at not having Troop meetings to go to. I realized being involved in the Troop meetings has become a chore and an obligation, instead of something I was really looking forward to. I was separately offered the join the district Eagle advancement team as well as take over the district training committee. I declined both jobs. Late 2019 was when I finally learned to flex my "no" muscle and turn down volunteer roles that aren't the right fit or time for me. Tonight our SM and our ASM's got together and discussed our responsibilities and roles for 2020. I will continue in my ASM role this year, but I'm having another ASM split my assignments with me, so by the end of the year it'll be entirely handed off to him. I've also committed to compiling documents and resources I've collected from the previous 3 Scoutmasters into a google drive for future use. There are two new ASM's identified who have committed to joining the Troop, and they are excellent Scouters. Hopefully I put my mild savior complex to rest and go off to other things. They'll be fine without me. It's not a decision driven by politics or changes in the BSA, but my life situation. I hope with the politics, the changes and the lawsuits, that someday there will be a BSA for me to put my own kids into. Beyond a few small once a month/quarter Scouting commitments, I don't have anything on my plate for 2021. It's a weird space for me to be in and I'm looking forward to it. So here's to 2020 and new things in 2021!

Considering 33% of Americans have a 4 year college degree, the first link claiming that only 2% have college literary levels is pretty difficult to imagine. Must be a pretty hard test.

Median income in the US is $56,516 annually. Meaning half of Americans make more, half make less. While 100k doesn't buy what it used to, it's still in the upper averages of pay in the US.

Makes sense, gotta wonder what those folks do to be making 100k.

Just at National? That sounds like alot of employees. Or does that count the Councils, which too me sounds really low (A council CSE should probably make at least 100k in most American cities.) There is a long age-old argument about getting what you pay for. And non-profits do need solid leadership with strong education and work experience, and that doesn't come cheap. There is a balancing act however, where those expensive salaries can bleed resources away from where they are needed.

Speak for yourself old man! 😋 I am excited for some fresh perspective in the BSA, but for the pros in National I think this board as it is currently represents a nice cross section of the BSA's more committed volunteers and former volunteers. There's a tremendous value in that perspective, whether anybody from National chooses to participate or not.

I can tell you that in my rather short career thus far in HR, adult job applicants can have poor choices in references, let alone teenagers...

They sure do. Just as much as those of us who think naming buildings, parks and Boy Scout Councils after national traitors is in poor taste.

Not related to committees or gavels, but honoring former Troop leaders who passed away during their time in the Troop. This is how my Troop honors them.

What do you mean?

@Tahawk I like that quote. I often think that failures of our Scouts are learning opportunities for them. Consistent or repeated failures are often failures by the adults to provide the right support to the youth. There is a point I believe gets lost in the conversation about youth leadership in Scouting. I believe there is a spectrum of youth leadership, and adults need to adapt their own styles to meet youth along that spectrum. What a Scoutmaster must do, and the support they should provide to a brand new troop of 11 year old's is different than in a mature troop that has been functioning for many years. In my own troop I've seen the dangers of a Scoutmaster who micromanages scouts that don't need it, but I've also seen some rather experienced youth leaders flounder when they didn't receive any sort of check in from the Scoutmaster. I've always sought to emulate my first Scoutmaster when I was an youth. During the meetings he would sit off to the side, and if a Scout needed something from him, they knew exactly where to find him. Outside of meetings, he would check in with his SPL's and it would be something simple like "Are you happy with your plan, do you need anything from me?"

Sounds like a big endorsement that the people around you think quite highly of you and your efforts. Not to be contrarian, but do take care of yourself. Your family and your personal health should always come before Scouting. If our home lives or health are in shambles, we aren't going to be doing our best for our Scouts.

The south left the union because of the threat of slavery ending. They said it as much in the CSA's founding documents. The Civil War was fought over slavery first and foremost. Economics and states rights all come back to slavery. As for former confederates reintegrating, it simply means they were more useful to the Union being reintegrated than being in prison. Former Nazi scientists were scooped up by the US government at the end of WW2, despite their involvement in Nazi Germanys war crimes. Sometimes after a war, pragmatism overrules idealism.

Why in the United States of America do we have statues and name things after traitors who waged and lost a war against our country?

@Eagle94-A1 maybe this points to my own blind spot. I look at my unit or other units and I see issues with volunteers, because I already have the experience aka "unofficial training" to supplement the BSA official training (required or otherwise.) Perhaps more of the unit issues are on the BSA or a Council leadership than I initially realized. It makes me worry a bit about my impending departure from the my own Troop. As @Eagledad points out, once experience leaves a unit, the BSA resources are not sufficient to replace that lost experience. That makes me worry about my own departure from my Troop and what that will mean long term.

The Professionals share a substantial amount of blame for why the BSA as a whole is where it is currently. Respectfully, I have to disagree that volunteers do not have a part of it. Is the official BSA training inadequate? Yes. But I'd wager at least 50% of troops are failing at the basics (Having an outing at least once a month, attending summer camp, youth planning activities and leading the Troop.) At some point, that's on volunteers, many of who should know better. We all know volunteers in other units in our councils who despite taking all the required training and then some, and still do not get it. Even when the training in their council or district is good (typically being supplemented by the additions of experienced and motivated volunteers), there are many units that are not getting their Scouts outdoors, and aren't giving their Scouts opportunities to grow and lead their own troops. When a Troop puts on a lackluster program and bores Scouts out of Scouting, that's not really on Irving or the Council professionals so much as it is on the volunteers. Should Irving put out better materials? Yes. But this forum is full of Scouters who's Troops have succeeded despite what does or does not happen in Irving. Irving may end up successfully dragging the entire organization into the financial abyss soon enough, but we as volunteers ultimately determine whether Scouting continues in our communities.

It's upsetting to think about. I think about all the lives that have been changed for the better because of the BSA. I think of all the time invested by countless volunteers. I think about the generosity of philanthropists large and small. The BSA seems well on its way to flushing all of that down the metaphorical toilet. I hope I'm wrong. Scouting would have a hard time regrowing if the BSA were to collapse. There wouldn't be the same base of alumni, it'd be all new orgs, there'd be no resources, no camps. Everything would have to be built by scratch. I doubt any particular non BSA would be a local or at best regional thing. So while the BSA has a bunch of warts, either the BSA improves, or Scouting in America will likely continue to fade into irrelevance. Not because the concept, the activities, or values are irrelevant, but because those responsible for leading the movement (pros and volunteers) have failed.

No offense, but who is Suzanne Blanchard? How do we know her information is factually correct about the mortgage? What proof does she have to claim Stinnett and Smith, two long time Scouters and volunteers now seek to "destroy" the BSA? Let's be frank, and I likely speak for most, but not all of this forum. The behavior and decisions made by Irving over the last decade has caused volunteers like us to distrust the BSA. Oftentimes, even when decisions are made that I agreed with, the methods in which they were made were not transparent. Membership standard changes, YPT rule changes, last minute dues payments, conflicting or contradictory official resources; Do I need to keep going? Rarely if ever are clear justifications offered. Change can be good, but it's hard to have confidence in leadership when membership do not know why changes are made and what the end goals look like. That's leadership 101. There is no institution on earth that is worthy of 100% blind trust anymore. It's unfortunate, but with some very real dangers facing the BSA and the leaderships lack of transparency and communications, it's not hard for me to believe the worst when news like this comes out. In all the articles the response from the BSA is telling. https://apnews.com/277936941c824110ab626b9f3a1e68de. There only response is, "yes we can mortgage it." No explanation for why, what the expect the outcome would be. Just keep going along... nothing to see here... stop asking questions... It's not a surprise after decades of membership and volunteerism from many of us, that we would have questions and concerns, ones that likely will not be answered. Maybe Irving has forgotten that it's mostly the work of volunteers that builds and maintains the BSA, and the professional staff exist to serve the youth and the units.

Given the direction the BSA is going in financially, I guess I will never have an opportunity to take my own kids to Philmont. The BSA is well on it's way to squandering the treasures that previous generations have been given to it. What an absolute shame.

And the Cavaliers.

Another book that I found very insightful was Hillbilly Elegy by J.D Vance. Strikes close to home for me, as I live in the area near where Vance grew up.

I've always thought that underdeveloped rural areas face many of the same challenges as impoverished inner city areas. Crime, drugs, poor schools, broken families and few economic opportunities. As others have already said, there are people and leaders of character in every community that are fighting the good fight. You need to find those people and partner with them. That starts with not going about it in a judgmental manner. These people may have different lifestyles and challenges in their lives than you do, but that's not always a reflection on their character and capability.

You may find that Wood Badge helps you focus on what you like about Scouting and the time spent with other dedicated Scouters gives you a shot in the arm. Or it might not. Regardless, it's ok to take a step back. Our involvement in Scouting should ebb and flow as our lives go along.