TAHAWK

Sounds right.  So how do we get Scoutmasters to influence the Scouts towards exciting program?

 The answer used to be training, but the training materials seem less oriented towards adventure, less and less time is allocated to training, and little is done to encourage exciting program or to discourage unexciting program.  E.g.: a weekend "lock-in" indoors to watch movies is a "weekend campout" for scoring Journey to Mediocrity," a principle tool, we are told, to promote "good program."  😍

As a practical matter, the right person has to ask - someone who they owe.  It's been that way for decades.  Too easy to say "no" - or ignore - strangers.

When we had  districts, as effort was made to force us into a "COMMUNITY LEADER" model.  Only business execs [$$$$$$$$$$] - others elected were vetoed by the SE after the elections.  Clean sweep of the volunteers who had led their districts - including those with membership growth AND over 100%of FOS goal collected. 

When the voters in our strongest district would not be dragooned and kept electing their choice, the districts were eliminated. 

Our district, to our shame, went along.  We had four years of a "District Chairman" who was a CEO with almost no Scouting background who.  He did nothing.   He attended less than 20% of the District Committee meetings and felt it was totally the "professionals" job to fill the District Roster.  As they were effectively strangers, they failed - no District Commissioner for half the time.  No Training Chairman for 75%of the time.  No Roundtable Commissioners for 80%.   If not for the Program Chair becoming the de facto District Chairman, nothing would have happened.

And then he and his committee were thrown under the bus with the death of districts.

And it is much, much worse.  

On 2/10/2020 at 7:27 PM, Cburkhardt said:

“All Hat and No Cattle”.  There must be a large contingent of commenters on this blog that enjoy reading and talking about the “big council stuff” but not District Scouting closer at the more meaningful, granular level.  Over 3,700 views and 140 great replies in 5 days on how to improve things at the Council level during the bankruptcy.  But, not a single posting on how to upgrade things at the District level.  As a Scoutmaster of a new 30-Scout Troop that receives solid support from our District, I wonder why there is such a difference.  Maybe it has been too long since you helped form a unit, run a district camporee or recruited a new unit commissioner? Perhaps the BSA perfectly operates and provides support to our Districts?

 

We no longer have districts.  We have Service Areas run by  Council employees with little Scouting background.  Bankruptcy might be a good thing.

"All hat and no cowboy."

1 hour ago, RainShine said:

 

Obviously as Scoutmaster I could just declare a restructuring of patrols but I don't want to do that. And I'm sure the fellows in Patrol A don't want the trouble they observe in B. Plus there is some history in Patrol A, in the old days, where the one guy was ignored. I think every individual in both patrols feels a sense of belonging to their patrols.

I know, I know, "Welcome to being a Scoutmaster". Okay. But I'm new at this and feel like I'm in a tough spot. Please advise.

Your instinct is correct.  With narrow exceptions (health, safety, YPT), the Scouts are to decide who is in which patrol.

A well-oiled machine is not an objective.  Learning by experience how to at least try to deal with problems is part of leadership - one of our objectives.

I am sure you have shared with the PL (and APL) your appreciation of the real effort they have made to lead their less-than-perfect team - and coached them on how to cope.

What is "perfect" in the realm of imperfect humanity?

Stay in long enough, and you WILL be faced with human challenges that are beyond our powers.  I had a totally blind, autistic Scout who Mom had addicted to opiates to "settle him down."  After nearly two years, we passed him on to a more qualified program after he was found behind a curtain beating his fists to a bloody pulp on a wall in frustration and rage after Mom left Dad for another "partner."  But he got to backpack in PA, to listen to the falls of Johnnycake Run, and to hear a porcupine scrounging around the campsite at night.  He got to smell the forest and experience other kids showing that they cared a lot about his happiness.  And those others still remember how they felt then and what they learned, even as they raise kids of their own.  Perfect.

On 2/9/2020 at 11:09 AM, MattR said:

Just a hunch, but maybe this extra digit thing is a leftover from bad software practices decades ago and each council decides their own way to deal with the fact that there's still no way to filter a database by unit type. 

It's just truly amazing to me that this is still an issue. It's sort of like why ID numbers are still not unique across BSA. Oh well, something else for the new guy to fix.

Oh, they'e unique all right, just not uniform.  I Scouted at one time in four councils, and so, as you know, had four BSA ID numbers.  Hard to fix stupid.

"A Scout is thrifty.  He does not wantonly destroy property.  He works faithfully, wastes nothing, and makes the best use of his opportunities.   He saves his money so he can pay his own way...."

4 hours ago, DuctTape said:

I think your recognition of the low hanging fruit is spot on. Scouting doesn't have to be expensive at all. Very little in donations is needed, those would supplement but the scouts could do things to earn their own way for a campout. At its core, Scouting has little $ cost. We (BSA) has taken the easy, yet expensive approach. To buy high end tents for a troop is expensive. It is cheaper for scouts to make their own. Boys Life used to have plans for all kinds of camping gear to make.  As did the Fieldbook.

A new patrol comprised of scouts gathered from the "low hanging fruit" mentored by a Scouter with vision can help deliver a high quality scouting program at very little cost. 

Most of the expense in BSA - at least in our council - is salaries, wages, and benefits - over 90% of council income.

"Camp Stigwandish serves as a home to Adventure Camp and National Youth Leadership Training (Lake Erie Council) in the summer and also helps out with the Beaumont Scout Reservation summer camp program [overflow]. September through May, Stigwandish is open to units and families for weekend camping and service area activities! Stigwandish is the primary home to Scouts in Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula counties (OH). This camp is a great place to return to nature, yet still being close to home!"  -- until later in 2020 when it closes. Beaumont Scout  Reservation is 15 minutes from Stigwandish but is already operating at capacity .

"What that would mean:"

Can't really seeing such a long-distance secession.  Macon seems more likely - just up the freeway.

The Denver CSP will be great trade goods.  No reason not to wear it.

OA is, of course, a national honor society and service organization.  If you meet the membership requirements, the unit elects you, not a lodge or council.  I was inducted by 298, but there is no requirement that any particular lodge operate your Ordeal, merely that you must participate in the Ordeal.    We "tapped out" Scouts from LA Council at a camporee in 1962. Scouts from San Bernardino attended our Ordeal in 1964.  As a non-member of the local lodge  in Columbus while teaching, I attended many OA events and even got to be  a relatively ancient Kitchkinet again after many years, a role I loved.  Membership is freely transferable.  Leadership in Service  - wherever the service may be.

The Scouts and Scouters of the Denver troop located in Atlanta, will attend activities wherever they  elect.  In forty years as a district and/or council scouter I never saw a requirement that a unit could participate in an activity only if affiliated with a particular council.  In 2017, our Summer Camp had two units from Florida - voting with their "feet."  If the Scouts eschew Atlanta camporees, they are surrounded by other neighboring councils.  If Atlanta turns them away, the choice to move is validated, and Atlanta needs new leadership.

If Atlanta tries to bury us, we will not go quietly, having founded multiple Denver packs in Atlanta.  Rocky Mountain, High Colorado!

My troop as a Scout was in business eighteen years before BSA showed up in Santa Ana.  My troop for 25 years here formed in 1908 and was one of 99 troops functioning when BSA appeared in "Cleveland District" in 1912.  All they "needed" was Scouting for Boys.

We were just told that another camp in our council is being sold.  Capital improvements needed is the rationalization, although we are flush with $millions of capital improvement money that is not supposed to be use for payroll.  The lady who managed the successful effort to raise these $millions - an actual professional - has been laid-off.   Being Cold-blooded, we don't "need" the camp due to the horrific fall in membership here.

We have had no districts for two years.  SE eliminate them, and hundreds of volunteers in the process.

He still smelled on the plane back to Cleveland - eight days and many washings later.  Seems he was half awake and, all unknowing,  took a swipe at "kitty," who was after the candy inside his sleeping bag. 

Quite a hole in the side of the tent.

"6. Each currently registered member of the troop will get a special unit number that we will only give to current members and burn the rest of them that don't get given away to members."

Former SMs?  Eagles?

Our council's fundraising plunged by 1/3 after the SE abandoned FOS in favor of a drive to convince potential donors to: 1) agree to an automatic monthly bank withdrawal of some amount ("Why should we have to ask every year?"); and 2) leave their estates at death to the council.   

Perhaps better the wax than the pound package of saltwater taffy that got one of our Scouts introduced to a black & white around 2AM.  😵

If any public body, such as a school, were to allow some groups to use public property but deny that use to another group because of  that groups religious belief,  that would violate Article I of the Bill of Rights. That has been the law for decades.

Even the [Some] American Civil Liberties Union agrees:

"Student-organized Bible clubs are OK [on public school property]  as long as three conditions are met: 

(1) the activity must take place during non-school hours; (2) school officials can't be involved in organizing or running the club, and (3) the school must make its facilities available to all student groups on an equal basis. So your Bible club couldn't be the only group allowed access to the school grounds. Neither could your school let other student groups use the building for meetings and events and deny your Bible club the same opportunity.

The organized distribution of Bibles or any other holy book during the school day is unconstitutional, even if teachers aren't the ones actually handing out the Bibles, and even if they're not used as a part of the school's educational program. That's because the school building or grounds are still being used to spread a religious doctrine at a time when students are required to be there.

That's what religious freedom is all about -- you are free to worship as you choose -- even if that means not at all."

The clothing a Scout wears in the outdoor program is described in the The Boy Scout Handbook, 13th Ed., (2015)  as follows: 

"When you're headed outdoors to do something active, you can pull on a T-shirt with Scout pants [sic] or  shorts, or wear other clothing that is appropriate for the events of the day."

Id. at p. 21,.

Similar language appeared in earlier editions of The Boy Scout Handbook.

The "Antelope" is said to be awarded for extraordinary service  by persons of "exceptional character"  "within a region."   "Presented by the National Court of Honor on behalf of regions."   The last Scouter I know of as receiving it has been very active in training on the Area, Region, and National levels for decades.  It was awarded at an Area Training Conference last October.  There is an incomplete list of recipients on line.  Apparently, the reduction from twelve to four Regions  since the award was introduced was the occasion for data loss.

On 1/25/2020 at 8:36 PM, elitts said:

By pasting the section of the GSS along with a quote from another user, the implication is that the pasted material either answers a question and provides data, confirms the post or rebuts it.  Since the comment you quoted wasn't a question looking for an answer and there isn't any question as to what the acutal wording of the guide is, logic then indicates  that you were either confirming their statement or rebutting it.  PaleHorse was asking which it was.

To be honest, I've seen you do the same thing in other threads as well, as though somehow simply posting the text of the guideline should answer all the questions; when in fact the actual meaning and intent of many "official" BSA guidelines, rules and publications are vague and easily open to differing interpretations.

As I have observed many times over the years.  Trying to get "official" explanations is usually frustrating, leaving us  the interpretation that seems best and the insight  of others - here and elsewhere in Scouting.  No God-like arbiters of all things Scouting - just people doing the best they can.  I like to start with the rules, however vague.  Respectfully , the binary choice of "confirm" or "rebut" is often a false dichotomy.

 

The new SE said "No more."  One DE apparently had hearing or comprehension issues, chartered an imaginary pack, and was shown the door by SE.

The year after he left Cleveland,the council took a 30% membership hit to eliminate fictional membership.

"f you can Dodge a wrench you can dodge a ball."

The voice of experience?

The Ministry of Truth has been informed.