Eagle94-A1

Reagarding online training, it is virtually nil. One person attempted to do YPT 2.O, and stopped after spending 4 hours trying to dowload and do it. When we finally got permission to do the live version, and we went thru hoops to get it from the SE, we had a large attendance. As soon as the COVID situation gets better, we will be doing a 3rd time. Ditto all the training. COVID seriously screwed up my training achedule.

Trust me, it can be bad. COVID really showed how poor the local internet infrastructure is. Schools have issued laptops and hotspots to students. They also left the wifi running while school has closed so there are students in the parking lots. Local businesses have offered or expanded wifi to help students. The city owned internet provider, which can not expand outside city limits thanks to major telecom companies lobbying to stop them, has established several free wifi zones to help students. One of the reasons i was "essential" was my library was open with limited service and capacity. 100% of the patrons needed computer or wifi access.

The entire OPERATION FIRST CLASS program uses faulty methodology. The premise is that if a Scout get's First Class in a year, they stay longer in Scouting. Two things that skewed the data is the former LDS Church model and the activity level of units. From talking to LDS Scouters, overserving their program, and LDS membership requirements, LDS troops segregated their 11 year olds in a separate patrol and focused on getting them to First Class by the time they turn twelve. The 11 year old Patrol was more of a Webelos program with the ASM really acting like a DL, and the Troop Guide acting more like a DC. And of course, LDS automatically registered all youth regardless if they attended meetings and events or not. With 1/5 of the membership being LDS, that heavily influences the stats. As a 15 year old Life Scout, who was one of the Guinea pigs that tested the New Scout Patrol prior to it becoming the recommendation in 1989, I noticed that everything BSA came up with to support NSPs and OPERATION FIRST CLASS was focused solely on advancement. There was no mention of how active the troops were, i.e. how often were they hiking, camping, meeting, doing activities, etc. None of the stuff that really attracts youth to the program was mentioned in the literature. And of course an active troop will retain Scouts.

Do not know how effective that will be. We have areas of the council with no internet service, or dial up service, as we a rural area. Some of my friends are only online at work because of connectivity. Others are using their phones as hot spots, which uses data. One of my friends is paying through the nose to get unlimted data so his 3 kids can do their online school work with their phones as hotspots.

Update. Met the "new" DE this weekend. Actually he is the DE in a neighboring district. Found out that we will be merging with 2 other district come January 1. Ours will be the smallest geographic district with a little over 31000 square miles of territory. Largest will be almost 46000 square miles. Currently no idea how roundtables, event planning, and district Eagle BORs are going to be done. At least the bug to switch to the Unit Committee with District representation option has been mentioned to the DE. Interesting character. If I didn't know he was a professional, I would think he is a new volunteer. Very jaded with a lot of stuff coming out of national at the moment.

My DE believes that the new NCAP standards are a way to shut down small camps within a 500 mile range of the Summit so that it would get more business, especially with summer camps. And I thought I was jaded.

How do we know any of the claims are real? After all some of these cases go back decades. On a different note, here are my thoughts on the latest. 1. Quickest wat to destroy the BSA, which the lead lawyer has stated at least twice and @CynicalScouter provides the linnk to one occasion https://dianerehm.org/shows/2019-08-20/a-moment-of-reckoning-for-the-boy-scouts-of-america-and-a-history-of-sexual-abuse, is to threaten the Charter Organizations. NO ONE would want to be liable for that. 2. If memory serves, part of the Charter fee was to cover liability Insurance for the CO. So the BSA is still liable and not the COs. 3. I think BSA's financials are lower that anyone thought, or are secured behind endowments and trusts.

Yes, take advantage of the uniform sale now, you WILL be voluntold. It may be a few weeks from now. It may be a few months from now. But you will be in a uniformed Position of Responsibility,

1) WELCOME TO DA FORUMS! 2) Occonneechee Council is a really good one that offers lots of opportunities.

I would ask who is in charge at the event. As long as you are allowed, yes. As @ParkMan stated, photographers tend to get a pass. HOWEVER if it is posted or you are told no photography, then don't. I have been to events where they don't want photography, and when people do it anyway, it screws it up for everyone else. I couldn't see one of my son's receive First Communion because of folks taking pictures. And I wasn't the only one. One of my Eagles stated no photography except for the professional, at his wedding, and then posted pictures taken by the pro that had been ruined by people taking photos at some of the wedding she did.

THAT'S IT!

@RememberSchiff, It was from the 1940s. When I get a chance at home, I will see if I have the item saved.

If memory serves, SCOUTS IN ACTION did the story way back when. I found the story, or a very similar one, back in 2010 when I was doing a Scouting History project for the district banquet.

The way to recruit new Scouts is to build a program they want to join. Currently that is on local units and the district/council. Local units need energetic and active programs. Training with knowledgeable volunteer willing to work with and mentor new Scouters is key. Online training does not allow for the interaction and explanation on why things are done a certain way. I have seen Scouters take online training, think they know better, and do their own thing which hurts the program, and retention. Districts and Council need to have support mechanisms to promote program; training, camps, specialized equipment for rent, activities, etc. More later.

It has been bad since I was a DE.

I think it varies from council to council. The only folks given a seat without a donation is the OA Lodge Chief, and when we have one, the VOA president. And of course the CORs, if they even know they have a seat, which in my neck of the woods they tend not to know. Grant you some of the folks are "worker bees," but there is a minimum $ donation.

Former Pro here. Do you want theory or reality? In theory The national office will select several professionals that will be interviewed and selected by a volunteer committee of the council executive board members. The selected SE is then responsible to the council executive committee, and they can get rid of of the SE if they don't perform. In actuality, once an SE is selected, they are in until they retire or move, unless they really screw up, i.e getting caught doing something illegal. The SE has ways to manipulate who is a member of the council executive board, and stay in his position. As for DE's, @InquisitiveScouter is correct, anyone with a pulse and college degree can get the job that is ultimately up to the SE. I interviewed in 3 councils. First council had me meet with several volunteers in addition to the SE and council staff. I liked that council, and at the time wished I went there. Second council had me meet with the DFS only. Third council, the one I ended up at, brought me in to their Winter Planning Conference for the interview. I thought it was unusual and talked to one of my friends who was a pro. He stated that if they were bringing me in for a 4 day interview at their planning conference I had the job in the bag.

Respectfully disagree. If they didn't learn when FOS donations started dwindling because of lack of service, what makes you think they will do any better when a mandatory fee is added? That is guaranteed money. My council has had problems for over 20 years. They have lost all kinds of stuff: day camp registration forms and check, youth and adult applications, Popcorn checks and paperwork, advancement reports, eagle applications, ad nauseum. They have tried to blame the local post office, but even when things were hand delivered, the items at the office got lost. Long story short, because of my council's issues, FOS started dropping, and units no longer participate in popcorn sales. We had two units at the same CO that paid for popcorn, and turned in unsold popcorn with the requisite paperwork, only to have the paperwork lost, although the checks were cashed. That CO had to pay to prove they paid for popcorn sold, and also had to pay for the popcorn they turned in. They have never touched another kernal. The Troop in the matter also had an Eagle Scouts paperwork, which was hand-delivered tot he office lost. Thankfully the district advancement chair give the Eagle a copy of the signed application, and we had to email that copy to the office. And this didn't happen just to units I was in. Every unit in my district has had issues. And some of the units I have talked to outside of my district have had the same issues as well. When asked why units do not want to do sales or allow FOS presentations, the council told exactly why, and nothing has been done. So I do not think this will hold the council more accountable. You put much more succinctly my thoughts.

I was told that info was not supposed to be made public until closer to those dates. But I guess enough people found out, and that council decided o take the bull by the horns. Glad oldest turns 18 next year and will be an adult, so I get break in fees. That is if he continues past 18.

But to many $15-$20/ month for dues alone IS a lot of money. Only thing that helped me out was camps being cancelled. Between summer camp deposits and budgeted food saved, I got enough to pay for 2020 recharter.

Friend of mine has an Ursack. He even had it tested by a bear. He recommends the aluminum insert. Food was still edible, but it was mashed up. https://ursack.com/

I wonder if the BSA can now file a counter-suit against GSUSA?

I had to deal with a similar situation. Long story short, if a volunteer, or applicant in the case I dealt with, is denied, the council is suppose to send a letter to the COR or IH ( sorry forgot which) who then informs the ineligible volunteer. Sometimes The IH or COR does not inform the ineligible volunteer, and leaves them hanging. If another volunteer inquires, the council will just tell them Approved or Not Approved.

Going from Memory here, COR can sign off in CC's place. They can do that since A) they appoint the CC and B) they represent the owners of the troop. Also they have a vote ont he district and council committees.

It was the District Commissioner asking folks, not council level folks. And in all honesty the current District Chairman was pretty much appointed by the 2 registered AND active members of the committee, myself and the commissioner. He is an experienced ASM, and had some ties to the local business community before announcing he was leaving. I second this. A longtime outstanding Sulver Beaver recipient volunteer was removed because he ticked of the DFS and SE. 20+ years later, I still do not know the entire story as to why he was removed. Rumor has it he found some financial irregularities he uncovered. I was the DE right after he was removed, and he sued the BSA and was temporarily reinstated. My SE didn't even give me tell me he was reinstated until I called him to confirm that I needed to call the cops on him for trespassing at an event. Glad I made that call.