Mergers aren't a bad idea. I was doing some research tonight and wondered whatever happened to Camp Wenasa. Gone 20 years after a long overdue merger. Both camps are sold in favor of bigger, better camps out in the actual woods. Does it mean anything that they're now districts instead of councils? -- it probably means a decent amount in terms of shared activities and shared camps. 8 years we never did a single thing with the rival council. You don't see that any more.
The outdoors is a double-edged sword:
1) Kids aren't that interested in the outdoors
2) Scouts are well-positioned to be a positive gateway to the outdoors
The less parents understand and are comfortable with the outdoors, the more they need something like scouts to provide that. But that assumes they're interested at all.
For your case study, you should add the upcoming cub scout transition. Cub scouts have become pretty much the exclusive flow into the program (as with similar extracurriculars other than some little-kid challenging sports). Yet they are blowing up the entire program in one year without ever testing how the new program works. The new program looks pretty good and they've tested a few of the "adventures" -- but why not deploy it in 10 councils for a year or two first before going nationwide? Sigh. And I wonder how the new emphasis on religion will play -- not a popular topic in some communities though I'm sure a large segment of chartering organizations are thrilled.
Scouts have a great opportunity to solve these problems through empirical A/B testing but seem totally uninterested in the concept.
Membership, Mergers, and a Plan?
in Council Relations
Posted
Mergers aren't a bad idea. I was doing some research tonight and wondered whatever happened to Camp Wenasa. Gone 20 years after a long overdue merger. Both camps are sold in favor of bigger, better camps out in the actual woods. Does it mean anything that they're now districts instead of councils? -- it probably means a decent amount in terms of shared activities and shared camps. 8 years we never did a single thing with the rival council. You don't see that any more.
The outdoors is a double-edged sword:
1) Kids aren't that interested in the outdoors
2) Scouts are well-positioned to be a positive gateway to the outdoors
The less parents understand and are comfortable with the outdoors, the more they need something like scouts to provide that. But that assumes they're interested at all.
For your case study, you should add the upcoming cub scout transition. Cub scouts have become pretty much the exclusive flow into the program (as with similar extracurriculars other than some little-kid challenging sports). Yet they are blowing up the entire program in one year without ever testing how the new program works. The new program looks pretty good and they've tested a few of the "adventures" -- but why not deploy it in 10 councils for a year or two first before going nationwide? Sigh. And I wonder how the new emphasis on religion will play -- not a popular topic in some communities though I'm sure a large segment of chartering organizations are thrilled.
Scouts have a great opportunity to solve these problems through empirical A/B testing but seem totally uninterested in the concept.