ALongWalk

Happy New Year everyone! Thank you all for your service to youth and Scouting.  May 2021 serve as a time that our movement turns back to a more positive time.

Posting this here because it might lend some inspiration to a Scout struggling to get a crossed the line with advancement:

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/story/2020-12-14/what-is-it-about-you-that-makes-you-so-special

I saw it in a Talk About Scouting Facebook post.

3 hours ago, ThenNow said:

Also, I appreciate your sympathy.

Yes, I have been in therapy and various treatment modalities for about 20 years. Things went south when our oldest son asked to join Scouts.

Welcome to the forum and thank you for your insight.  We all love Scouting and, I think most of us, now realize that horrible things that have happened to too many Scouts in the movement’s past. If the program is to survive we need to understand what happened, do everything in our power to help those injured, learn from tragic mistakes, and move forward. 
 

I am so sorry that this happened to you....my prayer is that the BSA does not let it ever happen again. 

My son is going to be an election worker tomorrow....I am very proud of him.

I hope this is ok to post. I saw this on Facebook: https://bowmansauction.com/lots/view/1-3OIZDN/1975-murray-official-cub-scout-bike-new-tires-in-working-order?fbclid=IwAR1dT30wFXExSzFSgL0MO7tRXJbkAUi2hKp8HD4pwuWi5LiI4PprMgR1BqM

I was a Cub Scout around that time but I don’t remember this bike.

Thank you for working to have an effective Lion Den during these crazy times! It is so cool to read how folks are working through the pandemic to help Scouting to be meaningful for our kids.

Regarding Band, I have not used it for Scouting related activities but my son’s school used it last year to communicate with seniors and their parents about graduation related issues...pictures, gowns, key dates, etc. Honestly, I was underwhelmed.  It just seemed a jumbled mess to me. Maybe I didn’t invest the time to learn it like I should.  Also, it also seemed to be a place where people complained more than other communication tools.....and of course, given how the school year ended there was LOTS of complaining.  Personally, I still like emails....especially if they link to a shared calendar of activities. 

I think it is great that you are including those in your B&G! Best wishes for a great event and thank you for being a Scouter during this difficult time.

Looks to me like these folks are working hard to save and improve the movement.  I appreciate their work.

A former pro from my council was one of those who was let go. He is truly top notch and I have to believe was a net positive for the organization. I just feel really bad for him and his family. He is a high quality person and will land on his feet but I know the stress must be incredibly high for him right now. 

My condolences to you for the loss of your father. I am so thankful that Scouting has had so many men and women like him who give so much to the movement. Is there one place related to Scouting that he truly loved? If there is, maybe have a memorial service there with his fellow Scouters and Scouts invited.I will be interested in reading other responses. 

2 hours ago, TroopWebmaster said:

Thank you all for the guidance and feedback.  I will redirect to our CC and share these forum responses so that the CC may know how to proceed.  My day job is in HR and I just knew that this wasn't something that could be done simply and outright without legal implications.  Thanks again!

I can’t give any better advice than has already been given but I wanted to say “Welcome” and thank you for your service to scouting.

I really believe, from a finance standpoint, councils have to develop a robust endowment.  A string endowment, properly managed with a mission focused withdrawal system, could make if possible for pros to truly focus on program instead of FOS. I would like to see an element of the “minimum standards” focused on that. 

It is all very frustrating, I agree. But, the most important thing is the youth. I know it is easy for me to say but please keep focusing on your unit. At the end of the day that is where it truly matters. Thank you for ALL that you do.

On 7/9/2020 at 11:04 PM, dkurtenbach said:

Survival of the Boy Scouts of America is entirely dependent upon membership growth, but the folks from the National level all the way down to councils and even districts simply can't grasp the notion that they are powerless to do anything about membership growth,** despite more than forty years of contrary evidence.  Retaining youth who are already Scouts and attracting youth who are not currently Scouts is entirely dependent upon how well the local moms and dads who are the unit adults execute an active, interesting, challenging Scouting program with a strong outdoor component.  If BSA decided to create an executive position within councils focused on inspiring unit adults, then maybe they would be on to something.

** BSA National initiatives, policies, and program changes have caused significant membership losses over the years, however.

This is so true.  I have long thought that our pros focused on the fundraising at the expense of the program.  Fundraising is important but the Director of Program should be more important than the Director of Developement.  If we really invested in Program pros we could have folks accountable for helping/guiding/training volunteers.  We could also have folks who make sure our camps are used year round. We could make sure our units have affordable access to great outdoor adventures. Just my thoughts.

The district that I live in has about 30 units and covers a county.  We are fortunate to be in a mid tier type council that consistently has good pro, board level, and unit level volunteer leadership. That being said....lots of adversity coming our way.

That is great to read! I am glad the Scouts and Scouters had an excellent time.

I think you are doing the best thing in that you are starting to seriously think about your future in scouting.  I agree, get past the emotions of this COH and really ponder/pray about what you do next.  If not a SM, I do hope you will stay involved with your unit and district. Thank you for your service over the past 12 years.

Hate to think negative but I think this means the BSA is going to have less than 4 high adventure bases sooner rather than later.

I saw this posted on a scouting Facebook page:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Eastman?fbclid=IwAR3fyvSFgGmlx5zYeyhqv0ALDB8KJRkjsIT7fVLABCLoqfmHoPgxYHlyQYk

If true, it is pretty cool that a Native American played such a crucial role creating the BSA. 

Adding this to the conversation: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/why-im-skeptical-of-the-boy-scouts-new-inclusion-initiatives/2020/06/19/9f4da7a8-b26a-11ea-8758-bfd1d045525a_story.html

The writer is a former scouter and has a bi-racial son who earned Eagle. At the end of the day, if our movement is to thrive we have to help people to not be skeptical of the BSA’s desire to be inclusive.  That really comes down to each of us and our individual actions. 

I so hope that Scouting can get on the other side of these huge problems and thrive.  As others have mentioned, I believe its success will come from the work of local leaders.  Scouting has been a great positive for my son and my family. I want that opportunity for other kids and their families.  As I mentioned on another thread, I really believe that the program needs to be laser focused on getting kids out into the woods, adventure, and service.  

Congratulations to your boys!

I think the BSA needs to be laser focused on getting kids out into the woods, on adventure, and on service.  Everything else is a distraction.

I stumbled upon this BP/Scouting documentary recently :

https://youtu.be/vZ3Au5sTvB0

I suspect it has been discussed on the board before but, assuming it is accurate, I learned a lot about BP.  It is explicit in saying that he fought the militarization of scouting in Britain and embraced it as a world peace movement.  I don’t know if he was close to being a perfect person but I do believe the world is a better place than it would be if we didn’t have the movement that he started. 

Just heard that the Old North State Council in NC has decided to not operate it’s summer camp (Cherokee) this summer. Apparently they tried to make it happen but didn’t have enough participants sign up.  Just an incredibly difficult year/time for our movement.