Jump to content

Jameson76

Members
  • Content Count

    1503
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    54

Everything posted by Jameson76

  1. The main selling point, the market differentiator is in fact the outdoor program. That is the lab or classroom if you want to call it that where Scouting happens. It does not happen at Merit Badge Universities or selling popcorn. Scouting happens and Scouts grow when they are in small groups, a Scout is the leader, and they need to accomplish something. Like cook meals, put up tarps, etc. They then take that experiential learning and apply this as Senior Leaders in the troop and hopefully apply that as they work through an Eagle project. The Improved Scouting Program removed much of
  2. I was there as a Scout and recall this. Still have a patch. Most of this is a matter of public record if you poke around the internet. The faux membership issues are a matter of public record. I seem to recall the SE in one council was on track to be the next CSE when the membership imploded. He did not get promoted to CSE
  3. Good report Now if BSA can get 6,000,000 more Scouts to attend and they can make a net profit of $125 per Scout they can break even on the 3/4 of Billion Dollar Investment made
  4. The inner city troop effort (which at it's core was a worthy initiative) led to the Improved Scouting Program of 73. That was the birth of skill awards and the "NEW" path to Eagle that would in fact not require any camping, or actually going outdoors. That pretty much halved the BSA by 1981 and they had to get Greenbar Bill out of retirement to revamp the program. Between the BoyPower ManPower deal and the ISP, there was a double whammy during 70 - 81. Pretty sure the Scouting program in the USA never fully recovered and found it's way again. National leadership kept looking for
  5. On October 17, 1968, the Boy Scout organization launched a new membership initiative called “Boypower 76.” The ambitious program set national goals to be achieved by the US Bicentennial Celebration of 1976. Specifically, (1) Expand membership so that one of every three American boys is enrolled. That would require adding 2 million new Boy Scouts by 1976. (2) Double council budgets to a combined level of $150 million. New members would be recruited through two efforts: establishing troops in inner cities and retaining older boys by allowing girls to participate in the special-int
  6. Not a fan...but then I've not like the merit badge universities either.
  7. If that comes to pass BSA will have jumped the shark... We as a nation have truly lost our minds and common sense.
  8. One of the positions by National BSA is that National and the Councils are in fact separate. Possibly yes legally as different entities, but are they really? Then BSA National makes the statement on racism and Black Lives Matter (BSA capitalization), and in our Council the DE's read the statement word for word at roundtables and basically advised this was to be taken as gospel, no questions, we all need to get in lockstep and accept. No statement or interpretation from the local council. From a purely legal perspective how does the BSA (National and Council) resolve or justify the
  9. Been involved as a leader for 40+ years. Been with current troop for 14 years or so. My son aged out 5 years ago, but still involved. At the unit level. Stay active at the unit level. That is where you can impact youth and feel success. I have seen many groups go through. Seems like just as one group ages out and I think, man they were the best, another group sort of comes of age and I think, man, they are the best. If you are the SM, maybe now is the time to transition to another role in the troop. Life to Eagle person, Outdoor, etc. Keep hands on in the program but not as S
  10. Not sure scandalous conveys the true stupidity that is The Summit. What was billed as a donation and 4th Crown Jewel is a grossly underused and over developed vanity project. Basically a development looking for relevance. Why is the BSA bankrupt? Look no further than $500 - $750 million shoved down a rat hole in West Virginia
  11. An interesting anecdotal article. Sorry for what happened in his experience. From that one experience he decides to then paint with a very very broad brush Too many involved in the BSA are Trump supporters, bullish on his foreign and economic policies, silent when it comes to his stoking of racial divisions. So now we see the real reason for his article. Not an honest comment on BSA and it's policies, but a soapbox to criticize the President. And he has every right to, but if you are going to do that own that criticism and be straightforward. Then he again makes a very v
  12. While I would agree, there are a whole bunch of lawyers that would beg to differ with that opinion.
  13. Agree on the rain pants, rarely or never wear them I have a Columbia rain jacket, cost maybe $50 - $60. Has worn well. Have some pants that I may have worn once, but it was rainy and cold and the wind was blowing. Maybe it was also snowing and I had to hike uphill both ways.
  14. I would agree Specifically I dislike the collective guilt expressed in the opening sentence As our country reckons with racial injustice, we all must consider our role and our failures and commit to meaningful action. That makes a lot of assumptions
  15. So... BSA has decided to change the Eagle requirements AND add a new merit badge with little or no input from volunteers. Sort of on a whim. Great move. This falls into the "let's do something even if it's not well thought out" category BSA has decided to add to the required training for volunteers with little or no input. Another great move Not saying these are necessarily poor initiatives. They wreak of knee jerk reaction and a lack of actual leadership
  16. Had notice today that Philmont refunds for 2020 would be sent in 8 - 10 weeks. That is a much longer window than the 2018 refunds. Trust they are not held up due to the bankruptcy. That would be extremely complicated and detrimental
  17. What you are describing is what many camps had to consider and plan for, and many just declined to run this summer. Once you take out the dining hall meals, aquatics, shooting sports, assemblies, and campfires...is it really summer camp? Yes you are camping in the summer, but is it "camp". Basically it is troops camping in the same area, but no interaction. That is part of the fun of Summer Camp. Seeing and being with the other troops. Games in the fields, Ga Ga pits, trading post porch, etc. Without all of that the expense and trouble is most likely not worth it. Our camps can
  18. The challenge comes in when actions from the past are judges against today's or current thoughts. Baden-Powell was equally enthusiastic about the fascism that began spreading through Europe after World War I. He visited Italy in 1933 and wrote admiringly about the "boy-man" Benito Mussolini who had absorbed his country's Boy Scouts into a thriving new nationalist youth movement. The dictator explained that he'd accomplished this feat "simply by moral force" - an explanation Baden-Powell felt "augers well for the future of Italy." If Baden-Powell had had his way, the Boy Scouts mi
  19. As an update we have picked the date (basically 2nd full week of July). Camp will be at a State Park about 45 minutes away. We have about 25 Scouts signed up right now. There are T-shirts being made (Pandemic Summer!!) and other fun things being procured. The main program activities will be New Scout Programs, Merit Badge sessions (Based on what the Scout are interested in), Lake activities, Mountain Biking, etc. We have parents working on meals, some will be brought in, some will be non-cook. Cooking class will handle some. We will have opening and closing campfires, movie night,
  20. Sadly Philmont has cancelled for 2020 It is with great disappointment that Philmont Scout Ranch announces the cancelation of all remaining programs for the 2020 summer season. Due to the Governor’s COVID-19 guidelines, and the State of New Mexico Health Department’s restrictions regarding travel, our efforts to secure a portion of the summer season were denied. The safety of our participants, staff and community has been and will remain our top priority. The Philmont staff were relentless in pursuing all options and will continue to assist participants as they navigate their options
  21. Rumor is Woodruff Scout Reservation for Atlanta Area Council will not operate this summer. Neither is Bert Adams. No formal announcement yet, but the council has not disseminated the National fee increase yet, so obviously communication with the minions and actual customers they are supposed too serve (Scouts and Leaders) is not a high priority
  22. Got the same thing - "It's not official" and still no information from the council. Apparently we will not hear anything from them until it's official. I guess official timelines are different in different councils. Interesting. The call then turned in to an FOS discussion, told him to have a nice day
  23. As I have watched the BSA over these last 50+ years I often wonder Do we raise money to have Scouts OR do we have Scout to be able to raise money? Seems like so much of the professional time is raising money, sort of becomes the WHY of Scouting, and not the program. I am often reminded of the quote from Blazing Saddles and can imagine this being said at Professional Scouter meetings ....We've got to protect our phony-baloney jobs, gentlemen.
  24. Agree that the key is local program and local fun and adventure. Out troop is from what would be considered an upper income community, but we still keep it simple. $100 per year for dues and registration. We do no fundraisers. We charge a nominal fee for outings ($10 -15) and camp 12 times per year. Couple of summer camps, Scouts pay for those, and attempt to make it straightforward. The troop does service projects and we do attend high adventure. Key is to let the Scouts spend time with friends, have fun, hand out in hammocks. With summer camp issues we are running our own
  25. Saw this summary - National Executive Committee commissioned a set of teams to address six key areas to secure the future and our ability to deliver our mission by serving our customers, girls and boys, and their parents, young men, and women. How do we keep young people safe? Are the BSA programs aligned with today's young people? Is the National Council effectively identifying and communicating with their stakeholders? Do we have the most effective organizational structure? Are there changes that will make the National Council more effective? How do
×
×
  • Create New...