FaithfulScouter

I have a Scout that reached out to another counselor to complete a merit badge because his original counselor, his Scoutmaster, has been completely checked out.  (My words, not his.) The Scout had the Scoutmaster's permission in writing, but was taken aback when he asked the Scoutmaster to provide a blue card for his partial.  He refused, because he didn't approve of the way the counselor helped him complete the OTHER requirements.   This other counselor is a very involved Scouter with a Council level position. The District Advancement Committee sided with the merit badge counselor and not the Scoutmaster, however the Scoutmaster keeps telling the Scout 'it's with Council' when he inquires if he needs to do anything else to satisfy his Scoutmaster.  I know that the Scoutmaster is lying to the Scout.  I have been told that the Scout may need to redo the requirements with the merit badge counselor, which is completely unfair.

The irony here is that this Scoutmaster has driven this Troop into the ground, and it will likely be dissolved at the end of the year.  This is not quality control on his part, it's about power and keeping this Scout from earning his last required merit badge just because he can. 

Why sign up to be a youth leader if you will not actually help the youth members?  Why are some counselors (and Scoutmasters) so ego driven that they forget why they signed up in the first place?  We're in a pandemic, and these kids have very few outlets, so why not encourage them?  Sorry...rant over...

SSScout yes, the fundraising plan should be part of the approved project plan and it's one of my concerns with booking a fund raiser far too early.  

Qwase - when you refer to District sign off you do you mean the proposal or fund raising application?  Our District Advancement Chair signs fundraising applications on behalf of the Council.

11 minutes ago, mashmaster said:

Yes don't raise until after the District has approved the project and signed the addendum to raise money.

My son's project is an expensive one $1500 and 50% came from him reaching out to the local mountain bike community as it is a mountain bike trail, the other were mainly my work friends that saw his gofundme page on facebook.

The great thing about the project has been the great support he has been getting from the mountain bike community, both money and volunteers,  It is a project that they get benefit from and they are putting in their money/labor to support this project that they will be getting benefit from.

I just wish Summer didn't hit with a vengance, all work has basically stopped until it gets a little cooler.

So you wouldn't allow fund raising dates to be booked until after both the proposal and fund raising application have been signed?

Congratulations to your son on his project!  Yes, asking volunteers to work in oppressive heat isn't easy.  Good luck to him.

With the Scouts home since mid-March there has been an increase in the number of projects both within our Troop and District.  They have had a lot of free time!  Unfortunately none of the projects are for the Charter Org.  

The Scouts are raising anywhere from $500 to $1,000 depending upon the project.  My true concern is being fair.  We have more than one Eagle Coach in the Troop and I want them to be able to say to our Scouts that they can ONLY reserve dates on the calendar after XXX is done.  

We have 10 Scouts in different stages of their Eagle Scout projects in our Troop.  At what point in the process do you allow your Scouts to reserve use of your Charter Org. meeting space for fund raising?  We want to be fair but of course everyone wants it for this summer!  Thank you in advance.

As a new Committee Chair I had consulted my UC regarding a volunteer's request to perform multiple roles in the Troop.  The UC agreed that it would be inappropriate, but then outright accused me of having a personal issue with the volunteer.  This was completely untrue as I had just recently met the volunteer. And this was my very first conversation with the UC!

This same UC also sits on the District Advancement Committee.  He recently chaired a District EBOR for a Scout he had prior interactions with (as his Troop's UC and as a merit badge counselor) and had told others that he went into the Board with the opinion that he was not going to make him an Eagle Scout - and the Board didn't.  So much for District objectivity...

Let's just say that my DISTRICT Commissioner is wonderful and is now the only one I will defer to if absolutely necessary...

Our Troop will participate in our Charter Organization's service on Scout Sunday. 

My church holds their own Scout Sunday and the Scouts are the altar servers, lectors, ushers, and gift bearers for the Mass.  Last year we had 100+ Scouts. We attract Scouts from other local communities because their own churches do not hold Scout Sunday services and because our religious emblem recipients should be recognized in a church setting.

Yes, it is justified.  Several parents in our Troop had to meet with two of our ASMs to update them on the poor behavior of three or so Scouts.  They were completely unaware, even though it has had a significant negative impact on some of our other Scouts.  These are the same ASMs who have said that the Troop 'doesn't have a bullying problem'.  We had a recent public event and afterward we were contacted by a local Cub Scout Pack to report on our Troop's abusive treatment of their Webelos.  So yes, I believe it is justified.....

If you could start over, which Troop management software would you pick?  Our Troop has never had a website and in developing a new one we would like to incorporate other functionality into it as well.  We currently have an email group platform for communication, polls, document storage, and photo storage.  The Troop currently uses TroopMaster for advancement tracking, but not to its fullest potential.  We are considering the following:  Trooptrack, TroopWebHost, Scoutmanager, Troopkit, SOAR, ScoutTrack.  Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Scouters, what words of wisdom would you offer a Scout in a Leadership position in his OA Chapter?  Participation is so low that at some meetings they barely have enough members for a flag ceremony.  The Scouts remind members of meetings through email and text and have invited members to provide feedback on future events to make the meetings more fun.  How would you try to increase participation?   

Our Troop covers the cost of registering all of our adult volunteers.

Our Troop has 50 boys.  Right now we have six Eagle Service projects at varying stages.  Generally speaking,  the candidates invite the whole Troop to help them with fund raising, however when it come to the actual project, some of the Eagle candidates have been handpicking the Scouts who will work on their project.  There are some boys who would like to work on certain projects but they aren't invited to do so.

What are your thoughts on this?  If we are focusing on leadership development, shouldn't we ask the Scouts to manage people who aren't their best friends?

Our COR asked me to take the role.  I am in the process of taking the online training.   The Committee needs a lot of organizing!!

So after a few months without a Troop Committee Chair I have been asked to fill the role.  I was initially very hesitant because we have had a lot of drama and turnover recently, and it is not an ideal situation to inherit.  However, someone has to do it, and do it well. 😉  Tell me about the best Troop Committee Chair you have ever worked with and the qualities and skills they had which contributed to their success.

In this instance I would think the SM has to do the advocating on behalf of the Scout.  He signed off on the Scoutmaster conference with the belief that this young man was ready.  The Scout had five people doing a Life BOR, four of whom did not know the Scout and what he has achieved outside of the requirements.  In my opinion, the guide to advancement needs to be revisited, and the SM needs to address the Unit Commissioner and CC about this boy and why, in their opinion, his leadership was considered 'marginal'.  The message given to the Scout and the chit chat among the adults seems to differ, unfortunately.

@Buggie - I have also learned that you must advocate for your own Scout.  MANY leaders are unaware of guidelines, and/or follow their own set of rules.  However, be prepared for the fallout, because when these issues are escalated many times the district wants no part of it, and they let it go.  Even if you raise it to the Council it can often be ignored.  You (and quite possibly your child) will have a black mark next to your name for trying to do things the right way, and the offender carries on.  Trust me, I know from experience.

We have had quite a bit of turnover on the Committee.  The COR is the interim CC and the AC position is also vacant, which most likely prompted his visit.  I do not know the official reason for his visit, to be honest.  This person was historically our district Chair of Advancement too, so talk about pressure on the Scout!  I have confidence in our SM, but since our boys will be evaluated outside of our Troop for Eagle, I guess they need to be doubly prepared....

@qwazse My concern is that if District reps believe that PL and SPL are the only way to show leadership then those boys who cannot win elections are at a serious disadvantage.  Our Troop has 45 boys.  This boy is just one example, and thankfully our SM works hard to address the needs of these boys.  

We have a boy who has run for PL twice and lost.  He was appointed OA Rep and according to our SM, he has been the most active and best rep in recent memory.  He attended most OA meetings, NOAC training, volunteered to help run multiple OA elections, etc.  The boy also volunteered a significant number of hours outside of the Troop, and was the only religious emblem candidate the Troop has had in many years.  And yet, at his Life BOR he was very nearly denied because the Committee, headed by the visiting Unit Commissioner, felt that his leadership was marginal.  I guess the SM and Unit Commissioner have very different standards for leadership.

Interested in hearing your thoughts (and hopefully words of encouragement!) for boys who run for leadership positions but who never seem to get elected.  What do you say to the Scout?  How can you help them show leadership for rank advancement and personal development?

Thanks!

On 6/20/2018 at 9:41 AM, Eagledad said:

You are right, the SM has a lot of influence here if he allowed. It's all about personalities. How strong is the COR? How do you fit in? The  best way to get the right person in any position is to personally recruit a qualified person. Someone (maybe you) needs to act one step a head of the SM and recruit a qualified CC and present them to the COR to accept. 

There are preferred ways of doing business to be successful, but I found that volunteer organizations are reactionary and tend to go first come first serve instead. And, that is why personalities drive the program instead of qualified expertise.

Someone has to step up to pushing the preferred method of doing business. If you aren't that person, do you know who is?

Barry

 

 

 

 

On 6/20/2018 at 9:41 AM, Eagledad said:

You are right, the SM has a lot of influence here if he allowed. It's all about personalities. How strong is the COR? How do you fit in? The  best way to get the right person in any position is to personally recruit a qualified person. Someone (maybe you) needs to act one step a head of the SM and recruit a qualified CC and present them to the COR to accept. 

There are preferred ways of doing business to be successful, but I found that volunteer organizations are reactionary and tend to go first come first serve instead. And, that is why personalities drive the program instead of qualified expertise.

Someone has to step up to pushing the preferred method of doing business. If you aren't that person, do you know who is?

Barry

Quote

Hi Barry,

The COR had been absent from the Troop for the last year or so.  That person is now back, and is quite knowledgeable.  I am an active Committee Member, although I do not have a specific position.  Our last two Committee Chairs were the parents of brand new (5th grade) Boy Scouts, so in my opinion, their inexperience combined with their lack of organizational skills negatively impacted their performance.  

I could not agree with you more about the 'first come first serve' comment!  In theory the CO should be involved,  and should vet and recommend a volunteer for a Committee role.  That does not happen, and that is why we are in the situation we are in, with two Committee vacancies.  I would volunteer for one of these, but I do not feel I have 'the nod' from the SM, and therefore I am hesitant to step into the position.  If my gut instinct is right, the father of yet another fifth grade parent is being groomed, so here we go again, unless the COR steps in...

 

 

We have been with our Troop for approximately 18 months, and the third Committee Chair has resigned.  The COR is involved but from my observations, it would seem that the SM influences them to endorse individuals who do not have strong leadership qualities.  The last two have been disastrous, with zero leadership, no control of meetings, no meeting agendas, etc.  I have to believe that the SM selects these people so they will not offer him any challenges, and will just do as he says.  Our SM is wonderful with the boys and is a very approachable guy but the Committee is very frustrated and disorganized....

The project was a renovation of an exterior structure and the Scout was to speak to an Assistant Scout Master who is a builder.  The Scout tried to set up a time with the ASM but did not follow up when the initial time was not within the ASM's schedule.  

Does the Charter Organization rep have to be involved in this?  It was suggested that the rep has to sign off on any Committee decision regarding the situation.