gpurlee

captkeating - welcome to the forum

I am encouraged. He has a work history that indicates he is innovative and has adapted to changing environments throughout his career. He appears to be talented at leading skilled staff members. I do know that the Scouting organization will need outstanding leadership if it is to provide meaningful program amidst a lot of headwinds and challenges. It is impressive that the organization sought leadership outside of traditional route of internal promotion. Yet his personal history suggests that he has an appreciation for the value of the Scouting program. I hope that we are reaching the point where we can focus on the future and reaching more youth with exemplary programs. Time will tell, Forbes has a good background article. Leidos CEO Roger Krone Looks Back On A Stellar Career, And Reflects On What He Has Learned (forbes.com)

A friend of mine has been on-site with the American contingent at the WSJ. Some of his comments include: (1) The parts of the jamboree that they were able to participate with were very good. The interactions with Scouts from around the world were outstanding. Many made it a special point to visit the American contingent before they were bussed out. (2) Communication with the BSA contingent participants and the top leadership was poor. They were disappointed that their input felt ignored and the perception was that decisions appeared to being made by officials housed in air-conditioned hotel rooms who seemed very removed from the actual site. (3) Conditions varied on site but were not as bad in their location as reported by the media. (4) While very appreciative of the military accommodations, they were crowded and uncomfortable. Participants were confined to base and there was essentially no outside communication available. Scouts remarked that the neckerchiefs should feature prison stripes. (5) His perception was that the BSA contingency planning was really lacking and a there will need to be a lot of evaluation before another major jamboree is held. Unfortunately, there seems to be a lot of blame to go around. It clearly is an embarrassment to the WOSM, the BSA and the South Korean government leadership and certainly a disappointment to participants. (6) A lot of effort goes into trying to make these super events such as the National and World jamborees highlight experiences for the participants. It is clear that issues such as staffing shortages, increasing unpredictable weather patterns and growing expenses on organizations that are already financially strained make it more and more challenging to ensure not only the quality but perhaps even the safety of participants. Are we on the verge of a major rethink of these super events?

It sounds like this is an unmitigated disaster that goes beyond the extreme heat and rests with poor planning and preparation. Ultimately the host organization bears the primary responsibility for ensuring safe conditions and contingency plans. This unfortunately is likely to have a lasting impact on future jamborees when thousands of participants have a horrible experience. I am very sorry for those involved. There will be months of evaluation and review that will affect all future planning and decisions. I believe that the next world jamboree was scheduled for Poland but the war in neighboring Ukraine has led the world organization to look for other potential venues. This includes the Summit site. However, the cycles between the US national jamboree and the world jamboree are now identical. It would take some major timing adjustments. And if the present world jamboree (or national jamboree for that matter) turns out to be a significant financial loss, then there will be even more hesitancy to host a future jamboree.

When I started this thread on December 4, 2020, I did not envision it would still be active two and a half years later. I did sense at that time that major changes were likely to occur in the relationship with chartered [partners. A two billion dollar plus lawsuit leaves a lot of wreckage in its wake. And I suspect that we will continue to see a lot of damage to long established relationships. In our case, our United Methodist Church had chartered a troop continuously since early 1911. One of the oldest units in the nation. We were a Scouting congregation with deep roots. It all came to an end at the beginning of this year. It was pretty clearcut to our church board when the conference legal representative advised that we sever the charter relationship not just due to liability issue but also the inability of our aging congregation to provide the high level of oversight needed. We were cautioned that a defense against even a fraudulent claim in the future could cost up to $500,000 and would be very energy and emotionally draining for the church to endure. The good news for the troop is that it continues to meet in the facility and that little has changed in terms of what the Scouts experience. We are a supportive and benevolent landlord. However, the Cub Pack soon collapsed and was incorporated into a neighboring pack which our troop has a good relationship. I heard that the negotiations at the national level were difficult and adversarial at times between the BSA and the United Methodist Church. I sense that a lot of trust was lost in the process that may take a long time to regain, if ever. I think that the local councils and congregations were essentially spectators in much of this process. I wonder if the chartered partner relationship will survive over the long haul or if we will totally shift to a new model. It has been painful and heartbreaking to watch as this situation unfolded. For everyone involved. And especially for those who were abused.

I have worked in not-for-profit management my entire career and know the local market for human service CEO's very well (a metropolitan area of 1.5 million). A couple of comments related to Scouting executive salaries, at least in our region. The Scouting CEO position probably ranks in the top 10% of local not-for-profit social service CEO positions. The Scout executive has been paid much higher especially in relation to the overall budget of the organization. A few years ago, the local newspaper did an investigative report and found that the salary at the time was significantly higher than that for other human service organizations such as the YMCA, Volunteers of America, Goodwill, Easter Seals, Girl Scouts, etc. Another thing that stood out was the Boy Scouts was one of the very few human service organizations that required that the local CEO (Scout Executive) be selected from a national pool of pre-approved candidates (professional Scouters) rather than the best possible candidate. This effectively eliminated many very talented candidates who might know the community better, have great skills in team-building, fund-raising or other needed qualities. The Boy Scouts retain a model of top leadership selection that almost all other national human service organizations have turned away from years ago.

Welcome to the forum. Our troop is over 100 years old and we were able to purchase recreator's World War 1 uniforms on-line several years ago. Another troop had made replica period patches and shirt buttons and we were able to purchase some of them also. One of the harder items to acquire were the red felt troop numbers.

More clarity is emerging around the issue of the UMC chartering Scouting units, it appears. First, the official line from conference and national leadership appears to be that UMC congregations should use the new affiliation model or drop chartering all together and only offer a facility use agreement. While traditional chartering apparently still remains an option, it is very strongly discouraged. The reasons: Liability for adult selection - the BSA has resources beyond the local congregation to vet applicants including use of the ineligible volunteer files and national background checks. Let the BSA fully assume that responsibility and liability for adult selection which in many ways they are better suited to do. Supervision - Congregations are legally responsible for supervising programs that they "own." Many of the local congregations which are aging and declining in membership simply do not have the resources to adequately supervise Scouting programs yet are being held responsible in the courts for doing so. Insurance - several of the UMC providers are refusing to provide coverage to local UMC congregations that sponsor Scouting. After a billion dollars of losses in the bankruptcy case, this is not unexpected. This affects insurance coverage for all other UMC programs. On another front, several councils appear to be (reluctantly?) adopting the affiliation model as an option while reminding units that the traditional charter is available. The reality is that local councils devasted by the impact of covid on membership are now confronted with the potential additional loss of up to 30% of their units if the UMC drops Scouting. How many additional large membership hits can the BSA take following the loss of the LDS church, covid impact, and negative publicity? An observer has to wonder if other chartered partners are very carefully watching this unfold and if this UMC BSA affiliation model will be the wave of the future for Scouting in general?

I hope to start a conversation about high performing Scouting units. Any of us who have been around Scouting for a while can probably name a troop or a pack that really stands out in our area whether we define the area as a community, district or council. Those are the units that other units often look up to as the example of "Good Scouting." The ones that they strive to become. And often, year after year, they seem to stand out. So, what is a high performing unit? For the moment, I am focusing on troops although many of the same qualities apply for great packs. Well ... All of us can probably name some qualities. Perhaps good retention? Maybe great recruitment? Skilled and passionate adult leadership? Boy-led? Strong advancement? Tremendous high adventure opportunities? And what can we learn from these units? While there is no rigid criteria, there certainly have been efforts such as the Journey to Excellence to focus on a few common key characteristics. In another posting, I hope to share what some research and some of the "best minds" in Scouting suggest. For this post, to begin the conversation, I want to pose a couple of questions: (1) Have you personally observed a "great unit - pack or troop" (using your definition of greatness )? (2) If so, what made it great?

Some observations about Swiss Scouting or Pfadi. We hosted a young man for a semester who was a Pfadi member (he is now finishing medical school). When we visited his family in 2014 he showed some of their Scouting program. (1) Very community owned with many towns and villages supporting a scout house for meetings. (2) Very much more youth led than in the USA with most of the unit leadership being in their 20's. (3) Older (than in their 20's) adults were essentially relegated to fund-raising and board functions. Most of us would be on the sidelines. (4) The Rover program (18 to 25) was very active in both leadership and activities. There was a high social aspect to the Rover program. (5) Scouting appeared to be much more a part of the Swiss outdoor culture. (6) Perceived by Scout age youth as being "cool". Neckers were the typical wear instead of uniforms. (7) Almost totally volunteer operated with very few professional Scouters in the entire country. (8) The majority of expenses were on direct youth activities and a very few limited regional Scouting facilities. Summer camp often was in a farmer's field with high program ownership by the youth, and young adult leaders. (9) While the international Kandersteg is in the Swiss Inter-Lochen region, surprisingly few Swiss scouts seemed to attend. I guess if it is in your own backyard, it loses some of its fascination. (10) Much less structured and regulated (at least when we visited). It is worth noting than the culture is very different. It is very common for a 15-year-old to jump on the train (excellent, cheap public transit) and travel with friends across the country or into a neighboring country for the day or weekend (good hostels are available). So, there are significant structural, cultural and program differences. Hard to compare in some ways but definitely some ideas worth considering.

Wow. I suspect that this case will be studied for years to come in business and law schools, perhaps around the world. In speaking to persons directly working on the settlement, a common theme is the need for tort reform in our nation.

We were told to expect an official announcement by the end of the month. The person telling us, who has been a very reliable source, stated that it was in the final national review process, awaiting final approval by both the BSA and the UMC. In our case, our units have made contingency plans regardless of the direction this process takes. Our UMC sponsor of 111 years definitely wants to maintain a strong relationship and involvement. Just not quite sure what form this will ultimately take.

I believe you are correct. And that other UMC conferences are expected to follow the lead of your conference and assign assessments to local congregations. Yes, for many UMC congregations, even paying apportionments for conference and district expenses is beyond their financial capabilities. Unfortunately, this assessment is likely to leave a lingering concern about the wisdom of chartering a local unit(s). We continue to be told that the traditional charter will be an option from both top-level council and conference sources. And that the insurance coverage will be strengthened and broadened even more in the future.

Our troop offered a weeklong aquatics camp as an option this summer. It was one of three weeklong opportunities offered to our approximately 25 active Scouts. Several of our older youth attended the national Seabase program. We also had a well-attended session at our local council camp. The aquatics camp was more aimed at the younger and middle-aged (13 to 14-year-old) Scouts but had surprisingly good attendance from several of the older Scouts. Many of the Scouts attended two of the three options. The aquatics camp was based out of our own troop camp, so expenses were minimal (less than half of the council camp fees). For the first four days, Scouts journeyed to a nearby lake using canoes rented from the council as well as our own kayaks to work on canoeing and kayaking skills. Lots of instruction and fun water events. In the evening were other fun activities, a movie night and a presentation by a K-9 officer who is one of our Eagle Scouts. The camp wrapped up with a canoe trek on a nearby river. We were very pleased with the adult support and turnout with an average of seven adults present on a daily basis. BTW, we have excellent lodging accommodations available for the adults at the camp which certainly helped encourage some parents. Scouts tent camped by patrol adjacent to the main bunkhouse.

Excellent points! I am going out on a limb a bit and speculate that we will see some significant revisions in the possible options before the end of this month. First, I think that a revised traditional model will be an option with expanded insurance coverage and a caveat or expectation that UMC chartered organizations must play an active role with their unit(s) including active oversight. Second, I think we will also see a revised affiliate model offered that will attempt to address some of the concerns of the councils. While I am not sure what form this will take, I believe that the national BSA will strongly encourage local councils to be receptive to this option. First, with the current dramatic drop in membership, national recognizes that it cannot afford to lose the support of yet another major sponsor of Scouting. This has major implications not only in terms of membership (for some councils UMC units represent thirty percent or more of the council units) but also reduces a significant long-term donor base AND the credibility of the program. A mass exodus of the UMC units is likely to trigger second thoughts by other national chartered organizations. So, what encouragement (pressure) can national exert on local councils? The local councils may be "independent self-governing" local organizations. However, the advancement opportunities for local council executives and other ranking council professionals are dependent in part in their being viewed as "team players" in order to be recommended for positions in other councils or national level opportunities. It would be a safe bet that we will see a major consolidation of councils following approval of the bankruptcy settlement. And this consolidation will limit the number of both existing and future high-level positions within councils or regional or national level positions. So, yes there will be subtle or not so subtle encouragement to fall in line with the national position.