gpurlee

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

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-conditione

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 ne

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 t

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 t

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 backgr

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

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 (1

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 broa

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

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 na

Pacan- at this stage things are in flux. I would not read too much in until we learn more. Also, the plural task forces referred to the BSA group AND the UMC group that are meeting together. Not sure if there are any other subgroups. Just to clarify.