InquisitiveScouter

When we had our kids in private school, this was the case. The school said pay an additional fee now, and if you volunteer x number of hours, we will refund you. And it wasn't pro-rated...reach x number of hours, or no refund...

@ParkMan, great points in theory...but I have never, in over 40 years of Scouting, seen a program where the lion's share of the burden does not rest on just a few people begging for additional volunteer (parent) support... And we have the best Troop in our council because of a few overburdened, yet dedicated volunteers... That is what paradigm shift implies, no?? Wholeheartedly concur...but would you elaborate on this one a bit, please? Who abuses the DE, and how?

Why would you hang up your uniform?? If a person spends 40+ hours a week making a great program that benefits the youth in our community, why would you "muzzle the ox while he is treading the grain?" We all know it is a good program which attracts membership. And we all know it is quality unit leaders who ensure a good program. A great unit leader can have a program without help or support from the district or council (except for the registrar...and maybe a local Scout shop, but these days, with Amazon and next day delivery, that could be overcome...)

OK, expand the paradigm shift...hire a Cubmaster, too!

@CynicalScouter, Interesting read... "As a consequence, the House Judiciary Committee’s subcommittee of jurisdiction instituted a moratorium on granting new charters in 1989. (The Senate generally defers to the House on chartering matters.) On several recent occasions, however, Congress has established Title 36 corporations despite the moratorium." "In 1992, Chairman Frank [I am no fan of Barney Frank, though] called charters “a nuisance,” a meaningless act; granting charters implied that Congress was exercising some sort of supervision over the groups and it was not. “When I fi

That Congress no longer issues charters begs the question as to why others are allowed to continue... Why can the DuctTape Scouting Association (the DSA) not get a Congressional Charter?? Or, @DuctTape will you call it the DTSA??

The corporation will not cease to exist...it will mostly likely be restructured, with assets sold to cover liabilities at pennies on the dollar...

And, John, BSA has used this "Charter" to bludgeon others, which are legitimate "scouting" organizations, to prevent them from calling themselves any kind of a "Scout".

Here's a paradigm shift for you... Hire a Scoutmaster who mentors young people to create and run a damn good program... Yes

I guess we are the "Sad" council 😰😥😱

5thGen...is that an eye-opener for you?

...who give big bucks to the council. How much does an Execurive Board position cost in your council?

Owls... Here is the link to the 2018 IRS 990 https://apps.irs.gov/pub/epostcard/cor/810343177_201812_990_2019103016798949.pdf you can get a lot of info there...see line 10, Investment Income, $1,258,846 ...further broken down into $375,217 investment income...and a sale of $4,358,597 in securities, netting a capital gain of $883,629 (a gain of 25% from their basis of $3,474,968...that's good money, depending on the time held!!) Enjoy the read...

Also Owls...some public information that most SE's don't want to see the light of day...salary info. But, as 501 c 3's, they receive a public benefit of not having to pay taxes, so the IRS requires certain info to be made public in their IRS Form 990 filings...easily obtainable... For example, I see you live in Montana...a quick search yielded the 2018 IRS 990 for Montana Council, and, at the time, Interim Scout Executive was paid $150,208, while the retiring SE was paid $143,691...you can add up to total salary paid... that's where much of your council fees are going. If you d

This is the dirty little secret... The other piece of this that many council professionals want to remain hidden, is that the Chartered Organization Reps are voting members of the Council Board, and a grass roots movement among them is the scariest thing in the world to the SE, as they hold a great deal of power that they never wield...

David CO, are you saying that the early guys saw a money-making opportunity in the Scouting movement, quickly incorporated, merchandised the operation, eliminated the competition, and used their influence to garner a Congressional Charter to seal their virtual monopoly? Say it wasn't so!!

Welcome to Scout camp! Well...most of them... I have said it before...DuctTape for National Commissioner!!! This is how it is supposed to be...a Scout reads the requirements and begins working on fulfilling them. When ready (and after a leader consult) , the Scout works with the Counselor to find a way to meet them. The Counselor can help fill in any knowledge gaps or skill deficiencies, or connects the Scout to other resources to learn. This process iterates until all requirements are complete... See above...

Owls... I have some incomplete info about how the SE is selected, but would love to have some of the actual pros here outline the process with more granularity... As for DE's, anyone who walks in the door with a college degree and no disqualifying criminal record will probably be hired. This is a Council decision, so, ultimately SE (??). The turnover rate for DE's is super high. Most come in with great intentions and dreams, and after they find out what it is really like, they leave. I have been offered a DE job in every council I have been a part of (except the overseas

Those who want to separate Scouting from the BSA migrate to a grass-roots, no-professionals-needed program. They use the original BP materials, http://www.thedump.scoutscan.com/yarns00-28.pdf and leverage modern information-based tools to wiki their knowledge together on how to run a successful program. They run locally autonomous Scouting programs out of their churches, schools, and civic organizations, which provide them spaces to meet. They camp at local, county, state, national parks and do outdoors activities accordingly. They use commercial off-the-shelf (and cheaper) clothin

And now services are being cut at National and pushed down to councils...with no resources to support. I spoke with our Registrar today, and she ain't happy... btw, I think Registrars are the most under-rated, under-paid, and under-appreciated positions in council service centers... https://scoutingwire.org/transitioning-member-care-to-serve-and-support-bsa-council-staff/

I have a Patrol Leader who has asked if his Patrol can have their own hat. There used to be a blurb (I think) in the G2AI similar to the current neckerchief guidance; "Scout neckerchiefs are optional. Troops choose their own official neckerchief. All members of a troop wear the same color. The troop decides by vote, and all members abide by the decision." The only place I can find a reference for hats is in the Uniform Inspection Sheet; "Headgear. All troop members must wear the headgear chosen by vote of the troop." Notice that the headgear entry does not say they have to be th

Yes!

We did it, and the Scouts loved it! Older Scouts got to load and fire a flare gun, and the youngers got to light marine flares (30 Scouts in total). Most of these we acquired from out of date items that boaters in our unit had. Many had not checked their boat's gear for some time, and were happy to hand over the expired items for training. (Coast Guard could issue a citation for expired gear, and/or make you return to port to replace...) We put out a Notice to Airmen through the FAA, and called our county emergency dispatch, our neighboring county emergency dispatch, and the state forest fi

Here's a great essay on Orwell's 1984 and this concept... https://rorueso.blogs.uv.es/2010/10/28/manipulation-of-language-as-a-weapon-of-mind-control-and-abuse-of-power-in-1984/#:~:text=One%20of%20Orwell's%20most%20important,capable%20of%20formulating%20and%20expressing.&text=This%20idea%20manifests%20itself%20in,has%20introduced%20to%20replace%20English. Enjoy the think piece

It kind of sounds like something you'd make in a Dutch Oven, right? With biscuits 😏