OaklandAndy

1 hour ago, curious_scouter said:

I worry it is progressively becoming a 'country club' activity and that youth who might benefit the most are losing access to it over the increased costs,

I feel this so much where I'm at. This statement right here is 100% true. As a pack, we have done all we can do make the program as "free" as possible. This includes offering sponsorships for families with multiple youth and just can't afford it, paying for all the program fees, reducing the "requirement" for a complete uniform, and doing away with annual unit dues. 

Luckily, we have lots of participation with fundraisers and this is the only way we can keep the program affordable in our rural town. Sometimes, I feel like we are doing what the council should be doing. 

Right now, we're looking into getting a pack neckerchief so they don't have to buy a new one every year. But that'll come down to a pack vote. 

26 minutes ago, fred8033 said:

Ok.  So we are raising moderator awareness for something that has not happened as part of silencing those who have different views?  And raising red flags about in-person issues that have not happened?  

This whole discussion has devolved into nonsense.  

No, you are raising moderator awareness for something that has not happened. I never said anything about silencing folks on here or even referenced moderators to begin with. And when asked about silencing them, I gave an example on when I would think they would step in.

In-person issues that have not happened? They are and continue to happen. Do I point them out on here? No, I don't even know who anyone is. I address it as I encounter them IRL. 

Nonsense? No haha. But now I know where you stand. 

13 minutes ago, fred8033 said:

So is the action requested blocking discussion on this forum or blocking people taking actions that I've yet to see people say is happening.  Earlier in this forum there was discussion of whether moderators should silence certain posters on this topic.  

What happens on this forum is not for me to decide nor is it my place to "ask". It's a public forum. I would think the moderators would silence those who become aggressive and threatening. 

14 minutes ago, fred8033 said:

I see no one advocating taking "actionable" steps against youth anywhere in this forum. 

Neither do I and I hope no one ever would. Outside this forum is another story. 

10 minutes ago, Eagle94-A1 said:

So you do agree that those who believe that the current membership policies are wrong do have the right to speak up. Then why are you upset when they do so?

Upset, not at all. I just don't understand why people would say they support all youth in scouting then turn around and discuss why they disagree with having those very same youth in the program. 

"Can you show me the results of the membership (emphasis) survey that had the majority support current membership policies, because I have been looking for years."

No, I can't. I assumed National did their due diligence so that's on me for thinking so. 

9 minutes ago, fred8033 said:

This forum debated membership changes for as long as I've been a member. 

I have not been around as long as most, I'm sure. Having these discussions here without the "key players", those who make these kind of decisions at the National level, is not input. Just discussion among concerned members. 

I didn't think I would have to say it but when the actions and decisions made by the organization are just plain wrong, they obviously you have to speak up. It's not "eyes of the beholder" when the majority agrees. We're not talking about purging people who disagree, we're talking about purging those who take actionable steps against the mission of serving youth. 

13 minutes ago, fred8033 said:

As for this forum and other public discussion, it's just wrong to silence people.

Then clearly we're miscommunicating somewhere. 

2 minutes ago, fred8033 said:

Aren't you advocating for a position that would have prevented BSA from ever moving toward including girls and other orientations 10 years ago? 

No, because most of those decisions are made without actual input from it's members. Plus, advocating for others to join, which is an obvious positive, is different from suppressing the change when it would lead to a positive outcome. I'm not saying you have to agree with their identity or lifestyle, but everyone should agree that were here to serve the youth in the world. However, if you don't agree and you can't contain it, then why be that person? 

1 minute ago, InquisitiveScouter said:

But, they cannot exclude the youth from Scouting..

Isn't that what the topic is? It sounds like members have an issue with them in Scouting period, not necessarily in their unit or CO. Which goes back to my original point. 

What the CO decides is correct, however, your CO's decision doesn't speak for the entire organization, which is what is happening here. 

14 hours ago, yknot said:

It's not censure ship to expect that registered and trained youth leaders in a youth organization protect and support the youth in their care. 

The way I see it, when you register (or re-register) as an adult leader, you are agreeing to uphold the decisions and responsibilities mandated by the organization, regardless of your personal feelings. If you can't do that, then you leave the organization (like so many already have) and carry on with your life. No different from any other private membership organization. 

Yes, change takes time. But getting use to the change and refusing to are completely separate feelings. And in the eyes of the organization, they are going to move on with or without you. 

The "new" lineup of MB's is pretty creative...emoji deciphering haha. 

I assume AI will be the one to overreact the most lol. 

And go!

https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2024/04/01/a-scout-is-human-bsa-introduces-13th-point-to-scout-law/

31 minutes ago, FireStone said:

Why do the kids have to look the other way on posts that the BSA is making, which should be a space that all scouts and scouters should feel welcome to view and engage in?

Because the world where that space is...doesn't exist. 

That doesn't mean we stop trying to make it so, however, it will probably never be 100% copacetic. 

19 minutes ago, InquisitiveScouter said:

A Scout is Obedient

..."He obeys the laws of his community and country.  If he thinks those rules and laws are unfair, he seeks to have them changed in an orderly way."

Is that who you are?

In this case...yes absolutely. I'm talking about putting the logo on pack shirts, not something egregious. When the action you take falls on deaf ears, what other actions are there? National is a mess right now and if that means I have to break a rule in order give youth some pride in what they are wearing, I can fall asleep just fine with that decision. 

If the BSA wants to come after me, much like the GSUSA did with one of their own, with something so trivial because it didn't have "their approval" or they don't get the credit, then there'll probably be a similar ending. 

1 hour ago, InquisitiveScouter said:

Love the idea, but... trademark violation.

Technically...but that won't stop anyone, including myself. 

Sold! 

That is an amazing lesson for those young girls and being able to keep that history alive!

On 3/7/2024 at 1:08 PM, rallybug said:

I need to do IOLS which has just been canceled for May in our Council (enext one is October - brrrr), wife wants to do BALOO but all but one of those has been canceled and not sure if she can go to the last remaining one yet.

Not sure where your location is, but Daniel Boone Council is holding both IOLS and BALOO, same weekend, April 12-13/14, at Camp Daniel Boone. 

https://www.danielboonecouncil.org/BALOOspr24

https://www.danielboonecouncil.org/IOLSspr2024

On 3/17/2024 at 12:47 PM, skeptic said:

Is it worth arguing about?  Probably not.  

I've always believed that if you address the little things, it typically prevents bigger issues from happening. 

I wouldn't have to be rude about it, but it should get addressed as long as you are comfortable with the possible pushback. 

1 hour ago, InquisitiveScouter said:

Funny how we discuss these things here, and voila!  National starts "testing the waters" on this... 

 

There's a mole among us...

@Gossmaaf...there was a lot of different variables that went into rebuilding the unit. I'd hate to say it, but I did EVERYTHING I could think of to keep the program alive. Especially since out of the 6 kids, 2 of them were mine and we only had 2 dens....lions and webelos. 

But we stuck with the foundation of the program, have fun, fundraise, and community service. Any time we had an event, I would submit an article to the paper. That turned into marketing on Facebook for our middle-aged parents, who would be looking for something for their kiddos. I would also post recruitment events on our local town's Facebook page. We use the fundraising to eventually build the bank account back up (we took a big hit with covid and membership so my wife and I were paying out of pocket for advancements/awards), 

Eventually, word of mouth got around and friends started inviting friends and now we are the biggest pack in our district. As we got bigger, I started delegating one or two things to different parents, some being registered positions and others being the one who hauls the trailer. EVERYONE had a task, whether it was a year-round thing or a "this is the one thing I need you to do all year". 

We led our Council in both popcorn and camp card fundraising in 2023 (hoping for a repeat) and we have been able to waive any pack dues and the pack pays for ALL program events at the unit, district, and council level, including food. 

Now this has taken a couple years to build and it took a lot of my own time because I wanted to see it succeed. The parent's also know that if we want to continue with making scouting as free as possible (which for most of them it is because of fundraising), they have to participate. 

It's also important to note that I took over the pack right before covid. All the "senior leadership" left me on my own except for one, thank God for Cubmaster Chad, but as a veteran Marine, I hate to lose so I found a way to make it work. 

12 scouts is still a good number to build off of though. After covid, I was down to 6 scouts but built it up to 51 over the next couple years. Took a lot of work, but with the help of some volunteers who showed up at the right time, we were able to thrive. 

If they are not being "active", you might be in for more work than you bargained for. 

1 hour ago, DannyG said:

The draw to get kids into scouting is showing them we are doing all kinds of fun activities.  They are not aware we are also building good character... That's the part we tell to the parents. 

Our Pack was recently awarded unit of the year for the 2nd year in a row at the District Banquet. The District Chair asked if I could share how we have become so successful in "all" aspects (fundraising, retention, advancement, recruiting, etc..) and I told everyone that I stuck with the basics. The program has been around for over 100 years and there is not a lot to change...the program itself works if you stick to it. That's my "secret".  Keep them involved, active, and engaged and they will continue to have fun. 

21 hours ago, Mrjeff said:

If they had a gathering of straight white folks there would be cries of racism, homophobia and who knows what else. 

I'd imagine most rural counties have these kinds of "straight white folk" meetings and I haven't heard anything about racism, homophobia, or anything else. Especially at the scouting level. 

1 hour ago, AwakeEnergyScouter said:

How is this discussion helpful?

I vote to close this discussion before it turns into something that it doesn't need to. 

32 minutes ago, Double Eagle said:

Scouting has become a rich-kid game and scouts rely on cheap-quality, new stuff, or buy "vintage" items to get what they need.

100%

Our District has 4 packs and 3 troops left...barely holding on. We used to have double digits in both before the VID.