No Venturing Attendees for Scouting University

[CNYScouter 46]

 

 

Not zero Attendees but very little

 

For our Scouting University this Saturday I organized the Venturing courses.

 

I just received the sign-up list as of yesterday only 2 people signed up for any Venturing classes being taught and one of these is for Venturing Leader Specific (all day course).

With 16 Venturing classes being offered most have no one signed up for them the ones that do only have one person.

I am very surprised that only one person signed up for Venturing Leaders Specific. Our Council is in the pilot program for mandatory training and we have a lot of new crews that have been started since it was last offered in the spring.

 

In the past we have seen 100 to 125 people sign up at the door but most are for Cub Specifics and the few other National courses being offered so I dont see many more coming in for Venturing.

 

When I did this 2 years ago the Venturing classes had at least 5 people in them and one had almost 25.

 

Here my dilemma:

 

All the instructors for the Venturing courses are driving at least an hour and one is driving 3 hours to get there.

 

Would you contact the instructors and tell them not to come or have them come and hope some one signs up for the class?

 

The Council training Committee wont be happy if I do this but there was very little done to promote Scouting University this year.

 

I know that other events where moved opposite

 

Buy my concern is that if I have the instructors show up and no one takes their class they will be reluctant to do it in the future.

 

[eaglescout1996 10]

I would personally contact your volunteers and explain the situation.....give them the option to come or not.

 

If I was driving 3 hours to come give a class, I'd be very disapointed if only 1 person showed up....they are volunteers and their time is valuble as well.

 

 

[Stosh 3452]

If it was me, (my own personal opinion!): If I was expected to drive 3 hours to train one person, I'd make the trip. I would be disappointed if I drive 3 hours and no one showed. But whether I'm teaching 1 person or 100 people, they came to learn and I came to teach, and that means that there is one more person in the council equipped to lead his crew.

 

Life example: (I used to be active as a minister) I had a funeral for a gentleman who died at the nursing home. I made the appropriate preparation including a mediation.

 

No one showed. It was me and the funeral director. I omitted the meditation, but the gentleman still got the prayers, the readings and I went through the whole service for him. I doubt whether it made a bit of difference for him, but it was important for me.

 

Stosh

[Eagle92 110]

Form somoene who has "been there, done that," I would call all the instructors and give them a heads up and an option to come or not. I would also contact the 1 individual who registered in advance and inform them of the situation AFTER contacting the instructors.

 

I was suppose to conduct an all morning training one time for membership. Took me a week to prep, 1 hour to drive to the training 30 minutes to set up, and I had no one attend. I was frustrated and ticked off, but at least I was a pro at the time and it was part of the job.

[shortridge 184]

This may be a dumb question... but was sign-up mandatory? Or in the past, have people just kind of showed up and sat in?

 

My guess would be that there's a crew out there with the adviser or CC forgetfully sitting on a handful of registration forms that they said they'd turn in.

 

And how many crews are we talking about in your council/district?

[CNYScouter 46]

This may be a dumb question... but was sign-up mandatory? Or in the past, have people just kind of showed up and sat in?

 

My guess would be that there's a crew out there with the adviser or CC forgetfully sitting on a handful of registration forms that they said they'd turn in.

 

And how many crews are we talking about in your council/district?

 

The last time I checked- back in May - we had around 30 Crews in our council.

Since then I know of 6 or 7 new Crews that have been started.

The Venturing classes are open and designed for Venturing youth and adults so there should be plenty of attendees.

 

We have a big discount if you sign up in advance vs. signing up at the door.

In the past weve tried holding training sessions with mandatory signup by a certain date not enough signed up in advance so they were canceled.

 

In looking over the list of sign-ups neither person signed up are in Venturing one is a District Commissioner - the other is an ASM.

 

I am teaching Venturing Leaders Specific, for one person if necessary.

 

One big problem as an Instructor I have to supply all the material for the classes (as do all the instructors).

 

For Venturing Leader Specific there are quite a few handouts I need to make copies for.

(I can go to the council office to make copies only if I take time off of work to go there during the day.)

 

I dont mind supplying my own for people who actually show up, but making a bunch of extras just in case the money adds up.

 

My gut feeling told me to do what most of you suggested contact the instructors and give them the option to come or not.

 

[scoutldr 732]

So what if some instructors agree to come and some don't? Who fills in the gap? Is this the ONLY training opportunity for this individual? Can he/she get it in another Council/District?

 

For things like this, that's the reason to have advance registration...so you can plan. I would canc the course...or agree to give the person the training one:one if possible....it would probably go a lot faster.

[sherminator505 10]

This may seem like a totally random question, but how far in advance was this course promoted? In other words, did the Venturing leaders have a sufficient heads-up that the Scouting University would include Venturing leader training?

[CNYScouter 46]

Promotion for our scouting university this year (and last year) was very lacking.

The course catalog, schedule and sign-up sheet can out about 3 weeks ago.

I didn't see a single mailing or email about it until yesterday.

A place to have it wasn't even secured until late September.

 

I know the problem - but I am not in any type of position to do anything.

A few years ago it was decided that the hosting any of our major training events, like Scouting University, would rotate between our Districts.

Not all the districts bought into this.

 

The last 2 years the District that was to host Scouting University did nothing and the training committee ended up throwing something together at the last minute.

 

For a council that wants to create a "culture of training" we are not doing a very good job at creating one.

[sherminator505 10]

That is much as I surmised, and you're not alone. I had a very similar experience as a staffer for a Boy Scout Leader Specific Training recently. It seems that if we really intend to "create a training culture," we really need to think about what that would look like and reverse-engineer it from there...

[mikecummings157 10]

I'm in the same council as CNYScouter. It would help if this wasn't scheduled over the top of the "Scout-O" orienteering competition, which is attended by many Crews, Troop, and packs in a camporee style event. Our council knew the events were the same day, as they posted both on the website.

[CNYScouter 46]

...and lets toss is the Veterans Day parard being promoted by our council

 

and he Cathalic Scout Retreat (that got canceled) that was also on the Web site

 

and the Wilderness First Aid course being held the same day

 

You would think that some one would look at the council calendar before scheduling an event

[Jeffrey H 25]

In my Council, sign-up for University of Scouting begins at least 2 months in advance and sign-up for courses can be done on the Council's website. The turnout for the event is always very good. Walk-ups registrations are accepted, but they usually have pay an extra $5 more.

 

Early promotion of the event and online sign-up are the keys to good attendance. When this event was mentioned at our Troop meeting, there were no sign-up sheets passed out. They simply told us to go the website and sign-up as early as possible.

 

Also, our University of Scouting is run and administered by the Council and the quality of the program is consistent every year.

[mikeknr 10]

I hate to be a REALLY wet towel on this discussion but I just returned from a Powderhorn CDC and your your experience with the Venturers doesn't surprise me in the least. The level of discouraging talk amonst even, or especially, high level Venturers, excepting the Sea Scouts in attendance who were as professional at all times as volunteers can be, was EXTREMELY disappointing to a life-long Boy Scout/er. Any excuse to be differant and dismissive. If I were you, in my humble opinion, I would write an open letter to all 30+ leaders of those Venturing crews and explain what happened.

 

In the meantime, yes I would call off the trainers coming all that way and cancel the courses, include that in your mail to the Crews. Train the HECK out of the one person that shows up, really reward them.

 

Sorry again how bitter this sounds but I had a BAD taste in my mouth, and learned a new respect for Sea Scouters. They looked as disgusted as I felt.

[BadenP 93]

CNY

I am willing to bet that in your council, like many others, venturing is kind of shoved off in the corner and are excluded by the pros and volunteers. Is there an active Venturing presence or place for them at your RT's, district or council events, I bet not, so why would you expect to see them at Scouting U? This is why in many councils many venturing crews die out quickly, exclusion requires them to be independent and self sufficent or they fold up from lack of support. Don't feel bad you just need to develop better PR between the council, RT's, and the crew leadership. Why aren't you using local Venturing Crew leadership to teach these courses? That alone would help you get more participation.