What can I do?

[fboisseau 10]

Here is the situation. There is a person that I work with whose sons were in scouts, but both have dropped out because the promise of Scouting was not being delivered. This is happing in both the only pack and troop for a large county in our area.

 

First the troop, from what she has told me, after the previous Scoutmaster had to leave due to health problems, the new one has turned the troop into an eagle mill. This has turned her son off of scouting along with several other boys in the same area. The troop as lost membership and also new boys are not joining, because the new leader(s) are only interested in advancement and not in allowing the boys to progress at their own pace. The other problem with this troop is that the whole troop is only focused on the big trips for the older boys and is leaving the younger boys behind.

 

Now for the second half of this sad story, the only pack in this area has become a money machine. According to her each meeting is a now a pep rally on how to make more money for the pack (and she is not talking about just the pack meetings, but the den meetings also).

 

Now my problem is that I am not associated with the troop, pack or district that this is happing in, but would like to know if there is someway that I can put a bug in the DE ear to look closer at these units and see if there is really a problem and if so help them get it fixed.

 

[Eamonn 61]

Sounds like you need more packs and Troops in the area.

We have units that I'm sad to say are very much like the ones you describe in my district. But Scouting units, Packs and Troops should be like restaurants, the should be one on every corner, and the boy and his family ought to pick the one that they like the best.

It is hard to change a unit from doing what it is doing, as long as it is not breaking any of the rules and the Chartered Organization, is happy. Maybe the District Advancement Chair. might want to have a word with the troop.

But I think that the best thing to do is contact the District New Unit Organizer, and see what can be done to start new units.

[fboisseau 10]

Thanks. That is what I figure would be the only solution, and the one I suggested to my co-worker. I was hoping there might be a way to get the units back on track.

[ScoutNut 147]

You might suggest she talk to her Unit Commissioner.

[ozemu 10]

There may be an official answer but I suspect that change will be painful and may not happen as you hope.

 

Starting another Troop/pack will give options to more than your co-workers family. It may not be real easy but may serve a greater good. My geuss is that the existing Troop / Pack will suffer the death of a thousand resignations and will change also but that may take a while.

 

Good luck