Congratulate me

[Abel Magwitch 10]

BS-87, I am a COR and an active one at that. Been in Scouting a long time. Part of an old troop that still serves city youth, a troop with very dedicated leadership who also give of their time and resources. Scouting thrives in my church where it has died in the majority of other churches. The Scouting program that the troop delivers is one of quality and fun.

Yes, I am a COR with as much voting power at council level as those CORs in the Chicago Area Council who were eventually told that their vote really doesnt count.

 

Pro's come and go, but this troop along with 6 others left in the district remain.

 

The chartered institution supports Scouting and has for a long time. But in my council, it is the management that is failing. And they should not be.

 

Believe me, I have held feet to the fire, but the management all the way up to national has shown that they are not really interested in addressing problems.

 

You want to know more, private message me.

 

But pros filling out paperwork for their own benefit without regard to serving the unit is out right wrong.

 

And yes, I believe it is the place of the volunteer to evaluate the service it receives from the management. And who oversees the management? Why the volunteer executive board. They hire the management. They set their pay. Absolutely the program should be evaluated by those at the unit level and those evaluations sent to the board for their review. If the management truly wanted to be one of quality, they should measure themselves by the evaluations given by those who are at the receiving end of the program. Evaluating the supplier by the customer is part of quality control.(This message has been edited by abel magwitch)

[Basementdweller 608]

I believe Abel's story more tragic than mine......

 

How well do you think the district committee is going to take to feedback??????

 

It will never happen......

 

We have seen it from some of the district folks on this board..........

[Eagle92 110]

Well I just did the JTE PW for the pack. There are some problems with the SCOUTNET records and advancement, i.e. names that should not be on the charter still are and folks who should be on the charter are not. We filled it out using our records and not SCOUTNET records. We did OK, but kinda distressing that records are inaccurate.

 

It is known though. A few months back, the DE mentioned advancement and how only 1 pack, the one doing internet advancement, is the only one showing up. Being a DL who also purchases advancement since I work in a town with a council office, I know for a fact that my pack was turning in forms as I filled some of them out, turned them in to the neighboring council's office with a note stating purchased there, and a few days later get a copy of the PW and the ranks that I didn't need.

 

Kinda like training records, I don't think the CS ranks were being recorded in SCOUTNET prior to this year. And only b/c JTE requires it.

[Basementdweller 608]

We can only do our advancement on the internet, the local scout shop will no longer accept handwritten advancement forms........

 

 

So again why do I need council again???

[Abel Magwitch 10]

Why do you need council? Why to serve your unit as they agreed to. Service with a smile ;-)

 

 

[Eagle92 110]

Maybe I'm drinking the koolaid, maybe I was a pro for too long and know why some things happen , and maybe I have had it really good in professional leadership and the pros we have had for the past few years.

 

But overall I am quite happy with my council's support. We've had an increase in CS programming and more awareness of Cubs on the council level. Sure we still have folks thinking Cubs are unimportant and "don't need to camp," But we have had improvements.

 

Our council is also in the process of changing the mindset that the pros do everything, to the volunteers run the things and pros support. That is a big change IMHO as I know that when I was a pro, things that would normally be doen by the district committee had to be done by me. One of the things I learned in my time as a volunteer prior to becoming a pro; "Oh you didn't like the district banquet was done? Well I did ask for volunteers to run and plan it and no one accepted. Can I put you down for being incharge of next year's banquet?"

 

Grant you I complain like the rest of them about PW errors. Yes I find it frustrating that after turning in PW in one council, they do not put it into SCOUTNET, and I have to resubmit or redo stuff. But I also know what is involved in the SCOUTNET process, as least how it was in 1998-2001, and how much of a PITA it is. Not very user friendly. I still remember helping get info prepared and waiting to have info put into SCOUTNET with my then fiance taking a nap in one of the vacant offices. I was told I couldn't leave for Christmas vacation until all my district's information was placed into SCOUTNET and I met my membership goals. Goals were met, but the hold up was SCOUTNET. After a few hours of waiting, woke up my wife and drove straight home to introduce her to my family.

 

Good luck with your situations improving.

 

FORGOT TO ADD, One thing I do is try to make life as easy for the folks as possible. When I updated the training of folks in the distric, I listed not only course names, but the codes themselves. Any little thing to make the process easier and faster to help out.(This message has been edited by eagle92)

[Abel Magwitch 10]

Kudos to you Eagle. I know that you were an honest pro who decided to not want to be part of a corrupt administration during the time you served as a pro. I am sure that your former SE either retired with a lot of benefits or got promoted to ever higher paying positions in the BSA.

 

And I am happy for you that you are part of a council with good pros; where the youth program is thriving. I have said many times that I know that the problems I have in my council are not inclusive to every other council. It is evident that Scouting is thriving in parts of this country from the posts of others that I read.

 

But things in my council are pretty much the same if not worse. I know that Basement has some of the same issues I have in his council. Most of the pros are in it for themselves.

 

Eagle, I applaud you that you remained in Scouting after your eye opening experience as a pro. I am happy that Scouting succeeds in your neck of the woods.

 

Abel