Sea Scouts becoming stand alone from Venturing?

[HawkUH60]

i heard that Sea Scouting is pulling itself from Venturing and becoming its own stand alone program. Anyone out there heard that one?

[emb021]

Its misinformation/misunderstanding.

 

Sea Scouts are still part of the Venturing program. The new National Commodore (that the top volunteer leader of Sea Scouting) has said that there is no change to the Sea Scout Program.

 

This idea is due to the recent organization change at National. National has gotten rid of the 3 program divisions (Cub Scout, Boy Scout, and Venturing), and re-orged the various volunteer committees. Instead of the Sea Scout committee being a subcommitte of the National Venturing Committee, they are under different committees. Some Sea Scout volunteers have misunderstood this to mean that Sea Scouts are somehow 'free' of the 'oppression' of being part of the Venturing program. Sea Scouts still remain part of the Venturing program. As they've been since the Sea Scout Division became the Senior Scout Division back in 1935.

 

I hope at an upcoming Sea Scout Regatta to have a change to speak with some national-level Sea Scout leaders about this changes so I have a better understand of what all is going on.

 

[Kahuna]

emb021: Please keep us informed. This is all still somewhat unclear in my mind.

 

Thanks.

[epalmer84]

The Se Scout website has a new National volunteer org chart:

http://www.seascout.org/for_leaders/organizational_structure/BSA_organization_chart.jpeg

 

Since Sea Scouts is stuck off by itself, some have interpreted it as Sea Scouting being separated. Frankly, the chart does not make a lot of sense to me; I suspect it is an early chart or something is missing. Also note that the Sea Scouting website is not an official BSA site.

 

Ed Palmer

[Kahuna]

It's the same chart as on the national website. It's a final chart, not an early one. This is the new setup. I agree it doesn't entirely make sense, but that's the deal.

[John-in-KC]

Bottom line is all youth serving programs of Scouting, previously having their own division, now fall under the "Council Solutions Group" of the National Council.

 

The professional side of the staff will report to ONE Assistant Chief Scout Executive, who in turn reports to Mr Mazzuca.

 

 

[emb021]

"It's the same chart as on the national website. It's a final chart, not an early one. This is the new setup. I agree it doesn't entirely make sense, but that's the deal."

 

Problem with the chart is that it doesn't show all the national committees that exist. It only shows the top 2 levels. There is probably another 1-2 level of committees below what that chart shows.

 

Part of the problem is that National has never really bothered to make clear to us 'rank and file' types how things are organized at the national level. What I know is what I've been able to glen over the years. And with the re-org, I have a very poor understanding of how it all fits/works.

[Buffalo Skipper]

Certainly this is a fluid document (especially where Sea Scouts is concerned). Keep in mind also, that this is the Volunteer chart, not the professional one, which shows a completely different heirarchal structure. Personally, I am surprised that Sea Scouting made this chart at all. I mean (I know that the divisions have been "reorganized," but...) that there is no CS, BS, Venturing or Varsity committees on this level, why should we in Sea Scouts be represented when the other programs are not? (that was a rhetorical question, BTW).

 

I will be spending the weekend with the SR Commodore at Seabadge, and hopefully we can discuss this more then. I will let you know what I hear about it.

[emb021]

"I mean (I know that the divisions have been "reorganized," but...) that there is no CS, BS, Venturing or Varsity committees on this level, why should we in Sea Scouts be represented when the other programs are not? (that was a rhetorical question, BTW)."

 

The thing is that AFAIK, there do still exist the national CB, BS and Venturing committees (AFAIK, Varsity never had their own national committee). But they are not at the level we see on the chart. They are at the next level (or maybe two down). And that's part of the problem with the chart. Its not deep enough to show all the committees. Which means that some people assume that because they do not see a national committee on the chart, it doesn't exist.

 

And you are also correct that this chart is ONLY for the national volunteer committees. The national structure of the professionals is another chart. And the problem with that one is its only 2 levels deep and there is no explanation of what the various groups really do. So you look at that chart and have to scratch your head...