David CO Posted November 22, 2017 Share Posted November 22, 2017 Sadly I don’t understand the waterboy reference. Barry If you didn't understand the joke because you have never watched an Adam Sandler movie, I salute you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawkwin Posted November 22, 2017 Share Posted November 22, 2017 Perhaps answers to most of our questions. Note, I've not listed to this yet nor read the transcript. I will comment once I have. BSA Chief answers your questions about welcoming girls into BSA programs https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2017/11/21/bsa-chief-answers-your-questions-about-welcoming-girls-into-bsa-programs/ Snip: On Oct. 30, I asked Scouters to submit their questions for BSA Chief Scout Executive Mike Surbaugh. By the time we recorded the video last week, we had received more than 400 questions. I read each one, organized them by topic and took a representative sample of 22 questions directly to our Chief. He spoke openly and candidly for nearly 30 minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jameson76 Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 Perhaps answers to most of our questions. Note, I've not listed to this yet nor read the transcript. I will comment once I have. BSA Chief answers your questions about welcoming girls into BSA programs https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2017/11/21/bsa-chief-answers-your-questions-about-welcoming-girls-into-bsa-programs/ Snip: He talked for 30 minutes, not sure about answering anything. The CSE is really a politician, we've got questions and he's got anecdotes and stories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gblotter Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 (edited) Perhaps answers to most of our questions. Note, I've not listed to this yet nor read the transcript. I will comment once I have. I listened to it. Co-ed summer camps are on the way (and we should be happy for the new bathrooms). New uniforms are on the way (and apparently the old ones sucked anyway). All of this is happening because we asked for it (although I don’t know anyone who did). I have seething disdain for this guy. It turns my stomach to hear him twist the truth and manipulate facts. BSA is tone-deaf. I ripped up and threw away three Friends of Scouting solicitations this week. Maybe they will hear that message. Edited November 23, 2017 by gblotter 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stosh Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 Scout Shop emails were the first to make it to the spam filter. That was about 2 years ago. National emails were next, about a year ago. Council is on the verge right now, wouldn't take much. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jameson76 Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 I listened to it. Co-ed summer camps are on the way (and we should be happy for the new bathrooms). New uniforms are on the way (and apparently the old ones sucked anyway). All of this is happening because we asked for it (although I don’t know anyone who did). I have seething disdain for this guy. It turns my stomach to hear him twist the truth and manipulate facts. BSA is tone-deaf. I ripped up and threw away three Friends of Scouting solicitations this week. Maybe they will hear that message. On the FOS, one of our leaders was asked to give at a high level, their response (I will paraphrase) It appears that many of the BSA's decisions have been made for financial reasons, if I continue or expand my support I would be implicitly supporting those decisions I may not agree with. My support will be to the local troop and if a specific Scout or program oriented need is identified Most of us in the troop have that same opinion, and we are the highest FOS troop in the district. (well, up until the 2018 program I guess) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalicoPenn Posted November 25, 2017 Share Posted November 25, 2017 100% of your Friends of Scouting donations go to your local council. Let me repeat that for all of you folks blinded by your rage against National for this decision. 100% of your Friends of Scouting donations go to your LOCAL COUNCIL. For most local councils, Friends of Scouting donations fund about 40% of a council's budget. Where does that money go? Staff salaries, insurance, program costs, scout shop costs, service center costs, physical costs to maintain scout camps, camp program and supply expenses, volunteer recognition, camp ranger salaries, etc. You're mad at National and are deciding to take it out on your Council. Maybe your Council isn't important enough to you - maybe you don't see value in it. But you know what happens when Councils raise fewer dollars while costs increase? They start cutting budgets. A lot of councils used to open up their service centers and scout shops on Saturday mornings to make it more convenient for people with busy weekday jobs to be able to pick up advancement awards and file paperwork. A lot of councils have closed up shop on Saturdays as they've cut budgets as a consequence of lower FOS donations coming in which is making things more difficult for units. Take a look around camp someday - has the camp gone from having 30 canoes available at the waterfront to 20? Has your summer camp made a decision in the past 10-15 years to stop supplying platform tents with cots and mattresses and are having units bring their own tents to camp? Maybe they've even gotten rid of the platforms themselves - do you really think it's because Council wants to be "truer" to the program or is it because its a good place to cut the camp equipment budget? It typically costs a council more to operate a summer camp than they get from fees collected. As FOS donations go down, Councils start to raise fees. They also start to sell off camps. Go ahead and tear up those FOS donation requests because you're mad at National - but just remember that when you do so, you aren't affecting National at all - you're affecting your local Council and hurting the Scouts in your area and your unit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David CO Posted November 25, 2017 Share Posted November 25, 2017 Maybe your Council isn't important enough to you - maybe you don't see value in it. You got that part right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David CO Posted November 25, 2017 Share Posted November 25, 2017 Go ahead and tear up those FOS donation requests because you're mad at National - but just remember that when you do so, you aren't affecting National at all - you're affecting your local Council and hurting the Scouts in your area and your unit. This is basically the same argument that is used by cowardly dictators who use innocent civilians, mostly women and children, as human shields to protect themselves and their military assets from attack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RememberSchiff Posted November 25, 2017 Share Posted November 25, 2017 (edited) All FOS donations may go to Council but how it is spent from there can be a point of contention. Don't want yet another "study" commissioned and funded regarding merging with another council? Might as well whistle in the wind. How Council represents us and our scouts with National is definitely another point of contention. Mine has been close-mouthed about National meetings. We had no "town meeting" regarding membership change or any subsequent local announcement . What little I know about the upcoming membership change, I learned here (scouter.com ). I wonder how much value National sees in Councils. My impression is that National wants fewer. My scouting is local. My $0.02, Edited November 25, 2017 by RememberSchiff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stosh Posted November 25, 2017 Share Posted November 25, 2017 Our council has yet to announce any membership changes. 1) they don't know about them or 2) they are intentionally not saying anything. If they are supposed to be the connection between National and the membership in this area, there seems to be a disconnect somewhere. My scouting is not just local, it is totally isolated. One would think the FOS $$'s spent would be used at least in letting everyone know what's going on....officially. The only way I'd know about any of this is this forum and national news, and we all know how reliable either of those two entities are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sentinel947 Posted November 25, 2017 Share Posted November 25, 2017 This is basically the same argument that is used by cowardly dictators who use innocent civilians, mostly women and children, as human shields to protect themselves and their military assets from attack. Did you just compare a non profit asking for money to a brutal dictatorship like Saddams Iraqi or Isis? You have a choice with the BSA. People living in a dictatorship have two choices. Give in or die. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle94-A1 Posted November 25, 2017 Share Posted November 25, 2017 I am no longer doing FOS and it is National's fault: The increase in registration is affecting me financially. $34 (we pay $1 extra for insurance), per person per year for 4 is $136 due at one time since both units charter at the same time. It would be $170 if my wife officially registered since becoming a WDL 3 years ago. However, since none of the applications had been processed over a 2 year period, despite paying the fee, she has said it aint worth the frustration. I will play Devil's Advocate for the council though: One reason why some councils may not have had town halls on the matter was due to how National told them they needed to go about it and when the deadline was. My SE was furious with how National not only wanted it done, with all three Key Three members reading a set script, but also with the time frame National gave them. National informed the councils they wanted these town hall done the day before many council jamboree contingents were set to leave. If you consider how many Key 3s staff the Jambo, many were already at the jambo site prepping when the orders were issued.Then all responses had to be submitted within 17 days after Jambo was finished (16 days for staff). I know my council had a hard time setting up the first one. I do not know if those who attended the second town hall that was extremeley last minute, 3 days notice for the meeting) had a chance to receive the surveys and complete them before the deadline. What I found interesting is that the video that needed to be watched, and the scripts that needed to be read, were posted on a national website in June, a full month before councils were notified about them it's almost as if National wanted limited responses to the surveys. Plus the surveys were very slanted towards accepting girls into the BSA. I remember answering almost every question with "NO, girls have GSUSA, and if they want a program more like the BSA, then they need to work on fixing their program" or words to that affect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAHAWK Posted November 25, 2017 Share Posted November 25, 2017 "So now I must trust National to continue to provide a youth-led, patrol driven, outdoor oriented program?" No. You can join me in hoping that BSA will return to Patrol Method, outdoor- oriented program. But that will take changes at the top. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HelpfulTracks Posted November 25, 2017 Share Posted November 25, 2017 This is basically the same argument that is used by cowardly dictators who use innocent civilians, mostly women and children, as human shields to protect themselves and their military assets from attack. Wow, that is more than a little over the top. Is there anything about Scouting you like? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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