Thoughts on Scouts electing the Scoutmaster?

[Armymutt]

I spend a couple hours each day in the car driving the kids to and from school, so my brain wanders around.  One of the musings I had was, Can Scouts elect their Scoutmaster?  Has anyone heard of such a thing?  Can the PLC decide that they want a new SM and hold an election?  

[scoutldr]

No, but nothing would surprise me in this new generation of "wokeness".  Adult leaders serve at the appointment and pleasure of the Chartered Organization. The Committee can recommend potential candidates.  The PLC can voice their opinions, I suppose.  But election?  Nope.

[qwazse]

They can vote with their feet.

[Armymutt]

2 hours ago, scoutldr said:

No, but nothing would surprise me in this new generation of "wokeness".  Adult leaders serve at the appointment and pleasure of the Chartered Organization. The Committee can recommend potential candidates.  The PLC can voice their opinions, I suppose.  But election?  Nope.

I don't know that I would call it "woke".  Seems like democracy is a foundation of the country.  As qwazse said, they can vote with their feet.  That's probably a less desirable outcome than having a mechanism whereby the Scouts can decide they want a new adult leader.  

[InquisitiveScouter]

1 hour ago, Armymutt said:

That's probably a less desirable outcome than having a mechanism whereby the Scouts can decide they want a new adult leader.  

There is a mechanism already in place...

1.  Scout tells parents they would like a new Scoutmaster, and articulates GOOD reasons for it.  Parents tell committee: committee evaluates and takes action, with advice and consent of COR.

2.  Scout tells Boards of Review they think they'd like a new Scoutmaster, and articulates GOOD reasons for it.  (BoR is made of Committee Members and parents.)  Committee evaluates and takes action, with advice and consent of COR.

Although I understand the sentiment, youth must not make the decision of who should be Scoutmaster.  (Inmates running the asylum and all  )  To implement this would mean an abdication of responsibility by COR and Troop Committee.

Unfortunately, reality is often that the Scoutmaster is simply the person with a pulse who said they'd do the job.

In 45+ years of Scouting, I've never seen a unit with a decent succession plan.  Still looking for that unicorn. (Yes, I have failed to get this accomplished in many a unit.  If I was allowed to be the benevolent dictator, things would have been different.)

 

 

[skeptic]

So many things get in the way of real continuity.  For our unit, early on it was job issues with the chosen individual suddenly being moved and a fortunate replacement stepping up.  That resulted is a few decades of solid leadership, but in reality it was up t half a dozen doing the lifting with one at the paper apex.  He and his number one ASM received the first two SB awards in our council in the 30's.  Sam the SM noted then that they were in reality co-SM's.  WWII brought strong step ups to help, and then Sam" son came back and stepped in for a long period.  He was forced out due to adults feeling his approach was too outdated.  Lots of turmoil and loss of focus, and it almost killed the unit.  Finally a steady hand stepped in to level the waves.  I was put in the spot against my preference at the time due to personal issues and my job, yet somehow am still there, but now a paper figurehead with others working to keep us afloat.  I was forced out due to a stroke and another major issue, and our unit family discovered that issue of poor planning.  We now struggle for outdoor options, but we have a few dedicated adults to hold us afloat, though none are outdoor people in the sense of consistent hiking and camping, which had been our focus for most of our history.  The history, over a century is a factor though.  So we struggle on and I encourage them from the pedestal they put me on and try to find some younger outdoor types, hopefully maybe even past alumni.  We also struggle with the Methodist challenge since the lawsuit.  Going into year 104 and hopefully can cement the history in place and use it to draw some new true outdoor Scouting adults.  Should add that service has Always been a factor for our units, and that is part of its success. Also, still fewer than a hundred Eagles, so we cannot be accused of that often difficult focus.  

 

Edited 1 hour ago by skeptic