Make the unit do it

[CNYScouter 46]

The Ship has now been chartered for 6 months.

 

Since June I have seen gotten the following:

 

Twice I have gotten an e-mail from our DE asking to recruit more members as the District was close to making its recruitment goal. As a unit we expected to go out do recruiting to meet these goals. But as far as the District or Council goes there is nothing about the Venturing program or any of the Crews in any newsletter or Web Sites. I cant even get an article published about the Ship (Ive submitted one to both the Council and District newsletters).

 

September 1 our Council went to mandatory training for any Adult Leader new to their position.

I have been trying to get a Training calendar so my Leaders can take NLE and YPT.

I found out the reason I cant find a Training calendar is that our Council training Chair wants this training done by the Unit.

 

Last week I got information about the Fair Share program. Under this voluntary program each Unit is expected to come up with $50 per scout for FOS. This is above and beyond any Popcorn Sale.

 

Today I got the District newsletter. They are having a Nomination Conclave and are asking for at least one representative from each Unit to help identify potential nominees for the positions that need to be filled for the District Committee and Commissioners. As a Unit they want us to come up with names from the community-at-large to fill open positions at the District level. The Ship is having a tough time trying to get leaders for the unit now they want us to come with District people too.

 

Asking established units to do these things are hard enough but trying to get a new unit going along with this stuff is becoming overwhelming.

The Ship is not the only unit struggling with this.

I talked with a leader from another new unit that is struggling with this also.

 

It seems the answer to our problems is to make the unit do it.

 

 

[theysawyoucomin' 10]

My Scouting experience is not composed of decades long service.

I see folks at the district level being people who are dedicated to the program yet no longer have a son in a unit. They have many years of experience.

 

Front line folks should be just that. They should deal with the things that affect their unit. Especially in new units they should not be coming up with all these solutions for the DE. The district folks don't help run the meetings or help the SPL why should you run the district?

 

I do think that Fair share should be presented by unit folks. You know the parents, you serve the boys and the parents, and the parents are going to react to you better.

 

Training should be done at the district or higher level. There is a free exchange of ideas. Contacts are made thoughout the council or district. Plus this limits the unit doing things "because we've always done it this way".

 

Mandatory training is good.

 

I appreciate my DE more and more as I hear about others that are out there.