Attendance at District/Council Events

[CNYScouter 46]

How does your district do with Units attending District/Council Events?

 

Our council has a Scout Show coming up next Saturday.

Its at 4 different Shopping malls across the council.

 

I just found out that the mall the Ship is going to only 8 units from the district signed up.

 

2 out of 20 Packs

3 out of 18 Troops

2 Crews and the Ship out of 12 Venturing Units.

 

We are doing this with another District but dont have the numbers for them.

 

I also heard that the other Mall close by doesn't have very many units signed up either.

 

I though maybe that the Troops were not attending because of the Klondike Derby this weekend.

This only has about 8 Troops participating and the same 3 that are going to be at the Scout Show are also doing the Klondike Derby.

 

Almost every Venturing Crew I talked with says they need to do recruiting but the numbers show that not very many will be there show thier stuff and promote the unit.

 

When I was a kid in Scouts the Scout Show was one of the biggest events of the year and every unit had a display.

It was held either at the large local auditorium or at the fairgrounds.

We even got prizes for selling tickets similar to popcorn prizes.

It was attended by a large number of Scouts and many non-Scouters also.

 

Every 3 years there is a council-wide Camp-O-Ree with activities for all levels.

There is even an area for any WEBELOS that would like to camp.

Even then we are lucky if half the registered scouts and units in the council attend.

 

As a Scout I always found these types of events were most fun.

the Ship seems to have the most fun when we attend events with other units than to do things on our own.

We always seemed to meet other units and Scouts.

I always end up networking with other leaders to find out new places and events to attend.

 

Are we really that busy that units can not attend this type of event to promote Scouting?

Or is it just units cant be bothered with these if they have little or nothing to do with advancement?

 

[sst3rd 129]

CNYSCOUTER,

 

In the 60's, when my brother and I were in the Scouts, every May our Council had what it called then, a Scout-O-Rama. It was a weekend campout for the Boy Scouts, but there was the Scout Show during the day Saturday. Sounds very similar to your event. We'd sell tickets (and yes part of the proceeds went to the Council) to our parents and friends. The Troops would set up demonstrations of Scout skills outside, etc.. And the Packs set up demonstrations inside (this was at our state fair site). There were door prizes and ribbons for the demonstrations. There were even Troop competitions during the Scout Show to create Scouting Spirit. It was very successful until the late 70's. It then became a "day" event only, but started to struggled to get the Troops and Packs to participate.

I'm guessing maybe 6 or 7 years ago, the Council gave it up. I think they finally figured that the units simply wanted that time for unit activities and camping trips, and all the Scout Show was becoming, was a fundraiser for the Council. And we haven't heard anyone around our District saying they missed it. I think it was a good move. Scouting marches onward.

This fall, our Council is having our Council Camporee. It's helded approximately every 4 or 5 years. All of the ones I've gone to over the years, have been well attended. If the Council makes this one special, unique, exciting, and challenging (as they done in the past), there'll be a big turn out.

Yes, time is everything.

 

sst3rd