Fun with Numbers?

[dan]

scoutldr said in another post that his council signs up camp staff as a Crew. I know that my council does this with a certain leadership training course. I really think this is not a honest thing to do.

Every staffer is already either registered in a troop or crew.

Am I wrong thinking that is just fun with numbers?

 

[scottteng]

They have been doing this for a while so year to year there isn't any change in the number of crews. I do not see how the numbers would be affected. We also have youth that are in a troop and are members of a crew they are only counted once. We also have adults who wear more than one official hat they are not counted multiple times. Every position one holds they want an app. for. You have your primary which goes to your unit and is submitted with money, and if you are a MBC you fill out another app for the district advancement person,if you are a range master another app.,helping a pack another app..

In my opinion they probably do this to be able to enforce the paperwork needed. Remember all those summer camp forms permission to treat, picture release, health information. Most summer camp staffers are not adults what if one of them has an accident? Just like the troops they would need paperwork from the staffers. Then think of this, what if it was your employer asking for all that info? Most of us would scream bloody murder that health info etc is none of their business. So making the staff into a crew with all the attendant paperwork makes some sense. You can get them treated if need be, not pay royalties when their picture shows up on some troops website, and generally enforce scout like behavior.

[scoutingagain]

"Every staffer is already either registered in a troop or crew. "

 

Not necessarily so. Every staff member must be registered in a troop or crew at our council camp but may not be at the time they apply for a position at camp. By establishing a Camp Staff Crew, the camp director is then able to hire qualified employees who may not be actively registered in a troop or crew at the time of their expression of initial interest in employment.

 

I don't know if it is a numbers game, but it is a bureacratic workaround to fill key positions on camp staff that may not be able to be filled from the ranks of actively registered scouts and scouters.

 

SA

 

[OldGreyEagle]

the issue I have with Camp Crews is very specific to my situation and would like to see how other Councils handle this situation. The Council Office is located in the District where I live. Since the Council in located in this District, the Three camp Crews the COuncil maintains for the three camps are registered in this Distrct. As I am the Assistant Disitrict Commissioner for Venturing, I have been responsible for making sure all Crews recharter on time, have an active program, encourage a youth run program, etc.

 

In the past, having the Camp Crews in this District has cost the District Quality Distrct status because the principles who were to sign the recharter form werent available, off at school. The Advisor and Committee Chair change so often, we cant have them sign the recharter at the end of the summer as it will change by January. There is no earning of recognition awards, there are no regular "meetings" and with the Cenntenial Award its even more of a joke, no one will be earning recognitions, there will not be monthly outings to improve attendance on and how does a commissioner attend non-existent meetings. And oh yes, the camps are not located any where close to me.

 

The one thing I can say is the Camp Crews certainly lead the Councils units in nights camped, but thats about it. How do other Councils handle the Camp crews?

[dan]

The numbers would be effected because number of units are tracked along with number of members. I know that they are not suppose to double count if a person is registered in more than one unit. I just do not think that Council/District/National has the ability or manpower to do this, to much paperwork to sort through to find this information.

 

I do not see why they could not get all of the medical forms without filling out a application.

 

My experience is not with camp but with NYLT.

 

I am still looking for a good reason why this is a good idea.

 

I wonder if the Philmont staff is a crew? I know that some staff there are not a member of a BSA unit.

 

Am I making to much out of this? it seems dishonest to me.

 

[TheScout]

A camp crew is not needed to get staff that are not registered members of the BSA. In our council the Camp Director just finds some local troop to sign them up with so they can be members for the national inspection.

 

For that reason Philmont staff might not have to be BSA members as they do not have the BSA Resident Camp inspection. (But that is just speculation)