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Council Activities Overbooked


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Fun and work are subjective to the individuals and cannot be expected to be used as criteria when selecting a calendar date. In your case Eagle 92 a person would think that if the OA new that over the years that date was hurting them that the OA would have ....picked a different date?(This message has been edited by Bob White)

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Weather is also a limiting factor in many areas. We can't have WB in January/Feb here in Wisconsin because of the cold & snow. Realistically, most events with an outdoor component have to be crammed in from April-October.

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Regarding Eagle92's references to the conclave-Webelos conflict... in my neck of the woods, the term "conclave" only refers to gatherings of the OA Section, encompassing multiple councils, and for which dates are set 2-3 years in advance.

 

If that's the case, then I would generally expect some degree of conflict, as you're talking about coordinating the events of several councils and many districts. Seems like it would be easier for the local Webelos event to be scheduled around the conclave if the organizers expect Arrowmen to staff it.

 

If I misunderstand, however, please ignore what I just wrote. :)

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OK, I am late to the party here, I have been away.

 

In the Council I serve the Council has a Calender that is always scheduled 18 months out, so Districts know what is happening and if they schedule events on Council Events week end, well, that happens. When Disitrcts schedule activites that gets placed on the calendar as well. The OA weekends is always the week end after Labor day and before Memorial Day and everyone knows it. Would an advanced Council Calendar help? It wont prevent multiple activities on the same day, but it would give you notice of it when scheduling events

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Some of the things that I am talking about at things like

 

UoS Being held in on the same weekend as camp staff training and webelos OA weekend

 

That is going to take a lot of the adult leadership out of the picture. But then the council is going to make a comment to the effect of, "why do we do this when no one shows up" But there is at least 4 weekends in January and February that have nothing really scheduled.

 

That is what I am saying about poor planning and overbooking. Out of the entire UoS Course, how many are outside courses. I don't know, if someone could help me it would be appreciated.

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Shortridge and Bob White,

Shortridge is correct, in that I am discussing the section Conclave, which is always the same weekend in April, barring when that weekend is Easter, and is set 3 years in advance. District at one time did not have the conflict, but then a new person in charge of the event, scheduled it the same weekend as the conclave. She refused to move it, and every time I went to the district it was "the only open weekend." Fortunately the person who took over from her is active in the OA,(he just got Vigil this year), and changed the date for us. Heck he wanted to go to conclave too. ;)

 

 

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University of Scouting is merely the title of an event it is not a formal syllabus. It is not a set group of classes and can be anything which that particular council wants to include at that event.

 

Bob is correct but this doesn't address the problem. If, as SctDad posted

UoS Being held in on the same weekend as camp staff training and webelos OA weekend

will pose a problem with resources & leadership.

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In the past we have held our UoS in November and in January. Around here, a Nov. weekend might be glorious, or it could be 33 degrees and spitting freezing rain (ick). January probably means snow, though even there you can't be sure. Today I see grass and sunshine when I look out the window, even though it is in the low 20s. My council's UoS does include some outdoor classes and some would be rather difficult to hold in the dead of winter (plant ID, for example, is harder to do when plants are dead and/or covered with 3 feet of snow). Others could still be held outdoors but can be more challenging in bad weather (campfire cooking is a good example). Not impossible though.

 

The larger problems are finding appropriate staff to teach the courses at UoS, and ensuring adequate participation. If council and the districts and OA are holding competing activities that are supposed to draw from the same pool of people, that's not going to work so well, unless they're designed that way on purpose (maybe the webelos activities take place in the afternoon at the same location where the UoS classes of interest are being held in the morning?). I know we've expected OA to do various presentations as part of our UoS programs in the past so hopefully at least some of them could attend.

 

The best thing I can recommend is that you pick up the phone and call your district chair and your UoS chair and your OA folks, and maybe your DE. Tell them in regretful terms how much you'd like to participate in all of their activities (if in fact, that's the case), but that you can't because they scheduled everything at the same time. Express the hope that maybe they'll do something to work around that next year. Ask if they have plans along those lines. Even better, volunteer to be on staff for one (or more) of those events next year! That way, you'll be included in the planning process and can alert them to this problem, should it happen again.

 

 

 

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In my Council, the busiest months are April, May and October.

 

OA has 4 weekends a year.

District has 3 camporess a year.

Add all the Council dates, other District events, etc., it does not leave a lot of dates available.

 

Council has stated that their dates take preference. Doesn't matter if the District had already scheduled something.

 

I worked with a unit for 16 years so there were all those dates on top of the above. Now that I don't work with a unit, I guess you could say I have some free time. Just one question - where is it?

 

 

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Ummmmm, but SctDad, even if there were only one event scheduled that day how would it make a difference for you. You have a personal activity that you have already said you were going to that day. So why does it even matter to you that the day is double booked by the council?

 

Why complain to the council about an event date that you aren't even going to be involved in???

 

 

All the people going to the UofS that arent' Webelos leaders probably have no problem with the date, And the Webelos leaders can go the UofS another time when they are no longer Webelos Leaders. So why should the council be motivated by your concern when you aren't even planning to be at either event?

 

 

(This message has been edited by Bob White)

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BW

 

You are not seeing my point at all. What there is a CM out there that has the needed training for Webelos Outdoor activities but the Webelos den leader has not had the chance to get it. Now the CM then has to decide between UoS and Webelos weekend. Get more training like you are always harping on, or the Webelos Weekend. I am not saying that I am special, and that they should change this just for me. I know that there has to be someone else out there that has run into this problem. This is not about me. But if you must know, I am also looking at the larger picture, THE OVERALL PICTURE, of weekends being overbooked. I just used thhat particular weekend as one example.

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Okay let me see if I understand SctDad.

 

Because there might be Webelos Leader who was not been trained in time for an event on the calendar that he knew was coming, then the Cubmaster has to choose to go to a Webelos event rather than take the training he needs or wants, instead of just having the Webelos leader take the Den camping once he gets trained. And because of that, you want the Council to change an event date even though you arent going to either event anyway?

 

Did I get that right?

 

If I got any of the facts wrong please let me know what it was.

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