Alumni participation in your troop

[JerseyScout 10]

How is troop alumni participation in your troop? In what ways do they participate?

 

At 28, I am my troop's Scoutmaster (I started as an Asst. Scoutmaster at 22). Our Committee Chairman is 24, and took over that position at age 22. I have an 18 year old Assistant Scoutmaster and two committee members under 30 (28 and 27). 11 of our Troop's 27 merit badge counselors are under the age of 30.

 

Most of the alumni have returned to the troop in the last three years after hearing that the troop was being run into the ground after our Scoutmaster of 20 years retired (boy-led troop to adult led troop, high adventure to "let's sit down and work on merit badges, the kids never cooking their own food, and even tents were starting on their way out in favor of cabinsm). I hadn't really though twice about it (wouldn't you go back to save your old troop?) until visiting Cub Scout parents commented on it, but the more troops I see at council events and just around, the weirder this seems. I figured if there was a place to ask, this was it.

 

This also does not downplay our parent participation. After a slow, teeth-pulling start (we had an old group of kids with parents who were used to not being involved, only two new kids had been recruited in three years), the parents of the bazillion new Scouts we've recruited have been absolutely awesome, helping out with their time and talent.

[moosetracker 132]

I always think of Alumni as those that left the troop 10 or more years ago.. But your right, Alumni is those that left the troop.

 

We have 4 over 18's that are still around, but since they never left I don't think they are alumni.

 

We have one Alumni that just brought his son into the program.

 

I always felt bad, the old SM of the troop that was the SM for about 20 years and from what I can tell had a very active group of scouts wanted to come back. The COR at the time said "No", due to I guess he was a member of the church that is our CO and the COR found him too controling and a perfectionist that no one else was right. I still felt that you could control his overpowering the troop by giving him a small position, but it was not very scout like to deny his return.

 

[Eagle92 110]

the troop I was in as a youth and young leader did have a somewhat active "alumni" as we had folks visiting in the summer and various breaks. One troop in my district has more under 21 ASMs as members b/c they get together during the breaks.

[acco40 95]

Cabinism - I like this term. Must be some sort of hybrid of cannibalism and cannibis. :0

[Gunny2862 11]

I see two questions here.

One is regrading the program you are providing.

The other is about the alumni coming back - ostensibly to put it back on the previous path.

 

Dealing with one - is the Troop healthy? - are you attracting boys? - are you delivering what they think Scouting is? are you delivering opportunities to build character? to have Adventure?

 

Dealing with the other, This may be unpopular and probably wrong but if you are delivering, then we usually acknowledge here that there are more than one way to deliver the program, some are seen as closer to the Founders Intent and others go so far as to be call Eagle Mills.

Frankly there are enough Troops that are doing things differently than mine in this area that I have no problem attracting Scouts who want to camp. If they want to go to School on weekly meetings - I'm more than happy to have them join some of the other Troops. If Adults want to run a program then I'm just as happy they are working at other Troops too. For me I'm putting my faith in the Boys and trusting that given the opportunity they will step up and lead - it does frustrate me at times when they epically fail an easy event but it isn't about how well I can push boys thru something (If I ever get than need to do that I'll go work with the Young Marines program.) It's as much about how much they learn from their success AND their failures.

 

As to our Alumni, they've been awesome. We are transitioning from Adult led to boy led - against strong feelings from some of the alumni, and yet they have morally, financially and from a knowledge-base standpoint supported the Troop. When they want to or are asked they show up - if it doesn't run they way they want it to they tend to either leave or at least sit down and not interrupt whats going on. I think they're great considering they really would prefer the whole adult led scenario.