Quality Unit.

[Second Class 49]

The fact that GOLD is the highest award instead if SILVER tells me that the corporate designers of this Quality Unit Award aren't scouters and never were scouts.

 

Making GOLD the highest dumps 100 years of history... They responded to my letter that GOLD is easier to understand. (Forget teachable moments).

 

My unit scored in the low 2800's last year. With a troop that has added 15 new scouts and camps 10 times a year, it is going to be difficult to "improve" on these metrics. This entire form is designed for small troops that camp twice a year, ran by one guy and his wife.

 

Very discouraging. JMO

 

And changing the name every three years is getting old, too. Rant off.

 

[Eagle732 27]

Agree. We scored Gold last year and will not participate this year.

I've got better things to do than compile data for the Professionals.

I considered letting the scouts do it but they have better things to do with their time too.

Now if someone can convince me of the importance of JTE then maybe I'll reconsider.

[SeattlePioneer 144]

In my opinion, the JTE is a useful exercise in goal setting and management.

 

The metrics are a reasonable list of things a good unit might reasonably be doing.

 

Identifying where a unit scored last year and setting goals for the current year and reviewing them periodically during the year may help units get to a level they want to be at.

 

Some units may not want to do that --- which is fine. Others may find it a useful exercise.

[Eagle732 27]

Problem is they're BSA's goals, not the unit's goals.

 

 

 

[raisinemright 13]

As a Pack Leader several years ago, we set a high metric for Gold of something like 90% retention. We had 100%, but that wasn't good enough because they counted the 6 Webelos II who all moved on to a troop as lost scouts that put us below our goal.

 

At that point, I decided to skip the whole Quality Unit charade.

[Second Class 49]

Raisenrigth, the scouts that age out should not be counted against you. Somebody didn't read the form right.

 

I'm all for goal setting; I do it every year for myself, for my troop and for my family.

 

A high performing troop struggles to "improve", given the way JTE is structured.

[qwazse 4342]

A high performing troop can get gold even if they don't have perfect recruitment. You might not improve your score every year and still be repeatedly gold. (And yes, it does bug me that gold was put higher than silver.)

[RememberSchiff 3663]

As for the Gold-Silver inconsistency, I attribute it to ignorance of Professionals who often make me wonder if they were scouts or troop scouters. Look for some committee at National to change the Eagle medal from silver to gold (colored), because going for the gold is "easier to understand". Oh, Arrow points will now start first at silver and then subsequently be gold, oh-oh, better start at bronze, then silver, then gold just like the Olympics. Another example of inconsistency for no good reason is the proper size, shape, use, and wear of the neckerchief. Anyway, I share your disappointment and disapproval.

 

The good news, the Quality Unit Award doesn't matter, help your PLC decide the troop goals and reach them.

 

Oh a "silver" (not gold) lining to last weekend's forum virus, reminded old Schiff to get a flu virus shot.

 

My $0.02,

 

[Eagle732 27]

Agreed, but lets make it easy:

 

Go camping

Have trained leaders

 

Who cares how many Court of Honors you have of if you do a budget?

Maybe your unit does't emphasize advancement or recruit Webelos

 

When our Roundtable Commish held up the JTE form in front of all the WDLs and says "This is how you should be judging what units your Webs go to" I decided I would not participate.

 

And if your unit doesn't fill it out your DE will do it for you. He'll even sign it for you!

[Brewmeister 132]

 

Problem is they're BSA's goals, not the unit's goals.

 

We are all part of the BSA and this is what the BSA has decided are good measurements of overall quality. The Methods of patrols, outdoor programs, advancement, etc., and aims such as fitness are in there. I would think these would be unit goals as well.

[Eagle732 27]

One set of goals is what's best for every troop in the entire country? Just because BSA says so?

 

I'd rather have a UC visit my troop, see what's going on, offer some help if needed. make some suggestions, and follow up.

 

 

(This message has been edited by Eagle732)

[OldGreyEagle 5]

In one of the recent versions of Honor Unit/Quality Unit/JTE wasn't it up to the Units to come up with their own goals and what resulted was such a wide array of "goals" that they had to standardize it?

[BSA24 10]

> We are all part of the BSA and this is what the

> BSA has decided are good measurements of overall quality.

 

We are all volunteers who run franchises of BSA's program, and this is what BSA has decided makes a good franchise for them.

 

It has nothing to do with what makes good scouting for youth.

 

FTFY

[Brewmeister 132]

So, do you know a lot of quality units that would not score highly as Quality Units?

[Oak Tree 15]

I like the new Quality Unit idea.

 

Personally, I like gold over silver, because 99% of the population (or more) would say that gold ranks above silver, because of the Olympics, if nothing else. In fact, most of my Scouts believe that a gold palm is higher than a silver palm.

 

The old form, where you set your own goals, was laughable. If you want a good score, set a low goal.

 

Here it's true that the goals are the BSA's. But they are goals that most units are working towards anyway. A strong unit doesn't have much trouble making gold, from what I can see.