What do do with 'bad apples' ? [Archive]

BelieveInScouting

03-13-2007, 11:13 AM

Our district is falling apart.

There is a large unit in our district (pack, troop, crew) that is taking over. The people running it are the kind of people who want everything their way and try to control everything. In the last two years it's grown to that every single district position is held by someone in those Units.

They do things that are NOT by the book and many people have had bad experiences with these people, yet they have reached a point of 'power' where anyone that tries to stand up to them, will get shoved out. Once they decide you're too much trouble, they find a way to make it so you'll quit.

It's to the point where if I decided to try to do something about this... to say something... I'd have to skip the first 4 rungs of the ladder to go high enough to get someone that's impartial. Even then it's a risk because this person has embedded himself into a council position.

I'm even hesitant to go into too much detail on here...

A J Mako

03-13-2007, 12:45 PM

Our district is falling apart.
[snip]
I'm even hesitant to go into too much detail on here...

No need to go into details.

This group of Scouters you're talking about have the power because everyone let them have it. Run the numbers (you don't have to answer these questions online). How many units are there in your district? How many chartering organizations? Each one of those chartering organizations has a vote on who gets to be in charge of the district. Take the number of chartering organizations and subtract one (don't have my resources, so I hope my memory is right). That's the number of Members-at-large there are in your district. Each of them also has a vote on who gets to be in charge of the district. The people currently in charge of the district got there because there was a vote and probably the only people who showed up were on their side.

You can stand up and say something without jumping any rungs. Start with your own COR. Talk to other Scouters in other units who feel the same way you do and get them to talk to their COR's. Encourage those COR's to get involved in the district--they can't be shoved out, they are the district.

If the people running the district are breaking the rules, get documentation. Take it to your COR--he or she can jump rungs in the ladder because they also have a vote in who gets to run the council as well. Get to know the Council Commissioners. Get to know the Council President. Above all, be a person who is only interested in helping make Scouting better. Don't give anyone a reason to believe you are rocking the boat simply because you want to be captain.

This is a grassroots process. It will take time and a lot of effort. You are essentially conducting a revolution, an insurgency, so your most important weapon is unity. You have to be united and build your forces until you outnumber the guys who've seized power. And remember to keep your ultimate weapon in reserve. Use it only as a last resort. That is, cut off the funds--FOS, popcorn, whatever. The mere threat of that will get the council's attention pretty quick. But you better have a good case.

BelieveInScouting

03-13-2007, 03:30 PM

What wonderful advice! Sounds like a revolution is needed :) I hope I can hang in there to do this, and I only hope that I can rally enough people who aren't afraid to speak up. I approach someone with this, they say, "I agree with you, but I don't want to ruffle feathers because I don't want my son to go through h*ll to get his Eagle..."

I wish I could go to the COR. Problem is, the COR is one of the minions. It's like The Mob - the units are deeply imbedded in the Charter Organization, and the Charter Organization comes up with unbelievable amounts of money for its Units. This is a good thing, but it ties people's hands. The Troop Committee Chair is a family member ... the DE is ... well ... brand new and drinking the koolaid. The rest of Key Three? Attached to those Units.

I'd have to go to - at minimum - lower to mid council level. Even then, many council people are drinking the koolaid because this guy has established a Council program that's just taking off.

See where I'm going with this? It's scary.

Nuts4Scouts

03-13-2007, 06:28 PM

"Drinking the koolaid"? Minions?

You state that "the units are deeply imbedded in the Charter Organization". They are SUPPOSED to be. The Charter Org OWNS it's units!

You state you can't go to your COR because he is part of the problem (minion?). From this it sounds like you are a member of one of this CO's units. As AJ stated, a District has more than 1 Charter Org in it. In fact, an average District can have a few HUNDRED Charter Organizations! That means a few HUNDRED COR's! If only ONE out of 100 or 200 or more, COR's is doing all of the work in a District than shame on the other Charter Orgs.

If you have a problem with your CO, the leaders of it's units, & the way those units are run, then go to a different Troop, owned by a different CO. Get active in that Troop & convince that COR to get active in their District & Council. If the District volunteers are making boys go thru "h*ll" to get their Eagle if their families disagree with something those volunteers do, than take it up with the Council level volunteers or the Council Scout Executive.

BTW - There is nothing stopping YOU from volunteering at the District or Council level and becoming a "minion" yourself!

ScoutmasterJerry

03-14-2007, 11:19 PM

I really don't believe that I just read these posts...Nuts.. you are about the only believable one here...
CO's imbeaded... agree.. they own the units. Scouting 101.

SO.. What does the DE say about all this?
Were have the professionals been (SE, DD, DE etc).

I agree to that "YOU LET THIS HAPPEN"
If you are upset about what, and I am sure that others are too... what are you doing about it?
Oh and by the way... the CO's have a Vote at the Council level... get your CO on board and have their vote heard.

I find it hard to believe that this all has happened and other sat by and watched. Never saw it coming.... hmmmm

I agree with Nuts... re read his post and get involved in the process.. join the District committee...

BelieveInScouting

03-15-2007, 12:02 AM

I really don't believe that I just read these posts...Nuts.. you are about the only believable one here...
CO's imbeaded... agree.. they own the units. Scouting 101. ...

Wow. You sound really supportive. Very scout-like.

If I went into the whole thing here, you'd understand, but I don't want to. There are many details that I'd rather not share on an public message board. Write me privately and I'll give more information.

I was involved on the District level - and wore several hats. Because of the politics, I bowed out - as have many other GOOD people from across the District. It was an evolution that took a couple of years.

I did not "let this happen" - You're BLAMING ME? It was going on before I got involved on the District Level. It's bigger than me, way bigger than me.

I know it sounds crazy, but it IS happening - and it's bad. People just don't want to ruffle feathers, they'd rather just sit back and pretend it's not going on.

Trust me, I will do something about it, I just have to figure out HOW. I thought I could come in here and get some support.

Nuts4Scouts

03-15-2007, 11:42 AM

Jerry is not blaming you personally, but rather all of the folks in the District & the COR's specifically.

From a post by AJ MAKO -
This group of Scouters you're talking about have the power because everyone let them have it.

To have every District volunteer come from only one Charter Organization means that no one else in the District could be bothered to volunteer. It means that all of the other hundred or so CO's never attended Council and/or District meetings and participated in the running of their District/Council, or just did not care.

Yes, politics can get nasty. Just look at Chicago Council. However, we are here for the BOYS, & in my opinion, making sure that the unit my son is in delivers the best possible BSA program to him & the other boys is top priority. If there is a problem with the unit, then find one that does a better job of delivering the program.

If there is a problem with your District, go to the other Charter Orgs in your District. Go to your DE. Go to your SE. Have documented facts to back up your stories.

A J Mako

03-15-2007, 02:04 PM

SO.. What does the DE say about all this? Were have the professionals been (SE, DD, DE etc).

Jerry,
I don't think it matters what the DE has to say about how the district manages to function. It's not the DE's job to manage the district or make sure more than one CO is represented on the district committee. The DE is an advisor, someone who represents the BSA and links the district to the PR/Fundraising/Sales side of the council. Yes, the DE is one of the Key Three, but he's not the top guy in the district.

The DE has responsibilities, but those responsibilities deal mostly with day-to-day fundraising and public relations and management of council resouces. The people who are supposed to make sure the district functions are the district committee, and that means the COR's and Members-at-large who are voting memebers. The people in the council who are supposed to make sure the districts are functioning and provide advice and help are the Council Commissioners--representatives of the Council Committee.

I'm going to make a guess as to why BelieveInScouting's district is falling apart. The COR position is considered a throw-away, no-responsibility position. At some point the district had a DCom who couldn't recruit enough commissioners. The support the district was suppose to provide stopped and units ended up striking off on their own. The remaining people involved in the district lost their focus and instead looked after their own interests. When units had problems or needed help they went to the only guy they ever saw, the DE, but the DE doesn't have time to do his job and the commissioner's job.

Eventually the units shut off all interaction with the district except where they had no choice--Eagle applications, training, and district activities. How did one unit get to be in charge of the whole district? Simple, since the district never did anything for the units, the only unit that would be willing to take on those positions would be the strongest, biggest, wealthiest unit. Being in charge of the district adds to their prestige--especially when they start counting the number of adults from their unit who've received the District Award of Merit, Silver Beaver, and other awards.

When the district gets to that state the DE might not like it, but what can he do to change it? He's got a full time job just doing the things in his job description. And eventually the political focus of the Key Three will be doing whatever it takes to guarantee the DE's paycheck. Tweak the books so the district earns Quality District and the DE earns all his bonuses and everyone thinks the district is running just fine. No one bothers them about doing things the right way. Anyone from outside the clique who tries to get involved runs into the political machine and either becomes a part of it, or gets run over by it. Lesson: the district doesn't work, don't bother getting involved.

ScoutmasterJerry

03-15-2007, 11:43 PM

AJ et al-

I understand how the program works and BelieveinScouting.. I am not blaming you...
I am actually stymied by the fact that entire District is in collaps because of one CO... or so it seems.

"Very Scout like"... gimme us a break, you brought this up. Its kinda like Tonya Harding bucking for Saint hood...
We are all just trying to understand a situation which seems very unique at best... and truth be told, I am glad this is not the norm.
One peeking in on the conversation would be lead to believe that ALL units or Districts are that way given the limit insight to the situation.

I sincerely apologize if I ruffled feathers... but hey IN MY OPINION... this seems a bit unreal and I find it tough to believe that no one at the District level is doing anything to help.
So far as the DE... if he, the District Commissioner, and the District Chairman are not jumping all over this... than I really see why the District is in disrepair.

Did not mean to come across "Un Scoutlike".. but you gave us only so much to chew on... and maybe my keyboard made it sound unfriendly... Sorry...

A J Mako

03-16-2007, 12:12 PM

I am actually stymied by the fact that entire District is in collaps because of one CO... or so it seems.

Jerry,
That's just it, the district isn't collapsing because of one CO, it's collapsing because of all the other CO's. Look, the guys running that district probably don't think they're doing anything wrong. They probably think they're doing exactly what has to be done to save the district. Power corrupts--absolute power corrupts absolutely.

We are all just trying to understand a situation which seems very unique at best... and truth be told, I am glad this is not the norm.
One peeking in on the conversation would be lead to believe that ALL units or Districts are that way given the limit insight to the situation.

Unfortunately, the situation described isn't all that unique. My "guess" is actually a slight exaggeration of what my district looked like several years ago. It's what other districts I've worked in looked like. Most districts are somewhere between what I described and something less than what the BSA expects a district to look like. That's why the BSA's new strategic plan includes programs like ScoutParents and other initiatives to increase adult participation, and a distinct focus on getting districts to provide quality support to the units.

but hey IN MY OPINION... this seems a bit unreal and I find it tough to believe that no one at the District level is doing anything to help.
So far as the DE... if he, the District Commissioner, and the District Chairman are not jumping all over this... than I really see why the District is in disrepair.

And therein lies a major part of the problem. Suppose one or all three of the Key Three did jump all over this. What exactly can they do? Sure, they could approach all those other CO's and units asking for volunteers, but what happens when the units refuse? What happens when the Key Three tries to recruit others but the only one's willing to volunteer are from that one unit? Hey, a lot of good, dedicated Scouters tried to turn my district around with almost no success. Why? Because the job was so big it sucked the dedication right out of them. It's like facing a pile of logs 600 feet tall and being told to turn it into firewood with fingernail clippers. It's possible, but after about 15 minutes you'll be thinking there are other things you could be doing with your life.

FRUSTRATED SCOUTMASTER

03-18-2007, 08:18 AM

AJ MAKO:

Your comments about this whole situation are right on the mark.
As a District Committe Member myself, I have seen first hand how a single member of the Board tries to dominate everything. He feels his Troop should be in charge of everything. I have started to "ruffle feathers" because I have started to speak up and say that there are other units in the District besides his. I have also recruited some members from my old Troop to sit on the District Board to counter this person's domination. I might take awhile to change the mentality of our District, but I am going to keep on trying.
Regarding the DE, Yes he has many more fish to fry than just the District Committee. Our DE is is very sharp and knows what is going on. He. also, is making changes slowly so as to bring the District more into line with BSA Policies and Procedures. If he steps on people's toes or "ruffles their feathers", so be it.
Everyone has to remember that District belongs to all the units and not just one.
I am there to serve the whole District and all the boys and Adults involved in the Scouting Program. I hope that this does not sound "Pollyanish" to some but I have only the best interest of Scouting in my heart.
Just my thoughts as a District Committee Member.

Bob Klimas
District Committee Member
Concord District BSA
Concord, N.C.

ScoutmasterJerry

03-18-2007, 11:54 PM

AJ-

Thanks for adding more to the story.. I still don't have the picture, but you have painted it clear enough for me to know that what you have is a mess.
Along with being a Scoutmaster, I am the PR guy for the District Committee. And I am sure that the District is as you stated "somewhere between what I described and something less than what the BSA expects a district to look like". But what we have is something that is working to meet the intent of Scoutings Aims. That I am certain is at the heart of the committee.
Chartering Partners are a principle in the process and can have some influence. I do not see a lot of the CO influence in our District with the exception of the LDS wards which provide meeting places (for Roundtable and Training etc). They could have a certain level of "Say so" if the District committee allowed it I suppose.

I will conceed that I have nothing more on this issue.. you got me...
Again I would like to apologize for ruffeling any feathers. I hope your situation gets better or at least changes to meet the needs of the Scouts.. After all..thats why we do this..right?

YIS

A J Mako

03-19-2007, 12:18 PM

Thanks for adding more to the story.. I still don't have the picture, but you have painted it clear enough for me to know that what you have is a mess.

Jerry,
I don't have a mess. BelieveInScouting started this thread. I don't really know exactly what the picture in his district looks like either. I just guessed based on my experience.

Chartering Partners are a principle in the process and can have some influence. I do not see a lot of the CO influence in our District with the exception of the LDS wards which provide meeting places (for Roundtable and Training etc). They could have a certain level of "Say so" if the District committee allowed it I suppose.

Woh, time out. The CO's could have a certain level of "say so" if the district committee allowed it? Jerry, you need to take a look at how district operations are supposed to work. The CO's ARE the district. The CO's decide who's in charge of the district committee, and the district committee has what "say so" they have because the CO's gave it to them. If you don't see a lot of them it's because they're being ignored--no one is talking to them about their responsibilities and therefore they aren't fulfilling those responsibilities.

COR

03-19-2007, 05:18 PM

They could have a certain level of "Say so" if the District committee allowed it I suppose.

Question Authority (and self-aggrandizement).:D

BelieveInScouting

03-19-2007, 07:21 PM

[QUOTE=A J Mako;492]I'm going to make a guess as to why BelieveInScouting's district is falling apart.

Everything you guessed ... is exactly what is going on. I knew it couldn't be unique.

BelieveInScouting

03-19-2007, 07:28 PM

And therein lies a major part of the problem. Suppose one or all three of the Key Three did jump all over this. What exactly can they do? Sure, they could approach all those other CO's and units asking for volunteers, but what happens when the units refuse? What happens when the Key Three tries to recruit others but the only one's willing to volunteer are from that one unit?

The problem here, is that besides the DE, the other two of the Key 3 happen to BE people IN that monsterous, powerful unit.

1st Mate

03-25-2007, 04:28 PM

I know I am new here but if I may offer an observation. As I understand it the purpose of this website is to encourage parents to become active participants in scouting with their children to help strengthen the program and their child's experience.

This thread would scare the bejeebies out of me as a new parent. How will this encourage me to want to join or help?

A note to new parents: The BSA provides training for every position at every leavel. One very positive thing you could as a parent whether you register or not is take the firts level of training call New Leader essentials so that you understand the structure of scouting from the unit all way to the National office.

Then..insist that every registered adult in your childs unit complete their basic training in the first 6 months NO EXCEPTIONS. Trained leadership would have stopped this problem before it started. Trained leadership will solve it.

Some of what has been said on this thread is exactly what you learn in BSA training. Much of what was said is not. I have seen nuts4scouting's posts in other forums and I have always been impressed with his or her understanding of the program. Nuts4scouting is right on the money.

This is one of the great examples as to why more parents are needed in the program and why more trained leaders are needed. My suggestion to Believe in Scouting is to refresh your training information as to the relationship between the troop program and the responsibilities of the District. It seems by your posts that you are allowing far too much influence on your units program by your feelings toward the politics (real or imagined) of the District committee.

I would let the district committee decide if they have a problem or not, and I would focus on the unit's program. Most scouts never even need to know that the district exists. Their only concern is the quality of their last unit meeting and the expectation of the next one.

You deserve to have fun in scouting as well as the scouts. If the District committee functions are no longer fun for you then put them aside for a while and recapture your joy in scouting through the unit.

Fair Winds and Following Seas
1st Mate

1st Mate

03-25-2007, 04:29 PM

Sorry I double clutched ;)

BelieveInScouting

03-25-2007, 05:51 PM

I wish I could write one or two of you privately and tell you what's really going on. It's a nightmare.

I've gone to my DE, but I can't go to the other 2 of the Key 3 because one of the Key 3 IS part of the problem.

You say 'Take Training' ??? What happens if things start to happen that are against what you learned in training?

It's a situation where one of the Key 3 was allowed to keep his position in his unit and it's all turned into one big dysfunctional district. The other of the Key 3 is also with that Unit, this big, powerful Unit that someone else mentioned in an earlier post.

My DE says that there's not much to be done now, because District Committee positions are up in a couple of months, and he encouraged me to go for a District position.

I've spent the better part of last week calling people that I know throughout the district to see if they'll step up, and no one wants to. Everyone is sick of what's happened over the last 2 years, and they've disappeared into their own units to make things work on their own.

I've tried to tell them that things will change and we need good people to fill the positions and we can "take back" our district, but they're just not showing any interest.

I would LOVE to take a Key 3 Position, but I can't because I can't afford to give up what I'm doing with my own Unit.

If anyone wants anymore information, they can contact me privately and I'll go into more detail...

1st Mate

03-25-2007, 06:26 PM

The role of the District Committee is to help the scouting community grow in the areas of membership, manpower and finances. It also has a service branch which provides training, activities, and advancement support as well as unit service in the form of a Commissioner service branch.

Any individual unit can have a successful program without ever needing the servioces of the District committee. A healthy unit in fact has no need of the district at all. The district is a geographical subdivision of the council for the purpose of ease of administration.

They have no authority over a scout unit unless BSA policies are transgressed. So they have no effect on your unit program if you have a strong program. If a district is not doing there assigned responsibilities then don't weorry they will be replaced in short order. How do I know? Because if they are not doing their job then the District will not meet their goals and the council watches those goals intensely.

So be patient. Focus on the quality of the unit program. Give the district volunteers and professional the chance to succeed or learn from their mistakes. Focus on the fun of unit scouting. If you are needed at the District level, believe me, they will come looking for you.

If your involved in a unit then focus on the unit. Remember the serenity prayer... God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

You need more patience now than courage.

Fair Winds and Following Seas,
1st Mate

BelieveInScouting

03-25-2007, 07:52 PM

So be patient. Focus on the quality of the unit program. Give the district volunteers and professional the chance to succeed or learn from their mistakes. Focus on the fun of unit scouting. If you are needed at the District level, believe me, they will come looking for you.

If your involved in a unit then focus on the unit. Remember the serenity prayer... God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

You need more patience now than courage.

Fair Winds and Following Seas,
1st Mate

That is just about where I am at this point. I'm devoted to my own unit and that's how it will stay.

1st Mate

03-25-2007, 09:12 PM

Thats great I hope the break will help to refresh you. I would aslo like to clarify (or retract) something I wrote that on review doesn't sound like what the voices in my head were telling me.

It's not that strong units do need District service, They do. They need training resources, forms etc. What they don't need is administrative assistance that weaker units require.

Hope this helps to clarify that.:rolleyes:

WB Bear

03-26-2007, 01:57 AM

Very good point.

A J Mako

03-26-2007, 12:38 PM

It's not that strong units do need District service, They do. They need training resources, forms etc. What they don't need is administrative assistance that weaker units require.

You know, this is why my suggestion was for unit leaders to encourage their COR's to get more involved.

Units need a lot more from the district than just training, etc. The district is responsible for providing support. All those other things you mentioned (membership, finance, etc.) are there only to support the units. Wanna grow Scouting in the community? How can you do that when you can't keep weaker units from folding? Stronger units don't need as much support, but the funny thing is, they're the only units strong enough to provide the manpower needed to support the weaker units.

It won't do any good trying to grow Scouting in the community if the district can't keep units alive more than a year. What happens? Convince a bunch of kids Scouting is fun and they sign up. Convince their parents to be the leaders, and promise them the district will help. Then what? The first thing that disappeared in my district when it started falling apart were UC's. Without them there's no communication between the unit and the district (assuming the unit has a typical COR). No communication means those parents recruited to be a unit are left to their own devices. Pretty soon the unit folds. All those people are left with one impression of Scouting: "those guys are big fat liars."

Well, I personally don't want people to have that impression. I don't think it's right that so many young men are sold on Scouting enough to join, find out their troop doesn't do anything, get bored and leave thinking that's what Scouting is. So I'm happy there is such a thing as ScoutParents. I'm happy about the BSA's new strategic plan. Yes, this thread isn't very encouraging, but this topic needs to be discussed. If not in this forum, where? People experiencing this sort of problem in their community need to know they aren't alone and there are ways to fix it. They need to know that this is not the normal, intended way the district works. They need to know why it needs fixed. And odd as it may seem, there really is a chance some parent might be encouraged to look around their own district and see where they can help.

WB Bear

03-26-2007, 03:09 PM

Units can be self sustaining. What it takes is good trained leaders, parental involvement and a supportive CO who follow the program. It is possible to have a district, which might have some deficiencies, but a unit can survive. There can also be a snowball effect with a strong unit within a weaker district. If a unit is operating effectively it can provide motivation for other units and also can provide the district with great resources.

I agree totally with you about promising the boys and there parents a great program and not delivering it is terrible. In troubled districts, and like you said they are the ones without UC’s, this is a big problem. The DE, who is on the front line if there are no volunteers, along with the Council Commissioner Service and the Council committees (Training, Membership etc) need put together a plan to get these new parents the tools they will need to provide a program for their boys.

1st Mate

03-26-2007, 03:15 PM

Yes, this thread isn't very encouraging, but this topic needs to be discussed.

Perhaps it does in some councils but certainly not in all, and perhaps not on a site where the the goal is is encourage more parents to join scouting.

We are part of a huge organization that operates primarily by volunteers who come from all walks of life. Some will be better program leaders and administrators than others. Some units will be strong for a long time then go through a slow down and then a rebuilding stage. If you are looking for the tens of thousands of units, the millions of members the hundreds of councils to all be at the top of their game at all times...It aint gonna happen.

There will always be problems somewhere. A great rule of leadership is to praise in public and correct in private. There are local and national training and support resources available to units that need help. They exist for for that specific purpose. I was under the impression that this site was about how to recruit more parents INTO scouting?

Do you think spending more time spent praising scouting would be more effective in achieving that goal?

Then other BSA resources that are designed to help solve localized problem can be used for that purpose and done more privately.

Just a thought,

Nuts4Scouts

03-26-2007, 04:07 PM

The ScoutParent site itself might have as it's goal to encourage more parents to join Scouting, but that is not the only purpose. From the ScoutParents Action Plan - "Develop, produce, promote, offer, and execute GREAT Scouting through marketing plans and materials for Scouting participants to utilize in maximizing the quality of program in every unit and providing it to every eligible youth."

This particular part of the ScoutParents site is a Discussion Forum. ScoutParents states that the Forum is "for members to ask questions and explore ideas with each other."

The part of the Discussion Forum this particular thread is in is called the Leaders Forum. The description of this forum is as follows - "This forum is for leader parents-mentors currently involved in Scouting as a registered adult volunteer. Please share your thoughts, ideas, and questions on the Scouting issues that matter most to you."

The area of the Leaders Forum this is in is titled - Charter/District/Council Issues.

This means that the purpose of this area is to give current registered adult volunteers a place to discuss any issues they might be having with their Charter Organization, District or Council in order to ensure that their unit is providing a quality program to their Scouts.

While this discussion might be somewhat scary to new parents, it's purpose is not to encourage new parents to join BSA, but to help a parent who has already joined, is involved in their sons unit, and has a problem, find a solution to that problem.

If any new parents, or prospective parents, read these posts I hope they come away with the knowledge that if they ever do decide to join BSA, & if they decide to help with their son's unit, they will not be set adrift with no help, or mentoring, at all. I hope that they realize that if they ever find themselves in need of help that they can come here, ask for help, and receive it.

1st Mate

03-26-2007, 05:03 PM

BelieveInScouting

06-03-2007, 10:39 AM

The BSA has within its structure at the local and national level several well prepared resources as well as trained volunteers and professionals that can help sove almost any problem a unit might face.

One of the advantages of being a 97 years old is that you get to see and solve pretty much any problem that can arise in your program.

<snipped for brevity>

If the purpose of the site is to encourage more parents to join then I would question the strategy of posting such gloomy stories.

Wouldn't it seem more effective if we focused on how scouting works best when it is followed and how to learn the program. If you want someone to join your game you need to show them that the game is fun and how to play it well.

Re-read the thread through the eyes of a new parent considering scouting for their child and themselves. Would you be ready to join?

If the scouting volunteers that new parents are exposed to here (on a site about the need to recruit more parents) cannot speak positively of the program at whatever level...well don't you think that waters down the message a tad?

My answer to that is NO. I hope this thread stays, because it's REALITY. It may not be a common problem, but it is real, and I have no doubt it will happen again - to someone - somewhere.

Hiding the negative is not a good thing.

Scouting parents that read this thread will see that I had a problem, I came here to have exchanges with others in the program, and I got some help. I received answers that made me feel better.

I received suggestions that helped me continue in the program and smooth out some rough edges.

What a new Scouting Parent will see here is that even if they do encounter some problems, there will ALWAYS be support - perhaps not always in the places you need it most - but it will be there. This shows that we are all very involved and very concerned about how things work.

I can't thank everyone here enough for all your responses to my problem earlier this spring. It is now in the process of resolving itself as the DC's tenure is up and we are getting a new District Chairman and District Commissioner.

Our District will struggle for a while, because many, MANY Units have withdrawn ALL of their district involvement and have concentrated on their own units - which is a good thing, but we miss them at Roundtable!!! I'm helping with the Cub Summer Day Camp and we felt it by having trouble getting volunteers, but WE WILL GET THERE!

We will recover. It's cyclic and as long as we work the program and put the boys first it will happen :)

New parents reading this??? It's a labor of love! It can be frustrating at times, but it's WORTH IT!!!

WB Bear

06-03-2007, 01:52 PM

I agree with BelieveinScouting, however 1st Mate does have a point. I hope “new parents” who read this thread at least has the understanding that there are going to be issues within all organizations. I also hope that they can see from the responses to these issues that problems arise in the program when BSA structure and guidelines are not being followed or interpreted differently. When you consider the size of this organization and the amount of people who are involved in it, it is not uncommon for there to be issues that do arise. Scouting wouldn’t have been around for 97 years if it wasn’t a solid, well organized structure.

I have always encouraged new parents and potential new parents not only to attend trainings, Roundtables etc but to get the book and read the literature that are available. I also hope that they also can see that as was mentioned there are support systems and avenues to resolve issues.