Leaderboard

Not just a driving issue. Two friends (one a 17 scout and the 18 asm) hanging out together by themselves would be a violation.

Lol, I “paid” for camp in the sense that Mom would let me know precisely how it (and everything else I did) costed if I wasn’t handing over cash outright for it. Still got partials. Parents never questioned it. At CoH’s, they were outright surprised if I earned anything. Dad was on the committee so he surely knew, but never mentioned it. My advancement or lack thereof was my business. (Same for my buddy who aged out at 2nd Class.) I guess when I did anything besides veg out on a Saturday morning, they called it a win. Sales for fundraisers, on the other hand, they did their darndest to line me up leads (and make and sling product). And I caught it if I didn’t match their effort. I try to remind parents about this, and at the same time support them if they are worried about their scout not knowing how to advance. I think a little coaching on fighting distractions is important in a postmodern nomad generation.

This seemed like a (mostly) thoughtful take. Aside from stating the obvious (lawsuits and recent membership changes have adversely impacted participation), he honed in on 2 other factors: 1. Civic engagement (Elks Club, Optimists, etc.) and church attendance has decreased in the US. These organizations have been major sponsors of the BSA and their parallel decline has resulted in less support for Scouting. 2. Society's definition of masculinity has widened. Fewer young men are expected to hunt, farm, fix cars, or join the military. Scouting was once viewed as an age-appropriate way to introduce self-reliance to boys. Today, those hard skills are less important in the information economy. I especially appreciate the second point. I doubt I'd meet the standard of 1970s masculinity. I'm not handy. I maintain my home to the minimum standard and hire help the second I get in over my head. However, I do make a decent living. Plus, we live in a safe neighborhood and are on track for retirement. My son also has everything he needs, including most of my attention outside of work. By the 2020s standards of masculinity, I'm probably doing just fine.

That is a critical issue that affects retention. There is too much spiraling and repetition in program elements, and the revamp to make it easier for adult volunteers to run multi rank meetings only made it worse. The program also repeats some of the K-5 school curriculum.

Oa is owned by and for bs camps . A week long stay where housing and meals are provided is not near the starting idea of a week long event with patrol cooking and activites in tents you carried and set up. My first years our troop did its own. My first time going to council camp was for an event i won.

I've been working with our Troop long enough now that I just realized that all of the Scouts Eagling out, or finishing at 18 were not old enough to know my son when he made Eagle. So I've seen some District Commissioners come and go. Lots of good advice here to reflect on, and a couple other items: - When you visit, ask the leaders "how" questions "How do you find campsites to reserve?", "How do you plan meals on campouts?", "How can I help you?" . . . - Figure out which units are doing something well, anything, and ask them to give a hand with a unit that may be struggling in that space. Just one ask, not a lifetime commitment, but the bridges you build between leaders, the stronger your district will be. - The people that are doing the work (unit leaders and assistants) are gathering the wisdom you need. Learn from them and respect them. Ignore the professionals - if you are wise you will figure out why.

I'd second the importance of DO NOT USE UNIT LEADERS. I think this applies to current unit leaders from the same unit current unit leaders from a different unit former unit leaders from the same unit It all comes down to agendas; somehow inserting their own views / agenda with some sort of passive authority over the unit? Or, bring too much current/past history that damages being an outside friend to the unit? IMHO, the best UC is a retired SM/ASM (for a few years) that is well respected and is just looking for an excuse to stay connected to scouting and wear the uniform. ... Sadly, they get scooped up into other district roles way too fast. ... It's why I often describe a UC as a unicorn. People tell me they exist, but I've not seen one yet. I've seen very useful district commissioners, but not unit commissioners.

Only caution is the YPT or whatever they call it now. If they are active and still in high school "technically" they would not be able to say give a ride home from school for a friend under 18 who happens to be in the troop or in any troop. That would violate the 1 on 1 deal. Not saying it's logical, but not sure what the solution may be.

Yes, remaining with the troop as an ASM is very definitely an option. They would fill out an adult application and take Safeguarding Youth Training. There is also the option of finding (or starting) as Ship or Crew; just look at beascout.org for units in your area. There is also a new option available if they are not interested in either of those choices. Depending on the individual and their maturity level an 18-year-old may now be a Commissioner.

Not to worry. The 300K Chipmunks will push us back over a million. 🤣

BSA will be headed to bankruptcy again. They retained massive debt after the last bankruptcy and their business plan showed membership growth to over a million scouts by now. I saw some of their presentations online. I hope their plans work, but I struggle to see a turnaround in membership.