AltadenaCraig

I found a link (via MSN) to this article that doesn't require registration: https://www.msn.com/en-nz/entertainment/music/how-the-scouts-became-this-year-s-most-in-demand-children-s-club/ar-BB1qmlGM?ocid=BingNewsVerp . @RememberSchiff is right. It is a good read.

IMHO the answer is LOCAL and CIVIC ACTIVITY. As important as the "outing" is in Scouting, by definition our hiking/camping conceals us from our wider potential market. The physical (including the 'outing') is the thrill that will retain a scout who's already in the door. But what's needed is visibility to the wider market. While that 12 year old is the "end user", never forget the Customer is the one who pays the bills (i,e, Mom). If we want more 12 year old scouts, we need more Local visibility to Moms. That means setting out flags at Memorial/Independence days, marching in Veteran's Day parades, planting trees at Arbor Day, Thanksgiving food drives, singing carols at old folk's homes, etc. AND POST THE PICTURES & CONTACT INFO on Facebook, Twitter(X), & Instagram! Yes, by all means get LOCAL, but we need to get visible through CIVIC ACTIVITY.

... and this outstanding piece published last Friday in The Dispatch "Scouting Hasn't Lost Itself" (subtitled "Girls now have more opportunities for Scouting’s formative experiences."): https://thedispatch.com/article/scouting-hasnt-lost-itself/

@Eagledad Would you agree that given the right messaging, this too presents an opportunity? The messaging would somehow convey to parents it's not only safe & welcome to drop-off your scout, but expected. This inasmuch as it's the scouts' program. As I recall in my Scoutmaster days it took half of my effort to corral parents and separate them from the scouts to give them space. Of course, such a program relies totally on the capabilities and goodwill of SMs, ASMs, & CMs. But I'm thinking for the average parent Scouting should offer a relief from adult burnout.

To me, the light is found on p. 20 of the report, near the bottom. That's where they list "Even non-Scouts agree! Scouting has a positive impact on its members". Specifically these two bullets: 91% of non-alumni adults and 83% of non-Scout youth agree that Scouting helps character development .... and... 81% of non-alumni adults and 82% of non-Scout youth agree that Scouting had a positive impact on its members’ leadership abilities. Just think, in spite of all we've been through, over 9 out of 10 non-alumni adults still agree our movement helps character development. Shoot, try to get 9 out of 10 adults to even agree Elvis is dead. Additionally, over 8 out of 10 non-alumni agree we have a positive impact on leadership abilities. This is our growth opportunity. Spread the beam.

I've run across a couple of Scouting podcasts that remain freshly updated: Scouting on Purpose: Mark Cherry's presentation could use some pep & sound production, but his heart is in the right place Scouter Stan: Stan Richards provides over 180 short subject episodes (5-10 min. apiece) as an "Online Scouting Commissioner Podcast", but are a great resource for all Scouters. Alas, two of my old favorites appear destined for the worldwide web graveyard: Bobwhite Blather hasn't been updated in nearly a year ScoutmasterCG at least used to partially resolve, but now returns nothing at all ... too bad as Clarke Green's wisdom, tips, and infographics were invaluable. Do you have any favorites that remain fresh?

If BSA is supplanted, does that suggest "Scouts BSA" will be rebranded (again)?

More often than not it's worthwhile to seek the guidance of the man, himself, Robert Baden-Powell (it's surprising how much of his insight remains relevant - it's timeless). Here are a few of his thoughts regarding "Drill" in "Aids to Scoutmastership": Note the term "in excess". Baden-Powell suggests "a few minutes silent drill at the beginning of a meeting or an occasional game of "O'Grady [Simon] says." "Silent drill" being as simple as falling-in for opening ceremony, attendance, or uniform inspection. To be sure, while he felt "Occasional drills are necessary", he was quick to add "but these should not be indulged in at the expense of the more valuable Scout training." Moreover, he always preferred scouts teaching themselves as "drill is all a matter of instruction, of hammering it into the boys, and is in no way an education where they learn it for themselves" and preferred scout skills being emphasized over drill. Here's his full explanation: Hope this is helpful.

Excellent points made by @yknot & @fred8033. YIS - -Craig

I won't disagree that 5.5 has been too long of an expansion; however, the alternative allows youngsters to be captured by alternative programs (Y-guides, AYSO soccer, etc.), which all have programs for small-fry. Without a BSA small-fry program, a youngster's life would already be full with alternatives before a BSA program ever gets a chance at him/her.

If I'm welcome, I'd like to add my $.02. I find myself of two minds on this topic. On the one hand, between the Unitarians, Scientologists, Buddhists, and Humanistic Jews (among other sects) - all of which are welcome in Scouting (and have their own BSA-Approved Religious Emblems) though none observes a deity resembling the God of Abraham - if one can't find a spiritual home in that landscape then I expect it's not the BSA that's being exclusionary. On the other hand, the "Duty to God" program has somewhat puzzled me since it's introduction about the same time the BSA allowed for gay scouters. It appeared more a concession to anxious adults than a celebration of something bigger than oneself. To be sure, the phrase is "to do my duty to God and my country ..." Did "duty to country" fall out of favor? If they'd initiated a "Duty to God & Country" program it would've at least resembled the Oath. Limiting it to "Duty to God", however, resembled someone's agenda.

So for my first crack at "Bard" (Google's Artificial Intelligence experiment) I asked "Please write a three-paragraph essay on the importance of The Patrol Method in Scouting." It delivered this answer in less than five seconds: A few more than three paragraphs, but clearly three sections (background, bulleted benefits, conclusion). All in all, not bad.

The GSS wording states "All adults staying overnight in connection with a Scouting activity must be currently registered in an adult fee required position as listed or as an adult program participant". I'd expect both Chapter & Lodge Adviser would be covered as "an adult program participant."

Random reactions (in no particular order): Changes to Cub Program: so this explains it. I've had a devil of a time relating to the current program since the demise of "Program Helps". That was a huge help to me when I was Cubmaster. Hopefully they can resurrect something like that when they finalize a new program. TOTALLY agree with those troops which funnel volunteering adults through the Committee their first year. Gotta unlearn the DL mode. "Proficiency"? When has it ever been about "proficiency"? Even B-P himself emphasized relative merit between capable and less capable scouts. And when asked about "standards" Green-Bar-Bill replied "to a Scout's standard, of course!" I've seen too many SM's & ASM's get in the way of scouts having fun in the name of "proficiency". I'm kinda ambivalent about Lions & Tigers, but I get that so many organizations (YMCA "Guides") capture kids earlier and earlier that BSA feels the need to compete. my $.02

When promoting OA in my unit I've likened it to the "Scout version of All Stars". I expect there will always be a role for OA to fill the All-Star needs of our committed scouts. What it looks like going forward is unclear, but I hope it always retains its "All Star" cache.

In all candor I have to admit our Linked Troop resembles several of the flaws @Cburkhardt has enumerated (undersized, resembles a 'patrol' more than 'troop'). And I wholeheartedly agree with @DuctTape that the Linked Troop rollout was less than ideal. Nevertheless I feel compelled to share a couple of our Linked Troop's successes if only to ensure we don't mistakenly "throw the baby out with the bathwater" in our collective search for improvement. First, our Girls' Troop scouters benefit greatly from the camaraderie & experience among the scouters of the Boys' Troop and Linked Troop Committee. Our "Scoutmaster Corps" (SMs & ASMs) meet monthly offsite to discuss the recent PLC meetings and coordinate required support. Accordingly, every one of our campouts has included girls & female scouters - including high-adventure trips to Philmont & Northern Tier - where the girls' "troop" camps separately, albeit close-by (think separate patrol campsites) and all adults share a separate nearby campsite. Our girls' troop scouters are developing their high-adventure skillset (backpacking & rappelling) so they appreciate the close relationship with the boys' troop scouters. Otherwise, I doubt our girls' troop would exist. Second - and this may suggest a marketing opportunity - while we're careful during "high intensity" events (hike-in, campsite setup, meal-prep, teardown, etc.) that our girls' & boys' troops operate separately, something wonderful happens during "down time" (e.g. cracker barrel) - our scouts come together such it resembles a youth group. Our boys & girls are thus ensured their own scout experiences during strenuous events (and can suffer the usual meltdowns during without lasting embarrassment), but also accrue the benefits of interaction. The whole thing remains a work-in-progress IMHO, but I remain a strong supporter of our Linked Troop and am hopeful that as we emerge from Co-VID both our boys' and girls' troops will thrive.

I didn't mean to suggest there's none, only that 'Nature' MB is no longer required for Eagle.

I worry we're running afoul fo B-P's admonition not to "trench the role of schools" with four(4) out of 21 merit badges emphasizing ... to use your words "concepts of understanding diversity, equity, etc". IMHO we've not only muddled those civics concepts with our overkill we've foregone other, more important lessons for which Scouting is uniquely suited. "Nature" MB, for example, used to be an Eagle Required MB - but no more - and I'm sure other Scouters could list even better examples.

To me the irony is the BSA already has the answer with Citizenship in the Community in particular and community service projects in general. Lurching for popular remedies like "Citizenship in Society" just introduces more boring adult "requirements" while taking our eyes off the ball where focus needs to be: in our local communities. Indeed author Scott Galloway literally cites BSA membership as a metric in his book "A Nation Adrift" where he makes the point that what's needed is "Participation on a Community Level" at 6:40 in this clip: https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2022/10/01/smr-galloway-america-adrift.cnn

I agree that was the most likely motivation. In our hyper-competitive world, what parent doesn't want their kid to acquire skills to "be the boss"? I find it easier to swallow "Leadership Development" when it's defined non-traditionally. "Servant Leadership" comes to mind. Same with disaggregating leadership into its constituent parts: first learn to lead oneself, then how to lead oneself within a team, then within the leadership of that team, before finally learning the responsibilities of being "the leader". Of course, this is just me & my $.02. BSA has got much bigger fish to fry and they're throwing everything at the wall in hopes something sticks. Meantime I'm just trying to keep focused on the Scout Oath & Law in hopes once we come out of all of this the program as I once understood it is still recognizable.

I wish the BSA had left well enough alone and kept "Leadership" as one of the Methods of Scouting rather than slipping it in as an additional "Aim of Scouting" as they did a few years ago. With "Leadership" now as both an Aim and a Method, not only has the BSA confused the concept of Leadership they've also muddled the foundational principles of the organization. Inexcusable.

If the GSUSA had marketed their Gold Award half as effectively as they've promoted 'Thin Mints' and 'Do-Si-Do's' we wouldn't be in this mess.

Agreed. Scoutbook is particularly guilty of troop-centric approvals/permissions. I'm hoping COVID-19 will spur changes to Scoutbook to allow for (perhaps even promote) Patrol-level management.

Our Troop-level virtual meetings tend toward top-down "presentations" with very little scout interaction even when invited to virtually "raise hands". Our ASM's, on the other hand, report much more interactive and enjoyable virtual Patrol Meetings. Even a Community meeting I recently participated in was much more effective during the breakout session than during the "please raise your hand" plenary session. Our Council is now hinting at tentatively re-opening "in person scouting" at the small-group level (no more than 10 scouts with exactly 2 adults). Until further details are available, this would appear to support in-person activities at the Den/Patrol level. What are your thoughts? Might we be seeing a resurgence of emphasis on Patrols and the Patrol Method? What impact might this have on Scouting long term, post COVID-19?

While imitating people's cultures might be confused with mimicry or mocking, imitating people's worthy actions should be safe & heralded. I love the opportunity to quote Gen. Washington, especially in prayer: "... that God would have you ... in his holy protection, that he would incline the hearts of the Citizens ... to entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another, ... and finally, that he would most graciously be pleased to dispose us all, to do Justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that Charity, humility and pacific temper of mind, which were the Characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed Religion, and without an humble imitation of whose example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy Nation."