FaithfulScouter

Being a member of the OA kept my Scout in Scouting. He is a self professed nerd, and the OA Scouts are his people, much more so than his Troop members. He took on a leadership role in his chapter and loved it. He took Lodge Leadership Development, which was fantastic because his Troop leaders didn't even know what ILST was! His new Scoutmaster recently noted that he was an active OA member and commented that he was "trying to load his resume". Too bad he doesn't really know what it's about..

My Scout just earned Eagle. Unfortunately he has witnessed a lot of ugly behavior from adult leaders as a result of my volunteerism. (And unfortunately when I wasn't a volunteer.) We were seriously concerned about his EBOR because of the many unscrupulous leaders, including at the District level. He doesn't even want an ECOH, despite his very impressive Scouting resume. However, he moved to a new Unit and is happier than he has ever been. Not sure about his ongoing level of participation but I'm glad he's still involved. Having earned Eagle has been a relief to him. He has a tremendous amount of resentment toward the BSA. We don't attract the best volunteers, just the only ones who sign up. Unfortunately some of the adult volunteers are on power trips, ultimately hurting the youth they are there to guide.

For starters, if our Leaders actually followed YPT we would be in a much better position. Youth protection requires two deep leadership. I've seen Eagle car washes and project days with NO adult leadership. Our District is aware but they don't say anything. No one on one contact with Scouts. I've seen leaders give Scouts rides home in their car ALONE. Leaders are not supposed to drink alcohol on trips. They do, and in fact I know a Leader with a DWI who still drinks on camping trips. All written communication from a Scout should have another adult copied. A lot of our adult leaders say 'Don't worry about it'. The 72 hour rule for registration is a good one and in fact I always required that if you're going to spend a lot of time with our Scouts than you MUST register and get a background check. My requirement was NOT well received by some adult leaders and was waved off with 'well why don't you just register EVERYONE?!"

It's hard to reconcile my great admiration for the Boy Scouts of America and their youth development program with the way my Scout has been treated. He has a lot of ill feelings toward his leaders because of the way he was treated and just wants to be 'done'. I understand why he feels this way but there is so much more to experience within the program. It makes me sad.

When I was CC I had an active Committee Member step down because her son just didn't want her involved in Scouts anymore. He was a Life Scout and wanted to get to Eagle without his mom involved. I understood and respected her decision. My own Scout was treated poorly by Scoutmasters who didn't appreciate my leadership and took it out on him rather than speak to me. They would use monthly Committee meetings to get in snide comments about him and try to embarrass me but would never address anything with me one on one. EVER. I was asked to step into this role after a huge blow up in the Troop and I regret accepting it because of how terribly my Scout was treated. The Scoutmasters' sons were treated like kings though! When you're an active volunteer it doesn't end for you at the meeting. Our kids hear a lot about Scouting (probably too much) and it can become all encompassing, which may contribute to their burnout. However, I do believe that my Scout greatly benefitted from my involvement and knowledge of the program in endeavors outside of the Troop, where he excelled. His OA leadership, NYLT and LLD training, and Religious Emblems helped him stay active and involved even when life in the Troop was difficult.

Eagledad - I'm a Committee member who does not interact with the Scouts on a regular basis. When the re-charter is done you check a box saying that each non renewing member has been contacted. I will gladly reach out to a parent but don't you think the Scoutmasters have a responsibility or duty to call the Scouts to find out what is going on?

Most 2020 crossovers never attended summer camp to 'seal the deal' on membership. And those who crossed over with their Webelos den (as mrjohns2 rightly pointed out) may not have been interested in rejoining because they didn't do much due to COVID. Our Unit Leaders fail to reach out to the kids when they stop attending meetings & events (even prior to COVID). I always asked the Scoutmasters around re-charter about members and they didn't know or care. I would reach out to the parents but the Scout's relationship is with the Scoutmasters and they should pick up a phone and find out what is going on with the Scout. I know of one Scout who received a certificate for many years of perfect attendance with meetings and outings. He suddenly stopped attending and not one person from the Troop reached out to find out why. What does that say about us as an organization?

Glad you are following the rules, however many still aren't. We volunteer for an organization under extreme scrutiny for serious abuses. Yet we still have adult leaders who are very casual in adhering to youth protection. We have had a few Eagle Scout fundraisers & projects where not one registered leader was present. Our Scoutmaster likes to brag to our CO about all of these projects, but the CO is unaware of the lack of supervision and adherence to youth protection policy.. And some of these fundraisers & projects had a lot of non-Scouting volunteers (both youth and adult) participating too. We also have issues every year for summer camp where this Scoutmaster registers the Troop and hides the fact that he never has enough registered leaders (or even YPT adults) to attend. And it's not like an announcement is made for additional volunteers, either. He just does not respect the need for YPT and the possible risks. Unbelievable...

I'm a realist and I respect your perspective. We're not being told ANYTHING like that in our Council. Our Council building, which is owned free and clear, is now being put up for sale in order for our Council to pay their portion of the settlement. Our President made a short presentation when announcing the sale and overall it was positive in nature, with no hint of the Council and/or National not being able to survive all of the litigation.

And yet another to portray a Scout as a 'future school shooter' because of his interest in shooting and marksmanship.

Unfortunately The Boy Scouts of America has Scoutmasters who now tell their Scouts that they're 'not allowed' to go to shooting ranges. One of our local Troops has an annual visit to a shooting range. Another Troop does an annual 2nd Amendment trip for their 14 and older Scouts. When my Scout suggested it to his PLC and one of the liberal ASMs, he was told that he didn't think they were allowed to go to gun ranges. Uninformed or imposing his views on the Scouts? What about the rifle and shotgun shooting merit badges that we offer? Another Scout was a member of his school's riflery team. When he talked about going to a range with a family member, one of the adult leaders took it upon himself to write to our COR about it, saying he was disturbed by it and that there's 'no place for gun discussions in Scouts'. I wish I could say I was joking here but sadly I am not...

I believe consolidating Units would be the way to go, however our DEs are evaluated on the number of Units in their District, so they will always consider quantity over quality. Many people are also sentimental about their Charter Org. and their history and would rather exist with fewer members and less support before they would merge or join another Unit. In my neighborhood alone three Packs have folded and a fourth is hanging on, mostly because they just celebrated their 60th anniversary. Getting volunteers has become so difficult that place holder names are being used in order to recharter. I recently spoke to a Cubmaster who has zero help other than his wife. It has become a very stressful burden on him to 'carry on the tradition' of his Pack. In my own Troop we couldn't get a Scoutmaster to step up until discussions were initiated by the Charter Org. to shut it down. How long can this go on without volunteers?

My Troop stayed at this camp when they did rock climbing at the Gunks. Hope this helps. https://koa.com/campgrounds/newburgh/

I have seen far too many Scouts slowed down because they 'have time'. I have seen Scouts who weren't favored by their Scoutmaster maliciously delayed in their journey to Eagle. If everyone followed the rules we wouldn't have these issues, but all Scouts aren't being given the same playing field and it unfortunately does lead to resentment.

Late to the game here but my observation in my Scouting District is that the female Eagle Candidates have an incredible, committed support network of Scouters available to help them earn their Eagle on this short timeline. Do I agree with the short timeline? Not at all. What I find truly upsetting is that the male candidates do not have this support. They don't have the Unit and District Scouters cheering them on and making them a priority. Many can't even get an email returned. One of my Scouts has been waiting to hear from his District Eagle Coach for two months, despite following up twice. In the younger Scouts, many haven't earned any advancement since 2019. Where is the support network for them? COVID has caused many volunteers to 'check out' and fast tracking these ladies when many boys are floundering has already caused resentment, particularly when the boys know that Council level volunteers are laying out the red carpet for their daughters...