BetterWithCheddar

I honestly don't know, but that's not an environment I would have wanted to be a part of a as a youth, nor one I would tolerate as an adult.

I'm very sorry your situation became untenable. Good luck. Thanks for always pushing for better program, despite your frustration.

I thought this was like the Super Bowl where they plan out 3 or 4 in advance, no?

I appreciate this angle, but let me ask - can't a leader or group of leaders express this same commitment with khakis, a branded polo / fleece, and a name tag? Aside from baseball, you never see a coach dress up like their players and yet no one seems to question their commitment to an organization. Appearance is important, but there are often multiple methods to accomplish the same objective. One of my direct reports at work is an Eagle Scout (like myself). We work in a profession that tends to skew conservative and he occasionally presents himself in a less traditional manner. That said, he's not only the nicest guy I've ever worked with, but also the most diligent. He's way ahead of where he needs to be in his development plan and it's reflecting well on me (his manager) and our company. It would have been short-sighted of me to pass on his resume based on how he dressed for his interview.

Apologies for digging up this old thread ~ I just find the economics of the situation very interesting. Has anyone experienced similar issues this year? Working as a camp counselor used to be a great summer job, but I think there is less interest now that many school district calendars have crept into the summer. How many districts now offer summer classes or 'voluntary' (wink, wink) workouts for athletics participants? Even today's college students are pressured to have a series of good summer internships and not just one internship between their junior and senior years. Further, many council camps used to operate through mid-August. How many have shortened their seasons due to membership declines? There probably aren't as many summer job seekers looking for just 5-6 weeks of employment. I spent 9 summers workers on council camp staffs (ages 14-22) and it's hard to envision a scenario where that would make sense for my son today. It was a stretch for me back then.

Perhaps I'm in the minority here, but I'm a (mostly) enthusiastic adult volunteer who is uncomfortable wearing a scout uniform. I do own a blank adult uniform with proper epaulets that's reserved for special occasions, but I prefer to wear khakis and a branded polo to most Pack or Den meetings. I've never served in the military, nor have I been a police officer, fire fighter, or first responder. To me, uniforms convey a much higher level of service. I don't put my life on the line to serve my country or community. I'm just a dad who wants to ensure my son makes friends and gets outdoors. I don't judge other adults on their uniform use unless their sloppy appearance becomes a bad example for the kids.

OP, I hope your son has fun! Lifesaving was my favorite merit badge as a youth. It had a reputation as being very difficult at my local council camp. I did a lot of neat things as a Scout, but I still think of that merit badge as a literal "badge of honor."

I think COVID may have also impacted Scouts' swimming abilities. My son did "mommy and me" swim class when he was 2, but the world changed shortly thereafter and we opted not to send him to swim lessons for two years to help reduce transmission of the virus. Fast forward to last Fall and our son (then 5) was clearly struggling relative to his peers when we finally enrolled him in traditional swim lessons. It was a low point for me as parent. I felt like I had failed him. He refused further lessons because they caused fear and embarrassment. Fortunately, his summer care program uses the YMCA pool 3x per week and he's been able to boost his confidence enough over the past 2 months that we can probably enroll him in mainstream swim lessons again (peer pressure will do that). Point being: It will be interesting to see if there is a meaningful drop in the pass rate of BSA swimmer's tests in a few years (and with that, a meaningful drop in advancement).

I hate to circle back to this because it doesn't sound like it's part of your troop program, but I'm in agreement with what other have suggested ~ some type of job rotation will help boost the introverts' participation without feeling like they're being crowded out by the more assertive kids. If troop leadership has proven to be too stubborn, can get you get in the ear of the SPL? You don't have to push for wholesale change from the start ~ maybe just try asking them for their thoughts on how to improve participation for one outing and see how that goes?

To my relief, when I went to register for the family campout, it was only $45 per family, rather than per person. Now my only gripe is the size of the medical form we're required to fill out. My son is 6. This is our first overnight Scouting event. It appears to have more pages than when I was a kid. 😒

Just curious - how were donors targeted? Did lawyers threaten to lump them into the lawsuit or was their support of the program publicly scrutinized?

I'm not great on keeping track of the happenings at my son's elementary school because I usually get a dozen emails per week. I'll get some from the district, some from the school, some from his teacher, and some through an app, which I've yet to master. It's exhausting. I've yet to be overwhelmed by the variety and frequency of Scouting communications, but I'm sure it's coming. Give me a single sheet of paper each month with everything I need to know and I'm a happy camper.

My Scouting experience (which began in 1990) shaped my worldview more than any other activity. I've always thought the BSA did a nice job of promoting DE&I - save for one huge exception, which has since been rectified. I'd much prefer these conversations happen organically and I think they do when you take families out of the city and put them around a campfire for a weekend.

If you have volunteers that are helping you deliver a fun and safe program, then I would hesitate to set uniform requirements. Maybe start with a friendly email to all leaders covering proper uniforming and see how much traction you get? I often mention proper uniforming in my monthly den newsletter, but I note it's strictly on a best efforts basis. If a child is enjoying Scouting, they can add as they go. I want there to be as few barriers as possible for a child to join Cub Scouts.

And I've yet to quit my corporate job over the constant DEI and ESG pushes. That doesn't mean I'm 100% on board ~ I just like it when my paychecks clear and I can pay my mortgage and buy food. 🙂 I'd imagine it's the same deal for some boys ~ they do what they need to in order to earn the badge.

To my knowledge, they do not collect a program fee. My son and I have participated in a few one-day events where the charge has been nominal ($10-$15/person). I'm assuming the liability insurance compounds with overnight stays?

This feels like an appropriate forum to vent: I'm putting together an email for families in my son's den that contains details on upcoming events hosted by our council. One such event is a "family scouting outing" at a local council camp. The cost is $45/person. So, hypothetically, a family of 4 would pay $180 to attend an event on a property owned by the council and staffed by volunteers. This does not even include meals. $180! 😬

I sympathize to some degree. I tried volunteering after college and I just felt out-of-place. I wasn't fully accepted as an adult, but was obviously too old to be a participant. I recently became involved again as a parent and have (mostly) enjoyed that experience. OP - while I hope you find the right role in your new council, it's OK to not volunteer right now. Enjoy the season of life that you're currently in.

Here are some additional articles on the Milwaukee camp closures. The first link is from 2015 when the council announced they were going from 4 camps to just 2. The second link is for a follow-up story where staff, alumni, and other fans of one camp attempted to form a non-profit to buy the property from the council. It was eventually sold to a logging company who agreed to lease a portion of the camp back to the non-profit entity, but that arrangement only lasted one summer. It was a valiant effort, but it's gone now. Northwoods Boy Scout camps head into a poignant sunset (jsonline.com) Scout leaders, camp staff make bid to buy Northwoods camp (jsonline.com) So, there you have it: From 4 camps to 1 in less than 8 years. 😬

Hardly, but it's here. It'll be widely used in most professions and those who embrace automation will expand their productive capacities. It's the people who shy away from it and whose productive capacities remain the same that may eventually be displaced by AI. I'd fully support a pause on AI development in the US until its implications could be studied further, but I guarantee there are other countries out there who aren't looking back. A lengthy pause may doom our kids to live under the thumb of an oppressive foreign government for the next 100 years. A scout is brave, right? It's best to push forward while simultaneously developing an ethical framework for governing AI use.

Those green shirts really pop in a sea full of khaki. It's a nice way to differentiate the staff from the campers ~ especially on a check-in or check-out day. One item on my dream retirement list (I'm still ~20 years out) is to provide in-kind uniform supplies to the staff at my favorite council camp ~ the one where I worked as a teen and where my Cub-age son will hopefully attend. It'd be neat to provide them with uniform shirts that were truly uniform (just a CSP and camp patch), plus a staff sweatshirt or pullover. I'm sure my folks spent over $300 to outfit me for my first year on camp staff and that was ~25 years ago.

We're just scratching the surface on AI. To be honest, I'm looking forward to when it can navigate Scoutbook for me.

For those not familiar with Scouting in Wisconsin, Three Harbors council serves Milwaukee, Racine, and Kenosha counties (which collectively have a population of about 1.3 million people). Milwaukee County Council merged with the Southeastern Wisconsin Council (Racine and Kenosha counties) in 2011. Following the merger, they had 4 council camps, but soon made plans to divest themselves of two camps in Northern Wisconsin (LeFeber and Robert S. Lyle). These camps were gorgeous, but a 3-4 hour from their core footprint. The two surviving camps (Indian Mound and Oh-Da-Ko-Ta) were much closer to the youth served by the council. I'm pleased to hear that Indian Mound will be under the stewardship of the local Potowatomi, but this has been a hard fall for Scouting around Milwaukee.

More often than not, I've seen camp staffers wear silver shoulder loops; however, I've also been part of a camp staff that elected to wear green tabs to promote Venturing because we were all registered members of the same Crew. Personally, I lean toward silver because it helps distinguish staff from unit scouters (so people know where to direct their questions). Ultimately, you'll want to clarify with the Camp Director or another senior staffer to determine what's most appropriate. Have fun out there!

This was a fun little exercise. Our local Scout Exec's salary and benefits total ~$140,000. Our council serve's ~9,000 youth (down from ~18,000 in 2019). This works out to roughly $16 per scout. We live in a low-to-moderate cost of living area where a mid-career college grad or skilled tradesman probably earns ~$80,000 per year (figure closer to $100,000 with benefits) Honestly, $140,000 for a Scout Exec doesn't seem THAT bad by comparison.