First Class Requirement 10

[Troop24]

I spoke with another ASM at the meeting this evening and he supports your efforts and ideas as posted in this thread. I think maybe I will talk with the SM this weekend on our camp-out during a less stressful time. Silly how little road blocks like this can derail a Scout's future career and some can't see it. Thanks again.

[nolesrule]

The first thing that popped into my head when reading about this subject was something from my Wood Badge program 3 weeks ago (Bobwhites!)... and yes I know it can be learned elsewhere, but that's where I learned it.

 

All rank requirements are essentially S.M.A.R.T. goals. By the SM adding to the requirement in this way, he puts the advancement fate of a scout into the hands of someone who has no vested interest in the scout's advancement or in scouting. This no longer makes it an Achievable goal, as it takes the power to complete the requirement away from the scout.

[Knot Head]

>>Tell someone who is eligible to join Boy Scouts, or an inactive Boy Scout, about your troop's activities. Invite him to a troop outing, activity, service project or meeting. Tell him how to join, or encourage the inactive Boy Scout to become active.

[Exibar]

I say an email invite with the SM/ASM/or SPL CC'd on the invite would certianly more than meet the requirements.

 

although, if a scout came to me and told me verbally that they invited Jake his neighbor to scouts but he didn't want to attend, that makes me happy and I'll gladly sign off on the requirement.

 

really an odd requirement if you ask me.... but I guess national wants to try and spread the word about scouting...

 

Mike B

[sailingpj]

The Sea Scout version of this requirement is written better IMO. It is also a more difficult requirement though.

 

"Recruit a new member for your ship and follow through until the new member is registered and formally admitted. (This requirement may be waived by the ship committee if additional membership is not possible at the time the Sea Scout applies.)"

 

 

[AT1988]

From Scouting.org: http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/BoyScouts/Resources/invite.aspx

 

"Scouts Can Invite Friends Electronically

 

A new feature called the e-card is available to Scouts and leaders on the www.thescoutzone.org Web site. This fun and easy activity will help a Scout complete the new First Class requirement that states he must invite a friend to a troop meeting or activity. Please share this at roundtables and in newsletters."

 

The boy has the email of his friend, fills ont a custom ecard here:

 

http://www.thescoutzone.org/ecard.jsp

 

and presto, 1st class requirement is fulfilled!

 

[acco40]

I have this problem with the 20 and 30 somethings at work. Emailing someone does not meet the "tell" someone requirement (my opinion, obviously, not the BSAs).

 

I don't know how many times I've asked a subordinate to discuss such and such with their colleague and all that happens is email traffic.

 

Am I an old fogy or what?(This message has been edited by acco40)

[sailingpj]

I think that as long as the email traffic goes in both directions it can be considered a discussion. At least that is what my communications textbook has taught me to think.

 

What makes email traffic less of a discussion than talking? Is this forum not a discussion? What is different between this forum and an email conversation?

[Lisabob]

Acco, do you have an expectation that "discuss" will result in "decide?" Maybe that difference is being lost in translation. Try "discuss this with your colleagues and report back to me with your group's analysis or conclusions on Thursday."

 

I'm not a huge fan of conducting business exclusively via email (or other electronic forms), but sometimes it can be very efficient, and sometimes it is the only option in our overloaded, super-busy lives. Also, I really hate going to meetings where things are hashed out ad nauseum, that could have been decided more quickly via email.

 

By the way, expect this to get "worse" acco. Most college students now take at least a few classes where some, or all, of the material (including group discussion and problem solving) occur online. They're used to it - you're probably not.

 

 

 

[sailingpj]

We may be starting to get used to the online courses, but I have yet to meet someone who has taken on with me that actually like it. There are some times when discussion in person is a lot better. I like email for discussing action, but prefer face to face for academic debate.

[NJCubScouter]

Acco, yes, you probably are an old fogey on some things, but that is ok, I definitely am on some things. I am the only person in my family without a Facebook account, and increasingly it seems, one of the few people in the inhabited portions of the Galaxy who does not. People say to me things like, they'll tell someone something on Facebook, and I just scratch my head. Isn't that what email is for? I'm not even sure what they mean. And I actually have been "online" for just about 20 years, but somehow the world of "online" has sort of passed me by.

 

So maybe the fact that "e-mail" is "old hat" to me is part of the reason why I do see it as a valid form of communication and discussion. (And I am not a 20- or 30- something, in fact in a couple of years one of my children will be in the latter category.) I often need to tell 5 or 10 far-flung people the same thing; by the time I get off the phone with the second one, I would have an e-mail finished and already be receiving responses, and all the people I e-mailed are seeing the responses as well and can join in the discussion. Another thing I find is that if the communication is lengthy or even medium-length, or complex in any way, e-mail is much better because it allows me to collect and organize my thoughts, and edit them so they are exactly what I want to say. Seeing what I want to say on paper will often prompt me to change the way I am presenting something and occasionally even change the substance (i.e. I look at what I have written and realize, nah, that's not going to fly.) I get none of that opportunity with a phone call, in fact what I often get is interrupted by the other person before I even get past my first point, and things go off on a tangent, and I may never get to say all of what I wanted to say.

 

So I see no reason why an email, or maybe even better yet for teenagers who have Facebook, a Facebook communication, cannot satisfy the First Class requirement. I mean, the recipient will look at the Facebook communication (see, I don't even know what to call it) and say, hey, (name of sender) must be really hip and groovy, he uses Facebook. Actually, I'm sure they won't say that at all. I guess I'm just an old fogey.

 

 

[sailingpj]

What does "groovy" mean? jk

[ScoutMythBuster]

I always took this requirement at face value. Invite someone to join or rejoin. If the scout says he asked somebody to join or rejoin I feel the need to trust him. This is one of those things that are hard to prove. Plus, if your program is good enough they are already bragging about all the cool things that they are doing, inadvertantly inviting them to come see.

 

I would probaly say to trust the scout's word that he invited somebody and leave it at that.

[sherminator505]

I still question the value of this requirement!

 

 

[Troop24]

We ran through the Troop Leadership Training with the newly elected Troop leadership this weekend. The look on the faces of the patrol leaders was priceless when we covered the fact that one of their responsibilities was to recruit new members to the troop! Too bad I did not have my camera ready.

 

By the way, the SM has backed off considerably from his earlier stance on mandatory attendance of the invitee . . . he now says "a Scout is Trustworthy!"