Dilemma

[Eagle92]

Ok I am reopening this thread as last nite's meeting was, to put it mildly, a mess. Lets just say you know it's bad when parents start leaving early.

 

Folks I want to hear about your expereinces as CM: good, bad, and ugly. You can PM me or you can post here. I want stories about how involved or uninvolved your CORs are. I want to hear about good committees, as well as committees in name only. Basically I want to have an idea of what I am getting into if I do volunteer for CM and get selected. One thing our CO does do properly is review and approve leaders, and they have turned down folks in the past.

 

The situation has gotten worse, to the point that it has now interfered with my den meeting and providing a good program to my Cubs. Thankfully I have a great ADL and DC who helped out and provided some leadership while I was dealing with stuff behind the scenes and with parents. If, and again I am stressing if, I need to quit being DL, I know the den is in capable hands.

 

Thanks

 

(This message has been edited by eagle92)

[83Eagle]

You have to ask yourself, if not you, then who? And will you be happy with someone else in the role--and what will most benefit your son?

 

We have a committee in name only and our COR is invisible; neither provide any guidance to the pack and never hold any meetings. But on the other hand we as leaders have autonomy and are left alone to run the program, and we have a great group of pack leaders. Let's put it this way, I'm glad we don't have the CC or CO providing "guidance" to the Pack.

 

Don't know if that answers your question, but it all comes down to the people you have in place. It's extremely difficult to get anything done with the wrong people in place and unfortunately if they have "power" that they want to exert your options are limited and potentially unpleasant.(This message has been edited by gotta run)

[Eagle92]

I think that's part of the problem, we don't have folks in place anymore. Sure we have DLs, but we don't have anyoen supporting them or giving guidance to them. As a friend of mine just told me on the phone, he's a former CM, the first year will be hellish b/c I will be recruiting support folks and establishing a routine, esp since my pack is not old enough yet to have one yet.

 

I still want input from everyone, so please help a scouter out

[ScoutNut]

It sounds like you have some kind of Committee. Do you have a CC? Do you have a COR? How active is your COR?

 

Hearing about how good, or bad, our CO's and Committee's are is not going to help you. You need to deal with how YOUR Committee and CO are.

 

First of all, the people in your Pack need to be trained on what their own position entails, and then do their job. A CM should not be responsible for "recruiting support folks". You can help certainly, but recruiting adult volunteers is one of the jobs of the CC. Another of the jobs of the CC is running the monthly Pack Leaders Meeting.

 

The job of the CM is MAINLY Program. The CM works with the CC, and the Committee on administrative stuff, but the administrative side is mainly the job of the CC and the Committee.

 

What your Pack needs is to do, first and foremost, is to recruit a CC who is trained, knows their job, and will do their job.

 

After that, if you decide to accept the CM position, I would drop the DL job. There is a very good reason that BSA will not let folks register in more than one position in a single unit. Doing one job well is a LOT of work. I would also make it clear that the position I was taking was NOT a combined CM/CC position.

 

BTW, even if you are the CM, you can still be your son's Tiger Partner, just not also his Tiger den leader.

 

Ultimately, no matter what we say to you here, the decision of weather or not to go for CM, is totally up to you, and your wife.

 

[Eagle92]

'Nut,

The committee is paper at the moment. Most of the folks listed left when their kids aged out, or they are part of the CO which has a hands off apporach. They appointed the COR/CC, but I've only met him one time, doing a popcorn sale after church.

 

Our pack is relatively young, being approx. 5 years old, and the original CM and ACM were a two man show as they did 90% of the work. Current CM has been here a year, and will be moving up in December.

 

My concern is that if I do take CM, it will be expected of me to do everything, and with other family commitments, that isn't possible. I'll need help doing round ups. I'll need help organizing activities, etc. I can not be a one man show.

 

And the CO does have a history of being hands off. The troop is in desparate need of ASMs, and the CO is clueless, despite meetings with the SM, district folks, etc, on their responsibility to help find one. And don't get me started about how they work with the crew. Let's just say the crew meets at the library b/c the CO doesn't know anything about Venturing.

 

Having talked to my friend mentioned above, who was the adviser for the CO's crew, he told me reality with the CO is that I will have to recruit folks, I'll have to run the leaders' meeting, etc. The CO wants one of their own to be the CC.

 

As for me stepping down, that is a big yes: down from the district committee. All I'll be doing is CSDC and possibly some training. EDITED: forgot to add down as DL too. Luckily I have a good ADL and DC who I am comfortable taking over. Plus with the new Program Resource Book,it makes planning a lot easier. I got everything roughly scheduled until Jan 24th. Just need to make 2 calls for field trips.

 

As for upcoming sons, my friend the former CM said it will take about 2 years to get the pack in automode. That should be enough time for middle child to be a TC.(This message has been edited by eagle92)

[SctDad]

Eagle92

 

Make sure that you let them know that the committee that we work on is for the better and that we are helping.

 

Anyway

 

If you want to get with me off line and talk about you decisions, I can give you some advise. I was in that position you are in for a while. It is something that you will have to decide on your own. Catch me sometime next week and we will talk.