Funding For Youth Programs

[Eamonn]

If in any way this comes off sounding like I'm a racist, please believe me I'm not.

I live about 50 miles outside of Pittsburgh.

Nearly all of our "Local TV News" is from Pittsburgh.

Over the past few weeks there has been a lot of shootings. Young people are doing the shooting and getting shot and killed. It really is very sad.

It seems that everyone has a different plan of what needs to be done.

The Mayor wants harsher penalty's.

Some people want more police and community policing.

One local station tried to show that there is a link between the lack of funding for youth programs and the ongoing violence.

I don't know if at one time there was money available and it has been cut? Or what the deal is?

Most of the violence is happening in areas which are predominantly African-American or Black.

The TV station interviewed a few community leaders and youth leaders. They all seemed to agree that without more money put into youth programs that the violence will continue.

Lord knows that I hate the idea of any young person getting hurt or falling into a life of crime. But I have to admit that to some extent I watched the report and couldn't help thinking; why the heck aren't you doing more to help yourselves?

Why aren't there more Scout units in these areas?

Why if your kids are getting hurt aren't you doing more for your kids?

Sitting around waiting for some kind of a hand out, clearly isn't working.

I don't in any way begrudge any funding any youth group receives and I'm sure any money given would be a help. Still the time for action is now, crying in your coffee mug, moaning and groaning isn't making things better.

I'm sure that Greater Pittsburgh Council is trying to start new units in these areas. My hope is that they are telling people how it is and trying to start real units with real community backing and involvement.

Eamonn.

 

[scoutldr]

For Scouting to work, it requires family volunteer involvement. Moms and Dads working to deliver the program. Recent CDC statistics show that 68% of black babies are born out of wedlock, compared to 27% of white babies. I can only conclude that Scouting's values are simply not important to this sector of the community, which is failing to provide the most basic parental supervision to its children. A significant percentage of these "parents" are children themselves, with zero parenting skills. It has nothing to do with funding or poverty. It has to do with keeping your pants zipped because it's the morally straight and mentally awake thing to do. If there is no solid foundation of family values, including a 2 parent family unit, why would Scouting be a priority? Also not meaning to come across as racist...but the statistics don't lie. Money can't fix everything.

[packsaddle]

In some ways Pittsburgh could be another planet compared to my area. However, in my region where there are huge black majorities in many areas, I also wonder why these 'minorities' are not better represented in scouting.

But this is a secondary question and I am not sure scouting is the answer to the problem of violence that Eamonn described. At the same time I didn't see a solution in Scoutldr's post, not that I have a solution in mind, I wish I did.

As I remember growing up in the South, violence seemed to be part of the culture (and I was part of it). The difference that I see between now and back then is that back then we settled our disagreements with fists and knives. Now we settle them with guns. The violent impulse, I think, is not much different between then and now. We now just have easier and more available means. And for this I have no solution.

When I listen to people from other countries (most recently from an Israeli) and hear them state that Americans have a violent society, it is difficult to disagree. No solutions, just a restatement of the problem, sorry.