Troop vs. OA

[donomiser]

Question: A Troop has a Scouting for Food collection and the SPL and 3 other Scouts skip the food collection and go to a OA function weekend. Don't they have a obligation to the Troop first?

[scoutldr]

Yes, however if the Scouting for Food was a scheduled district or Council event, the OA should not be scheduling conflicting activities.

[Dizzy ona cliff]

SFF should be a fairly simple task, so if the troop still has an adequate representation of leadership assigned to the food event, then they should be free to attend the OA event, but priorities should be weighed if it was known that their absence would cause a problem due to a lack of leadership for any remaining troop members that were scheduled to participate.

[Eamonn]

I agree with scoutldr.

Having two Council events at the same time is just daffy.

Before I'd get upset at the Scouts I'd have a word with the people who allowed the clash to happen.

Ea.

 

[NeilLup]

Did these youth participate in the decision to do Scouting for Food? Was that part of the schedule created and approved by the PLC? Was it known at the time that there would be an OA activity. If they and/or the PLC voted for it and their absence impacted the Troop, then something might be said.

 

Having said that, for youth as well as for adults, Scouting is a volunteer activity. You can lay a certain amount of obligation and guilt on youth but if you push it too hard, they just may do activities other than Scouting that don't lay on a guilt and obligation trip.

 

One of the challenges is to have a Troop program that is exciting, rewarding and challenging for both the younger boys and the older ones. It certainly is appropriate to talk to these older boys about why they chose to do the OA activity and whether they knew about it at the time that Scouting for Food was scheduled. You are totally appropriate and providing training and guidance for them in reminding them that in the future, they need to plan their activities to avoid conflicts. But don't make it too heavy.

[John-in-KC]

Welcome to the Forums.

 

It also matters what their roles in the Chapter and Lodge are and what their ambitions are. What are they?

 

We ask questions as part of active reading and listening. Helps us define the problem.

 

Scheduling. Seems to me now my Council isn't the only one which schedules competing activities on the same weekend. Youth as well as adults have to make choices. More than once I've been supposed to be 100 miles apart at two different Scout camps at once. Last time I checked, I was neither Harry Potter nor Solomon.

 

[Gunny2862]

Did the ASPL stay and do the SFF(Scouting for Food)? Did the PL's step up and have a leadership opportunity, or was everyone just focused on the SPL's absence?

 

Conflicting calendars? These things happen?

[ASM915]

What are the other three Scouts POR within the troop?

 

Did the Scouts' decision to go to the OA event drain the Troop's youth leadership or were there other older Scouts or Scout in POR that were able step up and take over?

 

Was the OA event a recently scheduled event, or has it been on the calender for several months or even over a year? Some OA calenders and events are planned out two or three years in advance so Troops can plan around them and prevent conflicts.

OA is very busy from May to Sept. Some run tap outs and Ordeal every weekend, some tap outs every Wednesday but Ordeal twice a year, once in June and once in August. Some run their WRC Honors ceremonies. Our tap outs usually nedd at least 20 - 30 people a night. Ordeal. I'm not sure. It's better then our camp honors program that needs 250-300 people per Friday night for it to go off in a timely fashion.

 

Was this event the Ordeal weekend, and these Scouts are part of the Ceremony Team or Lodge Leadership and needed to be there?

 

Were these Scouts tapped out for OA and this was their Ordeal Weekend?

 

Are they new to OA and this is/was one of the first events after their Ordeal?

 

I'm glad to hear that your Scout want to participate in an OA event and not just wear the Lodge flap and OA sash because it cool. Wish we could get a few of our Scouts to take an interest in OA events.

 

Has your Troop appointed an OA Representative, and if so, does he attend the Chapter meetings and bring back information to the Troop? If you haven't appointed one, do so, and take him to the Chapter meetings, which are usually held the same night and at the same location as the District Roundtable.

[SSScout]

Damdfudo, damdfudont...

[SummerWolf]

Our Troop schedules our own Scouting for Food, at a different time as our Council, so better accommodate when food is needed in our local food bank. This way, we can also check council activity dates and find a date that doesn't conflict!

[ScoutNut]

"This way, we can also check council activity dates and find a date that doesn't conflict!"

 

 

Does not sound like you did a very good job with that.

 

Stuff happens. As long as the food drive was not impacted I do not see a problem.

[John-in-KC]

There are moments where I just love drive-by questions...

[eaglescout07]

Well I think the OA should make sure it is not scheduling its events on the SFF. But, the kids that went to the OA weekend should have talked with their troop before hand to make sure that if they went there would be enough hands to carry out Scouting For Food.

[Lauwit]

These Scouts do have an obligation to their troop over the OA and if the troop was short handed for their SFF because the Scouts went to the OA event they probably should have helped the troop instead.

 

That being said...

 

I think one of the best things about the OA is the involvement of the older, High School aged, Scouts. Sometimes those older Scouts will pick the OA over Troop activities. But, I would guess, OA vs. Troop conflicts are probably pretty rare.

 

So you miss a few older Scouts for a weekend activity. It gives the younger Scouts an opportunity to step up and take the lead.

 

In my experience as a youth, many of the High School aged Scouts in my troop would not have been nearly so active in the Troop had it not been for OA.

 

I wouldn't come down on these guys very hard. It could be that at this point in their Scouting career they may place their involvement in OA a bit higher than some Troop activities. I'd encourage their OA activity and support it. OA may help keep more experienced Scouts involved and still active in the Troop.

 

Just my thought,

 

Lauwit

[eaglescout07]

I agree with Lauwit, OA keeps older scouts interested!