Justify having OA in Small Districts to Me

[xlpanel]

I believe that having an OA chapter in a small (people wise) and large (land wise) district is not geared for success.

 

If the district in question has only 130 youth members spread out through 10 troops over a 70x90 mile area, there is no way an OA program can be started and succeed.

 

First of all, we are looking at only about 50 possible kids allowed to come to meetings. Next, how many will come? And drive 90-100 miles to a 2 hour meeting?

 

It seems to me that if you spend more time in the car going somewhere than actually being where you are going, it is not good to go.

 

Next, there are few activities you can do at a 2 hour meeting that I know of. For example, lets take Election team training.

 

If that is all you can do in your small district based off only a couple of scouts showing up to meetings, it is worth it to just stop altogether.

 

Election training as the only activity creates a vicious circle. The scout asks, "Why should I join OA?" you answer "To take training to get others to join." This creates a nonsensical organization, whose only function is to increase membership. Whose increased membership will increase membership ... etc etc.

 

The only draw that a small chapter I know can generate successfully is doing election training. If thats all you can do, it is time to stop.

[Eagle92]

Good question. I have to disagree with you on the usefullness of a chapter in such a large territory. I think it's worth it. You can still have a viable chapter, you just have to be creative and work a little harder.

 

A few ideas.

 

1) Hold chapter meetings at lodge functions, i.e. Ordeals, Wordk days etc. Nowhere does it say you have to have amonthl7y meeting.

 

2)Hold a meeting at district and council events like camporee or MBUs. If peopel wil be there already, just ask the organizers for some time.

 

3) Do schedule some day activities; visit a museum, canoeing, etc, or even a weekend fellowship.

 

4) make sure you have some chapter socials if you cannot hold a full fledge meeting at a district/council event.

 

5) STAFF CS events. best recruiting tool I've seen not only for Scouting but also the OA was ceremony teams and workers at CS events.

 

As for election teams. I bet that you can have troops that Buddy UP to do the electiosn that are close by.

 

Good Luck.

 

[shortridge]

Eagle92 hits it on the head. Too often we in Scouting get caught in the trap of weekly or monthly meetings with no purpose. They turn into boring sit-around sessions, and everyone loses interest.

 

Just like every troop meeting should be aimed at the goal of getting outdoors, each chapter meeting should be aimed at a greater goal. Want to have fun? Do a chapter ski trip. Want to encourage leadership? Run an event at the district camporee. Want to perform service? Build something at the council camp, or do a big camping promotions push.

 

A chapter can do anything that a lodge or unit can do. It's just a different scale and way of thinking.

[Nike]

No Scout should be denied the oppurtunity to be an Arrowman simply becuase a group of adults can't wrap their collective heads around the logistics.

[skeptic]

Certainly xlpanel has some validity to his comment, though his scale is probably too high. When I was in OA as a youth, I was elected our chapter chief. But, we had fewer than 20 total members, including any adults, and we were spread out over an area spanning 29 Palms Highway from Morongo Valley to 29 Palms, as well as the base and the area towards Amboy. The distance seemed to be the killer. We never were able to get enough attendees to have a viable meeting; but at the larger lodge functions, especially at camp, most came. Today, I believe they likely do not have that problem, as there are more members I am sure.

[Eagle92]

Nike,

May I modify your statement?

 

No Scout should be denied the opportunity to be an Arrowman simply because a group of YOUTH ARROWMEN (caps to emphasis change to original quote, not yelling) can't wrap their collective heads around the logistics.

 

Sometimes you have to think outside the box. Sometimes ideas from other areas will work. The reverser is also true, ideas from other areas may not work. As an adult, our job is to counsel and advise. Let the youth comeup with solutions, you may be surprised.

[shortridge]

And further responding to xlpanel ... You're right in that elections shouldn't be the sole activity of a chapter. But struggling chapters sometimes do have to focus on elections to get new members active once it's clear the old members aren't going to come back. Sometimes you do need fresh blood.

[desertrat77]

It's viable if you are flexible....

 

I was vice chief of a small lodge in Alaska, many years ago. With people living vast distances apart in the Union's largest state, there was no way we could meet regularly, or do things like a "normal" lodge. If memory serves, we had no chapters. We made the most of the times we got together, like conclave and ordeal weekends. Some folks we only saw once a year, when they came to summer camp.

 

That said, it was probably the most close-knit lodge I've been in (of four).

[SctDad]

I have to agree. Look at things in a different light.

 

Make a Chapter Overnighter (I think that they are authorized) and have you meeting for administrative stuff while sitting around the campfire. Then you can also do your ceremonies, and other fun items during the days.

 

Like others have said, think outside the box.

[desertrat77]

Post script to my Alaska story: as a summer camp staffer, I recall one week we hosted a troop from the Aleutian Islands. This was very rare as the logistics for this troop to go anywhere were quite involved. Because they could not come to one of pre- or post-summer camp ordeal weekends, we held an ordeal (including the ceremonies) for three of their scouts during their week of camp. There were enough Arrowmen on the small staff to make this happen.

 

Looking back, the council, lodge and troop leadership had to show alot of flexibility.

 

Interesting side note: during the ordeal, a couple of us staffers chatted for awhile with one of their scouts who was having hard time falling asleep. Why? He'd never seen trees before. Born and raised on the islands, he was having a difficult time getting used to thick birch forest. He adapted and overcame...it also helped that a) there were no snakes at that camp and b) the sun never set during the summer.

 

This story may be off point but what the heck, it's typed and maybe it will help.(This message has been edited by desertrat77)

[moxieman]

Greetings from Kennebec Valley District, Pine Tree Council, Maine. As I have posted before in other threads, KV District is the second largest district area-wise in the northeastern USA, covering roughly 6,660 square miles (larger than Rhodes Island & Connecticut combined). This makes us slightly larger than the original poster's (xlpanel's) district. We have a little more population due to the state capital being in the southern part of our district, which stretches from 20 miles south of the state Capital (Augusta) to the Quebec border. We have roughly 40 troops with an average size of 9 youth for a total of 360 boy scouts spread over the district. Again, the majority of them are within 20 miles of the state capital.

 

Some of our leaders/youth in our more remote portions of the district travel 2 hours to attend events. However, many of those who have to travel that distance also happen to be our most active. This has not stopped us from having a successful and active chapter. Furthermore, our chapter adviser travels over an hour each way to attend events and understands the commitment involved. Every member of his family is a Vigil member in our lodge.

 

Our chapter holds their meetings on the same night/location as the district roundtable. Youth who wish to be active Arrowmen catch a ride from their adult leaders going to RT. If their leaders aren't doing so, they usually start going, or the Arrowmen in question finds some other way to get to the meeting.

 

When someone complains how "far" they had to travel to our RT/Chapter meeting location, which is usually a new leader who had to drive a mere 20 miles, I quickly introduce them to the Jackman contingent (usually 2 leaders and 1 youth) who faithfully drive 2 hours one way every month down from the Quebec border to attend. That usually puts an end to distance complaint.

 

Compared to sports, our travel times are short. We have a few off-shore islands with year-round populations here in Maine. A varsity game against the island high school on home territory is an overnight event, ditto if the island team is playing an away game. Why? 'cause the last ferry to the island in the "off" season (fall to spring) usually leaves the island at 6pm.

 

How do they deal with the logistics? Simple, families of the home team put up members of the opposing team for the night.

 

Maybe we've got a different mentality up here in the Maine "Wilderness" when it comes to travel?

 

But I digress. Meetings have been youth planned/led. I can't go into much detail as I'm too busy running/overseeing the roundtable. On an average, I do see roughly 20 to 25 youth attend that meeting, which is slightly less then the 30 adults that attend our roundtable. Furthermore, this chapter has received "honor chapter" status at least every other year for the past decade. I put that in quotes as it's a Lodge award. Usually only two, and sometimes three out of the five chapters meet the requirements each year. Every year, one or more members of this chapter go on to serve at the lodge leadership level. Some members of this chapter have also gone on to serve at the regional level and on staff at NOAC.

 

I've seen the youth of this chapter hold great campfires at our distict events. Never mind other ceremonies when they're called upon to do so, such as an OA-themed Webelos Cross-over or Eagle Court of Honor.

 

What further justification do you need to host a chapter in a rural district? If you don't offer the youth the opportunity, how can they have the chance for that kind of leadership experience?

[skeptic]

In the case I shared, it was circa 1961, and we also had fewer members elected, as there were limits to how many. Also, they still had the possibility of less interested or focused candidates not passing through the Ordeal (later eliminated due to occasional "blackballing"). Still, as noted, our Lodge level things were well attended.

[Tokala]

Geographic size is not nearly as critical as leadership to have a functioning chapter or lodge. My lodge is geographically very small, about 10 miles wide and 50 miles long. We are divided into 4 chapters which aligns with the Council's districts. We typically only have 2 chapters that actually function. The other two just don't seem to have the membership and leadership to draw from to function as a independent entity. It always the same two chapters that are dysfunctional. I'm a member of one of these dysfunctional chapters and have encouraged them to have activities that are fun or service oriented. Skip the boring meetings and plan something like a cookout or a shoreline clean up to get people interested. They just haven't managed to get anything going other than an occasional chapter meeting. I think the last one consisted of the chapter chief, chapter adviser, and the chapter chief's father.

[John-in-KC]

If the district in question has only 130 youth members spread out through 10 troops over a 70x90 mile area...

 

It sounds to me like this District needs some work to bring units and people to Boy Scouting.

 

Would you care to share the demographics of the area? How many boys in 4-8 grades? How many 9-12? Are you reaching the target population for recruitment?

 

Sounds to me like the District Key 3 need to be thinking about membership in the District.