Rebuilding a District.

[Eamonn]

I know in the past I have made a big deal about and decried people for the use of "My Troop, my Pack, my District".

Here in the forum for a while it seemed we all got a little carried away using terms like "The unit I serve."

Of course we all know that we don't have ownership of the units, districts or councils we serve, but after a time we do get close and bonds and ties are made. At times I still think of the Scouts who I have served as being "My Scouts". Of course when I seen how much they could eat, I was glad that they weren't mine!

It's been three years since I finished my term as District Chairman.

Of all the positions I held, I think I disliked that one the most. The council has set a three year term limit for District Chairs and I was happy to get out when my term was up.

Time has not been kind to the District and much as I hate to admit it, I do kinda look at the District as being "Mine".

I could spend the next little while pointing out what and where I see things as being wrong and pointing fingers. But I'm not going to. There is plenty of blame to go around and laying it on peoples doorsteps is not going to fix the problem.

While I'm not close to our now District Chairman and to be honest I just don't rate him very highly. I do feel sorry for him.

We both have very different ways of doing things and are at times like oil and water.

My big problem is that I know I'm right, which of course makes him wrong!!

We do have a history of not getting along.

To be fair to him, I think he now knows that he is in way over his head.

He has invited me to sit in on the past few District Committee Meetings.

I was deeply saddened to see what had become of "My" wonderful committee.

Nothing was there, no agenda,no reports, very few people and the people who were there seemed as enthusiastic and lively as dead fish.

The meeting I have attended seem to be more like a meeting of the District Activities Committee (Which I found out is not around anymore.) The agenda is the Council Calendar and they met trying to find a way of making what is on the calendar happen.

Membership is in the toilet.

In September School Sign Up was a non-event. In the past we signed up about 150 -200 Cub Scouts, this year no one had a real count and the consensus of opinion, was that maybe the number was about 50. No one seemed to know how many we needed to make plus one. No one seemed to care.

Back in the day I knew the exact numbers and after sign-up was ready with plan "B" doing everything possible to ensure we were on track for making Quality District.

At the October meeting membership wasn't even going to be discussed until I asked.

This committee seems to be focused on events and nothing else.

It seems to me that they have lost their way. They have either forgotten or don't know what the real role of a District is or maybe they just don't want to know?

To make matters worse at this time there is no DE. The last one moved in July.

I suspect that the SE (Who has been with us for less than a year and came in when the finances didn't look good.) Is playing a wait and see game. If things don't get better he will break up the district. Which would save the expense of having a DE.

To be very honest, I'm not sure if maybe this wouldn't be the best thing?

I have talked with the District Chair. He has asked me to come back telling me that I can taken on anything or any position that I like.

The Ship at this time does have adults who can provide a good program for the Sea Scouts, I could become less involved, maybe serving on the Committee?

My big problem is that I kinda think that the District is so far gone that maybe it can't be rebuilt?

I'm also unsure where I'd start?

Most of the people I see sitting at the meetings are not going to do anything.

The Chairman has due to him wanting to be a one-man-show lost a lot of the good people that used to serve on the committee. Many have spoken with me and openly say so.

I really don't know the SE.

I did contact him a week or so back about the Council losing out on free money. He was happy to pass the buck, blaming someone else (The Council Auditors). He seemed less than happy when I mentioned that ensuring that this stuff was done was his job.

Everything seems to be a big mess.

One big concern I have is that while losing a District is maybe a good thing? I just worry once we start merging districts how long the Council will survive?

Eamonn.

 

[scoutldr]

I know it's hard to see one's hard work frittered away by our successors. I witnessed the same thing with the Cub Pack I started...from a high of 150 boys in 1987 down to 5 this year. They probably won't recharter in December. I am anticipating the same happening with the Troop we started, and still serve. We are down to 6 active scouts and they are all Life as of last month. No one is willing to take over the reins, all the new recruits either stay in-house (church-sponsored), or go to the big Eagle mill mega-troop down the road. We have no choice but to walk away from it and leave it in our CO's hands...which means it will fold. Too bad. But we (my fellow adults) realize that as we near retirement ourselves, we can't do it all forever. You have to turn it over, step away and not look back. My sons are now 29 and 25. I have served at the Unit and District level, as well as with the OA chapter. I wear over 35 years of service stars. How much is enough? You (we) did our part, now it's up to others to do theirs...for their own sons (and daughters). It will be their failure, not ours.

[Lugnuts Dad]

Eamonn,

The district you are referring to sounds "remarkably" like the district I am currently serving due to a recent appointment as Training Chairman. Braddock Trail ring any bells? I feel I can speak for at least some of the other newbies on our committee that we do not want our district to the way of the dodo. We do however understand some of the difficulties associated with bringing it out of the ashes like a phoenix. Unfortunately, we have had little support from Council till now. Perhaps it is too late, perhaps not. I wholeheartedly agree with the present one-man show attitude, and hopefully the "Summer of Discontent" has opened a particular set of eyes. At our last committee meeting, of the 12 people listed as members on the charter, only 3 were in attendence. The other 3 people present (yes only six people were there) were not on the charter and we knew of at least 4 others not on the list. Our District Chairman was even absent. Council is telling us that we need to recruit more community people to our committee. If we can't get those who do have a vested interest in the program we are provided, how are non-scouters going to help? Perhaps we are doomed. Those of us that were there seem to be the "next generation" of super-active leaders. You know, the ones that always go to Roundtables, always go to training sessions, always take our boys camping... Basically just trying to provide quality leadership for a quality program. None of us want to see our District go under, unfortunately though, we are getting very little guidance on how things "should" be done, we're just kinda winging it. I for one would welcome any guidance you could provide, and any on the committee who know you I am sure would also welcome you. I spoke with you once at Camp Tenacharison during a training session about the Troop I serve and our Scoutmaster, and now having been through the tortures of Wood Badge (still working my ticket) I understand the faulty logic of the "that's how we've always done it" attitude to leadership and am trying to change things with our Units. Our once microscopic (just last year) Pack has now doubled in size, and I am preparing a membership/recruiting drive as part of my WB ticket.

Times change and boys change. While I can see Council's perspective on things (to a certain degree) I feel that our district and our committee (some at least) still have a lot to offer our boys.

 

This now concludes my rant...(This message has been edited by Lugnuts Dad)