Selecting a DE

[Abel Magwitch]

Jhankins and Eagle, I am disappointed to say that the shenanigans continue even now. I know this as I am part of a district in a council that is located in a weak city where reaching out to youth is practically impossible anymore. The only way a professional can succeed in my council is to do some fancy finagling of their membership criticals. And any volunteer that gets in their way will be villainized.

 

My district continues to suffer without many real units. There continue to be no district Boy Scout activities. The district is still without a district commissioner, and the district chairman was handpicked by the DE with no input from the nominating committee.

 

New units are being formed in schools. They are not traditional units in a real sense, but they will be added to the overall traditional membership counts at the end of the year and counted a second time as LFL units.

 

My district had a long established troop that was about to die. Nothing has been done to help this unit out. There is no district commissioner or unit commissioners. There is no support from the district. I just saw the Scoutmaster a week ago and asked if the troop was still alive. He told me that he re-registered the troop with three members. He also told me that it was ok because the DE/DD was going to borrow some boys from another troop in order for his troop to have the minimum of 5 members it needed to re-charter. The scoutmaster was also given a spot on the district committee. He feels pretty important now being part of the district leadership even though his troop only has three members left.

 

Volunteers are still rewarded for keeping quiet or going along with the program. Regional awards and National awards are given to Executive board members because they went along with keeping mum about membership issues. They dont want to hurt scouting by holding those responsible for their actions. It also conveniently keeps their business reputations from being tarnished. Professionals who cheated on membership numbers to make their criticals are promoted and long time executive board members who objected to not making the inflated membership claims known to the community are told to step down by the SE.

 

From reading many peoples posts here on the Scouter forums, I know that there are good councils out there where real Scouting is happening and boys are being served. I know that there are good and honest professionals out there who are doing a good job, working in good councils in thriving cities where Scouting comes easier. But believe me there are poor councils where if as a professional you have drawn the short straw to be transferred to my council, you are placed in a situation where you must decide is my job worth it? Can I guiltless sleep tonight; have I kept my honor bright? Can I afford to take a stand for whats right and risk losing my job? Or do I turn a blind eye to my morals and do what I have to do make my criticals and keep my job? My previous DE who was promoted to senior DE in another district told me that she knew the problems existed, but there was not much she could do she told me that her family needed the money.

 

My council got a new SE and the council was supposedly audited. The SE himself showed me that he had some 4,000 members he had to make go away. He told me that the executive board was aware of membership inflation and that it was going to be resolved. Executive board members told me that things were fixed. Too bad they did not come clean and tell the Scouters and the rest of the community what had happened. Instead, council membership dropped by over 4,000 youth members from the year before yet the annual report stated that council had an incredible 5% increase in membership over the past year. Funny how nobody takes the time to review the last years annual report program that was given to them last year at the annual dinner. I do. Council is hiding their membership problems in plain sight. They arrogantly know that the average COR, or donor is not going to even look at last years program. They take council at their word They are Boy Scouts and Boy Scouts are trustworthy. I have noticed this pattern of membership loss every time the council had an SE change. Its been going on since the mid 70s and continues to this day.

 

I truly envy you good Scouters out there who are part of functional and quality councils and districts. Scouting is being carried out properly. My hat is off to you fine Scouters.

 

[BadenP]

Every district is unique in its requirements for a DE, whether they are a large urban, inner city area with large numbers or a rural area with units spaced out over wide areas and a good DE needs to know how to talk to and deal with a diverse group of people culturally, socioeconomically, academically. A DE whose professional scouting experience was in New York City may have a very difficult time in Montana or Wyoming.

 

Knowledge of the scouting program is not enough for a DE to be successful as is the ability to understand and work with people and volunteers with very different backgrounds, priorities, and values than their own.

[Eagle92]

AM,

 

Expereince I described was over 11 years ago. The new SE fixed a lot of the problems. The newest and current SE is program oriented, and is getting our program back on track.

 

BP,

Well said as always!