District Directors?

[Basementdweller]

No cub programing in our District is because of the old WOODBADGE guard. First I was told I need to go to national camp school. I did. Then it was woodbadge. I did that too. I still was told no.

 

 

At this point I don't care......we just go out of district to cub events.

 

 

 

Scouting is a business after all.

[Eagle92]

Base,

 

WOW, I thought I had problems with folks realizing that Cub do need to camp, and want to for that matter. #1 complaint from Webelos I heard at CSDC was why there was no Webelos overniter. #2 was why can't we cook.

 

WWWWWWWEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLL

 

#2 is easy to fix and the Webelos WILL be cooking.

 

#1 i am in the process of getting scout troops to sponsor an overniter.

 

 

Like I said, get together with a few other packs and get your own multipack program going. if it's a success, it will grow. Good luck.

[BS-87]

Base

 

If you really think that the problem having too many professionals, you've never been a member of your District's Key-3. If you were you'd probably see that your District Executives are dying to get these kinds of programs in place, but is being met with our all too handy volunteer eye to realism. The problem is that your DE's are not program directors or event planners, they're salesmen, recruiters, motivators, and communicators. As I don't know your District I cannot say for sure, but if you stopped by the office one day and talked to your DE's and stress your concerns, they'd have your District Chair or Program Chair approach you about serving as a District Cub Camping Chair. This is for a few reasons, mainly to bring you into the fold you're fighting against or complaining about so you have a greater understanding, but also so you can use your passion for the subject to bring something awesome to the program in your District. That's probably a good challenge, go do it!

[SeattlePioneer]

My district has a number of activities aimed at Cub Scouts:

 

1. Cub Scout Bowling Tournament just held in November with about 150 Cub Scout-Parent teams registered.

 

The Cub Scout rolls the first ball and the parent rolls the seond ball if it's needed. Three games.

 

The 1st, 2nd and 2rd place trophies are awarded to the best in each den level, including Webelos.

 

 

2. Cub Scout Marble Tournament about a hundred Cub Scouts turn out to play seven games of marbles with the best score in each den level recognized with trophies.

 

3. District Pinewood Derby Championship ----maybe twenty Cub Scouts turn out with three trophies awarded for each den level.

 

4. A Scout Troop sponsored a Webelos Overnight in July.

 

5. The same Scout Troop sponosred a "Haunted Hike" at Halloween for Cub Scouts at a Kiwanis Club camp.

 

6. Another district does a "Cubolooza" in August, essentially a camporee for Cub Scouts and Cub Scout Packs with an overnight camp a Cub Scout competitions.

 

 

 

 

 

[ScoutNut]

Larger councils usually have more paid staff. The smaller councils just can't afford all of that salary overhead.

 

My council has a Field Director, but no District Directors. Just one DE per district.

 

Providing programing is not one of the responsibilities that a council agrees to in the Charter contract. Providing program activities to Cub Scouts is primarily the job of the Pack.

 

Usually, when a council does provide some kind of program event all of the work, and programing is done by volunteers. The paid folks just oversee it.

 

My council has some districts that do a better job of getting their volunteers to put on Cub programs than others. However, every District usually sponsors at least one event. That works out fine though, because you can attend any event sponsored by any district.

 

This year my council has the following Cub events scheduled (no under-Webelos campouts, but other fun stuff) -

 

Scout-O-Rama

Webelos Day at a local quarry

1 Fall Fun Day

2 Winter Fun Days

1 Spring Fun Day

2 Incentive events for newly registered Cubs

Webelos-Ree

Boy Scout First Aid Competition with Webelos as victims

 

There are also various discounted Scout Day Game tickets sponsored by our council for local professional Sports events (baseball, soccer, hockey, basketball).

 

 

 

 

[Crew21_Adv]

Fellow Scouters,

 

 

Greetings!

 

Regarding District Directors.

 

Here are descriptions from the Scouting.org site.

http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/Media/LOS/positions.aspx

 

Although this is "wikipedia" and anyone can edit it, it links to some reliable sources.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional_Scouter_(Boy_Scouts_of_America)

 

Most Scouting professionals wear the patch of their hired position and payscale. I've seen and met a few paid professionals that wore different standard patches, with few similarities to their responsibility and payscale.

 

The last and only time I've met District Directors, was during National Camp School. Only two District Directors out of the group were present, everyone else were various DE or Volunteer. I swear they wore a District Director patch, which brought up alot of conversations about their patch and position in Scouting. Two were from small island nations which contract/purchase the BSA program (as well as the GSUSA program) as one of their smaller national youth education programs. At least for those "District Director", they were associated with the council but their paycheck came from their own national budget.

 

It was neat to have met these fellow Scouters, but now I guess their position patch may not have exactly matched their true position in the professional payscale or job description.

 

Now, if I may comment briefly on the topic of DEs and DDs without getting too much into functions and payscale debates. I recall just over a year ago, National and the four Regional staffs re-organized, streamlined and asked some eligible professionals to retire early.

 

Nationally, there is an annual program conference, I believe usually in May, which debuts new programs, national officers are sworn in and national awards are presented. I understand shortly after the national re-organization but before the 2009 annual conference, national hosted their third ever national "all call" for professionals. I'm not priveledged to the information, but I expect it had motivational new program topics as well as more serious "more with less", "measure up, or move out", and "shuffle the deck" topics.

 

District Executives (and District Directors) are the paid part of a District team, as individuals they can only do so much. That being said, with recent motivation I hope District Executives performance grows to the extent of their ability. They cannot do everything within a district, but if they are not doing anything it may be time to seek another suitable profession.

 

Scouting Forever and Venture On!

Crew21 Adv

 

[Basementdweller]

Zero none of those cub activities.

 

No district pinewood,

No district halloween activity

No district Day camp

No district cub activities.

 

 

I am not allowed to get anything organized or get a committee together because there is a cub activity committee.

[BS-87]

Have you approached your District Program Chair, DE, or District Chair about wanting to join that committee?

[moosetracker]

BS-87, From other threads, poor Basement does have a very poorly represented district or council. He has tried to offer his services and has been told he is not allowed to be on the district team with out woodbadge, he has tried to organize his own district wide program, and the district people did their best to sabbotage his efforts.. He went to woodbadge and was told even with woodbadge they did not want his help..

 

Yet those on the district committee refuse to offer any programs..

 

Very different from most committee.. Mine is currently not only open to the normal adults, we are actively recruiting and welcoming the 18 to 21 year olds that have continued on in scouting and are offering them positions that (although no pay) may be helpful for them to have on resumes.. Showing skills like organizational, people, management, training .. Also we are looking to get as many people on district staff as possible so that we are not always recruiting from the same limited pool of people, and burning them out.

 

[BS-87]

Whoa... that sounds atrocious...

 

I'm sorry, didn't know the backstory. Woodbadge is not District Committee Training...

 

It's hard to believe there's a District Committee out there that refuses help!

[Basementdweller]

thx moose

 

 

I am done fighting the district about this......Like I said, we go out of district to get our cub events..... I told the Pack committee I would stay for the next 5 years as CM to provide some stability to the program.

 

I am tired of the politics.

 

My son is no longer a cub, so personally it is kind of irrelevant any more. I fought them my sons entire cub scouting career. Well, wolf on anyhow.

 

I have to ask myself Why does it matter? and why are you making a big deal about it???

 

I will spend most of my vacation at scout camps this summer, day camp, webelos resident, Resident camp with the troop and then with the Crew.

[Scoutfish]

Basement,

How about some milder winters, slight more humid summers and living in a Council where - If you say you want to help with something...all the DE's start smiling so hard, you couldn't take that smile away with plastic surgery!

 

If you offer to help out, they will take you up on that offer to the point you might regret being in scouts!

[Eagle92]

Base asks

 

I have to ask myself Why does it matter? and why are you making a big deal about it???

 

Why does it matter, because SCOUTING made a promise to these Cubs of excitement and adventure, of going in the outdoors, and if your council uses the recruiting spiel mine does of "bow and arrows....bb guns...." WE NEED TO KEEP THAT PROMISE! (not shouting at you, Base, but in frustration to the folks you are dealing with).

 

As to why you are making a big deal, because you, YES YOU BASE, care about your cubs, and want the best for them! You are tired of all the garbage that is hurting your Cubs, and have decided, "the heck with it I am going to give them the best program I can!"

 

Illegitimus non carborundum

[Doc Meyer]

I would suggest that the district does not want to over-program activities at the expense of unit program planning. It's harmful to have a monthly district activity for any program area.

[Basementdweller]

Ok Doc

 

for the cub program, I have asked for a Day Camp, fall family camp, a spring family camp and a district Pinewood derby.

 

that is not too much Cub programing.

 

 

 

Yep the program suffers because of the distric BS, not boy scouts.