MollieDuke Posted September 13, 2004 Share Posted September 13, 2004 My husband has been trying to charter a new crew for about a year now. He's got all his adults ready to commit and at least 3 boy scouts ready to join. Our council says we cannot go forward until we have 5 boys (non scouts) ready to enroll and that until we do, we cannot advertise, recruit, or otherwise offer this crew to the public. My question is likely obvious: if we cannot recruit, where do these non scouts come from and how do we get them? Anyone that has chartered a crew, please contact me ASAP. We need help! This makes no sense to me. I fear our council might be a little misinformed. Thanks in advance for the help. MollieD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LovetoCamp Posted September 13, 2004 Share Posted September 13, 2004 Mollie, The new crew needs to have the full compliment of adult leaders, but to the best of my knowledge, two youth need to be primarily registered with the crew and three others may be co-registered with a Boy Scout troop. They don't have to be non-scouts, just the Primary registration needs to be changed with the Crew. P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BadenP Posted September 13, 2004 Share Posted September 13, 2004 One problem you might be having with council is who is the chartering organization? If this is just a group of adult friends wanting to do this you might have a problem convincing council that this is a stable, viable charter organization. An in place chartering organization could then help you with recruiting in your community. Too many crews get thrown together haphazardly and fall apart in a few months without a solid organization behind them. A crew is not supposed to be a club, but a scouting unit that will stand up over time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MollieDuke Posted September 13, 2004 Author Share Posted September 13, 2004 Actually, we do have an established organization chartering us. However, we were told they could not recruit for us either until we have the 5 required non-scouts registered. I'm at a loss as to how we are supposed to get these kids if no one can tell anyone we exist, you know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LovetoCamp Posted September 13, 2004 Share Posted September 13, 2004 5 non-scouts is certainly not a requirement. We started our crew with 5 co-registered boys. We've had 2 non-scouts join since then, but we sure started that way, and the charter is hanging on the wall at the American Legion. Let me see if I can find a source for you Mollie..... Bob, help, please. P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffalo2 Posted September 13, 2004 Share Posted September 13, 2004 that Scout/Non-Scout distinction is a new one on me... Yet another intrerpretation I suspect Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BadenP Posted September 13, 2004 Share Posted September 13, 2004 The five youth requirement is the min. number only to obtain a charter. You can recruit actively with the help of your CO before that without restriction but will not be able to apply for a charter until you have at least 5 youth and 5 adults to register, that is Nationals requirement. My DE suggests you do a recruitment night at your CO or other spot, have the youth and adults fill out the applications and present them to the council registrar who will help you with the charter. As a former DE myself thats how we did it in my districts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LovetoCamp Posted September 13, 2004 Share Posted September 13, 2004 Of those five youth, were any of them required to hold their primary registration with the new crew? Can councils or districts lay on that 5 non-scout requirement? I'm thinking they wouldn't want to prohibit new units, or Mollie are you dealing with one person who is interpretting these requirments in the name of your council? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MollieDuke Posted September 14, 2004 Author Share Posted September 14, 2004 This is certainly not what we've been told. Our info has come from our Council Exec. He seems to be quite adamant that this is the only way. Our DE is so frustrated over this. He needs to get this off the ground, too, to meet his personal goals, so it's driving us all nuts---well, except the CE, I guess. Could one of you guys that has access to the actual requirement type it in here with the name of the publication it came from so we can read the source for ourselves? Is that even possible? I just feel sure this is one guy's interpretation and it's so contadictory that it's just got to be wrong. I really appreciate all you are doing to help us out. It's really helping me understand some stuff. I can't believe starting a new crew is this difficult. It's going to be worth it, though, I think. (I hope--Grin) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LovetoCamp Posted September 14, 2004 Share Posted September 14, 2004 Mollie, Working on finding any documentation for you, but, our Ship (which started as a crew) was started in the manner I wrote. Five total, two being primarily registered with the crew. If I was able to get this done, than how can it be any different, unless the SE has discretion locally. P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LovetoCamp Posted September 15, 2004 Share Posted September 15, 2004 Okay Mollie, The National Policy is five youth to start a unit, the minimum is two of the five being primarily registered with the crew. Two of them can be primarily registered with the new crew and be co-registered with their troop. The other three if Boy Scouts can mailtain their registration with the troop and be co-registered with the crew. I've no documentation, just that what I thought coupled with the two persons that confirmed it, is as good as hearing it from the burning bush. One person said he has heard in his years a unit being started with less than 5 youth members, but BSA National has to approve it, and said SE have more discretion than most people who have you imagine. Nobody could come up with any idea why the SE would make these demands, unless he was clueless as to the guidelines of new unit creation. Is there conflict in here we don't know about? The guideline is in the manuals that the professionals have in your council. Possible go the a neighboring council and ask for a photocopy of the page. Good Luck!!! P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MollieDuke Posted September 15, 2004 Author Share Posted September 15, 2004 Gee, Thanks TrailPounder, You certainly lived up to your username today for us and we do really appreciate it! We have been racking our brains for why the Council Exec. has interpreted this in this way and all we could really come up with is that we're a small council with few ventures so maybe it's just all new. We really just don't know. They were very excited over this when we started. When we got all our adults, they couldn't believe we had done it in so short a time. Then, we had 3 boys from one Troop interested and 2 more from summer camp which would be our 5 boys, but that's when it hit a major snag and the council said we couldn't do it without non-scouts and that's where it all began to fall apart. We also have repeatedly asked and asked again what part we misunderstood, why we couldn't recruit in public to get these non-scouts (and were told no recruiting till charter was done and that required the 5 non scouts), then it never got any better. Thanks so much for all your valuable info. Now, at least we can ask for another revisit of this problem since we can honestly say we consulted other crews and scouters and they never did it this way. I'm excited. We can't wait to go to the local high school and recruit and our charter organization rep can't wait to get her hands on these kids to get started with it all either. Hopefully, by next spring, then, we'll be ready for our first outing!!! Thanks again, TrailPounder--- In the words of the kids---YOU ROCK! Thanks, MollieDuke Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LovetoCamp Posted September 15, 2004 Share Posted September 15, 2004 And good luck to you Madam. By the way, Sea Scouts is a division of Venturing. Sea Scouts can form a Ship in the same manner as a Crew, and the youth can work towards Eagle, Sea Scout Quartermaster, and all the Venturing Awards: Bronze, Gold, Silver, and the awesome Ranger Award. I hope you get your new Crew to Rock too!!!! P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob White Posted September 15, 2004 Share Posted September 15, 2004 Trail Pounder's information is accuarate and correct. HOWEVER. Councils are independent corporations under the administration of the Scout Executive. the solution....ASK! Go to the SE and ask "What do you want?" "If you want to have another Crew Chartered this year, what are you willing to do to help us find the remaining scouts you want us to have?" If the SE is unwilling to help you begin this new unit then walk away, this is not a council that is going to succeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twocubdad Posted September 15, 2004 Share Posted September 15, 2004 Walk away? Is that what you would do Bob? Perhaps it's just my nature, but I'd have a difficult time going quite so quietly into that long night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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