Re: Rules set forth by National

[ScouterCa]

I am curious to know why it seems difficult to find a troop who actually follows the guidelines set forth by National? Of the troops in our area, one uses the SM conference and BOR to seriously test the scout on their knowledge to the point where some of the scouts won't progress to the next level. Another has a new CC who has basically gutted the committee to put in place only people that he/she can manipulate (which are only a couple at this point), runs the troop like a pack (definitely not boy led), controls everything (which means that things are gong downhill because one person can't do it all) and won't let the SM do his job. These are just a few examples, there are ample. When we go to training, which these troop leaders have also been too, do we just pick and choose what we want to follow and it is ok to make troop policy that blatently goes against National Policy, Advancement Guidelines, etc? I don't want to speak up and create a huge deal, but this kind of thing really confuses me. I guess I look at it like we expect the boys to follow the rules, shouldn't the adults be doing the same?

[Tampa Turtle]

Yes we do. It is not always easy--boy led for example--sometimes I just have to walk away in frustration. But as they say in 12 step programs "It works if you work it", A bad CC can sabotage a whole Troop.

[qwazse]

Sometimes people like to have their own little fiefdoms.

 

They don't even realize what they're doing. That's where a gentle nudge by a UC can sometimes help.

 

Other times, they know full well that they are high minded, and they just don't care. Not much can be done unless that person gets to roundtable and camporees and spends a lot of time with different units. Just sit tight and wait for it all to fall apart.

 

Spout this 300' stuff too loudly and people think you're abandoning their little Johnny to the depredations of the wild.

 

Other times, National can be addle-headed. (E.g., removing independent patrol overnights from the G2SS, or adding unproven teaching methods to advancement requirements.) For "boots on the ground", that engenders a go-it-on-your-own attitude that we scouters sometimes have a hard time suppressing.

[fred johnson]

I've always been continually amazed at the hard bullheadedness of volunteers who know better than the organization that they profess to love so much.

[Tampa Turtle]

Scouting is a bit like a Venn Diagram. I love Scouting more then the national organization known as BSA. Sometimes they overlap closely and other times I wonder what National was thinking. You need to err on the side of the boys and safety. But IMHO there are a LOT of judgement calls.

[pcola]

The policies are for our protections, and the principles of scouting allow us to apply our own application to the program. I agree with Fred about the volunteers who want to re-engineer the system, and I am also amazed at the adults who become unrealistic in their over-zealousness of applying the principles. When the program is more important to the boys, and the boys sense this and tend to shy away from the program. Amazingly, this is a great program, built with a lot of flexibility, that can enhance the lives of our youth. I find the truly committed leaders outlast the zealots and rebels.