No one-on-one contact - how do I do that over the phone?

[qwazse]

Well, there are lots of ways to go over the deep end with this. For example, an SMC at a coffee shop (because maybe meetings aren't working out, or in my case a youth sees me on a break and wants to sit down and talk about his rank advancement) there may be dozens of adults and youth present, a few of them know each of us, but what if none that I know are scouters? Should we shout "Is there a card carrying member of the BSA in the house?" before starting a conversation? I would say not, because we have both upheld the intent of no one-on-one contact. On the other hand, if someone were to schedule repeated SMCs with one boy during troop meetings (where adults and scouts are in the same room) without specifically telling anyone else why he/she needed to do so, one might consider insisting they change their behavior, because even though they stick to the letter of the law, there might be a "hair on the back of the neck" feeling that the intent is being violated.

[King Ding Dong]

Q, who carries their freaking BSA Membership Card around with them ? Lol. Training cards yes, in a little ziplock. Been asked to see those, never my membership card.

[qwazse]

For a few years, a local sporting goods store gave a modest discount with your card, so we all got used to carrying them. Sadly those days are gone because the recession was tough on the corporate and they had to sell "our" store to pay for recent expansions elsewhere.

[perdidochas]

KDD,

 

The local Coleman Outlet gives a 10% discount on non-sale items for the Membership card. Also, technically, the membership card is part of the official uniform.

 

http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/34283.pdf‎

[TAHAWK]

Our esteemed District Advancement Chairman said one-on-one contact by e-mail or telephone to arrange for Merit Badge counseling is perfectly acceptable. Then he got back to me and said hold on; he could not find language that said it was acceptable.

 

"One-on-one contact between adults and Scouts prohibited. One-on-one contact between adults and youth members is not permitted. In situations that require personal conferences, such as a Scoutmaster’s conference, the meeting is to be conducted in view of other adults and youths."

 

"Contact" seems broader than "meeting," but who knows what was meant to be communicated.

 

Then we have elsewhere: "One-on-one contact between adults and youth members in not permitted."

 

Citing YPT guidelines, BSA says:

"As it relates to social media, two-deep leadership means there should be no private messages and no one-on-one direct contact through email, Facebook messages, Twitter direct messaging, chats, instant messaging (Google Messenger, AIM, etc.), or other similar messaging features provided through social media sites. All communication between adults and youth should take place in a public forum (e.g. the Facebook wall), or at a bare minimum, electronic communication between adults and youth should always include one or more authorized adults openly “copied†(included) on the message or message thread."

 

I also asked the designated contact person at BSA corporate about these issues, but have had no response.

 

I do not assume that BSA must mean what I think they should mean.

 

 

[King Ding Dong]

KDD' date=' The local Coleman Outlet gives a 10% discount on non-sale items for the Membership card. Also, technically, the membership card is part of the official uniform. http://www.[b']scouting[/b].org/filestore/pdf/34283.pdf‎

Non-sale items ? That's not thrifty.

[qwazse]

Our esteemed District Advancement Chairman said one-on-one contact by e-mail or telephone to arrange for Merit Badge counseling is perfectly acceptable. Then he got back to me and said hold on; he could not find language that said it was acceptable....... I do not assume that BSA must mean what I think they should mean.

RULE # 1: NEVER ask someone for a rule, they'll give you one. I don't sit around waiting for people to tell me what good work of mine is acceptable. If nowhere it is written that a good deed, like walking through MB requirements over the oh one in advance of or persuant to a counseling session, is unacceptable, then IT IS ACCEPTABLE.

[LeCastor]

When I first became Scoutmaster of our Troop, one of the older Scouts began texting me repeatedly. The texts were innocent enough at first and then became hostile. It got to the point where I approached the Scout and told him I would call the police if he ever sent threatening texts again. I also told the Troop Committee about it and let the Scout's guardian know it was happening. The Scout had no idea his texts were being interpreted at dangerous or menacing. But I sure did! (It got to the point where I asked my phone service provider to send me a record of the texts from the Scout's number--160+ in one month alone!)

 

Since then our Troop Committee has implemented a policy of mandating the Committee Chair be copied on emails and texts from an adult to a Scout. It's not that overwhelming and doesn't require a response from the Chair. As for the phone, if I need to call a Scout and he answers I ask to speak to one of his guardians first. They appreciate that I ask their permission first. If a Scout calls me and asks something he should be asking his Patrol Leader I tell him so. They usually say, 'oh yeah, I should have thought of that".

 

I think if a parent agrees to let you speak to their son it should be okay to have the one-on-one conversation. I'm with the let's-not-over-think-it camp here.

[Scouter99]

When I first became Scoutmaster of our Troop' date=' one of the older Scouts began texting me repeatedly. The texts were innocent enough at first and then became hostile. It got to the point where I approached the Scout and told him I would call the police if he ever sent threatening texts again. I also told the Troop Committee about it and let the Scout's guardian know it was happening. The Scout had no idea his texts were being interpreted at dangerous or menacing. But I sure did! (It got to the point where I asked my phone service provider to send me a record of the texts from the Scout's number--160+ in one month alone!) [/quote']

 

What kind of message can one person feel is worth police action and another not?

[LeCastor]

@Scouter99, I'd rather protect the Scout and not talk about it here. Suffice it to say that the texts were perceived as menacing by me and the Troop Committee.

 

LeCastor

[chrisking0997]

fascinating conversation. Ive always wondered about the phone call thing vs a text or email.

 

Incidentally, I had my SM specific training this weekend and on one of the slides that they blew thru I say one regarding YPT it said something to the effect that YPT guidelines require 2 adults in every car carrying scouts. While internally my head was exploding, wondering how in the world the troop is going to find an extra adult PER car and an additional car or two to offset the loss of seats from those additional adults, it got me to wondering about that too.

[The Blancmange]

fascinating conversation. Ive always wondered about the phone call thing vs a text or email.

 

Incidentally, I had my SM specific training this weekend and on one of the slides that they blew thru I say one regarding YPT it said something to the effect that YPT guidelines require 2 adults in every car carrying scouts.

 

Simply not accurate. This is a common, but incorrect conflation of two separate rules. One says that you must have 2 deep adult leadership for an outing. The other prohibits one-on-one contact between adults and youth. As long as the two deep leadership is satisfied by two leaders on an outing (possibly, and quite often, travelling in different vehicles), the one-on-one contact rule is followed by having one adult and two or more youth in the vehicle.

 

As you attend more locally-operated training, you will see that misinformation is not all that uncommon.

[TAHAWK]

You're fine unless there is one Scout and one adult not his parent. In that case you would have the prohibited one-on-one contact.