We don’t cancel!

[CNYScouter]

 

Our council has a mantra of “We don’t Cancel†and will hold events/training no matter what

 

I don’t get this attitude that holding something and doing it lousy is better than canceling the event.

 

Here are a couple of examples:

I am teaching at my council’s Scouting U tomorrow

One of the classes I am teaching is in the Sea Scout section.

I was copied in on an email yesterday from the other 2 instructors telling the organizer that they were not driving the +3 hours for the low turnout that has preregistered and the classes should be canceled.

These classes only have 2 or 3 people attending.

 

The organizer wrote back that “we don’t cancel†and these classes will be held “no matter whatâ€Â

So what will happen is that someone unfamiliar with the program will be slapping together a class or winging it trying to teach the topics.

 

Take away the 8 scouts for Den Chief Training (6 from my son’s Troop) there are less than 25 people total signed up for Scouting U.

If I paid money, took the time to drive there and gave up a Saturday to go and the training was not very good I wouldn’t be happy.

If my son wasn’t taking Den Chief training I would be asking the same time about canceling.

I am teaching 3 classes – one has 2 people signed up – 1 has no one in it – the 3^rd has 3 signed up.

I have to think this “we don’t cancel†attitude has something to do with the poor turnout

 

Another example is one of the District Camporees that our district put on a couple of years ago.

At the District meeting 2 weeks prior to the camporee it came out that nothing had been planned.

 

The District Commissioner at the time gave the cry “We don’t cancel†and volunteered the commissioner staff would do the camporee.

 

This camporee only had 3 units and 25 people show up.

The camporee consisted of an opening of the pledge and one of the district staff throwing a football and Frisbee on the ground telling the scouts to go have fun.

One unit just packed up and went home.

 

As a side note the District Commissioner was a no show at the camporee.

This was one of the last camporees the district tried to do on its own.

Camporees are now held jointly with another district.

 

Can one of you explain to me why holding something and doing it lousy is better than canceling the event?

 

 

[scoutldr]

I don't know how many people are in your council, but in ours, it was not uncommon to have 400+ attend a District Camporee. U of Scouting typically would attract 150-200 adults. If some classes had low turnouts, that gives you a message for next year. Sounds like there is a general apathy in your Council and if they canceled due to lack of interest, there would NEVER be an event held. The solution is in planning a good program...if you build it, they will come. But one crappy unplanned event is enough to turn people away and they will never be back. You have to make it worth their while to give up their time. If not, they've got things to do at home. During my stint as training chair, I would have regularly scheduled courses and decided to do evening sessions when all other districts were doing weekends. I always had standing room only, and most of them were from other districts (which didn't help my training metrics any!).

[fred johnson]

They are two different topics.

 

---- Do you ever cancel?

---- Do you allow lousy events?

 

"Generally", I agree with the you never cancel. But I also apply the mantra to that we don't schedule/announce an event until we have committed leaders and a plan. If the leaders are not committed, we don't schedule the event. I'd apply that to training, camporees or anything else in life. Plan to do it well or don't plan to do it. But once you commit and others become committed, deliver the best program possible.

 

So if the camporee has three troops, you can still have a great camporee. If you only have 25 people at training, you can still do great training. It just looks different. Plans change and evolve. But you don't need to sacrifice quality.

 

The trouble with canceling events is that people will start to not believing you. They will hedge their commitments too. And they will find other commitments.

 

[Stosh]

One can have a small turn out and still do a good job. The problem is not whether or not the activity is cancelled, but whether or not your people are doing a good job to begin with. I would simply cancel all activities until everyone gets on board with being trustworthy.

 

If I were teaching a class, and after driving for 3+ hours found out that only one person showed, I would still hold the class. They might have driven 3+ hours to learn something. If nobody showed, I'd go to another session still being held and learn something on my own.

 

Stosh

[DuctTape]

As a volunteer, I plan my training or activity regardless. The fact that 2 people attended or twenty doesn''t change the amount of time I prepared nor does it affect how long it took me to drive. In the specific scenario described by the OP, I would be more annoyed at the trainers who don't plan and prepare for the session until the last minute. That might be the reason people do not attend, the sessions are not well planned.

[TAHAWK]

One can have a small turn out and still do a good job. The problem is not whether or not the activity is cancelled, but whether or not your people are doing a good job to begin with. I would simply cancel all activities until everyone gets on board with being trustworthy.

 

Stosh

 

Bingo ! The customers will tell you if you are supplying a product that they want to buy.

 

Slap-dash sessions only make low attendance lower.

 

Unthinking sloganeering is not a substitute for quality planning.

 

[SSScout]

Some topics will draw a large class, some a smaller one. If I had committed to teaching a class, I would be there. Sea Scouting is a wonderful activity, very traditional in Scouting, but it will not be the draw of, oh, say, BALOO training. Three folks can make a wonderful class.

As for the Camporee, the District leadership needs a better game plan. Here in my District, it is recognized that no District can supply the leadership and planning for a large, successful Camporee. Or Webelos Weekend. Or Merit Badge Day. We recruit a Scout Troop to do the planning and organizing. Need more boy power? Add another Troop! The District per se does not "do" the Camporee. Notice, official stuff, collecting, paying money, that becomes the District and Council responsibility.

Poor planning and poor advance notice are the bane of all Scout activities. We learn as we go. We are volunteers and we learn as we go.

"The work is done by whoever shows up"