Disappointing Turnout For Service Project

[T2Eagle]

 when we have an organization that we have helped before (our local food bank) that specifically asks us to help with something are we supposed to say, "I'm sorry, that sounds kind of boring for our scouts. So we won't help."?

 

 

I have a different take on this than the other posters.  The first question I thought of was who agreed to this project.  It sounds like this was the adults' idea not the scouts, and that may be a part of the struggle for volunteers (I may come back to the Eagle project later).

 

I often hear from adults in my troop either a) we need to do more service projects or b) here's a great opportunity for service you should get the scouts involved.  What I have to do as politely as possible is explain that just because you don't see them do it doesn't mean they're not doing service work --- almost certainly more than I did when I was a scout.  For instance, adults who don't camp with us every month don't see the scouts voluntarily join an ongoing project at whatever camp we're using or come up with their own project that makes a small improvement for the land owner or camp.  

 

Additionally, most of my scouts attend Catholic schools so they have a certain number of service hours they have to complete every year, plus more hours if they're being confirmed, plus most of their extra curricular activities, including sports teams, either are service work or in the case of the teams and clubs incorporate service work as part of their required activities.  There is also a tendency to overlook the various activities that are such a routine part of our calendar that we don't even see them any more as the work that they are.

 

When adults want the troop to get involved in a new project I don't say yes unless 1) they are willing to go to the PLC and get real buy in from them and 2) they are willing to be the adult mentor who helps the PLC make the project work; that mentoring includes making sure that they help the scouts do the nitty gritty work of getting personal commitments from both the right number of scouts and the right opinion leader scouts so that there is sufficient turnout to ensure success; standing up at a meeting and saying "next week we're all going to meet and do project X"  is not a formula for success.

 

My predecessor warned me that there are a lot of people who have a lot of good ideas about things I should do, experience has taught me to say no if the idea comes without a sufficient co-commitment to make it work.

[eagle77]

I don't disagree with what you guys are saying.  One of my pet peeves which I'll add to the list of complaints is that the people in orange jumpsuits picking up trash on the roadside have been sentenced to "community service." 

 

Our troop does a huge food drive every winter.  We collect ballpark 15,000 pounds of food.  It is a huge undertaking which we spend months organizing.  Running it is considered a position of responsibility for the fellow who takes it on (as a SM-approved leadership project).

 

It sounds to me that you ran into a perfect storm of summer doldrums.  Folks out of town, a not-too interesting program, disorganized beneficiary, yadda, yadda, yadda.   I know it's frustrating.  It takes the same effort to plan a program whether 3 or 30 kids show up. On the other hand, folks are voting with their feet.  Families make a decision to do something else independently of the others.  It's not as if they all got together and decided to blow off Scouts that night.  But I think from time to time it's good for the SM to vent a little to the committee and parents and remind them you are volunteering your time regardless.  But they owe you the courtesy of letting you providing feedback so the troop can adjust accordingly. 

 

Oh, and a sign-up sheet would help.  

 

 Watch it there my troop does a roadside cleanup twice a year.

[pargolf44067]

I have a different take on this than the other posters.  The first question I thought of was who agreed to this project.  It sounds like this was the adults' idea not the scouts, and that may be a part of the struggle for volunteers (I may come back to the Eagle project later).

 

I often hear from adults in my troop either a) we need to do more service projects or b) here's a great opportunity for service you should get the scouts involved.  What I have to do as politely as possible is explain that just because you don't see them do it doesn't mean they're not doing service work --- almost certainly more than I did when I was a scout.  For instance, adults who don't camp with us every month don't see the scouts voluntarily join an ongoing project at whatever camp we're using or come up with their own project that makes a small improvement for the land owner or camp.  

 

Additionally, most of my scouts attend Catholic schools so they have a certain number of service hours they have to complete every year, plus more hours if they're being confirmed, plus most of their extra curricular activities, including sports teams, either are service work or in the case of the teams and clubs incorporate service work as part of their required activities.  There is also a tendency to overlook the various activities that are such a routine part of our calendar that we don't even see them any more as the work that they are.

 

When adults want the troop to get involved in a new project I don't say yes unless 1) they are willing to go to the PLC and get real buy in from them and 2) they are willing to be the adult mentor who helps the PLC make the project work; that mentoring includes making sure that they help the scouts do the nitty gritty work of getting personal commitments from both the right number of scouts and the right opinion leader scouts so that there is sufficient turnout to ensure success; standing up at a meeting and saying "next week we're all going to meet and do project X"  is not a formula for success.

 

My predecessor warned me that there are a lot of people who have a lot of good ideas about things I should do, experience has taught me to say no if the idea comes without a sufficient co-commitment to make it work.

Here's the deal.  The boys wanted to help the food bank with some organizing of their food pantry.  While we were there, the director of the food bank asked if we would take part in this large project that they had coming up in a couple of months.  The boys that were there said that we would be happy to help.  So, yes there was some adult nudging in the initial idea, however, the boys agreed that they would help when they heard what good the food bank did for their neighbors.

 

I get that people have a lot of different service committments to hit.  Like I said, I don't expect us to have a large turnout on Saturday.  It is a different meeting day and people are busy.  But when it is on the same day as our normal meeting it would be nice if people showed up.  It isn't like we have service projects weekly or even monthly.  I am really frustrated, however, when in one week you can have 15 boys and five or six registered leaders (not to mention parents) that show up to do a hike but only 7 and one leader (besides me) show up the very next week at the same time, that shows me what the priorities are, for both the scouts and the parents.