perdidochas Posted August 26, 2015 Share Posted August 26, 2015 Did this the first time face to face. It wasn't all day but it was way too long and I can't figure out how the district found the most ignorant person in the area to 'train' us. But they did. Most everyone in the room just suffered through and got 'annointed'. There is something special about 'face-to-face', and it isn't 'good' special. Well, we had a great trainer for face to face YPT, so it was worth going to. It was back in the days of having to do face to face Den leader training, so we did both the same day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeattlePioneer Posted September 4, 2015 Author Share Posted September 4, 2015 At our district committee meeting last night, it was confirmed that our council requiring annual YPT beginning THIS year. The idea is apparently that people need annual training or they wont abide by YP rules. Now, I was tested before I could get a driver's license, that was uhhh, fifty years ago. This strikes me a contempt by the council towards volunteers. We are too STUPID to only be tested every other year, apparently. Of course, National BSA apparently isn't going to show that people need to take YPT, and may not even allow people who have taken YPT within a year to take it again. But the administrative burden to take it is on the volunteers. The council isn't responsible for the consequences of their actions. Meanwhile, this year I've sent in two set of youth applications to the council which have been lost --- checks never cashed. I sent in six Cub Scout Day Camp applications which weren't processed for several weeks and which I was afraid were lost --- it would have been a nightmare to try and get those applications done over. A couple of years ago I had an adult leader application that I mailed in to the council lost -----twice. The administrative complexity is such that the PAID STAFF look like clowns, yet they keep ladling on layer after layers of complexity for volunteers to deal with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krampus Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 If the BSA requires us to take it every two years, and a council requires it every year, and there's no administrative tool provided to prove if someone has taken the training, how will anyone know if there's a violation? Also, what would a council do if they found a violation since we are chartered by national and they only require every two years? Anyone know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stosh Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 If one takes paperwork into the council office for processing. Get a receipt of what you dropped off signed and dated by the council person taking them from you. If one mails paperwork to the council office for processing. get a postal receipt which will come back signed and dated it was delivered. Make copies of everything before giving to the office. Assume they will mess it up and will only take 5 years to process. Laugh all you want, it took 5 years and 3 submissions by my committee to get trainer knots for my adults. I never assume they will do it right. That way I'm never upset and concerned when they foul things up. I have written proof of their incompetence, such as, you never mailed them to us. I have a signed postcard dated xx/xx/xxxx that you got the paperwork. Or on xx/xx/xxxx I stopped by the office and Sally Smith took my paperwork and I have a signed statement here saying so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeattlePioneer Posted September 5, 2015 Author Share Posted September 5, 2015 << If one mails paperwork to the council office for processing. get a postal receipt which will come back signed and dated it was delivered. Make copies of everything before giving to the office.>> Sorry, not interested in doing that. By and large these days, when the council screws it up I'm letting it sit there, uncorrected. I just don't have the energy to try to fix all their goofs. Meanwhile, they keep piling on more administrative complexity that THEY can't manage, let alone volunteers. In my opinion, BSA is strangling itself with all the administrative BS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vumbi Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 If the BSA requires us to take it every two years, and a council requires it every year, and there's no administrative tool provided to prove if someone has taken the training, how will anyone know if there's a violation? Also, what would a council do if they found a violation since we are chartered by national and they only require every two years? Anyone know? See, this makes sense if you take it a couple of steps farther. First, the council doesn't have a good way of tracking it because whether or not you actually complete YPT isn't all that important. Second, and related to the first thing, the council is mostly engaged in a CYA exercise and if on paper they can show that they require YPT every year, it looks good. And they have an 'out' if someone does something and there's a violation without the training. Viewed in light of those two potential factors, plus the mentioned increases of red tape and paperwork, it all begins to make sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stosh Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 << If one mails paperwork to the council office for processing. get a postal receipt which will come back signed and dated it was delivered. Make copies of everything before giving to the office.>> Sorry, not interested in doing that. By and large these days, when the council screws it up I'm letting it sit there, uncorrected. I just don't have the energy to try to fix all their goofs. Meanwhile, they keep piling on more administrative complexity that THEY can't manage, let alone volunteers. In my opinion, BSA is strangling itself with all the administrative BS. I guess I'm of a different opinion. As servant leader of my troop, I do whatever it takes for my boys and my adult volunteers and if that means extra work getting the paper work done at the office, it's worth the effort. Sure they are going to screw it up, but with evidence to back up my side, I do find that results do come quicker and if the office knows I'm a pain in the a$$ with my paperwork, they tend to take extra precaution with my submittals now. The squeaky wheel gets the grease and if it's for my people, I can get pretty loud. I had a DE once tell me after they had left that position that they were seriously afraid of me. as well as it should be when it comes to my paperwork! A dog that barks well, doesn't need to bite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krampus Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 See, this makes sense if you take it a couple of steps farther. First, the council doesn't have a good way of tracking it because whether or not you actually complete YPT isn't all that important. Second, and related to the first thing, the council is mostly engaged in a CYA exercise and if on paper they can show that they require YPT every year, it looks good. And they have an 'out' if someone does something and there's a violation without the training. Viewed in light of those two potential factors, plus the mentioned increases of red tape and paperwork, it all begins to make sense. But given the amount of stuff councils lose, one could claim they turned it in and then you'd have a problem. Everyone knows councils are not good at paperwork and an audit of their records would find a whole bunch of problems. So if they are going to require annual YPT they better have a tracking method and a good way to audit and back up everything, otherwise their requirement is not worth the paper they lost it on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vumbi Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 ... Everyone knows councils are not good at paperwork and an audit of their records would find a whole bunch of problems. So if they are going to require annual YPT they better have a tracking method and a good way to audit and back up everything, otherwise their requirement is not worth the paper they lost it on. And....maybe they're just 'saying' the YPT is required. As it is, with all that error, it's practically the honor system. It would be interesting to know how many leaders are dropped for failing to meet this requirement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScouterAdam Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 Western Region has gone to Annual YPT. Because of that Cascade Pacific in Oregon/SW Washington is now Annual YPT. It is coming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stosh Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 Once everyone realizes that they can get out of their hassles with the councils' extra work load they are generating, all they need do is not re-certify and the council will drop them like a hot potato. It'll work wonders for the quota numbers for the councils. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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