Reaction to Randall Stephenson: ‘It’s a new day in Scouting’ speech

[Tampa Turtle]

Link here: http://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2016/06/06/randall-stephenson-att-ceo-new-bsa-president-new-day-scouting/

 

ATT jokes aside it was a predictable attempt at a rah-rah speech.

 

Something about it hit me a weird way...can't quite put my finger on it. I was wondering what other people thought?

[RememberSchiff]

He states change is necessary to grow membership. "...our board has to change. Both the composition of the board and how it operates.†I doubt few would disagree with that but what changes?

 

"We mass-produce leaders", sounds like the Eagle mill mentality. He should have said something like We supply America's leadership needs.

 

The BSA does not serve "markets", we serve youth.

 

Like AT&T, he seems to be unaware that the BSA has competition.

 

“I want you to think of another institution today in the United States that’s teaching leadership and the basic virtues necessary for our civil

society,†Stephenson said. “Duty to God, duty to country, helping other people at all times. … If Scouting fails to grow, my worry is who’s going to pick up that slack.â€

 

4-H does this and their membership is much larger than ours. There are many other smaller groups too.

 

Agree, a rah-rah speech without much substance but "It's a New Day"

[Tampa Turtle]

Weren't any retired astronauts available?

[blw2]

or Navy Seals that were Eagles?

[MrBob]

"Make the B.S.A. Great Again".

[SSScout]

What is his Scout history?   His Scout experience?    Does he know the  territory?    

"But he doesn't know the territory!"    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZ9U4Cbb4wg

[Cambridgeskip]

Reading what he has to say and seeing the comments on the link I think a lot of people have missed the point of what he's saying.

 

There's a lot of focus by commentators on the girls and God side of things. While they may be something under consideration I'm reading him as saying potential changes could go way beyond that and he's looking at a root and branch change of the whole thing. 

 

Him not having a scouting background is not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes it takes a fresh pair of eyes to see what needs to change.

 

You could be in for an interesting and hopefully successful ride over the next few years!

[John-in-KC]

Moving to I&P, so there's a little more latitude in commenting.

[desertrat77]

There is no need to invent anything to solve the problem.

 

Scouting's past has all of the answers.   Pride keeps the professional decision makers from acknowledging it.

[Stosh]

It's inventing new things to solve problems that didn't exist that are causing the problems today.

[MrBob]

It's inventing new things to solve problems that didn't exist that are causing the problems today.

Well, Executive-types have to DO SOMETHING to justify their continued existence.  Just maintaining the "status quo" is boring - they need to be REVOLUTIONARY!

[Stosh]

Well, Executive-types have to DO SOMETHING to justify their continued existence.  Just maintaining the "status quo" is boring - they need to be REVOLUTIONARY!

 

In this case, common sense would be revolutionary.

[Tampa Turtle]

In this case, common sense would be revolutionary.

Meow meow hiss hiss

[dilrod]

My takeaways: Do we want to grow this movement?  Are you sure?  Requires change....market has changed.....continues changing (taste, preferences)..."cultural norms are rapidly changing..."         ...addressing different markets.....product has to change...approach to key markets has to change...some of the new stuff will replace some of the old stuff...end game: develop leaders by teaching the scout law...."youth" not "boys" mentioned...

 

Yeah, check out the Improved Scouting Program, Mr. Stephenson and see how that turned out.  I recently read up on that in Scouting magazine back issues.  A lot of work went into that with big goals.  In early 1973 the Boy Power logo quietly disappeared from the magazine and that was about it.

 

What is really insulting about this kind of thing is that people HAVE TRIED to grow this thing for almost 50 years!!!  It's almost heartbreaking to listen to speeches like this that infer no one is doing anything or ever HAS done anything to reach out to other communities.

 

It's been said here before.  Have a good program, spread the word and be welcoming. That's the best you can do. It's not our fault if most millenials/minorities/whatever aren't interested.  Let's just take care of the boys that want to be scouts.

[scoutldr]

"It's been said here before.  Have a good program, spread the word and be welcoming. That's the best you can do. It's not our fault if most millenials/minorities/whatever aren't interested.  Let's just take care of the boys that want to be scouts."

 

I agree in theory.  In reality, it takes a certain level of continued revenue to deliver the same program.  Professional salaries and benefits (6 figure minimums for SE), camp maintenance and operation, overhead, Scout Shops, service centers, program materials...all takes money.  Each scout that is not recruited represents dollars lost in registration fees, popcorn sales, camp fees, scout shop sales, etc.  You will reach a point where it is no longer sustainable.  We may already be beyond that point.