WisconsinMomma Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 (edited) I was asked by a guy I met at BALOO (who is our council training director) for names of folks who might want to be on the council training committee. I gave him the names of everybody I know. (Not really, but I gave him a lot of names of people I know from Wood Badge and then I gave him the names of all the "old-time" scouters from our Troop (basically people whose kids have graduated from scouting a few yeas ago.) I told him to "butter them up", meaning, appreciate the scouters! Here's my question for you, Scouters -- if you were asked to participate on your Council training committee, would you? Why or why not? I let our council training direcor know that sometimes the attitude towards council is not rosy. But perhaps a nice invitation and some appreciation and relationship building would do the trick! (Note I am already involved as a regular BALOO Trainer and I will continue to run a Traffic Safety merit badge program annually.) Edited January 21, 2019 by WisconsinMomma 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertrat77 Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 (edited) 13 minutes ago, WisconsinMomma said: I was asked by a guy I met at BALOO (who is our council training director) for names of folks who might want to be on the council training committee. I gave him the names of everybody I know. (Not really, but I gave him a lot of names of people I know from Wood Badge and then I gave him the names of all the "old-time" scouters from our Troop (basically people whose kids have graduated from scouting a few yeas ago.) I told him to "butter them up", meaning, appreciate the scouters! Here's my question for you, Scouters -- if you were asked to participate on your Council training committee, would you? Why or why not? I let our council training direcor know that sometimes the attitude towards council is not rosy. But perhaps a nice invitation and some appreciation and relationship building would do the trick! I would participate, definitely. Two years ago, I was asked to serve on a council committee. I said yes. I like the idea of asking the old timers. They know a lot and are often overlooked. Requirements may have changed since they were in the game, but they can learn the new ones quickly enough. The qualities that made them successful leaders in the past still translate to today. Edited January 21, 2019 by desertrat77 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David CO Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 28 minutes ago, WisconsinMomma said: Here's my question for you, Scouters -- if you were asked to participate on your Council training committee, would you? Why or why not? No. I don't like the council. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RememberSchiff Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 18 minutes ago, WisconsinMomma said: Here's my question for you, Scouters -- if you were asked to participate on your Council training committee, would you? Why or why not? Is Council interested in what I can bring to training scouters or do they want worker bees who will stick to a fixed script? I would want to know the details and what decision-making authority I would have. My $0.02 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagledad Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 You have the most leverage to make changes at the council level. But you have to have the respect of the committee. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortridge Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 (edited) Having seen a council committee in action, I would want to know who else was on the committee. Is it going to be a group that does actual work, or just an assortment of individuals who want to sit around and tell war stories? I would join the former. I don’t have time for the latter. Edited January 21, 2019 by shortridge 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjlash Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 As our council training chair, I guess I would say "yes" 😉 I would say that this is no different than any other position or request. Use your leadership skills to truly recruit - which means give them a reason to join that is important to them, provide whatever support they need, set clear expectations, respect their time and efforts, and show your appreciation for what they do. To @RememberSchiff comment about worker bees and a fixed script versus authority - my response would be that we have an obligation to teach the material as provided by national, but also to "make it our own" so that the session is fun and engaging (better for learning and better for "repeat customers"). That means make sure you cover everything, make sure you dont go too far off into left field, make sure you stick pretty close to the time expectations but make sure you are not a drone that reads from the book (and please use a presentation method in addition to powerpoint). I dont know what authority an instructor, or even the session organizer, would really need. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattR Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 If a volunteer asked me I'd say yes. Well, wait a minute. What does the council training committee do? (and that is pretty much how I get involved in everything, jump in and then start asking questions.) I'm already on a council committee (camping) and I never go to the meetings because they're always the same night as my troop's meetings. As far as I can tell they don't really have much of an impact because they can't control any money. They create lists of things to be fixed at camp and lists of fantastic ways to spend all the money the council doesn't have. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RememberSchiff Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 Powerpoint and me? That'll be the day. Good point about asking who else is on the committee and their mindset. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WisconsinMomma Posted January 21, 2019 Author Share Posted January 21, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, RememberSchiff said: Is Council interested in what I can bring to training scouters or do they want worker bees who will stick to a fixed script? I would want to know the details and what decision-making authority I would have. My $0.02 That's a good question. I would not expect that the council is seeking people to, you know, rewrite their training materials. But I think they would be open to creativity in presentation. And of course, after you volunteer for about a year and the relationship is established, they might ask you to start running whole programs! I think there is probably a bit of relationship-building involved while you work out what you want to do and where you think you fit the best. Edited January 21, 2019 by WisconsinMomma Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle94-A1 Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 Would the council ask me again should be the question. Seriously though, it depends on a lot of factors. Others have mentioned who else is on it and expectations, and those are valid. Another factor would be how would it affect my district? As ssd one may know, we have lost almost all of our district committee due to membership changes and/or treatment by council pros. Heck being treated rudely by my DE, and my overreaction got me to realize I was burning out. A third factor includes how will these additional duties affect my troop? You've read about the challenges I've had with trying to get a Scout-run troop. A fourth factor to consider is your job. Will it allow you the time off to do things for the job. last but most important, how will it affect your family. and I am probably forgetting ssd one dtuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle94-A1 Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 1 hour ago, RememberSchiff said: Is Council interested in what I can bring to training scouters or do they want worker bees who will stick to a fixed script? I would want to know the details and what decision-making authority I would have. My $0.02 Sadly the last time I taught ITOLS and SM Specific, so much info was left out of the syllabus, I had to pull resources from older training. Best example is wood tools. So much has been left out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSScout Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 38 minutes ago, Eagle94-A1 said: Sadly the last time I taught ITOLS and SM Specific, so much info was left out of the syllabus, I had to pull resources from older training. Best example is wood tools. So much has been left out. Oh yes. My Fearless Leader in IOLS, said "definitely" when I suggested adding copied pages from my 1958 vintage "Scout Fieldbook" for Knife and Axe pages. Well worth the copy fees.... 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertrat77 Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 Fire making and wood tool skills are fast becoming extinct in the BSA, unfortunately. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NealOnWheels Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 If you have the time, yes! It is very satisfying offering knowledge to new leaders eager to learn and knowing in some small part you are making scouting better for possibly hundreds of youth. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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