Major Changes Announced -- Councils Impacted

[Oldscout448]

45 minutes ago, 69RoadRunner said:

I saw the commercial today for the law firm compelling people to come forward to sue BSA. The commercial comes across just like all of the "Slip and Fall, Give Us a Call" law firms that advertise all the time.

People who were hurt as kids deserve compensation. I just wish the individuals responsible were the ones being punished. Not just the ones who committed the acts, but also those who participated in the coverup. 

 

There are a few people I would love to sue into oblivion for the abuse of a number of youth in years past. But with one exception they are long dead. I can see no justice in stealing from today's youth for crimes or negligence committed years before they were even born.

[malraux]

5 hours ago, Chisos said:

As for Webelos/AOL...spin 4th/5th grade off to be less affiliated with the Pack.  They need to get away from the K to 3rd grade set.

I’ve said this before but looking at other countries scouting programs, they tend to have a k-2 program, a 3-5 program, a 5-9 and a 10-12 or higher program. That might be a better structure long term because the variances are so high otherwise. What’s appropriate for a first grader is not the same as a 5th grader. 

[TAHAWK]

For many of these claims no one around back then is alive except the plaintiff.  This makes it hard to mount a defense.  That is a reason for statues of limitation of a couple of years - it is inherently unfair to allow the bringing of claims decades after the alleged individual wrongdoer and all other potential witnesses are dead. 

 

So politics.  Legislatures arbitrarily extending periods of limitation by decades for political reasons.

 

BSA  might have done better by preserving its "base" instead of trying to placate its enemies.

[David CO]

7 hours ago, Oldscout448 said:

I can see no justice in stealing from today's youth for crimes or negligence committed years before they were even born.

I agree.  It is not a just remedy, but it is the only remedy they have.  The plaintiffs cannot sue to have the BSA executives removed from their positions.  They cannot sue to have BSA reorganized and returned to greatness.  I wish they could.  Our system doesn't allow for this.  It only allows the plaintiffs to sue for money.  That's it.  There is no other remedy.

Like you, I don't like to see the sins of past generations visited upon todays youth.  But I also dislike the idea of having the victims left with no remedy at all.  

I am left with the hope that the approaching financial disaster will do more than just wipe out BSA.  I hope that it will fertilize the ground for a new scouting organization to take its place, and provide a better scouting experience for many future generations of boys.

Edited May 26, 2020 by David CO

[thrifty]

This group has always been very informative.  So what kind of timeframe are we talking about for these changes?  I don't know much about lawsuits, I assumed it would drag on for years. Now it sounds like my 15yo scout will have been a Boy Scout, Scout BSA and To Be Determined by the time he's aged out?

[mrjohns2]

21 minutes ago, thrifty said:

Now it sounds like my 15yo scout will have been a Boy Scout, Scout BSA and To Be Determined by the time he's aged out?

I would be surprised by that. I think when they said re-branding them meant "what does the BSA it's programs mean to the world", not "renaming". That is just speculation on my part. I assume the Girl Scout lawsuit will end up being nothing other than "don't ever call them girl scouts", but then again, speculation. 

[HashTagScouts]

10 minutes ago, mrjohns2 said:

I would be surprised by that. I think when they said re-branding them meant "what does the BSA it's programs mean to the world", not "renaming". That is just speculation on my part. I assume the Girl Scout lawsuit will end up being nothing other than "don't ever call them girl scouts", but then again, speculation. 

I wouldn't be so sure about that.  I think they want to stop our org continuing to call itself B as well, if that is now not what any level of our org is.

Edited May 26, 2020 by HashTagScouts

[mrjohns2]

17 minutes ago, HashTagScouts said:

I think they want to stop our org continuing to call itself B as well, if that is now not what any level of our org is.

I have no doubt that is what they want. They have also said that we shouldn’t have girls at all. What they want, and what trade mark law will require the BSA to do are very different. 

[Mrjeff]

I personally think that way too much emphasis has been placed on "character building " and " lesson teaching" anyway. I have never heard a youngster say that they joined scouts to "have their character built" or to "learn the lessons of life".  Way too much time and money has been wasted developing a bunch of academic bu*&l s&#t that should just flow naturally in conjunction with a fun outdoor program.  You want to teach "fairness", just have a string burning contest. You want to teach self reliance, just keep your fat adult nose out of their camp planning  and have the brass to let them suffer through two nights of of a camping trip.  Academics and school house  techniques have little place in Scouting, but it is the EASY way to be a scout leader.  The proof is in the pudding.  I have seen scOUTing become shINing over the past several years and this automated  and academic program has failed.  The fact that these ideas are reflected in our adult training (Woodbadge) certenly doesn't help our cause.

 

 

[vol_scouter]

Mrjeff,

 

Building character and leadership is the entire reason for Scouting.  If the program is executed as designed, then youth will develop character and leadership.  Sure didn't realize that on my way to my Eagle years ago but it worked with me and almost all of the other Scouts in my troop regardless of whether they earned Eagle.  Camping, hiking, trying and failing, leading, making mistakes, and working through hardships (at least in the eyes of the youth) accomplishes those goals of character and leadership.  

[TAHAWK]

Mrjeff is, I believe, addressing program, not goals.  BF warned against asking youths to join an educational program to make them better citizen of the Empire.  

 

"So with Boys"

[Jameson76]

Saw this summary - 

National Executive Committee commissioned a set of teams to address six key areas to secure the future and our ability to deliver our mission by serving our customers, girls and boys, and their parents, young men, and women.

1. How do we keep young people safe?
2. Are the BSA programs aligned with today's young people?
3. Is the National Council effectively identifying and communicating with their stakeholders?
4. Do we have the most effective organizational structure?
5. Are there changes that will make the National Council more effective?
6. How do we build a solid financial path for the future?

Here are some changes that we are announcing today and many more will be made over the summer.

1. Develop a set of onboarding tools that are simple, concise, informative, while streamlining all safe scouting resources to one location.
2. Learn from and share how councils can promote and deliver youth protection programs to build community awareness that BSA is a safe place for young people. If you've not seen what Atlanta and greater NY has done, it's incredible.
3. Streamline the actual chartering process and make the collection of fees easier.
4. End all youth programs at 18 and build a volunteer corps for young adults over 18.
5. National staff levels and costs have been reduced and can be offset by volunteers in a meaningful fashion
6. Use on-demand printing technologies for merit badge books and other printed materials
7. Replace the current region and area structure with one intermediate organization
8. Orient national services to only those that support council operations
9. Create a membership category that will allow for families and individuals to join special programs developed by local councils
10. Combine the national annual meeting and [???] into one annual event which we plan to do in 2021. Unfortunately it will be in August, but we did hear you and in 2022 it will be earlier in the summer.
11. Appoint a national chief marketing & communication position to re-brand the BSA after bankruptcy and develop a national marketing campaign that can be implemented at the council level.

 

This is the one that may be concerning - Create a membership category that will allow for families and individuals to join special programs developed by local councils.  Guess we will become some sort of event provider group.  Wedding, Birthday Party's, Bar Mitzvahs...whatever to make a buck

 

 

[mrjohns2]

On 5/29/2020 at 4:09 PM, Jameson76 said:

 Create a membership category that will allow for families and individuals to join special programs developed by local councils.

I see this allowing councils to do a program that isn't a national program or pilot program. So, for example, let's say STEM Scouts stops. If a council wanted to do Engineering Scouts, right now, there is no mechanism for that to happen. It is innovation and program from national or nothing. This would be a mechanism to allow that to happen. 

[vtcchokie92]

Maybe I missed it in this thread, but have the fees for 2021 been set yet?  Rumors show that we will have additional increases in 2021 from what we had this past year.

[MattR]

Welcome to the forum, @vtcchokie92.