Scouting Forward: A Plan to Lead Announced

[David CO]

5 hours ago, John-in-KC said:

I have the feeling this graphic is not for public dissemination. 

Well, it's not pornographic, but it is still pretty offensive.  Maybe they could have delivered it to us in brown paper wrapping with warnings to keep it out of the eyesight of the scouts or sensitive scout leaders.

[fred8033]

11 hours ago, David CO said:

I think that may be exactly what the executives at BSA have in mind.  They want to turn their remaining boy scout camps into commercial camp grounds.  They'll sell the ones they can and commercialize the rest.

I'm not sure they are talking about adding new membership categories like exploring or venturing.  I think it might be membership categories like the ones commercial health clubs have.  Weekend memberships.  Monthly memberships.  Family memberships.

This is what happened to the YMCA.  They took an association of young Christian men, dropped its mission/purpose, and turned it into a commercial health club.  

This is an argument that it make sense.  I love the scout properties, but they sit idle a large amount of time.  There is potential to increase use if offered to public for alternative use.  

The real challenge would be how to keep scout properties available to scouts when also available to a more public / family use.  Family camping and scouting camping may not be side-by-side compatible.

[fred8033]

2 hours ago, MattR said:

I'd say a lake front in the summer, a forest anytime and hiking trails are critical. It's more important to camp at new places than places with toys.

I'd be interested to see cost vs benefit on many scouting programs.  ATVs are cool, but what's the cost.  More complex scheduling.  Additional staff to run.  ATVs.  

I tend to agree.  Get out camping.  A mix of yearly same-spot and new experience camping.  The toys are okay, but not as important as just getting out.

[yknot]

52 minutes ago, fred8033 said:

This is an argument that it make sense.  I love the scout properties, but they sit idle a large amount of time.  There is potential to increase use if offered to public for alternative use.  

The real challenge would be how to keep scout properties available to scouts when also available to a more public / family use.  Family camping and scouting camping may not be side-by-side compatible.

I think this an area that National should have addressed  before now and I hope will do so in the future. We've got some properties in our area that seem to be utilized year round with some patronage by the general public that can be used as models. It really comes down to having professionals involved in scouting that come from outside the scouting world. These properties need more sophisticated business plans, and the programming and marketing that goes along with that, in order to survive. My hope is that Covid will spur more interest in outdoor activity and the councils, or properties, that remain and are able to be imaginative and innovative may have a shot at surviving. 

[Navybone]

12 hours ago, David CO said:

I think that may be exactly what the executives at BSA have in mind.  They want to turn their remaining boy scout camps into commercial camp grounds.  They'll sell the ones they can and commercialize the rest..  

This is why we rarely use BSA campsite anyway.  Would rather use a state park - other than summer camp. 

[walk in the woods]

2 hours ago, fred8033 said:

Family camping and scouting camping may not be side-by-side compatible.

Especially those pull through gravel pads with 30A electrical, water and sewer hook ups.

[mashmaster]

This is the petition to sign, BTW

http://chng.it/gXpbggYCf7

[mashmaster]

Just posted:

Dear Shipmates,

This has been a stressful 48 hours since an unsigned “press release” was made public appearing to announce that all BSA programs would end at 18 and Sea Scouts BSA would be made part of Exploring as a maritime career program. These are NOT enacted policies.

National Commodore TW Cook spent the weekend on the calls with Jenn Hancock, National Program Chair, and Dan Ownby, National Chairman. Other members of the National Sea Scout Support Committee contacted members of the BSA National Executive Board and BSA National Executive Committee over this press release.

The two PROPOSALS are exactly that: Proposals. The process of reviewing any Churchill Proposal go to committees in the program group for study and implementation planning. None are done deals, and we have a say in the evaluation of them. These two topics are by no means decided. The National Key 3 is meeting tomorrow (July 13) to discuss this and we expect some sort of official clarification statement to happen shortly afterward. This statement will be shared once it is available.

Scouting is a youth lead program. We have demonstrated Sea Scouts BSA strongly follows Scouting values with the over 2,000 signatures (so far) on the Change.org petition. The National Key 3 have seen this petition. Sea Scouts teaches that Scouts have a voice and this message has been sent loud, fast, and clear.

We will post more when it is available. Until then, keep expressing your views on proposals for Sea Scouts, BSA, Venturing, and the Order of the Arrow.

Yours in Sea Scouting,

National Sea Scout Support Committee

[CynicalScouter]

National's statement on the leaked documents/screen caps.

Quote

Churchill committee reports were developed and submitted to the National Executive Committee.  Those reports in their entirety are not designed for mass distribution.  The Scouting Forward: Plan to Lead document is not a finalized document nor are all of the Churchill recommendations.  Committees have been formed to look at these recommendations more closely and start to design possible implementation plans and timelines.

 

[David CO]

It makes me feel much better now knowing a committee has been formed.  What a relief.  

[dkurtenbach]

21 minutes ago, CynicalScouter said:

National's statement on the leaked documents/screen caps.

 

Link?

[CynicalScouter]

2 minutes ago, dkurtenbach said:

Link?

It was in an email to me when I asked for the Churchill reports and an official copy of Scouting Forward: Plan to Lead and not just a screencap.

[Cburkhardt]

Sea Scouts and Exploring.  Everyone will recall that Sea Scouts has been officially adopted by the US Coast Guard Auxiliary as its youth program, much as Navy Sea Cadets is the official youth program of the Navy.  Sea Scouts can even have dual membership with the Auxiliary.  The partnership is important, because it aligns Sea Scouts with a national organization with resources and reach -- including into the Coast Guard itself.  Sea Scouts is a micro-sized program and needs to grow.  Without a strong Auxiliary link being developed, it might be difficult to sustain Sea Scouts into the future.

Individuals are now threatening legal action against Auxiliary sponsorship or program engagement with Sea Scouts because the religious belief membership standard cannot be required by a government entity like the Auxiliary.  These are no-win situations for the BSA.  Long ago Law Enforcement Exploring was transferred into "Learning for Life" -- a BSA membership structure that does not include a religious belief standard (at the time the BSA's previous "don't-ask-don't-tell" membership standard was also an issue).  This was an effective way to continue these government-connected programs in the face of program-killing legal action and political opposition.  I predict the same will happen here because of the existential need to continue and build the Auxiliary-Sea Scout relationship.

I hope that as the transfer is made, the program and term "Sea Scout" continue as-is.  I earned Quartermaster in my Auxiliary-supported Ship in the mid-70's, which meant that during the time I was a "Sea Explorer".  The label never really worked, and the participants called themselves Sea Scouts in any case.  There is no legal or rational program purpose to force a relabeling of the program -- just make the shift of things as-is to avoid the legal problem.

[mashmaster]

FYI; the National Sea Scout Commodore posted this today.

 

Hello all - I wanted to give you an update on what I know about the Churchill proposal progress. I am told that the National Key 3 are preparing a statement that will list all of the Churchill proposals along with a description of the process going forward. That will be going out on Scouting Wire, and probably in Bryan on Scouting, so keep an eye there, but we'll post a link here as soon as we see it. That was supposed to have gone out earlier this week, but consensus is hard and is taking some time to get right. Hopefully we will still see it this week - that should at least give us authoritative information on what's going on and how to interact with the process.

Meanwhile, I want to thank all of you for speaking up with the petition, your letters to Scout Executives, board members and everyone. We have completely dispelled any notion that nobody cares about Sea Scouts. You have all been loud and prolific in your responses and it has gotten a lot of attention.

I am especially proud of our youth members. Many of them have taken the time to speak from the heart about what this program means to them - I have found their stories inspiring and it has certainly renewed my resolve to do all I can to fight for the continuation of Sea Scouts as we know it. And I know from comments I have heard from all levels in Scouting that their voices are being heard. Please keep the stories coming - ultimately we really are a youth movement, and these eloquent voices from our Sea Scouts mean more than anything I could say.

We will continue to keep you posted with whatever we find out.

[yknot]

Godspeed, Mashmaster.