Scouting Forward: A Plan to Lead Announced

[RememberSchiff]

12 hours ago, mashmaster said:

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.

 

 

[CynicalScouter]

14 hours ago, mashmaster said:

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.

The leaked document I found on reddit was shown to all BSA staff was released as a definitive document. Not a draft. Now with all the pushback, they are having to backpedal and get their story straight.

This does not inspire confidence.

[PACAN]

The capping of Sea Scouts, Ventures, OA at 18 is an interesting discussion.

Sea Scouts...there are less than 2000 in the program..any idea of the numbers of 18 and under youth.    The old Air Scouts program is now really the Civil Air Patrol.   The Sea Scouts could be the same under the USCG.  Does being under the BSA banner really do anything for them?

Ventures..there are less than 22000 in the program..same question.  Use to be over 260000. 

OA...since once elected to the OA you are a member for as long as you keep your registration and dues current does it matter where the youth/adult cut off is.   The senior regional leadership all wear Eagle Scout knots and all over 18. 

Just wondering out loud on a friday.

 

 

 

[mashmaster]

4 hours ago, CynicalScouter said:

The leaked document I found on reddit was shown to all BSA staff was released as a definitive document. Not a draft. Now with all the pushback, they are having to backpedal and get their story straight.

This does not inspire confidence.

I happened to have a discussion in the backyard of the commodore the day after the leaked document went live. It is a real document but it is only accepted as received.  That is where the confusion is I think. They had already started the formation of a couple of committees at the national level to discuss all the options. So this isn't a backpedal just a communications problem. He stated that someone at National really botched the communication.

3 hours ago, PACAN said:

The capping of Sea Scouts, Ventures, OA at 18 is an interesting discussion.

Sea Scouts...there are less than 2000 in the program..any idea of the numbers of 18 and under youth.    The old Air Scouts program is now really the Civil Air Patrol.   The Sea Scouts could be the same under the USCG.  Does being under the BSA banner really do anything for them?

Ventures..there are less than 22000 in the program..same question.  Use to be over 260000. 

OA...since once elected to the OA you are a member for as long as you keep your registration and dues current does it matter where the youth/adult cut off is.   The senior regional leadership all wear Eagle Scout knots and all over 18. 

Just wondering out loud on a friday.

 

 

 

You are counting only the primary units for the scouts. There are more Sea Scouts than 2000, but it is the lowest number for sure.  Sea Scouts were part of exploring for years with advancement still happening, so that while a surprise doesn't seem to really be a blocking issue. I wasn't aware of that history and what changes that means. I am less worried about that part now.

The 18+ rule is the hardest pill to swallow. Many of the Sea Scouts and Venturers turn 18 before leaving or even starting their senior year in high school. This is a huge part of their life and that is ripped away from them. Most of the VOA leadership and Sea Scout leadership comes from the 18+ scouts.  Then there are those that want to reach the ranks/awards of Summit and Quartermaster. Very hard to do before 18.  IMHO, much harder than attaining Eagle.

[dkurtenbach]

https://scoutingwire.org/understanding-the-churchill-plan-and-what-it-means-for-scouting/#

July 17, 2020

 In 2019, the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the BSA asked six teams of volunteers and professionals from the local, area, regional and national level – including current or recent youth members and subject-matter experts – to develop plans on how to optimize the BSA for success in key areas based on input provided by more than 1,100 local, area, region and national volunteers and professionals, including:

• Youth Safety: How do we keep young people safe?
• Program: Are the BSA programs aligned with today’s young people?
• Communications and Marketing: How can National Council improve communication with stakeholders?
• Organizational Structure: Do we have the most effective organizational structure?
• National Council Effectiveness: Are there changes that would make the National Council more effective?
• Financial Health: How do we build a solid financial path forward?

[Rest of article at link above.]

[mashmaster]

Note that "End all youth programs at age 18" has become "Evaluate program methods and age parameters to provide an engaging option that enables youth members to transition to adult leadership roles and remain active in Scouting with an ongoing commitment to safety." in this version

[Sentinel947]

2 minutes ago, mashmaster said:

Note that "End all youth programs at age 18" has become "Evaluate program methods and age parameters to provide an engaging option that enables youth members to transition to adult leadership roles and remain active in Scouting with an ongoing commitment to safety." in this version

Which will mean whatever they want it to mean. It never made sense to have youth and adults overlap in the program as participants, but here we are, so now they need to create a reasonable transition period where current 18-20 year old who have been promised positions can fulfill those, while providing a worthwhile path for current youth to transition into meaningful adult roles.

Becoming an ASM at 18 was one of the best decisions I've ever made. It helped me develop my own leadership skills and decision making more than my undergraduate degree. The transition was challenging, and there was absolutely no guidance from national on how to make that work other than follow YPT, which is obvious. I was lucky my Troops adult leadership were open minded and desperately in need of somebody who understood the program. With the changes the BSA has made to require adults to be 21 to count for two deep leadership, I don't see much of a necessary role for an 18-20 year old to play in a Troop. Unless the Troop creates space for those young adults to volunteer and has clear vision for how the strengths and weaknesses of a typical 18-20 year old fit into their corps of adult volunteers. Most troops struggle to even figure out how to get the youth leaders to lead, let alone mix in a college age adult volunteers. 

[CynicalScouter]

And here comes the backpedaling.

And a survey (in which they do not allow you to offer new ideas, just want you to approve theirs).

 

[Sentinel947]

1 hour ago, CynicalScouter said:

And here comes the backpedaling.

And a survey (in which they do not allow you to offer new ideas, just want you to approve theirs).

 

Hard to make recommendations when we have no idea how these changes will be implemented. 

[CynicalScouter]

2 minutes ago, Sentinel947 said:

Hard to make recommendations when we have no idea how these changes will be implemented. 

Right. Like this

Quote

Establish minimum standards to be considered a council.

Sure, I might support that if there were meaningful, measurable metrics used for the minimums.

If, however, the standards are "amount raised for national", not so much.

Edited July 17, 2020 by CynicalScouter

[mashmaster]

2 hours ago, CynicalScouter said:

And here comes the backpedaling.

And a survey (in which they do not allow you to offer new ideas, just want you to approve theirs).

 

How exactly is it backpedaling?  The received a proposal and have formed committees to review the proposal.   

[dkurtenbach]

In the Scoutingwire article, when you click on the feedback links, you are taken to a list of the recommendations.  You can click a checkbox for each of the recommendations that you would like to comment on.  Then you are taken to a page with the recommendations you selected, and a 2,000 character comment box for each one.  So you can really let loose, if you want to.  Then you submit, indicate your relationship to Scouting (volunteer, parent, etc.), and your Council.  

Edited July 18, 2020 by dkurtenbach
2,000 characters, not 2,000 words. Still a lot.

[dkurtenbach]

2 hours ago, Sentinel947 said:

Hard to make recommendations when we have no idea how these changes will be implemented. 

By using the feedback link in the Scoutingwire article, and writing and submitting comments, you can tell them how you would like to see the proposed changes implemented, or killed.

[dkurtenbach]

4 hours ago, CynicalScouter said:

And here comes the backpedaling.

And a survey (in which they do not allow you to offer new ideas, just want you to approve theirs).

The survey gives you a 2,000 character comment box for each recommendation that you'd like to comment on.  No canned responses.

[mashmaster]

You can email pr@scouting.org, that is what I did