Recruitment success

[mashmaster]

For the months from March - June our ship did Zoom meetings and lost scouts.

For the months from June - September our Ship sailed every week in single handed boats and stayed stable.  The scout that stuck around grew stronger and had to pick up leadership as a team to work together for the positions that were vacated.

For the last months from October - now : we have managed to pick up a scout a month to the ship. They told us they like the fact that we are still doing things.

Our numbers are small potatoes but for us it is a good thing.  I hope y'all can continue scouting to keep your units solid and healthy.

[InquisitiveScouter]

8 hours ago, mashmaster said:

They told us they like the fact that we are still doing things.

Same here...we have still been camping and doing day trips. We rechartered 41.  Lost only one due to COVID issues affecting participation.

We did an historic trail hike just before Christmas, and we are camping next weekend...winter camping!! Sweet!!

[fred8033]

On 1/6/2021 at 12:13 AM, mashmaster said:

They told us they like the fact that we are still doing things.

So so true.  It's why scouts are in scouts.  Being active.  Doing things.  Making friends.  

[swilliams]

We've not been as active as my sons would have liked.  We're meeting outdoors for an hour, once a week, but trips have been non-existent outside of one October trip out to PA.  I wish we could do more, but the real issue for my boys right now is summer camp. 

My older one outgrew his scout shirt, and as we were taking patches off to transfer them to the new shirt, he suddenly realized that he was going to be missing his 'full circle'.  There's a round Sabattis Camp patch in the middle, with rockers for each year surrounding it.  Due to the camp closure las summer, he'll be missing 2020, and will only have five of six rockers unless he goes back as an adult.

Anyway, he doesn't care too much about the patches, outside of the cool factor of having the circle complete, but he DOES care enormously about camp.  He's already pessimistic about the prospects, sad about how few trips we've taken and will occasionally say "scouting is dead".  

[Jameson76]

We ran our own summer camp and had monthly outings AUG through NOV.  Maybe average of 24 Scouts and 6 leaders per outing.  Did aquatics, kayaking, backpacking, and AOL visit.  We did have our annual 3 day Winter trip last weekend, to the swamp, visit to a National Seashore Island, and some other side trips.  We have been meeting outside since August, but we always met outside so no difference.  Been some challenge due to CO (church) being closed at times so went to park across the street.  They close at dark, so winter is iffy.

We have picked up some additional High School aged Scouts.  Basically we are the only group active.  The challenge may be the Cub packs and their activities.  We have tried to support but they have not been meeting and we have no idea how many we may get from crossover.

It is a struggle to keep things moving forward.

[CynicalScouter]

1 minute ago, Jameson76 said:

Basically we are the only group active.  The challenge may be the Cub packs and their activities.  We have tried to support but they have not been meeting and we have no idea how many we may get from crossover.

In our Council I think the final tally is going to be 25% of Cub units not rechartering with a total of 35% of Cubs not coming back. A lot of "for now".

As for crossovers; in my district I am seeing NO crossovers out-of-CO. So, all of Pack 123 is going to Troop 123 whereas in the past maybe 1-2 scouts from Pack 123 would have gone to Troop 456.

If you don't have a feeder pack it was always tough, This is going to make it doubly so.

[Treflienne]

1 hour ago, Jameson76 said:

We have picked up some additional High School aged Scouts.  Basically we are the only group active.

Similar here. Scouts is still happening in-person (as least for outdoor meetings and day outings, a state curfew has prevented overnight camping). Many other local extra-curriculars have gone online. We've gotten as many new scouts this school year as last, particuarly friends of current scouts. 

[swilliams]

On 1/22/2021 at 3:29 PM, Jameson76 said:

We ran our own summer camp and had monthly outings AUG through NOV.  Maybe average of 24 Scouts and 6 leaders per outing.  Did aquatics, kayaking, backpacking, and AOL visit.  We did have our annual 3 day Winter trip last weekend, to the swamp, visit to a National Seashore Island, and some other side trips.  We have been meeting outside since August, but we always met outside so no difference.  Been some challenge due to CO (church) being closed at times so went to park across the street.  They close at dark, so winter is iffy.

We have picked up some additional High School aged Scouts.  Basically we are the only group active.  The challenge may be the Cub packs and their activities.  We have tried to support but they have not been meeting and we have no idea how many we may get from crossover.

It is a struggle to keep things moving forward.

My husband and I offered our place in PA to host a Troop summer camp, but it was voted down by our Committee.  They were concerned about the ability to contain the virus.  Objections included the difficulty of sanitizing equipment, transportation (no carpooling), tenting arrangements, whether the scouts needed to and/or were able to quarantine, etc.

I was sad, to say the least.  We had a spot set up for making outdoor showers and were going to contribute a portable water heater, I had found a local place that would have donated lumber for picnic benches, had spoken to a local place that boards horses and gives summer lessons about having scouts...

Oh well.  I think it was also early enough in the timeline that we (as a Troop and committee) didn't have a real sense of urgency or a clear enough idea of just how long these restrictions were going to last.  If our summer camps don't open this year, I'm going to push very, very hard to make the Troop camp work this year.  One key 'no' voter has a son who will be aging out in the next two months, and I will be surprised if he sticks around afterward - seems to already have one foot out the door.

Edited January 29, 2021 by swilliams