New groupings in the new Service Territories

[sri_oa161]

Has anyone seen any info on the make-up of new groupings in the new Service Territories?  It does away with the current Regions-Area-Section so just curious what the new breakdown will look like.

Lodges will be scrambling to set up new Conclave schedules.  

[RememberSchiff]

This?

 

[MikeS72]

National Service Territory Maps | Boy Scouts of America (scouting.org)

[RememberSchiff]

Good Lord, Territory 2 stretches from the Mexican border to the Canadian border.

[RememberSchiff]

For those* who like org charts and job descriptions:

https://www.scouting.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Full-Position-Descriptions.pdf

* and before you click, please guess how many times the word "strengthen" is used in this 21 page document.

Edited June 4, 2021 by RememberSchiff

[qwazse]

Let’s start pronouncing then “nests”!
Nest 2 is just one big eyrie.

[MattR]

17 hours ago, RememberSchiff said:

For those who like org charts and job descriptions:

This just reminds me of the org charts I used to see when nobody really had any good ideas - just shuffle and hope. It's sort of vision lite: we kinda know what the problems are but we really have no ideas on how to solve them. If national really had ideas then wouldn't this be reflected in the organization? 

Not only that but this reeks of matrix management. Since our council's membership has been dropping will our council membership lead be replaced? If, more likely, all the council memberships have been dropping is it time to admit the territory membership lead hasn't a clue? This reminds me of the plan that said membership would drop again this year but would then start going up, for the first time in 50 some years? 

[CynicalScouter]

10 minutes ago, MattR said:

This reminds me of the plan that said membership would drop again this year but would then start going up, for the first time in 50 some years? 

Right, the assumption there is that the bankruptcy + LDS leaving + COVID has caused an "artificial" decline in membership and that, once those are eliminated AND the new BSA branding(tm) is released, all will be well again. And oh yeah, there will be a flood of new girls.

These are the projections (assuming a global settlement)

2021 = 1,050,000

2022 = 994,000

2023 = 978,000

2024 = 984,000

2025 = 1,011,000

One thing I will say that was emphasized over and over at the NAM sessions was reaching out to NEW parents/those who had NEVER heard of BSA or were even aware of BSA. That tells me that those a) who were in the program or b) are aware of BSA have negative views.

https://casedocs.omniagentsolutions.com/cmsvol2/pub_47373/213bd53f-b44f-45c9-97fc-246bcb7ca06b_4108.pdf

Membership Levels – Membership levels are assumed to decrease in 2021 by 13%, primarily due to the impact of COVID-19 on programing, but are forecasted to stabilize between 2023 to 2024 and achieve modest growth in 2024 and 2025 driven by the following factors:

• Adjustments to programming and operations to account for reduced membership, including the departure of Scouts affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
• Channeling all Abuse Claims to the Settlement Trust, which will remove a significant impediment to the Debtors’ continued operational success.
• Broadening program access for girls and young women, thus potentially doubling total potential participants in Cubs Scouts and Scouts BSA age groups.
• Reimaging public relations campaign to bolster positive visibility and move the organization past bankruptcy, which can generate new interest in Scouting and generate increased donations.
• Improving the organization’s online registration system.
• Improving the rechartering system for Local Councils and Chartered Organizations.
• Expanding delivery methods that make it easier for individuals who might not have access to a local Scouting unit to participate through lone Cub Scouting and increasing these Scouts’ virtual experience.
• Gradual restoration of Local Council resources / refocus on membership growth.

[yknot]

17 minutes ago, CynicalScouter said:

Right, the assumption there is that the bankruptcy + LDS leaving + COVID has caused an "artificial" decline in membership and that, once those are eliminated AND the new BSA branding(tm) is released, all will be well again. And oh yeah, there will be a flood of new girls.

These are the projections (assuming a global settlement)

2021 = 1,050,000

2022 = 994,000

2023 = 978,000

2024 = 984,000

2025 = 1,011,000

One thing I will say that was emphasized over and over at the NAM sessions was reaching out to NEW parents/those who had NEVER heard of BSA or were even aware of BSA. That tells me that those a) who were in the program or b) are aware of BSA have negative views.

https://casedocs.omniagentsolutions.com/cmsvol2/pub_47373/213bd53f-b44f-45c9-97fc-246bcb7ca06b_4108.pdf

Membership Levels – Membership levels are assumed to decrease in 2021 by 13%, primarily due to the impact of COVID-19 on programing, but are forecasted to stabilize between 2023 to 2024 and achieve modest growth in 2024 and 2025 driven by the following factors:

• Adjustments to programming and operations to account for reduced membership, including the departure of Scouts affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
• Channeling all Abuse Claims to the Settlement Trust, which will remove a significant impediment to the Debtors’ continued operational success.
• Broadening program access for girls and young women, thus potentially doubling total potential participants in Cubs Scouts and Scouts BSA age groups.
• Reimaging public relations campaign to bolster positive visibility and move the organization past bankruptcy, which can generate new interest in Scouting and generate increased donations.
• Improving the organization’s online registration system.
• Improving the rechartering system for Local Councils and Chartered Organizations.
• Expanding delivery methods that make it easier for individuals who might not have access to a local Scouting unit to participate through lone Cub Scouting and increasing these Scouts’ virtual experience.
• Gradual restoration of Local Council resources / refocus on membership growth.

Nowhere in this list do they address the volunteer problem for one. 

[sri_oa161]

Actually looking for any more info on smaller groupings within territories, not the top positions.  

 

[sri_oa161]

What I am being told is that realignment of Lodges is still to be voted on by National OA at the end of July, but that any such realignment will be held off until after NOAC next year.

Anyone know?

[mrjohns2]

4 hours ago, sri_oa161 said:

 

What I am being told is that realignment of Lodges is still to be voted on by National OA at the end of July, but that any such realignment will be held off until after NOAC next year.

Anyone know?

 

That is the word on the street in Discord. I keep mentioning that the Areas that OA Sections are based on are gone. As are the Regions - the OA has Region Chiefs. I keep getting told TBD and IF the OA adopts the new structure. I said they should use the new NSTs and divide them into sections. Case closed. 

[livitup]

Sorry for the necropost, but @mrjohns2, maybe you can help me out with something.

My Arrowman son has been approached about an Area Vice Chief role.  I can't figure out where the area sits in the OA hierarchy.  I know Lodge equates to Council, but after that I'm lost, and the current OA website is no help.  Is an Area a sub-unit of a Lodge that serves Arrowmen, perhaps from multiple BSA districts?

[Oldscout448]

5 hours ago, livitup said:

Sorry for the necropost, but @mrjohns2, maybe you can help me out with something.

My Arrowman son has been approached about an Area Vice Chief role.  I can't figure out where the area sits in the OA hierarchy.  I know Lodge equates to Council, but after that I'm lost, and the current OA website is no help.  Is an Area a sub-unit of a Lodge that serves Arrowmen, perhaps from multiple BSA districts?

Our lodge has 26 chapters at last count.  For the lodge chief to work directly with that many chapter chiefs proved to be difficult indeed. So we grouped three or four chapters that touched each other geographically into areas. Each with its own Chief and Advisor. Precovid  I believe we had 6, now we have consolidated to 4 due to membership drop.

Hope this helps.

[HelpfulTracks]

7 hours ago, livitup said:

Sorry for the necropost, but @mrjohns2, maybe you can help me out with something.

My Arrowman son has been approached about an Area Vice Chief role.  I can't figure out where the area sits in the OA hierarchy.  I know Lodge equates to Council, but after that I'm lost, and the current OA website is no help.  Is an Area a sub-unit of a Lodge that serves Arrowmen, perhaps from multiple BSA districts?

Based on a previous post you made, I think there might be some confusion with the terms your son is using. I could be wrong though.

This will be long and maybe confusing so I will apologize up front.

The National BSA is Structured from the top down for all its unit organizations.

National > Region > Area > Council > District

The OA is organized the same but uses the terms for its parallel structure Section for Area, Lodge for Council and Chapter for District,

National > Region > Section > Lodge > Chapter

Each of those levels in the organization has elected officers. Every Lodge does this differently, but this is the good basic explanation.

All levels have Chiefs and Vice Chiefs. Some Lodges have multiple Vice Chiefs, each in charge of a specific function (Program, Inductions, etc.  – or area division, like Central, East, West, South etc.) Sections and below usually have a Secretary. Many from Section down also have Treasurer (though less common at the Chapter level).

As OldSCout448 said, some have a level between Lodge and Chapter for organizational purposes and they may have one or more of these officer positions. I think that mainly occurs among larger Lodges (either those with many Chapters, many members or those geographically spread out.)

Once a year each level holds an election.

Lodges usually have elections before the Chapters, and they hold them at some event where many members are present, like Fellowships, Banquet etc.

Chapters will usually hold their elections at the same event or shortly after at a Chapter meeting. The reason for Lodges going before Chapters is to avoid the need for re-elections or appointments if a Chapter Officer was elected to Lodge office.

Sections hold their elections at Conclave (some call it by another name, but its considered a Conclave). OA rules dictate that no Section Chief or above can hold any other office. So if  Lodge Chief is elected as Section Chief, they must resign the Lodge Chief position. Each Lodge determines how that Chief is replaced.

Here is where things change.

Each year all of the Section Chiefs gather for a National meeting to do OA business, including planning for NOAC and election National and Region officers. Only Section Chiefs are eligible to run for National or Region Chief.

The process goes as follows. The National Chief is elected, then National Vice Chief, then each region elects its Region Chief (there are currently 4 regions). There are no Secretary’s or Treasurers at National or Region level and no Vice Chief at Region level.

Based on this and your previous post what I believe your son may be talking about is a Chapter Vice Chief position. Mainly because most Lodges don’t have areas, and if they have something like OldScout is talking about, those officers are probably more experienced and have held Lodge or Chapter Level positions before, most likely even Chapter Chief. He could be talking about Lodge Chief, but that position is usually held by experienced scouts that have held other officer positions, but that is not always the case.

Now, to make it more confusing. The structure I outlined above is going away. National BSA is doing away with Regions and Sections and moving to sixteen National Service Territories. Those 16 NSTs are smaller than Regions but larger than the 30 or so current Sections/Areas.

The OA is lagging behind a year or two (I can’t remember the exact timing) on these changes, are we are not yet sure how exactly we will be organized.

These changes do NOT effect Lodges or Chapters, but future Council mergers could.

I know it long and confusing, but I hope that helps.

This link might be useful as well.

https://oa-bsa.org/about/organization-structure

Here is a map that pretty close to what have today – it’s a few years old and kind of hard to read, but it might be useful.