Scouting a Priority?

[5thGenTexan]

So...  how do you make Scouts a priority?  I feel like we run a pretty solid program, but this past weekend I had Scout leave the campout for a couple of hours to go to a birthday party.  And it was one of our leaders.  

 

It seems like most of the time Scouts even falls below, "family weekend speaker wire straightening time".  As a I said, we are providing plenty of opportunities, we just don't make the top of the to do list.  I understand that being involved in sports means putting a burden on the other team members if someone is missing, but they know that when signing up for activities.  

I just get frustrated with Scouts being something families do when there is nothing else going on.  And in Cub Scouts, this is on the parents.

[mrjohns2]

The leader who left was with a troop? Meh, I don't feel like it is that big of a deal. As long as there were enough adults to still support having enough, no biggie.

Your other points are good, though. I think the biggest thing is the great program you talk of. I guess for some it just isn't enough. 

[5thGenTexan]

1 hour ago, mrjohns2 said:

The leader who left was with a troop? Meh, I don't feel like it is that big of a deal. As long as there were enough adults to still support having enough, no biggie.

Your other points are good, though. I think the biggest thing is the great program you talk of. I guess for some it just isn't enough. 

An AOL Scout left during the day to go to a birthday party, and the parent is a leader.  Parent/leader wasnt attending the event, just came to pick up his kid.  Just wish they gave us more priority.  You know... "No, you arent going to make it to the party, you have Scouts this weekend"

 

[Armymutt]

I haven't experienced this issue.  About the closest is skipping Scouts for another activity.  I caused a bit of an uproar at our University of Scouting.  A class was discussion bending the Scouting schedule around everything else in order to retain Scouts.  When it was done, I asked why we would sell Scouting as the lowest priority activity.  People were shocked.  I pointed out that no one in their 40s mentions that they were a high school quarterback.  Even the guys who played in college aren't sticking it on their resume 20 years down the line.  Eagle Scouts proudly wear t-shirts, tie tacks, label pins, etc.  Since the Army began interviewing officers for positions, I was told by a commander that she will always give an interview to an Eagle Scout.  Reminds me that I need to add it to my resume.  My message is that Scouts is so much more than all the other activities.  It is a program and a way of life that will carry you forward.  Those who were Scouts get it.  The rest just need to get on board.  

[BAJ]

I too have struggled with this issue — and didn’t think that there is an “answer” … i.e., some Scouts will become engaged and committed to the point where Scouts became top of the list but many just won’t.  

But, the seriousness of the problems for the troop of participation being a low priority is related to the size of the troop.  In a troop made up of single digit numbers of Scouts, having a handful that “only Scout when it is convenient” mean outings (or even meetings) could suddenly become 2 Scouts at the last minute, which is extremely frustrating for an SPL that worked hard to plan something they thought would be a good event (and, frankly for the troop committee folks supporting logistics… and cost implications if the campout had fixed costs that are now divided over fewer Scouts, etc.). But, in a troop of 25, the absence of that same handful of Scouts might be noticed but won’t torpedo an event.   If I was at the District or Council level, this would be a reason I would try to facilitate small troops merging to get to numbers where the program could better tolerate variable participation at the individual level.  

I strongly agree with @Armymutt that there shouldn’t be an effort to make Scouting such that it tries to fit in around all the other conflicts… e.g., meeting less often, shorter campouts to try to miss when sports happen, etc. … since that waters the experience down to the point where the Scouts who are engaged and want an intense and active program and do prioritize it to bail out.

[JSL3300]

One thing we've done to combat this  is to make our schedule very consistent and very early.  I feel like for a lot of families (mine included) whatever makes it to the calendar first is what wins out. If someone asks us to do something and I look at my calendar and there's something already there, we can't do it. If a party or sport or scout event makes it there first, we go to that. All of our dens meet at the same time/place every week so even families with multiple scouts are still only devoting one evening a week to scouts. We also keep the same den meeting schedule from year to year- you know that 6:30 on Thursdays are for scouts and you can plan accordingly all year. We know the exact dates for most of our weekend things for the year as soon as you sign up in August. I really think this helps. 

We did have two long time scouts quit this year because soccer was also at the same time on Thursdays all fall and it's impossible to be two places at once. We told them that they are welcome to register after soccer season, but so far we haven't seen them. 

Something we talk about in another organization I'm in is investing time/energy in the dry wood. Wet wood isn't going to catch, we can tend to it in minimal ways, put up a tarp so it can eventually dry out, but we aren't going to beat ourselves up because it's not catching. Find the families that are prioritizing and invest there. My husband and I have used that same philosophy in scouting and it has built a strong, active pack. 

Edited November 16, 2021 by JSL3300

[qwazse]

I’ve seen everything done. My ventures once ditched an area event that they had been dying to go to for year — all for some last minute party conjured by the popular kid. The other adult and I went and had a great time counseling other venturers.

That and other events gave me these lessons learned:

• Do it for you. Yeah, sure we’re in this for the kids. Whatever. But if it’s not something that gives you joy even if one parent and kid show up, you’ll add to your misery.
• Aim for the event to be top-notch on your scouts’ criteria — nobody else’s. That way they will brag about it when they get home. At last nights CoH there were the usual advancements, followed by two very moving Eagle awards, but the highlight were the “fun awards” where the ASPL and SPL thanked a few key scouts for the spice that they added to activities. (Hint: none involved anything that would be listed in he Insignia Guide.)
• We are scouters in the culture we live in. Not the one we want to live in. Especially at the Cub level, boys and girls are still learning what’s important to them and their parents. They don’t communicate it well. That will be reflected in their participation.
• Teach youth that they will get out what they put in. Eagles aren’t recognized because they earned some badge. They are recognized as people who dive in and get everything they can out of it.

When you do have parents who unanimously put scouting up high on priority it’s great, but when a number don’t it’s important to stay in the proper head space.