Will the BSA survive bankruptcy?

[Cburkhardt]

YPT “Business as Usual” these days is “Hyper Vigilance”

A principal reason the BSA will continue is that YPT is taken very seriously by today’s unit leaders.   My personal YPT experience as leader of two units (Scoutmaster of Troop with 51, Skipper of Ship with 28), is that there is a highest-level of vigilance and enforcement in the YPT program currently in place.  Everyone is watching everyone.  The parents watch the unit volunteers.  The unit leaders watch each other, the parents and anyone who walks near a meeting or campsite.  The youth watch the adults and each other.  National is watching the councils and the councils are all over the volunteers and chartered organizations.  The chartered organization executive leadership regularly inquires about … just about everything.  The same takes place at summer camp and with council programs, such the Order of the Arrow.  Nobody is exempt from strict application of the YPT rules and parents freely make suggestions and report failure to comply with YPT in the strictest manner possible.  Non-complying people are excluded from the program the moment a risk is identified.

Evil exists in this world, so our two units will always be vigilant to protect our young people from evil individuals who would do them harm.  Our unit volunteers and I look forward to each upgrade to YPT and enhancement of training materials.  Enhancements to registration, camping and other key practices to choke-off remaining risk points will be welcomed.  That said, I have a hard time imagining how an evildoer could slip through the barriers our units currently maintain -- but I always assume there is someone out there who would try.  Perpetrators who might seek to do harm to our involved young people would pay, and very dearly.  I can say with pride that our youth participants are safer with us than they are at school, church, sports activities and maybe even at home.  We spend at least 25% of our time making sure this is working.  I would hope that even abused commenters on this site would be proud and supportive of our unit volunteers and, after visiting us, might even be comfortable allowing their children to join us – or even become leaders themselves.    

The above is just my personal experience and that of the relatively large number of youth, leaders, parents and chartered organization folks involved with our two units.  Because I am a very experienced scouter, some might think the above is an exception to a “looser” norm.  That is not my view, because this is what I observe of other units at our camporees and during summer camp.  Is vigilance encouraged by the bankruptcy and related proceedings?  Absolutely -- and I believe Scouting and society are favorably changed as a result.  What will not change is the need for vigilance and the wisdom of quality unit leaders.

The BSA will continue.  I look forward to the coming changes and the additional helpful YPT vigilance and enhanced protocols.  I look forward to a BSA that is worthy of everyone.  Even to those who experienced the unforgivable.

[SiouxRanger]

On 2/12/2022 at 9:51 PM, skeptic said:

Me thinks you paint far too broadly and darkly.

And perhaps you are right.

"Darkly" Yeah, lawyers are inclined that way.

But things rarely resolve by themselves to the better.

I love the program and the principles, and followed my 3 sons and many other Scouts to Eagle.

But the individuals who manage BSA operations at National? No, they should all be fired.

Tell me if you can, where is the bright light in National's bankruptcy?

It is an UNMITIGATED DISASTER.

What part of "unmitigated disaster" cannot be understood?

BSA National senior staff should be trashed. All of them.

 

 

[ThenNow]

8 hours ago, SiouxRanger said:

BSA National senior staff should be trashed. All of them.

Which specific individuals and/or departments do you include in this housecleaning and for each, why? Looking for specific acts, omissions, decisions, areas of complicity and the like that drive your desired sanitization. 

[vol_scouter]

8 hours ago, SiouxRanger said:

BSA National senior staff should be trashed. All of them.

You are far too late.  Most all are gone.  Lower-level employees have moved up into upper management in the past two years.  If you are referring to the chapter 11 proceedings, the National Executive Board sought advice and interviewed firms before deciding upon Austin-Sidley who was supposed to be the very best firm in the USA for their situation.  They follow their attorneys' recommendations.  So the folks who you wish gone left or were released already.