New here, saying hello!

[JesseMills]

Howdy all,

I’m just getting plugged in here so I have the resources of this forum to tap when need be!  I scouted long long ago and then worked as a church choir director for awhile concurrently with teaching band & picking up music theatre gigs as a pit musician.  Sadly, the stress of constantly looking for new work got to me and I “went corporate” to be a project manager.  One year in, I found myself missing doing something more meaningful than doing corporate work, so I’m meeting with my local council next week to see how all the skills I developed can be brought to helping out the next generation!  I’m definitely hoping to at least be an MBC (music & theatre among others) and am open to whatever the council says they’re in need of.

Hello again, and happy to have a place to look up y’all’s collective wisdom and discussions!

[MattR]

Welcome to the forum, @JesseMills . And my apologies for dropping your post and taking so long to approve it.

[BetterWithCheddar]

Welcome. I've been "corporate" since the day I graduated, but I find that makes the things I do in my limited free time all the more meaningful.

[InquisitiveScouter]

On 1/12/2023 at 2:11 PM, JesseMills said:

Howdy all,

I’m just getting plugged in here so I have the resources of this forum to tap when need be!  I scouted long long ago and then worked as a church choir director for awhile concurrently with teaching band & picking up music theatre gigs as a pit musician.  Sadly, the stress of constantly looking for new work got to me and I “went corporate” to be a project manager.  One year in, I found myself missing doing something more meaningful than doing corporate work, so I’m meeting with my local council next week to see how all the skills I developed can be brought to helping out the next generation!  I’m definitely hoping to at least be an MBC (music & theatre among others) and am open to whatever the council says they’re in need of.

Hello again, and happy to have a place to look up y’all’s collective wisdom and discussions!

Jesse, more than anything, your council needs adult leaders who will take Scouts camping and deliver the promise of adventure at the unit level.  This is the heart of Scouting.

If you do not have the heart to take them into the woods, then be an active committee member for a unit, and provide administrative support for those who do take on the task of outdoor adventure.  Anything you can do to lighten their load will help them deliver more adventure for the youth.   Examples include managing all the Troop medical forms, helping to mentor a youth in a support role (like Webmaster, Historian, Librarian, etc.), being a reliable member of Boards of Review, managing adult training for the unit, etc., etc.

And, you should ALWAYS be a Merit Badge Counselor. 😛 

If you believe you cannot fill any of those unit roles, post again for other ideas... 

Edited February 27, 2023 by InquisitiveScouter

[JesseMills]

Thanks for the thoughtful reply @InquisitiveScouter.  I am indeed quite outdoorsy as an adult and would be happy to help facilitate camping, cycling, climbing, and other adventures (that my friends are beyond tired of being asked to go on anyhow).

I'm now in the paperwork phase for MBC, but definitely plan to circle back with a "Hey, once y'all get to know me, please do let me know how I can be of more help" type of message.  I'm a project manager for a living, so being the "organizer for others" is a role I'm well-acquainted with, though getting outdoors is certainly preferable to more Excel spreadsheets as that's my day job.

I might have a bit of a goal to "sell" the least popular badge (Bugling) to at least one scout this year...maybe something to do with being a former bugler 😛

[5thGenTexan]

I remember when I was optimistic and enthusiastic,. 

 

[JesseMills]

1 hour ago, 5thGenTexan said:

I remember when I was optimistic and enthusiastic,. 

 

And I'll keep it as long as I can!

[PatB34]

Welcome!