Leader Citizenship requirement?

[Momleader]

Wondering about something - 

we are in the middle of recharter and the only leader/parent who has stepped forward to be unit leader is not from USA.  Not a dual citizen either but they do have all the paperwork to work here though. 

if they hold a green card can they be a unit leader?   Isn’t that something that would have popped up in the background check in the past couple of years?  Parent has been a den leader and passed all the background stuff from BSA but - it’s come to light to the committee they den doesn’t say the pledge, oath & law at meetings (some parents have mentioned it unhappily) to the point where we are checking to see what else they are flaking out on (nothing safety related - just more scout skills stuff)

if anyone has a link to actual BSA verbiage it would be really helpful at the next committee meeting

Edited December 27, 2023 by Momleader

[slocumscout]

The only citizenship requirement I see is for adults outside the US. From the requirements section of the adult application:

"Reside within the USA or a U.S. territory, or be a U.S. citizen residing outside the USA."

https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/524-501.pdf

 

[qwazse]

I would have offered the same quote. This is a great opportunity for your unit. You all need to rally around the new leader and help get the training he/she needs.

Good scouting to you in the new year.

[AwakeEnergyScouter]

I wouldn't be too upset about the lack of pledge, oath, and law unless the leader really should have seen with their own eyes that this is actually expected by your unit for some time.

You didn't say where the leader is from, but I personally have... unfortunate, shall we say? associations to groups of people standing in front of a flag pledging allegiance to it with some kind of hand salute, or even groups of children all reciting some promise all together with a hand salute. That style of expressing national loyalty became taboo in some countries after 1945. It can be hard to mentally retool. It's like the squirrely nude or (!) clothed North Americans in saunas, they just can't consciously decide to relax nude in the sauna without practice.

I... struggle with the format. I can manage, because intellectually I know US Americans don't associate to the same things, but want to say things like "but democracy is very important! Speak your mind! Think for yourself! Question authority! Don't just go along with leaders who ask you to do immoral things! You'd tell me to get bent if I asked you do do something you think is dodgy, right?? Patriotism is to protect the principles your country stands for, not the individuals in leadership!" and so on, and soon, should I say what comes into my mind, I will have undermined all of my own authority that I'm trying to use for good, so I don't say it. But I think it every time.

[Tron]

Sounds like a training issue. Has this leader completed their position specific training? You mentioned "nothing safety" but how is the den meeting without a second registered leader? Either the den is not meeting properly within YPT or you have a 2 deep lack of leadership training going on.

To the point of dual citizenship; our government does not recognize dual citizenship, you are either American or you are not. To emphasis this I point to the fact that non state department entities keep stating a larger number of Americans in Gaza than the state department. The reason for this is that some of those individuals traveled out of the country using the visas of other countries and thus our government is basically saying it's the other governments problem. IMHO love it or leave it, you're either an American or you are not.

[DuctTape]

There are sometimes religious reasons for a person to not recite oaths or pledges. 

[AwakeEnergyScouter]

49 minutes ago, Tron said:

To the point of dual citizenship; our government does not recognize dual citizenship, you are either American or you are not.

The leader is question wasn't a US citizen at all, which is what the question was about, but since I've had to look at this myself I happen to know that this isn't accurate. The US government does recognize dual citizenships.

https://www.usa.gov/dual-citizenship