Are you in a council that has a positive or toxic culture or something different?

[Eagle1993]

On 1/20/2024 at 9:47 PM, Ojoman said:

Does your council/district foster a positive or toxic volunteer environment? What can be done to improve it and make it more positive or take it from toxic to positive or are you happy with where it is at?

My council has sold off 3 of its 4 camps over the last decade or so.  Each time, they promised to reinvest the funds in the remaining camp(s).  I saw nothing of the sort, only investment in new hires whose sole purpose seems to be gathering videos to help fundraising efforts. 

We had some tremendous volunteers in my district who planned an amazing celebration of our Cub Scout camp many years ago (when the camp was turning 100 years old ... before it was sold off).  The idea was a council wide camporee, climbing walls, various scouting events, food trucks, fireworks, etc.  Council leadership cancelled it as it had the chance to lose money (ignoring the publicity it would have generated).  This led to a few of our key district volunteers leaving, never to return.

Our council does almost nothing for Scouts BSA outside of merit badge clinics.  They invest heavily in Cub Scouts but seem to think the program ends at 5th grade.  

Our Troop has a few members of the executive board, but it seems like they have become disillusioned with what they have been able to impact.

Personally, I hope my council is absorbed my one of our neighboring ones, which seem to be better at putting on events for Scouts BSA and investing in their camps.  

[Ojoman]

2 hours ago, Eagle1993 said:

  I could see volunteering at council/district level at that point.

Please do... district committees are vital to the health of the district. 

 

[Prime00]

On 2/16/2025 at 3:05 PM, Eagle1993 said:

I think one issue is that too many try and recruit from unit volunteers, many if not most are parents of youth.  District/council would be best served finding younger adults (21 - 30) before they have kids or former unit volunteers (50+).  I used to be more active at the district level, but as my kids got older and their interests were varied, I ran out of volunteer hours to give ... and all of mine will be at the unit level.  That said, my kids are aging, one will be headed to college in 2026 and the other a few years later.  I could see volunteering at council/district level at that point.

The bad thing is that in some areas the paid scouters are running out the volunteers because they question what is going on. By the time they get to the 50+ years old with their kids out of the unit level stuff, they have seen enough of the districts and councils to ask "why do we do this like this?" Many times it's not a slam, just an honest question. The paid scouters get mad and see it as rebellion then they start over reacting to things.