baby sitters of america

[red feather]

Sorry for the second post.

 

Dug, we are trying to recruit adults for ASMs, committee membership and we have targeted a current ASM for SM and are getting real close to nailing that one down. Just need new people to start moving into adult positions not for just now but for the future.

 

yis

[ML2]

Seriously, show your target recruits what the position entails. Set them up for success and they'll be more willing to get involved.

 

Too many times when I'm approached to volunteer for something and I ask what is involved, I get the old "Don't worry about it, it'll be easy, there's nothing to it, we'll be here to help you. That tends to make me more leary of volunteering than convince me to volunteer.

 

If I know what I'm getting into in advance, then I'm more enthusiastic.

 

Try it.

 

-ML

[Bob White]

As a committee member it is within your responsibilities to identify potential leaders, but selecting them is really the job of the CR and CC. What methods are they using to secure leadership for the unit?

 

Is it really fair for you to use language which was specifically intended to get a response and then ask us not to respond to it? You cannot have it both ways. If you only used it to draw attention and it had no real relevance to the conversation then that was deceitful, wasn't it?

 

(This message has been edited by Bob White)

[ManyIrons]

red feather didn't ask anyone not to respond to the babysitting title. I basically did that, by asking everyone to look past it and focus on the question that was asked. I also don't think it's productive to question anyone's honesty in this case. Let's just address the problem he raised and help a fellow Scouter improve his troop.

[Prairie_Scouter]

I've seen the "baby sitters of America" comment before, but it's not a term leaders use to describe themselves; it's a description for how the leaders sometimes feel the parents treat them. I've heard it mostly for Cub Scouts, actually.

 

I agree with most of what FScouter had to say. Parents are always welcome, but to run troop meetings, you want trained leaders.

 

Over the past few years, I've found it more and more difficult to recruit participating leaders. I'd say the majority of leaders I've gotten are folks who were Scouts in their youth. There's sort of two problems that I see. One is parents who basically don't want to do anything; in general, I see them hardly wanting to be parents to begin with, it's not just Scouting. Second, there are parents who do want to participate in their son's lives, and they are, in a big way. It's not unusual for me to talk to a good prospect and have them say, "I'd love to, but I'm already coaching my son's baseball and soccer, and my daughter's soccer, and, etc".

 

It's a challenge to be sure, and there are more logistics in Boy Scouts as well. You need leaders, but you also need leaders with a trailer hitch. You need leaders, but you also need leaders who can take a week of vacation to go to summer camp. The list goes on. I have so far been blessed with a great group of leaders. I hope my luck holds out

 

As far as advice, I have found that putting out sign up sheets for leadership positions doesn't work. Personal discussions sometimes does, if the parent is predisposed to helping out. The success rate is at least a lot higher doing that.

[Bob White]

Red feather you said "The committee membership is not the issue for us" and you say that you have 14 committee members with 10 active. yet you also say that you can't get people to do a board of review, and activity that only requires 3 committee members.

 

Why do you suppose that you and the advancment chair can't get 1 more adult out of 12 to show up for a bor?

 

Manyirons, lets keep in perspective who introduced the "babysitter" topic. If you yell fire and a crown forms don't blame them, they didn't sound the false alarm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ManyIrons]

Bob White, my perspective is just fine. I keyed in on your comment "Is it really fair for you to use language which was specifically intended to get a response and then ask us not to respond to it?". As I said, before, redfeather didn't do that, I was the one who essentially asked everyone to not respond to it. I did so because it was clouding the discussion.

 

Red feather, the information youve received is correct The committee needs to follow the steps in the troop committee guide, chapter 5 (the link I provided is essentially the same). I cant point to a personal success story with that method (I hope to change that someday), but I can tell you, as others have already, the other methods dont work. You may get a body or two, but those are not the results you need.

 

Note: As you see in the guide, you dont need to limit your search to just the parents in the troop. You can also include your chartered org, friends, and others in the community.

 

Good luck, and keep us posted on your progress.

 

[SR540Beaver]

Let me agree with Prairie about the babysitter terminology. It is not in reference to the leaders or how they run the program. It is how some parents treat the program. Oh goody, I have some place to dump my kid for an hour or two and get some peace and quiet. We've had parents who we didn't even know what they looked like because they pulled up in the parking lot, dropped him and drove off. My son recruited a good buddy who lives in our neighborhood into scouts last year. His parents never attended a single thing in scouting. The dad is very into sports. The boy and his little brother both play sports and the parents NEVER miss a practice or a game. The fact that their son wanted to be in scouting was not a problem (as long as it didn't interfere with sports), it just wasn't their bag and they had no desire or intention of participating.

 

I think the use of baby sitters of America is appropriate in the topic line since the question is how to get parents to take an interest in their son's scouting program instead of using it as a place to drop their kids for a little ME time. I'm a dedicated scouter mainly for my son. He is the only child I'll ever have and I value the time I get to spend with him and experiencing things with him. If he were not in scouting, we would be doing something else like when he played baseball and I assisted with coaching and managing the team. I enjoy the outdoors, but I'd just as soon not be soaked in sweat from sun up to sun down, pull ticks when I get home and nurse my knees and back from sleeping on the hard ground. But the time and experiences I get to have with him are worth it and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I'm one of those people who also can't understand why parents have no desire to see that their son's have a quality experience and are more than happy to leave it in the hand's of strangers.

[red feather]

Bob, this response is only because I respect you and your knowledge of scouting.

 

Yes, posting 'baby sitters of america' is equivalent to yelling fire on this forum but it was done because we need the input of this forum and need it a fairly short period of time.

 

And it is that important to me and the troop.

 

All the information given on this thread is being sent to members of the committee that are preparing an action plan and is being very helpful to us in generating that plan.

 

Keep the information and personal experiences coming as both are extremely helpful to us.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

yis

 

ps: the lack of committee members at meeting is due to a break down of communication and the blame for that can be spread around to all here fairly well. Working on it.

[Bob White]

So RF lets consider the progression you have shared.

 

It began with "We are having trouble having BOR for scouts due to the lack of adults at the meeting. Those who are there when they can are the 'old guard' who do not have sons in the troop."

 

That became " Currently there are 14 committee members I think.

8-10 come to committe meetings. The committee membership is not the issue for us( or at least not immediately)."

 

and has now been explained as "the lack of committee members at meeting is due to a break down of communication and the blame for that can be spread around to all here fairly well."

 

If the communications has gotten so bad that 3 adults cannot be coordinated to meet at the same time isn't there a chance that poor communication is playing a major role in recruiting ASMs as well?

 

There seems to be far more evidence of that in your posts then of a poor attitude from the parents.

 

(This message has been edited by Bob White)

[evmori]

Lack of parental involvement is affecting more than Scouting. It is affecting anything kids are involved in. I have heard comments from other people involved with youth in different organizations that the parents don't want to be involved. They drop their kids off & pick them up and that's the extent of their involvement. It seems to be a societal thing.

 

Ed Mori

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

[FScouter]

I'd like to know what you all would like the parents to actually do instead of dropping off their boy. They would come in the front door, say "hi" to the SM and to each other. Then what? I'm wondering if there is a little bit of resentment towards parents, and why? What exactly are you all expecting them to do? What exactly do you all want them to do to be "involved"? Moral support? or ??

[evmori]

Moral support. Ask if there is anything they can help with. Introduce themselves. Get out of the car.

[SR540Beaver]

FScouter,

 

There is any number of things parents can do. They can be committee members and serve on BOR's. They can sign up as MB counselors. While it is helpful, you don't have to be an expert at something to be an MB counselor. They can provide transportation. They can serve as QM, Chaplain, etc. I'm an ASM and in addition to working with our older patrol, I care of all reservations and tour permits for outings. My fellow ASM who works with the new boy patrol also serves as Chaplain. Both of those jobs could be handled by parents who don't participate.....if they would participate. We are a young troop, so we don't have truely "older" boys to teach and train younger boys. Many of the demos we do on things such as cooking, first aid, etc. are done by adults. It would be nice to share that work load with other parents. First let me say, we have a fairly good group of parents who do a lot for the troop and are willing to do what is asked. We have others who have been given talent surveys with an explanation of how much we would appreciate their involvement and assistance with anything they can do. We never get anything back from some of these parents. The adult support of a troop has many many functions that too often end up being done by a few registered leaders and a hand full of caring parents. Beyond that, there is nothing in the world wrong with getting out of the lazyboy recliner once a week and sitting and visiting with the parents of your son's fellow scouts. I for one want to know who my son is hanging with and a little about the boy's family.

[OldGreyEagle]

A lot of times people dont help because they havent been asked and it cant be a general court of honor call for people to help. Ask a specific person to do a specific job, call them if need be but ask them one to one and the response is generally very positive. Looking wistfully at the rear plate of the vehicle leaving the parking lot wont get you very far at all