Service Project - yard work for older neighbors...?

[SMT224]

Greetings All -

 

I got an email this morning from the Mother of a Scout in our Troop wondering if the Troop could help out an older woman who can no longer keep up on her yard work. The Mom wondered if the Troop could take this on as a Service Project. I get two or three of these kind of requests a year. Rarely are they a one-time deal, the requester expects the Troop to take over the yard work - summer mowing, fall leaf raking, bulb planting, snow shoveling, and general yard clean up - for this older person who is no longer able to do it.

 

The problem is, if I said yes to everyone of these requests, this is all our Troop would do - every weekend!! So, as a general policy, I have said no, and focused our Service Project work on either one-time or annual projects that clearly benefit the community as a whole rather than one person. It is not easy saying no however, as there is a real need for help, in each case the requestor is really counting on the Scouts to do the "Good Deed" thing and help those in the community. I am concerned that once we say yes to one yard work project, we will flooded with requests with other deserving cases. And then how do we choose? So, rather than say yes to one, I have said no to all.

 

I toss this log on the fire hoping for replies on how others deal with this issue...

 

YIS,

Bill

[ScoutNut]

Why are the service projects your Troop does strictly a SM decision? Why does this have to be a Troop project? Why not an individual project?

 

Share the info at your PLC & see what your Boy Leaders have to say. The PL's can take it back to their patrols or the SPL can present it to the entire Troop. If any boy(s) is interested (maybe Mother of a Scout's son) they can contact the woman in question directly.

 

This sounds like it would be an ideal way for the boys to earn service hours if THEY are interested.

 

[jr56]

Great idea, there are so many scouts who need service hours, it would be a great opportunity for an individual scout or two if they chose to act on it.

[SMT224]

Well, I agree with ScoutNut and jr56 in theory, and yes, the Scouts in the Troop need to be part of the decision making, but as SM I need to carefully consider what if brought forward to the Troop for decision making. Part of my concern is setting a precedent of conducting a Troop Service Project for an individual rather than for the community. Once we agree to do this person, how can we turn down the next request to do yard work in a similar situation?

 

And yes, there may be some Scouts that may want to do this, and need the hours, but I am concerned that the adult leadership will end up being the ones to follow through on what the Troop has committed. We have four scheduled Troop Service Projects a year, and two or three others for Eagle Projects, so there is ample opportunity for Scouts to earn service hours. However, a number of Scouts miss these due to soccer, hockey, LaCrosse, band, homework, as well as family obligations.

 

How many Service Projects do your Troops take on in a given year? Also, do you have any policy of a Service Project being done for and individual vs. the community?

 

YIS,

Bill

[John-in-KC]

Let's get creative here people.

 

WHY cannot a Patrol take on a service project? G2SS permits them to go camping on their own sans adults. Given, the Scoutmaster needs to give approval. Even so, if we're not inculcating an enviroment of Service To Others, we're playing this Grand Game the way we ought to.

 

This sounds like a great ongoing project for one or two Scouts, or perhaps a Patrol. It may take them and a couple of adults a few weeks to handle the basics, but ongoing mowing, raking, and trimming is much easier than clearing the overgrown weed patch.

 

Don't you WANT to have your Troop visible in the community, cheerfully serving?

 

 

[SMT224]

Yes, John-in-KC, I'd be delighted to have Scouts cheerfully serving the community and fostering an environment of service in the Troop. But I'm also trying to be realistic - we already have a very active program in the Troop with camping trips 11 months out of the year, established Service Projects (spirng, summer, fall), summer camp, as well as Eagle Projects. Can Scouts who are already committed to sports and band and other school and family activites really handle taking on a yard work commitment in addition to everything else?

Plus, once we help out little old lady A, how do we not turn down little old ladies B - Z?

What kinds of service projects do you take on in your Troop? Does your Troop have a policy regarding service projects done for individuals vs. the community?

[FScouter]

I wouldn't worry at all about opening the floodgates by doing some yardwork for an old lady on a Saturday afternoon. If someone else asks, you either say "sure we'd be glad to help", or "sorry, we're fully booked for the next few months."

 

Now, if you ran an ad in the newspaper saying that your troop is offering to do on-going yard work for anyone that needs it, you'd kinda be obligated to follow through on your offer, but why would put out an offer like that?

 

That is not the same thing as responding to an unsolicted request.

[ScoutNut]

As we have mentioned, this does NOT have to be a TROOP commitment. This can be something 1 or 2 boys feel like they want to take on for either A) a one-time only clean-up B) A short time extended commitment or C) an long time extended commitment.

 

Just as BSA says it is not up to the unit to decide if a prospective volunteer has the time to commit, that the decision is up to the volunteer, it is not up to the SM to decide for the boys in his Troop that they are to busy to do service. That decision is up to THEM.

 

We encourage the boys in our Troop to give service when they see a need. It can be something as simple as helping a neighbor to shovel their walks, helping a stray find it's owner (BTW-please put your phone # on your pet's collar. My son is ever so much happier to send a pet to it's home than to send it to the animal control guys - end of advertisement!), cleaning up trash, helping a friend's family paint, or volunteering for cancer & suicide prevention walks. My son likes working with our council's popcorn team. He helps at popcorn distribution & popcorn return. Long, tiring days, every year, of schlepping cases of popcorn.

 

We want boys to get in the HABIT of helping. That means encouraging them to do so.

 

Other than encouraging the boys to offer "cheerful service", this should have no affect on your Troop, or the number of "official" service projects it does. Let the boys know that there is a request out there for help. Let THEM decide if they want to offer that help & how much of a commitment they want to make. Let THEM contact little old lady A-Z if they are willing to help. If no one has the time, or inclination, simply let little old lady A-Z know that none of the boys are available at the present time. You could offer to pass the request along to other Troops in the area if you wanted to be "helpful".

 

 

[sst3rd]

SMT224,

 

Understood.

 

Everyone is approaching this appropriately. Great ideas all. What I think SMT224 is leading to, is that after a committment is made, long term or short term, an adult (leader or parent) will be held responsible to be sure all of this happens.

Whether it's the older woman or the requester asking for the help, once an ongoing service project like this starts, it won't end except on bad terms. When the Scout, Scouts, Patrol, or Troop tires of the service project (as in this case a variety of yardwork yearround), all sorts of excuses will be forthcoming as to why they can't make it the next project day. And then it winds up being that adult leader(or parent) and his/her son to grudgingly go rake the leaves.

In the end, the older woman or requester, will not talk to the Scout, they'll want to talk to an adult. They know it's the adult who can round up the Scouts when the need arrises. And the need will arise often.

As a Scoutmaster, we'll only take on "one" time projects like yard work. Any ongoing requests are told "no thanks" and I don't feel I owe them an explanation, because you'll be talking to a wall. You're right. I make those decisions with the Assistant Scoutmasters and the Committee, because in the end, we'll be the ones "stuck" with this project. Am I talking from many years of experience in this area? You bet.

 

What's that old Cub Scout saying? KISMIF.

Keep it simple, make it fun. It does apply here. Even to these older Scouts.

 

sst3rd

[SMT224]

Thanks sst3rd, that really is one of my concerns - getting the adult leadersip stuck with an obligation, and then leaving an impression in the community that have not done what was expected of us.

 

I was talking to one of our Committee members, and this issue was brought up: "What would happen if a boy got hurt while working in someones yard? Would our BSA insurance kick in? Would the home owners insurance kick in? What if we did go to an elderly persons home and a Scout was seriously injured?" It's a concern, especially if a Patrol took on this service project and an adult leader was not present. A Scout getting hurt would be a lot trouble, red tape, and maybe even costly for this person. And what is the Scouts family did not have health insurance?

 

Any thoughts out there on when BSA insurance would be available and when it would not?

 

And again, ScoutNut, I agree fully with the spirit of your messages, and am not trying to down play the need to teach Scouts to be helpful and lend a hand when needed - I'm am just trying my best, as SM, to be prepared!

 

YIS,

Bill