Where to Commit?

[CNYScouter]

a couple of things came to light last night.

 

1) I just found out that almost every Ship member will be playing a fall sport. This means 6 days a week of practice or games. This also means no overnight activites until Nov. 1 (or later if anyone makes the playoffs).

 

2) I also got a call from the course director for SM training. They are having trouble finding staff for WOLT/SM training/Scouting University and asked if I could attend.

 

I want to make the Ship the top priority but if no one in the Ship can make activities I would like to attend the training.

 

SM training seems to be one place I can associate with Scouters who have the same passion for the program as I do. I always meet some new and learn something by going to this.

 

Problem is the Training is asking for a commitment to be on staff and I can't seem to get a commitment for ship members to attend activites.

 

I gave the course director a maybe and I would let him know by the first staff meeting in Sept.

 

Where do you put your effort?

[ScoutNut]

From one who has tried to attend SM outdoor & ended up on staff for BALOO instead, what can I say!

 

I know how hard it is to get staff volunteers. I also know that without volunteers to staff the training, the training can not take place. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on who you ask!) my district/council training chairs know I am a sucker for this.

 

If asked, I will do what I can to rearrange my Pack responsibilities so that I can I can help other leaders get the training they need, or to help the boys get the programing they deserve. I do occasionally draw the line, but I then feel REAL bad if the event gets canceled. As I said, I'm a sucker!

[oldsm]

You're not dealing with Cubs here; you're dealing with a ship.

 

Everyone gets into the scouting program hoping to get something out of it. Obviously, the ship members have other priorities, which leaves you high and dry, so to speak.

 

If I were in your situation, I would make it abundantly clear to the ship members that my first priority is them. However, I'd also let them know that they are not my only priority. After all, I ned to get something out of scouting too, and the ship's reluctance to make a commitment to running the ship doesn't excite me. I don't like being in dry dock. The logical solution to my situation that the ship members have created is for me to take on some additional scout-related activities.

 

Then I'd give them a short time (maybe a day or two) to mull it over and decide whether or not they're going to play sports or sail the ship. If it's the former, I'd quickly give the Training Coordinator a big "yes". If it's the latter, then "anchors aweigh".

[John-in-KC]

Two comments.

 

First, what you've described is a good reason to have at least one Associate Advisor. You need to be more than one deep in program leadership on the adult side of the depth chart.

 

Second, HS kids are tremendously busy these days. You may not be able to do the Friday-Sunday gig. It may have to be Saturday overnight to Sunday, if you're going to do anything at all. You need to help the youth "think it through" and see what they can do!

 

My newly minted 11th grade Eagle has the following weekend ahead of him in less than a month:

 

Friday Night: Home FB game, he plays in the marching band.

Saturday Morning: The band marches in a community parade.

Since band is coursework GRADED(!!!), it's not negotiable. SCHOOL TRUMPS SCOUTING.

Saturday Afternoon: Eagle COH.

Saturday Evening: Out to scout camp for OA fall fellowship.

 

The question is, can you and your Crew (ship) officers turn the lemons into lemonade?

 

If the answer is no, especially for the weekend you want to staff, tell them you'll be out of the loop, serving other adults who will be serving youth.(This message has been edited by John-in-KC)

[Eamonn]

After November the holidays will be here.

Then there will be snow.

Then Easter and Mother's Day

Then track will start.

I really do not want to sound unkind. I hope I'm not coming off like a pompous English twit.

But...

I seem to remember that you were the one pushing to start this Ship.

You had the choice of two organizations that were willing to be CO's.

Only a month or so back, you were so very proud that the Ship was up and running.

As for:

"SM training seems to be one place I can associate with Scouters who have the same passion for the program as I do."

I'm sorry Dave this game isn't about you.

REAL PASSION is in the delivery.

So when you attend these training's are you going to tell the participants that passion for the Scouting program is all about hanging out with the adults?

It seems to me that you are crying in your beer.

Get off your duff, get out there and see about recruiting some more Sea Scouts.

The Ship is far to new for the Sea Scouts to really understand that they have ownership of it.

If you start fading away now, you might as well go back to the sailing club and inform them that this was just a bad idea and it isn't going to work and see if they want to inform the Council about closing the unit down.

Sure you have hit a bump in the road, sure the kids are busy, sure it isn't going to be easy, but things worth while rarely are.

Where to Commit?

Come on!! You know the answer.

Eamonn.

 

[Lisabob]

CNY, are all the kid playing the same sport? Maybe you'll have some meetings where all the kids playing (say) football aren't there, but the rest are, and then the next meeting all the soccer kids aren't there but the football kids are. Well ok. Not the easiest way to do things but maybe that's how it has to be for a while?

 

In the meantime, if the kids can only make it to some day events, help them identify some fun, easy activities that don't require a whole lot of planning and then make the most of those. It may not be what your vision for the ship really is but as others have said, it will take time to get to that vision, and the vision also may change.

 

Hang in there.

 

Lisa'bob

[CNYScouter]

Don't get me wrong I am still proud where the ship has gotten so far.

 

The one thing I didn't want was it to become the "Thursday night" sailing club, which with the lack of commiment to do anything else it is becoming that.

I have had a couple of parents "hint" to me on how busy their child was going to be and didn't know how much they we going to attend once school got going.

 

I really wanted the Ship to attend some Sea Scout events to see other Ships in action but with the distance involved for us and the inabilty for the ship members to travel on Saturdays in the fall I don't see this happening soon.

 

I have ben trying to incorporate other activities into the program but depending on the weather it seems most ship members don't show up on bad weather days to do the other activities.

 

Currently the ship has members in 4 different High Schools and 1 college and playing 3 different sports.

 

I really do enjoy working with the youth in a Scouting program.

I just find after dealing with parents/leaders who want to use "Cafeteria" style of scouting or the parents who don't want to help I find that the staff for training

 

Eamonn - I don't think that you sound unkind or that you are off like a pompous English twit. I like that you can tell it like it is. With no UC to get this kind of advice from I've had to get this "kick in the pants" stuff from this forum.

 

I still can not get any support from my District. I just received a council newsletter today and it looks like the District has new leadership and I hope they will do a better job to support the units.

 

I did contact my Council Commissoner. He will come in and get my leaders any training they need as I can't get anyone from the District training staff to respond.

 

We also discussed recruiting. We are working on a date to get together on getting the word out about the Ship.

He agrees with me that there are a large number of older scouts that may be interested in the Sea Scouts and we need to let them know about the program.

 

I still do think the Ship is moving in the right direction but