Can you get boys back into Scouting?

[prairie]

No, not in general tho that is a great topic.

We have a situation where almost no boys crossed over for several years and those that did dropped out because of a Scouter leadership issue chased them away (off the cuff rule making and freeride to Eagle for son). Those adults have been gone awhile and won't return.

 

How do you get these boys to give Scouting another chance?

Only idea I had was to visit each with his parents about how we have changed.(This message has been edited by prairie)

[EagleInKY]

I've succesfully recruited two boys back into scouting. Both crossed over into other troops before ours was formed. One lasted about 3 months and the other lasted about a year. When we were starting our troop, I happened to run into the one that made it about a year. I asked if they'd be interested in being in on the ground floor of a great new troop. Since they knew me (I was the CM of the pack when they were in), they were interested. That boy is a Life Scout working on his Eagle Project. Sadly, the other boy dropped out last Fall after making Life. He was a year away from Eagle and didn't think he could make it. Frankly, it was the outside distractions and his dislike of rugged outdoor activities that did him in.

 

I have a potential scout who chose another troop over ours last year. He dropped out of that troop after a very short time. I saw him a few weeks ago and he said he was interested. He's supposed to visit an upcoming troop meeting.

 

So, yes it can be done. I think the challenge is to get them integrated in and feeling a part of the group quickly. If they only sit out a year or so, they can easily make up the advancement work.

[prairie]

Sounds like to success stories to me.

[Beavah]

Yah, I think yeh can get scouts back fairly easily. Good program, recruitment by a friend, welcoming, approachable adults. Seen it happen lots in active programs. Especially kids who drop out of cubs because it's so boring, but return to boy scouting.

 

But as prairie mentions, if you've lost the parents because of a past incident or issue, it's not worth the effort. Adults hold grudges and bad memories lots longer than kids do.

 

[Its Me]

My Webelos II den is visiting a troop next week.

 

Over the years my den has gone from as many as nine boys down to four. Should I email those that have left cub scouting and offer that they could start new in a boy scout troop?

 

Any chance that these boys would return?

 

 

[Eamonn]

Contacting Lads who were interested and relighting the flame can be done.

Bottom line is that if someone doesn't ask they might never return.

EagleInKY was fortunate that he already had a relationship with the Lads and their parents.

Anything you do is better than not doing anything.

Back when I was District Commissioner, after the rechartering was done we would phone each and every Scout who had been crossed off the charter. At first the plan was us trying to find out why they quit? Later it became to invite them back to the troop they had left or to another Troop.

Phone calls are not the best way of going about this. Maybe if you frame the call to the parent asking permission to come and visit in order to talk to the son? Might get you in the door?

Going armed with a few carrots -Upcoming activities that you think might peak their interest might help.

Telling Mom that it's a shame that they spend all that money on uniforms and camping equipment! Might make you seem more human to her!!

Taking Dad for an adult beverage has worked for me!! Not only did I get the Lad back, Dad joined the committee!!

A lot will depend on the age of the Lads -If they are a little older?

Sea Scouting might be the direction I'd point them toward -But I guess I'm biased!

Ea.

 

[prairie]

I should have mentioned we are a very small troop right now, a winter campout had to be postponed and maybe cancled for lack of boys. I thought I could make a diffrence but I have spent 5 months just getting up to speed, thinking too much and doing too little. Now should be a good time to try with warmer weather coming and winter school sports winding down. I have a feeling it will take quite a few visits but if we find 2-3 returns to go with the 3 Webelos I will be happy.(This message has been edited by prairie)

[emb021]

You may have better luck getting the kids into Venturing, Sea Scouting, or even Varsity Scouting then back into a Boy Scout troop.

 

[prairie]

Kinda tough in a town of 1600, I don't think there is one Venture crew in my very rural district. I'm hoping to reach some 11 to 14 year olds.

[Crew21_Adv]

Prairie, and Fellow Scouters,

 

Greetings!

 

My thoughts have been said already by Beavah. But if I may echo, my own ideals.

 

The way I see it. There is nothing you, I nor anyone can do to get boys back into Scouting. It is their choice and their family choice.

 

Again, the way I see it. Bottom line. The boys come for fun. The adults come to get character, citizenship and education for their own sons. I truly believe Scouting is the best program, which delivers a well rounded program. But there are other programs too numerous to list, that may deliver exactly what a family desires; church youth, youth sports, or just social programs.

 

A Boy Scout troop can only offer their program. The best that any Troop can do is to provide a program with fun and learning. A Troop with advancements, with campouts, with Scouting skills and inter-patrol games which reinforce those skills. A troop that plans (annual, monthly and meeting) and carries out their plan. If you do have that, then the boys will come for the fun, and the adults will drive their boys to the program, some parents will even join in on the fun.

 

Now boys (and girls) talk in School, they talk at sports, but sometimes the parents see maybe a few elements of a Scout program at city or town events. At town gatherings, town parades, and annual ceremonies. Beyond "word of mouth", School Night for Scouting or specific recruiting events. Those are probably the best opportunities to demonstrate a local troop has to offer with their program to the adults.

 

I would prefer to say, you are demonstrating what your troop has to offer. Not getting boys back into Scouting. At least that's what I prefer to say my unit does.

 

Of course we loose some boys. Who doesn't?? But that is due to other programs their family more desires, not the lack of our program. But in the end, we have a steady growth or maintenance, and lifetime friends.

 

Honestly, I personally would not try to get boys back into Scouting. If they show genuine interest, I will demonstrate, invite, and talk about program till I'm blue in the face. But if they or their parents have no interest, I don't see how I can change their minds.

 

Prairie, Good Luck at demonstrating your program to the boys and parents!

 

Scouting Forever and Venture On!

Crew21 Adv

 

[LongHaul]

As Webelos to Scout Transition Chair I've gotten a lot of boys that chose to drop out of Scouting to give it another try. Most often it was with a different troop than the one the rest of the den went to or that they first went to. Beavah is pretty much right on here though, if the parents hit it off badly with the adults leadership you road is harder. Still going to a different troop has worked. The hurdle I see here is the prarie is trying to get them back into a specific troop and is working with a small group. Sending out letters to parents highlighting program for the year is good having it come from the youth members is even better. Just how small is this "town" can your patrol leaders contact these boys one on one and invite them back, explaining the changes and "fun" to be had? National still says that the number one recruiting tool you have is your scouts.

LongHaul

[prairie]

1600 souls in the troops town we have had scouts from 5 other towns that were so small no troop could exist. My "hometown" is just 190 people and I live on a farm.

[LongHaul]

My relatives lived on a farm in Wisconsin. The grammer school was in town, which had three main streets, one with churches, one with the feed and grain and a lumberyard and one with the post office, hardware store, 2 general stores and 5 bars. The high school was 20 miles away. If your looking for 11 to 14 that's grammar school and if you can get boys into the schools which serve the other 4 towns you need to use them. Calling each boy or parent can have positive results but the boys can sell a fun program better than the adults.

LongHaul

[gwd-scouter]

Prairie, you mentioned cancelling a trip because you didn't have enough Scouts. How many is enough? I ask because our Troop had several years of cancelled trips because of poor attendance numbers. This led, in my opinion, to apathy among the Scouts. A couple of years ago when my husband and I became the only "active" adults, we made a decision that we would not cancel any trips except for extreme circumstances. Ours is a very small troop and many times we took a trip with only 3 Scouts. But, we went somewhere every month.

 

Over the past two years this has led to increased attendance not only at meetings but on the trips. Still, we have recruiting problems. We had 3 Webelos crossovers last year and plan to receive 2 this year.

 

We have lost a few boys over the years - dropping out for a number of reasons - but a couple of them have indicated they might be coming back. Our program is the draw - word of mouth from the Scouts in the Troop. Our guys have worked hard these past two years to come up with fun and adventurous monthly outings-campouts and have planned them well.

 

A couple of our Scouts were recruited back after having disappointing experiences in another Troop. I agree with others here that there was more difficulty in convincing the parents to give Scouting another try. Both of those boys came back with a bit of trepidation, but one has been with the Troop for almost two years, the other joined last summer. The first is working on his Star rank, the second is almost finished with 1st class. The first was just elected as our SPL, the second would like to be our Troop bugler. Both are among the most active of our Scouts and have participated in every outing we've had since they joined. Fathers of these guys have signed on as ASMs and they and their sons are wonderful additions to our Troop.

 

I will note that the parents of both of these boys had very negative views of Scouting and it did take some persuasion to get their sons signed back up. Mom of one of the Scouts said she would let her son do it for six months, but he could drop after that if he wasn't having a good time. Well, his six months are up and he has no plans for leaving and Mom and Dad are both excited about their younger son joining the troop in a year when he's old enough.

 

Keep at it prairie and good luck. Recruiting is important no matter the size of the Troop.

 

Its Me - absolutely try to contact your Webelos that dropped. I found many times that boys got bored in Webelos and then never even thought about joining a Troop. Or, perhaps they just don't know how to contact a Troop. Maybe they don't know about the differences between Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts. I would make a phone call though and talk to the parents rather than sending an email. The personal touch usually works better.

[prairie]

We had three scouters ready to camp and one iffy scout. Work got in the way of several older boys. Our pack and troop are joined at the hip, pack meetings that run late can look in on our troop meeting. Only way we would get a boy with experiance of another pack or troop is if he moved here.

 

The plan in my mind is to make a phone contact and set up a face to face meeting at their choice of location, at least one active scout and hopefully two scouters would do their best to explain why Scouting would be good for their boy and how the troop has corrected our faults. Making no excuses and or promises we can't deliver, things we might not know we will find out and tell them.

 

Anyway that was my thought, tomarrow night I will conflab with my SM.