When did the Schism Occur and How do we fix it?

[Ekmiranda]

 

 

"I was told once in a training course that less than 4% of the population are natural leaders. The rest are natural followers."

 

And you listened to this one person that one time at one training course :-( I hope you do not tell your scouts that.

 

If this is how you feel than I guess that's what you are intitled to. If you think negitive thinking is going to get positive results well there is nothing much more to say.

 

Best of luck to you Barry.

[Ekmiranda]

 

Dear Jblake 47,

 

I think that you are on the right track. I have to agree with you because of the separation of the two. But this is how society brings us up. If you take a good look around mostly everything is set up like that.

 

I think that the deeper problem lies in the structure of the upper pros and their age bracket. It comes down to why fix something when it isnt broke. Well maybe its broke and they dont even see it. Or here is a thought Maybe they do see it and just do not want to be bothered. They are set in their ways (cookie cutter syndrome) and feel that its been running this way for so long that it should still be working fine. Or why bother we will be retiring soon leave it for the next group to figure out.

 

Like I have said in past posts it all boils down to leadership and who will step up and actually say that something needs to be changed and start the wheels in motion.

 

The only way that things will change is to do something different. Anything different will draw a different conclusion, but the way we've always done it just isn't working. Try something else!

 

The problem is what to do that is different. How do you go about changing a program that has been in place for as many years as scouting? What I would like to see would be that all of the leader CM & SM & CC all the way around get together in each district and have a discussion as to what the problems are. Or reps from each district.

 

Or the other way to go would be to start to change things at the lower levels and as time goes by it will eventually start to be noticed and it will trickle up hill.

 

It is hard to but blame on any one unit or committee or person, but I think that, I know in my district there are a bunch of cliquey troops and packs with very distinct personalities. A lot of times this is why boys do not fit in. Are they dropping out of scouting or are they just leavening that unit and heading for another what are the actual stats.

 

I truly believe that it must start with the pack level and progress upwards from there. All packs need to gear the boys up better for what is up coming. Myself as a CM of a strong pack I am constantly trying to introduce things related to BS at a much lower level than just at the Webelos I. I bring thing in at the wolf level and continue it all the way up to W II. My drop out rate once they reach BS is very low I think in the 4 years and many scouts that have bridged I think only 3 have left scouting for good. It needs to start somewhere and it is certainly not going to start at the top.