Boy Scouts prepared to launch marketing campaign to connect with digital-era youth

[Gold Winger]

The ranks, meaning the aggregate membership. Evidently, the minorities are protesting because they aren't represented enough in the organization. So what do they do? They don't join.

[GernBlansten]

Some minorities simply are not allowed to join. Perhaps he is refering to those.

[John-in-KC]

Excuse me,Gern? I did not understand what you are implying, Sir...

[GernBlansten]

Minorities do not always involve race. Sometimes they include creed or physical/emotional characteristics.

[John-in-KC]

Who are we excluding who is a legally protected group under Federal Law?

[GernBlansten]

Why does it have to be a federally recognized group? Is that the measure we should hold ourselves to?

 

Seems Mr. Mazzuca is relaying a desire to make scouting available to ALL kids. Does that mean that he will work to remove the barriers that SOME kids face in joining? I hope so. If not, what does he mean by that statement?

[FScouter]

If you're talking about girls, they're hardly a minority. If you mean avowed homosexuals, I've never met an avowed homosexual boy. Maybe one pondering what his sexuality is all about, but never a boy whose membership application was turned down. Never heard of any application refused for a boy's physical characteristics, nor for his emotional characteristics.

 

You'll have to be more specific about the minorities that are refused membership.

[John-in-KC]

Gern,

 

Any corporation, to include non-profits, has a right and left limit on what they seek to do. GE is one of the last true generalist corporations, doing everything from basic consumer goods to railroad locomotives to TV.

 

There is a way to generate the kind of change you seem to seek for BSA. It's going to involve some very hard work, and it's not going to happen overnight. One Council at a time, the field needs to influence the National Executive Board that the vision of BSA is flawed and needs basic change. Whether that's girls in the younger youth programs, dropping the DRP, or revisiting sexuality, those are things which are Board of Directors level decisions. Vision has to come from someplace. If you think Mr Mazzuca will supply this, great. If not, someone else will have to supply the vision and identify a path to get agents of change in place.

 

Now, who do you believe is the unserved minority? Within the context of the three Aims of Scouting, why do you think we need to serve them?

[GernBlansten]

At the risk of driving this thread straight into the Issues section, of course our membership policies keep lots of kids out of the program. Progressive parents won't enroll their kids in a program that exclude people based on religion or sexual preference. The YMCA figured this out long ago. If you really want to reach ALL kids, you need to remove the unnecessary barriers that keep large groups (even if they are in the minority) of kids from joining.

[dcopel01]

It seems pretty clear that Scouting needs to join the digital age. Perhaps they could provide training for the non-tech savy adults and help to get every unit online.

[Gold Winger]

" Perhaps they could provide training for the non-tech savy adults and help to get every unit online. "

 

Why? My son's troop is pretty tech-savvy but the troop web-site is largely ignored. It's up to date, slick, cool, and all that but no one goes there for information.

 

 

 

 

[Horizon]

For minorities, I assume the the CSE is talking about racial minorities. In terms of enrollment, the goal would be outreach to ensure that they know about Scouting and helping them establish Packs and Troops.

 

I live in a mixed race area, where my white son is a minority in a classroom of Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and Indian classmates. I spend a fair amount of time educating immigrant parents (1/3 minimum of my Troop) about Scouting and what it can be their sons, and also what Scouting is NOT.

 

Just telling them that Reverent also applies their religions of Shintoism, Buddhism and Hinduism goes a long ways - but their initial concern is that the BSA is a fundementalist Protestant Christian organization is one of the first myths I have to overcome.

 

Given recent reports regarding the racial makeup of the United States, we need to ensure that Scouting is valued in all communities. Scouter had a great front page article on a Troop leader near me who works with Hispanic kids, for example.

 

I do not want to see Scouting go the way of the old line Men's Clubs (Lions, Kiwanis, Optomists, etc.). Many of them struggle today for membership having lost their recruitment edge.

 

We have a great program for all kids - but not all kids (and parents) know that.

[shortridge]

Why? My son's troop is pretty tech-savvy but the troop web-site is largely ignored. It's up to date, slick, cool, and all that but no one goes there for information.

 

I hate to use this phrase, but for many "kids today," if something's not online, it doesn't exist or didn't happen. So even if it's not used by the membership, it's an extra marketing tool.

[FScouter]

"For minorities, I assume the the CSE is talking about racial minorities."

 

From the article and the quote from our chief SE, it seems clear he is referring to Mexican immigrants:

 

[The Hispanic population boom in places like Texas and California offer both a challenge and an opportunity.

 

"If we don't figure out those communities all over the Sun Belt and across the country, then we will become a niche organization for the white, middle class," he said. "We want to serve all kids, and that's really what these changes are about." ]

 

[Pack212Scouter]

Not even going there Gern. But if BSA really want's to put the knife in their heart, that is what they can do to get it done. They will gain 2% membership and lose about 50%.