Why?

[moosetracker]

Sounds good.. But, you still have work ahead of you, because you are the center hub. Take the hub out and the program collapses.. Until you do that your 5 years plan is not adding stability, it is adding dependancy.. on you..

 

Who can you get to fill your shoes if what comes with the position is all that you are currently doing?

 

Next years plan of attack should be to get the committee to do their job.. And for DL's & ACM's to be at activities the scouts are at even if the parents don't show up (like the PWD building day, and pack meetings)..

[sbemis1]

I'd have to agree with some of the other comments BD.

 

When they try to hand you the arrow kits, reply you'll be glad to take them when complete.

Same for the cars. Be clear about the rules and resultant DQs up front.

We only had to do that once (apparently grandad volunteered to help out).

My son's troop has cancelled a couple of events for lack of parental support (drivers). It gets attention.

[Eagle007]

Basementdweller, your achievements are to be highly commended. Only you can answer your own question of the value or worth that you place on the program with all of its headaches.

 

Everyone needs to vent and get things off of their chest sometimes or they will have a coronary. Maybe, as suggested previously, the good ole cuppa coffee with all parties involved as individuals, in certain cases, and as groups, in others, is what is called for so that everyone can be on the same page and stay on the same page. Excellent communication among all parties is the key.

 

Asking for help is a good thing.

[83Eagle]

From reading the above, you have a graduation camp out where parents who arent involved complain about the decisions that are made, where you cant get any volunteer help, but where people complain even worse when you try to cancel it because there are no volunteers to run it.

 

You have a succession plan but no ACMs currently and no successor apparent CM."

 

You are stuck doing career arrows, pinewood derby car preparation, a PWD workshop, etc., apparently at the direction of the committee but with no assistance from the committee.

 

The minister of the COR is happy and the meetings are "rocking," but you have a drop-and-run culture and infighting among parents about advancement.

 

Yet despite this the program seems to be successful and growing despite this: You are retaining 90 percent of your cubs, doubling the size of your troop, and youve gone from 10 scouts to 60 scouts...yet your district chastises you when enrollment drops.

 

It's a puzzling picture.

 

You obviously have a ton of ambition and are actively working toward building a culture of parental involvement and volunteerism.

 

Yet your committee does not seem to support you or understand its role and responsibilies.

 

Did this committee exist before you took over? It appears to be made up of parents in the program (from your comments about their boys wanting their arrows).

 

Why are they not supporting you on planning issues and fighting you on program issues?

 

 

[SeattlePioneer]

Sounds like you have a great program Basement. Your long term leadership planning sounds excellent, but your short term leadership planning needs improvement.

 

As you identify new areas where you need help with the program, you should be getting help from your committee in finding new people to fill those roles.

 

Frankly, your long term leadership planning outshines mine altogether. But in my pack, as we identify new things that need parental leadership, we are on the lookout for that help right away.

 

 

Personally, I'm experimenting with the position of "ScoutParent Coordinator," a registered BSA position for CuB Packs, Scout Troops and Venturing Crews. The Scoutparent Coordintor has two main functions:

 

1) Welcoming new parents into the unit

 

2) Signing up all families to help with at least one activity per year.

 

 

MOST people aren't very good at asking people to help with activities and getting them to agree. Since that's often the case, it's a job often done poorly. A lot of families never get asked, or are allowed to wiggle off the hook. Pack leaders tend to ask the same people to help over and over.

 

With a ScoutParent Cordininator, you look for ONE person who is likely to do a good job, and then feed them the positions you need filled ---- they find the people you need.

 

Another advantage--- people are MOST likely to help when they are new to Cub Scouts and aren't experienced in dodging, bobbing and weaving to avoid helping. Sincwe the ScoutParent Coordinator talks to those people right away after they join (the same week preferably) you start getting them to help right away, rather than months later.

 

More information on this approach at:

 

http://meritbadge.org/wiki/index.php/ScoutParent_Unit_Coordinator

[Basementdweller]

There was no committee. It was destroyed by a previous, 5 or 6 years ago, CC and treasurer looting the pack treasury. Both went to jail and are on repayment plans $20 a month each. I think they will have the debt repaid in 100 years. The committee existed only on paper.

 

I have recruited everyone except the COR, the treasure and CC are all scout alumni and have no youth in the pack or troop, wife is secretary, I have three new scout parents involved on the committee and current den leaders. I am actively recruiting adults, today had lunch with a couple of webelos dads and got them signed up as ASM's for the troop. I have the apps and reg fees in hand, they will get youth protection in the next week or so.

 

I don't understand why it is so hard with cub parents to step up.....

 

We are are poor area, everyone works, most are single parent households and even in typical households it both parents work. Decent volunteers are hard to come by. I have handed a number of parents apps, when the discover there is a back ground check the just hand them back.....I have had a couple remove their boys entirely. what is a guy to do? We have a couple of really strange dads who would like to be more active but the committee wants nothing to do with them. The COR said he will refuse to sign their apps. Oh well. Volunteer chemistry is important.

 

The Pack blew up in april three years ago, We lost 50% of the youth. I became CM at that point, Recharter that year we were down to 10 youth. I got a call and visit from the DE asking what happened. of course most of the boys that left were the two leaders involved, they had 5 between them and we lost the entire webelos den because she never quit, she just stopped showing up.

 

Yes the minister comes over on scout night and roams the den rooms. She just smiles and couldn't seem to be happier.

 

 

recruiting adults volunteers is a full time job. it is hard to get them off the side lines.

 

But I still gotta ask WHY?

 

 

 

[SeattlePioneer]

Sounds like you have a great program Basement. Your long term leadership planning sounds excellent, but your short term leadership planning needs improvement.

 

As you identify new areas where you need help with the program, you should be getting help from your committee in finding new people to fill those roles.

 

Frankly, your long term leadership planning outshines mine altogether. But in my pack, as we identify new things that need parental leadership, we are on the lookout for that help right away.

 

 

Personally, I'm experimenting with the position of "ScoutParent Coordinator," a registered BSA position for CuB Packs, Scout Troops and Venturing Crews. The Scoutparent Coordintor has two main functions:

 

1) Welcoming new parents into the unit

 

2) Signing up all families to help with at least one activity per year.

 

 

MOST people aren't very good at asking people to help with activities and getting them to agree. Since that's often the case, it's a job often done poorly. A lot of families never get asked, or are allowed to wiggle off the hook. Pack leaders tend to ask the same people to help over and over.

 

With a ScoutParent Cordininator, you look for ONE person who is likely to do a good job, and then feed them the positions you need filled ---- they find the people you need.

 

Another advantage--- people are MOST likely to help when they are new to Cub Scouts and aren't experienced in dodging, bobbing and weaving to avoid helping. Sincwe the ScoutParent Coordinator talks to those people right away after they join (the same week preferably) you start getting them to help right away, rather than months later.

 

More information on this approach at:

 

http://meritbadge.org/wiki/index.php/ScoutParent_Unit_Coordinator

[Lisabob]

What's your personal relationship with the minister like? Maybe you should have a meeting with her, where you lay out where the pack has been, where you want it to go, and how you need her help figuring out how to get it there without frying yourself in the process.

 

Ministers are often pretty good at the people-skills side of things. Tell her to help you find good volunteers, maybe people involved with the church community who don't have any boys in the pack right now. And tell her to help you lean on parents of boys in the pack to get things done.

 

About those volunteer apps and background checks - there are often things that need doing, that don't need a registered volunteer to do them (like those arrows, or the pwd cars). Obviously you need to use your judgment here, but if a person is an asset then find them something to do that would help you, even in small ways. They might not be the next webelos DL, ACM, or CM, but they can still carry some of the load.

 

Some of us are good at seeing the big picture and mapping out plans to get there, but poor at getting buy-in from the folks on the ground who we need to help us get things going. (That would be me, from time to time). Find the person (your minister?) who can get the buy-in for your big picture vision, and work together.

 

 

[JoeBob]

Back to the original post - Why?

 

Because the scout skills you teach your boys may keep them alive.

 

The tempermant and patriotic inspirations learned in scouting tends to make a larger share of our alums join the military.

Being sneaky in the woods may help a young man get through Ranger school.

Wilderness first aid may keep a buddy alive until a medevac arrives.

Survival skills will certainly help in a possible evade and escape scenario.

Tracking skills will help a soldier leave no trace for his enemies to follow.

I could go on, but you get the drift.

 

I was certainly a better soldier because I was a scout. (Okay, part of it was the Southern Redneck thing. But Scouting honed that.)

 

If my influence on the quality of our program keeps one former scout alive in the future, I guess I'll just have to put up with whining parents and pompous arses.

[Basementdweller]

Realistically we have little control over short term leadership issues. It is like fishing, all you can really do is keep casting, skill helps a bit. but either the fish bite or they don't.

 

We had a good time at the meeting last night, The boys came in ready to go........Had several turn in a lot of work to catch up with the other webelos, so I still might have a chance at getting 12 into the troop in march.......... The entire den and parent is signed up for a weekend cabin camp in two weeks. This will finish all but 4 boys for the AOL.

 

Started recruiting adults for summer camp this coming summer. I will spend 4 weeks this summer camping with the BSA. June troop one week, july cubs day camp, webs resident camp, August backpacking with the crew.

 

Had some success. got my second for webs camp. The crew and troop is covered with asm's and associate advisers. All I need is a second for day camp.

[CalicoPenn]

Why?

 

Because:

 

"One hundred years from now, it will not matter what my bank account was, how big my house was, or what kind of car I drove. But the world may be a little better, because I was important in the life of a child." - Forest E. Witcraft.

 

Thanks for the opportunity to be reminded of this Basementdweller.

[FScouter]

The last sentence from the original essay by Forest Witcraft:

 

"A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove. But the world may be different, because I was important in the life of a boy."

 

Read the whole thing:

http://www.scoutingmagazine.org/resources/webex/power.html

[Basementdweller]

Well, got an ACM tonight. his son is a tiger so I will potentially have him for 4 years or so.

 

Succession plan for 2011-2012 is in place and approved.

[skeptic]

Just came home from an Eagle BOR; another bright young man that gives me hope for the future. That is why!!!!