Introducing your new Chief Scout

[NJCubScouter]

I noticed this in the last paragraph of the article that RememberSchiff linked to:

 

But the organization continues to face criticism over its exclusion of gay people. Mr. Perry said in an interview that the charity would not revisit that policy.

 

(Mr. Perry being the incoming president of the BSA.)

 

I am not surprised. I really did not expect the arrival of a new CSE to have anything to do with that issue, regardless of what his own personal religious beliefs may be. It's going to take a lot more than a new CSE and I'm pretty certain it's going to take more than four years.

 

Another interesting point in the article is when Mr. Brock is discussing recruitment efforts and mentions (in the words of the writer, not Mr. Brock) "awarding merit badges for 21st-century skills, like robotics." I think having MB's for robotics, computers, and other "modern technology" is a good thing, but I hope they are not expecting it to be much of a draw for recruitment or retention of Scouts. I know a little about this because when my son was in high school, he was active on his school's robotics team, and I was also active as a parent volunteer. I got to see the substantial overlap between the robotics team and several troops in the area (including ours, consisting of my son and two other Scouts, and there also are usually two or three Scouts in the troop who are on robotics teams at other schools.) A number of these Scouts earned the Computers MB, and now that there is a Robotics MB I imagine that they will start going for that. But that is not where the Scouts come from, nor is it why they stay. At least in our troop, they almost all come from Cub Scouts (with I would estimate one exception every two years or so), when they are younger Scouts they stay because they like to go camping, and when they are older Scouts they stay because of some combination of that they still like to go camping and/or high adventure activities, they realize it's "good for them" in other ways, and/or they decide they want to continue and earn Eagle. The fact that there happens to be a merit badge for computers or robotics (or some other area of their interest) is nice, and it may actually increase their interest in those areas, but it's not why they are there.(This message has been edited by njcubscouter)

[Tampa Turtle]

There are other issues and while I want to give the guy a chance (he did use the word "outdoors" a few times his videos seem full of corporate speak. I guess I am beating my head against a wall here. I recently saw our Council "Map to Progress" (really a chart-I guess "Progress Maps" are a recent corporate fad) with its' 12 priorities (one was providing a quality outdoor experience) but a lot of it was stuff like "Protect the Brand". And that is what I think it is too a lot of corporate stuff is --protecting the brand that is their golden goose egg. And for the CSE what a nice little egg it is too.

 

However (as someone who has toils in the bowels of government bureaucracy) there are sometimes moles who play along until they get in charge and then they surprise folks by being more independent thinkers than predicted.

[trailwalker]

Dean, local council's do not make the membership policy. National does, councils have no effect on that if they want to keep their charter.

[DeanRx]

Ok trail... then who do we speak to at National about the membership policy?

 

My point being, no one at the local level can even have a discussion regarding the ramifications of national's prejudiced membership stance.

 

There are some in the "customer" base that have lobbied for local control of membership / program and get it (i.e. LDS... can't join and LDS unit unless you are a member of their church and they get to tweek the program to fit their agenda), but God forbid a unit wants to be mroe liberal in their approach - nope no can do... national says no,no...

 

Its a double standards - plain and simple. Local control membership policies is the way to go...

 

And don't jump on the "well what if the KKK or arian nation wants to be a CO?" Well if they do - good luck getting anyone to join your unit!!! Would you say the same if the Black Panther Party wanted to be a CO? I would.

 

People will vote with their feet and their pocketbook - in my part of the country they have left or not joined b/c of nationals stance.

 

The next 100 years may well be the Boy Scouts of Latter Day Saints...

[Tampa Turtle]

(I got this from an article on the KKK wanting to adopt a road in GA)If the KKK wants to be a CO than change the name of the council to the "Rosa Parks Council" and make 'em where a real nifty council patch.