Scouter Truths

[bigbovine]

"Brevity is the soul of something-or-other. Any new addition should require two deletions."

 

I agree. Short but sweet. And anyone can make up or rearrange what they want. It isn't like anything is set in stone.

I for one am liking my original 5 in some sort of fashion. Still working on it, a work in progress. I plan on fixing it up in the next week or two. May see some great ideas by then. I would like to replace my 1st point with something, but haven't seen anything that catches my eye yet.

 

Thanks for what you have posted so far.

[bigbovine]

This should work. If the link doesn't work let me know.

 

https://skydrive.live.com/redir?resid=DE45036C1121DD47!105&authkey=!AGlY8X14iEyo34w

[Oak Tree]

I like the general idea. And I like picking things that you think are important to your troop.

 

I also find these things to be more effective if they seem to be actually true, rather than some type of idealistic expectation. (e.g., I hate the phrase "You can achieve anything if you just put your mind to it" - clearly, not everyone can actually win a gold medal at the Olympics.)

 

The phrase in the first post - "Scouters cannot be trained after they are needed" - doesn't sound true to me. Scouters indeed often get involved because they are needed and only after that do they get trained. Likewise, "Scouters must train before needed" doesn't sound true either. It's good if they do, but it's not true that they must.

[SSScout]

 

Trim, trim, trim.

 

1. Humans are more important than Equipment.

The Scouts are our customers. Without them, there is no need for the Scouter.

Motivated, skilled, knowledgeable Scouters benefit Scouts more than equipment.

 

2. Quality is better than Quantity.

Motivated, skilled, knowledgeable, and trained Scouters run a more effective program.

 

3. Scouters do not appear overnight.

Experience, skills, knowledge and training takes time, as does developing trust. Rushing yields inferior results. Therefore:

 

4. Train your Scouters before they are needed.

If you are not trained until you are needed, you are too late. Be Prepared.

 

5. Scouting requires assistance.

Scouting needs a variety of skills, talents, and resources on the team. Recognize, appreciate, and grow the circle of volunteers, but:

 

6. A Scouter's goal is to be needed the LEAST.

What a boy can do, a Scouter should NEVER do. Allow your boys to be Scouts.

 

 

[bigbovine]

Oak Tree, I understand what you are saying, but it is the ideals that I wish to post. Any person that is needed and is able is better than none at all, most of the time. But preparing before hand and getting everyone to take training of some sort before hand is more preferred.

 

Example, waiting to get someone to be SM when you are sick and tired of being SM is way too late. Looking for someone that can take your place before then instead of waiting for one to drop in your lap is much better do you not agree? Especially when there has been no ASM for years.

 

Same for any other position. You should always be getting others involved and trained as soon as you can, not waiting till you become desperate. At that point you take anything you can get, which usually isn't anything like you might want. Not to mention, training takes the headache out of starting something new.

 

None of these "Truths" are impossible. In fact with good planning, they are very doable, it just takes some forethought (Which is the purpose of my wanting to put this on our wall). Also remember that each of these may not work for every Troop. Take # 1 for example. Our Troop doesn't have a problem with equipment. It is very modest and you don't have people running around trying to get the best and biggest stuff. That is one I will be changing on my List.

 

Which also leads me to the new #6.

" A Scouter's goal is to be needed the LEAST.

What a boy can do, a Scouter should NEVER do. Allow your boys to be Scouts. "

and the addition to some peoples #1

"Scouts are our customers: Everything we do, we do for the Scouts. Without them, there is no need for Scouters."

 

While these ring True, they do not fit into my list because I want to state the Truths that affect the future acquisition of volunteers to the group. That goal has nothing to do with Scouters interaction with Scouts. Once again, proper training should take care of that issue anyways.

 

I say this partly from experience. I came in not too long ago as green as one could be as far as how Scouting was run. However, I love getting involved and love even more learning new things. I took every training that was offered online in the first month. I went to, and still am, going to every training I can find both inside and outside my district. I even took Response Personnel certification a month ago so the Troop does not have to go get a lifegaurd for swimming and such. The only things I have not taken that are on my immediate list are SM/ASM position Specific (in person), and I would also like to take OWLS(I plan on keeping a relationship with the WEBELOS of the Pack and feel this would aid in that).

 

I soon found that people would be asking me stuff. Why, one might ask? Because I seemed knowledgeable to them. These people had been in Cub Scouts 5 years, and after 3 months, I knew more of what was going on than they did. To me, that is sad. I soon learned that they were pretty much only there to get their kids through, then they were gone. They really didn't care otherwise. The only training that had been taken by anyone was the bare minimum needed to go on outings, and that was by the CM and ACM. After I was there only 5 months, the CM bailed (His boy was out now). For the two years he was CM, I was told that nobody had even thought about preparing for his leaving. Over the last year, the new CM (who was the ACM)and I have been preparing for his leaving. He is planning on staying a year after his boy is out, then joining me as an ASM. We are preparing a man to take his place, and we are working with him on finding his successor. There is no reason to not do this. We plan on going to the Pack Committee meetings to assure this process stays in place. This will also benefit the Troop.

 

I say this not to complain , but to inform you of why I am making this little plaque for the wall. With 4 of these "Truths" kept in mind, most volunteer problems can be avoided. I am not clueless to reality. I realize nothing is perfect or guaranteed. What I do understand (and this comes from my life outside of Scouting), is that preparing for what you can, reduces the stress that you would have by not preparing.

 

So with that in mind, keep coming with the ideas, because everyone has something that may be specific to their Troop. And who knows, you might bring to light a problem that others may not have noticed. Once again, Thank You for all of your ideas!

 

P.S. The link I put above, is only my rough draft. Just wanted you to have an idea of what it will look like.

 

[bigbovine]

A new link with revised version, but not a final.

 

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B0lL-RDeSOIoVkFOckhyOC1tZ3c

 

I also tried to make some of them a more realistic view. Oak Tree does have a good point on that.(This message has been edited by bigbovine)