BOR's, Advancement and all that good stuff

[Eamonn]

I for one think many Scouter's, Scouts and the families of Scouts seem to be out of whack when it comes to advancement.

Sure a requirement is a requirement is a requirement.

Some requirements might be open to some sort of unit or personal interpretation. (I'm thinking about the thread on Pull-ups that ran a little time back.)

I'm happy to do my best to ensure that the requirements are met.

In fact I can be a real pain when it comes to this.

Short cuts, fast tracks - Call it what you like!! If any of these mean that a requirement is not met and are signed off not only go against just about everything we are supposed to stand for and be passing on to the youth we serve, but can also lead to hazardous and dangerous situations.

Sadly many of the Boy Scouts who have joined the Ship openly admit that many of the requirements they are supposed to have met, were just signed off.

Eagle Scouts with Swimming and Lifeguard merit badge, who have a hard time passing even the basic BSA swim test. Are unable to tie the most basic knots, have no idea how to use any sort of a compass.

Over the past couple of years (since the Ship started) it has become clear that some Scouts from the same unit are worse than the others.

You might think that this Troop had new or leaders with little or no Scouting experience. That isn't the case.

The unit has leaders who do know their stuff, but for some reason they have decided that the Eagle count is more important than anything else.

The SM has been there for a very long time.

The CO thinks he walks on water.

He has hand-picked all the Committee members and they have been indoctrinated into this Eagle count mentality.

Any Scout who remains in the Troop past the age of 14 is almost guaranteed to make Eagle.

This is both sad and wrong.

Still the fault lies with the leaders.

I have never served as a Troop Committee Member.

So maybe I don't know what the heck I'm talking about??

In the Ship we don't focus on advancement. As a rule one of two things happen.

Either the Scout will come to me and say "Hey Eamonn, I think I have done everything for whatever rank."

Then we will go over all the requirements. This is very informal!! More or less a what, when and where. If I have missed something he or she will point out when and where they did whatever it was. If we find something that wasn't done we will try and make the effort to cover it in the near future. If there is an area that needs work. I will in a really nice way (almost jokingly!!) In form him or her that we have a way to go before we can sign off on that one!!

But once we are both happy that all the requirements have been met and that everything is in order we organize a BOR.

The Board trusts me. They know that I'm not going to send a Scout who hasn't met the requirements.

When they meet with the Scout, they provide encouragement to the Scout and feedback to me.

A lot of times Scouts will tell them things that maybe they don't tell me or maybe they do tell me but I don't listen!!

The board is more about the Scout: Who he or she is, where they have been and where they are going than fussing about what a Becket Hitch is used for.

Or at times I will see that a Scout has met or nearly met the requirements for a rank and I will remind or give them the push needed to move on.

Advancement in the BSA should be about learning new skills and using them, our role as leaders is to provide opportunities to learn and use these skills. This takes a lot of encouragement and some skill on our part.

If we do our job and do it well BOR's will be about the Scout not the requirements.

Ea.

[Beavah]

Yah, it's interestin' trying to find a balance in these things, eh? Like all us old timers, Eamonn's note weaves in and out... it's about the boy, but it's also about doing the requirements well, but it's also about the boy....

 

Every district has its "Eagle count"/"Badge Mill" units. I can pretty much pick up an advancement report from our council registrar and identify in a quick scan which troops are which. Some of that is just different style/philosophy, eh? I think we mostly have to cut each other slack to do things the way we think is best, even when we disagree.

 

What's hard is when it seems appropriate to "nudge" a program a bit. Yeh hope that da CO's and committees take enough interest to take the lead in "nudging" a SM to tighten up or lighten up or think a bit different when that's appropriate. Feedback is gift. It's even harder for commish's and district advancement folks, 'cause we're "outsiders". Our contact is pretty limited, and we have to be more respectful and gentle. Doin' EBOR's, I've occasionally done things like, after approving a boy, mentioned offhandedly that "gee, we usually see a bit more hours/youth independence in service projects from other troops. Are you folks happy with the level of expectation you've set?"

 

I wish we'd do more "exchange" between troops through the district. Visitin' each other; sittin' on BOR's, etc. Sometimes when a troop thinks it's doin' great because of Eagle Count it really helps to see another troop where Eagle Quality or just plain fun-and-adventure are a bigger emphasis. Nudge 'em or tug 'em back a bit. But we really don't have any formal mechanisms for that in the BSA.

 

Maybe it should be a rule that every unit leader has to go on at least one trip, two meetings, and one BOR for another unit every year, as an observer. Be nice to have Mr. Eagle Count spend some time with Eamonn, eh?

 

Beavah

 

[Venividi]

>Doin' EBOR's, I've occasionally done things like, after approving a boy, mentioned offhandedly that "gee, we usually see a bit more hours/youth independence in service projects from other troops. Are you folks happy with the level of expectation you've set?"

 

One of the most prevalent ongoing issues I saw was that new leaders and committee members that believe it is BSA that sets the level of expectation rather than the unit. They don't want to be perceied as the "bad guy". More than once I have heard adults talking after reviewing and approving an Eagle project saying that they didn't think it was sufficient, but they didn't think it was their place to say "no". Rather, thought that the district advancement committee had that responsibility. Requires constant education/communication as new volunteers come in to serve on BOR's.

[Eamonn]

For a while our District Advancement Chair wasn't available to meet with Scouts and approve their Eagle Scout Service Leadership projects.

Being the kind good looking fellow that I am, I took on the task.

I think just about everyone seemed to get the idea of the project being of service.

Some worthy organization was going to benefit from what was being done.

The thing that seemed to be lacking was any idea about Leadership.

There were times when I kinda hinted that maybe the project was just too big!!

Right now we have a Lad in the Ship who is working on his project with his Troop.

He is supposed to be building a pavilion at one of the towns local parks.

It really is a very big undertaking. (I have had nothing to do with it!!)

The Lad and his Dad toddled off to the local Home-Depot store to see what donations were available.

Home-Depot is kind to us.

In part because a member of the Ship's committee is some kind of a manager.

When it comes to Eagle Scout projects they always send the Scout to see this Lady.

Of course she knows the Lad and his Dad well.

Dad owns and operates the local store that sells headstones and grave markers.

Dad had a big long list of what he needed, he started to tell her all about it.

She told him to "Go and lie down!!" She would only talk with the Lad.

Of course she wasn't mean or nasty, but she did a wonderful job of making him understand that it is his project and not his Dads.

Ea.