A SCOUT IS PHYSICALLY FIT, PROFESSIONALS AND SCOUTERS TOO...  

OK, I admit, I am overweight... when I earned my Eagle I was 5'10" and 155 pounds. Add an inch to that today but also add 'too much' weight. Like many of our leaders and youth members I can't claim to be as physically fit as I should be. I was a Cub Scout in the 50's and times have changed. Fast food, video and computer games, bussing at our doors for the kids going to school instead of walking and the list goes on. Scouting needs to address this issue in a big way. We need kids out hiking and involved in more physically active aspects of our programs. Districts and Councils can help with this by making hikes and physically challenging events a regular part of the program. When I see 'weight restrictions' on certain National programs I have to think where I would fall on those guidelines. My district just had an event that included a 12 mile hike and the participants were encouraged to 'build up to it' and to use it towards hiking merit badge. Cubs were allowed to participate with either a 3 or 5 mile hike and Webelos were allowed to go the whole distance. We issued a hiking staff medallion instead of a patch and it was very well received. Additionally, we hiked between two points of local Scouting Historical interest from one town to the next and a lot of folks got to see Scouts outdoors in their towns. I am expecting that this sort of an event will become a regular part of our district program planning now. I also am looking for ways to encourage our leaders and youth to make exercise and healthy diet a regular part of their routine. 'On my HONOR I will keep myself Physically Fit'....... As professionals and as a movement we need to do more than give lip service to that promise... I would welcome ideas to bring to my district as well as success stories from other districts/councils.

National Scout Spirit Day 

I’d like to see a ‘National Scout Spirit Day’ where members, youth and adults, show their support of Scouting by wearing their uniform to work and/or school. Monday, February 8, 2010 would be a great day to kick off this day as an annual event for all Scouting membership. In addition to recognizing the 100th Anniversary of Scouting in America, such an event would promote membership, public awareness, and Scouting pride. We have enough time to promote the date and get the word out nationally; encouraging all of our membership to proudly display their support of Scouting. Imagine February 8, 2010 dawning with BSA color guards conducting flag ceremonies at schools and businesses across the country. Can you envision the impact such an event would generate nationally for our membership, along with the positive media attention for Scouting?

New Unit Organization Incentives & Recognition 

The organization of new units is one of the greatest legacies that a professional Scouter and/or a volunteer can give to a neighborhood or community. To do right, organizing a new unit is also a very challenging task to complete.

The BSA has an excellent method established for unit organization as outlined in the Membership Committee Guide book. Our process is built on a foundation of year-round unit organization including ongoing prospecting for chartering organizations and following the twelve step process. This is all excellent.

However, for many years, our recognition of unit organization for professionals has revolved around CSEWC/High Five on June 30th and Quality District/Council on December 31st. I believe that the pressure placed on professional Scouters to organize new units around these 2 deadlines has contributed to the problem of professionals doing most or all of the unit organization with little or no involvement by our volunteers. Professionals often feel compelled to do everything within their power to have new units organized by these two deadlines. This often results in taking shortcuts, not following the twelve steps, and not involving volunteers (feeling that it is easier to do themselves and don’t want to rely on volunteers to meet their deadlines which have a major impact on their performance reviews.) Plus, since volunteers are not evaluated based on their completion of new units by our two deadlines, they are not motivated to work with our professionals to meet the deadlines.

We should consider a different incentive and recognition of our professionals (and volunteers) for unit organization.
When a new professional organizes his or her first new unit following the process and certified by his/her staff leader, he or she should receive immediate recognition from the organization. Maybe a letter from the regional director or the chief, plus some other recognition. Then (like in the real estate and insurance business) have a level of “clubs”: the “Five Unit Club”, then the “Ten Unit Club”, “Twenty Unit Club” etc. and there should be significant recognition for professionals that achieve these levels of accomplishment in unit organization.

This would be a useful tool for a staff leader to coach his staff towards. The leader coaches the brand new D.E. towards organizing his/her first unit in order to be recognized. Then coaches toward the next 4 units in order to be further recognized etc. This would be a more long term approach to unit organization, would tie in well with our new SMART goals and the PDS system, and would complement the W.D. Boyce New Unit Organizer Award for volunteers.

All units that count towards the recognition should be certified by the staff leader to have included volunteers in the organization process and to have completed all of the necessary steps to help that unit have a solid start. (It should not recognize, however, instances when a professional is sometimes “handed” one or more new units as can sometimes happen in a LDS ward split, for example.)

Venturing Recognition Items 

 In Progress

From the Tiger to Eagle we have pins to provide for parents. My wife and I both have a long ribbon of medals for our son. When he began receiving awards in Venturing, we put duplicates of the device for his Bronze award (designed for the ribbon of the medal) on our ribbons. When he acheived Gold and then Silver, nothing.

I propose that our supply division offer a lapel pin size of Gold and Silver. (The QM, Trust, Quest, Ranger also if they don't exist) I believe that, in addition to our parents, many of our young adults would also buy them to wear on suits and other clothes during interviews.