Commissioner Tracking System Improvements 

The commissioner tracking system is a good idea, but it really only goes half-way as to how effective it could be. Can we turn it into a one stop unit status reporting system that the commissioners can use in making their monthly reports? Here are a few things I would add:

Unit Status Update - we used the red, yellow, green system
Unit Status Comments - If a unit is red or yellow, what do they need help with?
Automatic Monthly Reminders - Send a reminder to all registered UC's each month to go in and update their status
District Commissioner Access - Ideally, each unit will have a UC, but in reality, they don't. When a unit does not have a UC, the DC or ADC often picks up the slack. They should have the ability to update the status of any unit under their care.

Now, some of this may be in existance, but since professionals don't have access to it, I'm only going off of what my DC tells me.

On-Line Video Lessons for Merit Badges 

Let's take the information that is in our merit badge books and turn them into a series of 3-5 minute lessons that boys can view when needed. It is proven that people learn better through multimedia. This would help the Scouts learn and be more along the lines of the things they do anyway.

Plus, someone w/ an iphone could download a video while at a Scout meeting or campout for all of the Scouts to learn...Can we make an App for that?

Likewise for the different Tenderfoot, 2nd Class, and 1st Class requirments.

Unit Facebook Pages 

Let's provide a webinar for and encourage units to produce unit Facebook groups for their members. This will help them in communications, but more importantly, can be used as a recruitment tool.

The unit can create an "event" for their fall sign-up and have all of the parents/youth invite other parents/youth who are on Facebook. Then, for subsequent pack/troop events, the parents/youth can again invite friends to activities.

The unit can also collect photos and videos from all members. This will allow the public to see just what their unit is doing and may encourage others to join.

I know not all parents of this age are currently on Facebook, but the Facebook generation knocking at the door.

Centennial Quality Unit Tracking 

How about adjusting the default of the Centennial Quality Unit Tracking section of MyBSA to 2008? After adjusting each unit, it defaults back to 2007, so I've been adjusting the 2007 quality status of all of my units and need to go back and do it for 2008.

Ann Curry segment on Little Sioux Scout Ranch 

 Completed

This is really a best practice/question.

I'd like to use the Anny Curry segment shown at the NLTC this summer for my FOS presentations. Does anyone know how to get a copy of that?

Does anyone have other good videos or touching stories for their FOS presentations?

Clean House/Cut the Fat 

 In Progress

Have you ever seen those reality shows where a team goes into a clutter-maniac's house...stuff reaches the ceiling and you can't see the floor...and they basically clean house and remodel the inside to make it look like new?

I really think these houses are similar to where we are in the BSA. There is sooooo much stuff in our volunteer programs and internal professional structure that it is difficult to wade through and focus on what is important.

I recently read a book called "Simple Church" that discusses how churches are plagued w/ programs that are unneccessary, but they continue them out of tradition. They tire themselves out because they spend their time on unimportant tasks.

I think we have that problem in the BSA. We have so much stuff for our volunteers and staff to do that we tire out on the unimportant things.

I think the BSA needs to put a "bi-partisan" task force together to look at the whole program and what we do as professionals with a magnifying glass and determine what is important and what is not. Then, we streamline the program a bit to make it more managable.

This is basiccaly what Bob did with the National Council. Now, it is time for us to do that with our local councils and our unit programs.

Best Practices Website 

 Completed

We need a website similar to this one where professionals can share best practices. Some of the better ideas on this site regard file and video sharing. They could all be a part of that site. Maybe there could be a best practices forum to the networking site that is to come out (Maybe its already in the plans).

While this site is great, it is for posting very out-of-the-box ideas in hopes that national will adopt them. I'd love to have a site (and some people are using this site for these questions) to ask, "What makes your FOS events successful, How are you getting buy-in for CQU, etc."

Web-Development Merit Badge 

 In Progress

This could teach the basics for creating and maintaining a web-site and explore other web features such as blogging and network groups.

Podcasts from the NLTC 

 Completed

This goes along w/ the National Committee Meeting idea. Obviously, it is too late for this past conference, but I wish that the breakout sessions at NLTC would have been recorded and then podcasted on myBSA or another pro-forum. There are some sessions that I could not make, because of scheduling and would have liked to listen to them after the conference.

Can we podcast sessions at future conferences?

100 Events 

 Completed

I think for the anniversay, councils (depending on size) could try to do things that emphasize the 100's theme.

Councils could celebrate by having 100 rededications in the center of 100 town during Scouting anniverary week (being done by local packs/troops).

They could have 100 service projects done in a week-long time-frame.

100 campouts could be done in local parks on the same weekend...like a camporee in 100 locations.

100,000 hours of service could be done throughout the year.

Any other ideas?

TXTng language strip 

 In Progress

Forgive me for my lack of knowledge for the proper name for this patch, but I think we should add an official TXTng (texting)language strip. Many are starting to believe that a new form of communicating and a new language is being developed and many of our youth are a part of it.

While texting may seem like a frivolous activity, I think it is slowly becoming a very important skill in a young person's life. The ability for some young people to text is their ability to communicate. The knowledge of the right lingo and abreviations can save youth a lot of time.

Plus, it is a fun activity and we would be seen as much more relevant and innovative to what youth care about.

To get the patch, the youth may have to type a typical phrase with accepted abbreviations in a set amount of time, which would test their knowledge of the lingo and their speed.

Girl Cubs 

 In Progress

OK...I know this idea is nothing new, and I'm sure that the hard core traditionalists are going to shutter, but I think it is time to seriously consider a Girl Cub Scout program.

I have so many parents who tell me their daughter is in Girls Scouts and their son is in Cub Scouts and their daughters want nothing more than to quit GS and join the CS, because it is so much cooler. I think we do a disservice to the girls out there by not providing them the same quality program that we provide the boys.

Secondly, I think that we do very well in marketing ourselves as a family program. If we could provide programs for nearly all young people, then we'd be better servicing families as a whole. In today's busy society, it is difficult for parents to take their daughters to GS and sons to CS. It would be so much easier if there was a one stop shop.

There is not much that families do together anymore. Scouting could be the activity that really brings a family together. Plus, most families bring the sister along anyway, especially if the parent is the den leader. And...when it comes to family camp, the sisters come along anyway. Why not simply make a program for them to follow, too.

Also, parents that are leaders in both GS and CS have to go through twice the training (not to mention that the GS training and rules are a lot tougher to follow). If they had one program to lead, they would only have to follow one set of rules and go to one set of training.

I don't mean this to be a slap in the face to the GSA, but I know a lot of parents, primarily mothers, who would love this.

Now...I know that part of the Cub Scout program is working on age specific material in an environment that is only boys. I completely respect that, so here is my idea. It is only a broad brush, but I think it could work...

We have separate dens for the boys and girls. So, three of four weeks per month the kids are meeting w/ others of their gender, except for the opening and closing. We develop a mirror program for girls that follows most of the same requirements, but we change the animal and any requirements that are gender specific. (We maybe add a few to the girl requirements, as the parents that I have spoken to say that the girls would fly through the boys requirements too quickly).

Once a month, they have the den meeting to celebrate and show off their skills, they do this as one big group.

At camp, the kids participate in groups w/ their own gender for round-robin activities and come together for dinners, campfires, etc.

So...again, I don't have all the answers, but I think it is worth some consideration.

PS: My 7-month old daughter will one day thank you.