Although a Merit Badge Counselor is technically a non-unit registrant, many are also registered with units. If ScoutNET would pull those unit registration numbers into the Merit Badge Counselor by Name or by Badge report, it would make MBC rechartering many times easier for districts, as some districts in our council register 600 or more merit badge counselors.
Please--in automated ScoutNET report, show a unit number associated with a Merit Badge Counselors if they are a unit Scouter, as well!
As with every other aspect of life, our organization's managerial skills fall on a "bell curve" or normal distribution. There are a few on the very low end, described by the original post. There are a few on the very high end, described by the second poster. Most, about 67%, fall solidly in the middle--AVERAGE.
I suspect (though I do not know, as I am not yet a staff leader) that these skills are mentioned and taught in some of the BSA professional development series classes. But for teaching to happen, LEARNING must occur. Learning occurs best in real-life. So... if the learning doesn't occur or gel in class, and a manager cannot make the leap to apply the skills learned in class to real life, then we end up with management problems, as described.
So... is the answer to perhaps review, and if necessary, revise HOW we as an organization teach those skills to our new staff leaders. Perhaps some consultation from an outside agency regarding our professional development sessions for management staff?
"...recognize those campers-Scouts and Scouters-who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives and by such recognition cause other campers to conduct themselves in such a manner as to warrant recognition."
"...develop and maintain camping traditions and spirit."
"...promote Scout camping, which reaches its greatest effectiveness as a part of the unit camping program, both year round and in the summer camp, as directed by the camping committee of the council."
"...crystallize the Scout habit of helpfulness into a life purpose of leadership in cheerful service to others."
We know the OA can change strategically, because originally and until relatively recently, even adult women were not eligible for OA membership.
It's time for the OA to make another quantum leap forward and become the BSA's National Honor Society, not just the Boy Scouts' National Honor Society.
A powerful tool when used correctly. Some colleges are offering online language classes that utilize Skype for the verbal portion of the teaching and assessment.
I see merit in both the original posting and the comment. Most mundane questions can be answered by and should go to the local council, as they address everyday processes and concerns.
But there absolutely should be a way for people to contact the national council through some sort of "Contact Us" link or feedback link.
And there should most definitely be an address for the museum available.
Ah, yes--in the words of the inimitable Dr. David Walsh (Nat'l Institute on Media and the Family, http://www.mediafamily.org/) says, "Those who tell the stories define the culture."
If WE as an movement begin to tell the stories again, we will begin to again have the power to define the culture.
And I have heard Bob Mazzuca, our CSE, say on more than one occasion that it's time for us as the BSA to begin redefining ourselves, not allowing others to do it for us secondhand.
EXCELLENT idea that could be implemented at minimal cost.
In some ways, this would be very similar to the StoryCorps project, the results of which will eventually be housed at the Library of Congress.
Could be VERY illuminating for a parent and a youth to interview each other regarding Scouting. Saving these stories and conversations could provide interesting promotional and inspirational materials.
Great idea. This is essentially a management consultant team, and many businesses and industries use this model to evaluate and improve operations.
Feedback is a gift for which every council should actively search. NO council is doing everything right, and all help should be welcome, especially that from knowledgeable people with Scouting perspectives from outside the geographical area.
Do we not preach to our unit commissioners that they offer just this sort of evaluation and help to troubled units? We should practice on the professional side what we preach on the volunteer side!
It surely would be great to be able to leverage product placement for our brand.
Nothing galls me quite as much as seeing some version of a BSA program displayed not quite correctly, i.e. the Subaru commercial about a young boy in some sort of scouting uniform vest (looks suspiciously like a GSUSA vest) who runs his car in a pinewood derby...
I agree with Mr. Clarkson. Perhaps a charter fee entitles a unit to access to online resources and materials for the entire period of the charter, not unlike a yearly membership fee.
While I agree that an updated version of the uniform would be good, I still think that it SHOULD be a uniform, rather than just a pin we wear with clothing of our choosing.
Although our council also typically asks for standard business suits for FOS report meetings, board meetings, and such, the professional dress uniform is still an important part of our movement nationwide and something that we all share as pro staff.
We are, fundamentally, a uniformed organization; it is one of the methods of Scouting that is designed to build feelings of belonging and to remove barriers that can be expressed by clothing. As well, it expresses who we are to the world at large.
So--updating, okay (black suit/white shirt, Scouting tie for guys and/or scarf for women), eliminating--no.
8.5x11 sheets are MUCH easier to keep track of and file--and don't have to be read upside down (or folded to be ready correctly)!
And great time to do this, as articulated above, is when "This is Scouting" is added to these forms as the training entry point, replacing New Leader Essentials.
See the Fast Tracks on the Advancement Trail site for a great example of allowing the leader to choose the language at the outset, prior to running the program ON the website.
I suspect that the merit badge pamphlets are a part of our organization's literature that will exist, as do so many current books, in both electronic AND paper form for a while yet.
Comments above indicate reasons--most compelling, the thought of laptops or expensive electronics such as a Kindle at summer camp exposed to 25 first year Scouts. I'll buy a dozen pamphlets before I send my laptop to camp ;-)
To answer the previous comment: MacScouter offers only the list of requirements and worksheets to work on the merit badges. The pamphlets themselves offer much more detailed information about the merit badge subject that help with earning the badge and should absolutely be available electronically.
I would agree that any gear/uniform exchange should happen locally. The uniform portion of the exchange is already a well-recognized part of our council's service to Scouters.
Our council's training page offers something similar: a new leader a "selection wizard" that shows leaders what pieces of training they need to be considered trained for their position.
It indicates whether those pieces are available online or not. If so, there is a link to the national OLC site.
If not, there is a link that shows where in the council those trainings are taking place so that, even if their geographical district isn't offering the training, they may attend elsewhere as time/schedule permit.
The link to this selection wizard: http://training.nsbsa.org/NewLeaders.aspx
Just like any other major change to a well-established program, this bead change needs to have time to grow, percolate, develop, and then be evaluated fairly after a decent length of time in place.
The Wood Badge syllabus and NYLT syllabus are so closely aligned these days that it seems like a crime not to leverage and share the talent pool between the two course--and recognize that top talent accordingly, with beads.
There are definitely leaders out there that are interested in advanced skills.
But Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills, part of the Training Continuum for Boy Scout/Varsity Scout leaders, is meant to be just that--an introduction for new leaders. Heavy duty information, gear, and skills can certainly daunt an incoming leader, which we as an organization do not want to do.
Perhaps a non-required, advanced course that is supplemental would be the better choice.
I agree with the comment above. Any education piece should include both sides, pro/con, of the issue.
The advantage of using these great new technological tools are that we as adults reach the youth where they are at. Only once we do that will we have the ability to educate them about the possible dangers of these very same tools.
John's comment above is right on target. With so much information available for paid download now (rather than waiting for CD media or print media), it would be great to have BSA offer this option to volunteers, as well.
Although I agree that social networking site CAN be problematic, if used correctly, they are dynamite.
And--the kids will use them anyway, so we might as well teach them how to do it safely using privacy settings so that only friends can see your page, and belonging to groups that are moderated by an adult who screens all prospective members.
Allowing/encouraging the youth to use social networking sites within the context of Scouting will ultimately make Scouting more interesting to them and... RETAIN them as Scouts!
Agreed. The charter paperwork tends to be some of the most confusing in our organization. Any way we can minimize that barrier for a chartered partner would be great. And wouldn't it be great to be able to tell a current chartered partner looking at chartering another unit to fill out their "full family" of Scouting that they don't need to recruit additional volunteers or fill out additional paperwork? What a great way to gain membership ground!
This idea talks about incorporating these skills into a merit badge. I almost think that, rather than a stand-alone merit badge, mental health recognition skills and "psychological first aid" might be included as part of rank advancement requirements, just as some basic, standard first aid skills are. More advanced skills, along with more psychological theory, might make a decent merit badge that could allow a Scout to explore a career in psychology/psychiatry.
Training is certainly part of the answer. But Fast Tracks is another important part of the answer, as well.
As an active parent who, in my time, has been a den leader, a Girl Scout leader, a soccer coach and team manager, and a religious ed instructor, I can tell you that the one job of all of those that I never thought twice about accepting was that of religious ed instructor. Why??? Because I knew there was a curriculum in place for me to use. I could study and plan how best to implement it, but the basic outline of each week's lesson was laid out for me already.
I see Fast Tracks as nothing more and nothing less than a curriculum, but one that incorporates fun and the aims and methods of Scouting. Advancement IS a method of Cub Scouting, and, as such, it is a means to an end. That end hasn't changed. Just the way we approach it and tools we use to do it--not unlike our organization's use of a new, different approach to innovation--this website!
Phenomenal idea--good combination of the benefit of instant, electronic availability and a fairly broad, well-known platform with enough of a nominal cost that income (even slight) would still be generated.
It would be really nice (no, actually necessary!) to be able to pull a training report from ScoutNET that includes ALL training leaders in a unit/district/council have attended, NOT just those pieces that reflect whether they are basic-leader-trained for their position. This would be the equivalent of being able to pull a person profile for a GROUP of leaders all at once, rather than one at a time.
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