Boy Scouts of America News
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Boy Scouts of America News |
Good Turn for America Boy's Life BSA Emergency Preparedness Program BSA Legal Information
Commissioners and Unit Program Tiger Cub Uniform Boy Scout Age Clarification Keeping Parents and Families involved in Cub Scouts.
Young American Award Scholarship Due 1 December
Check out the Young American Award page to see if you qualify to be nominated for a possible $5000 scholarship. All the information you need on this page.
What Are the
Qualities of a Good Unit Commissioner?
By Conrad Fruehan,
associate director National Events Division
With the exception of your district's Key 3, no members of your district team have a more important responsibility than unit commissioners. As friends and counselors of unit adults, they must work to ensure a quality program for kids and that your youth members remain in Scouting.
Units are people. To help units succeed, commissioners must be people-oriented. They are truly your district's frontline diplomats. Because a district operates mostly by persuasion rather than legislation, commissioners must exercise the highest degree of diplomacy. They should also exhibit the following 10 traits:
Be an effective
communicator. This is how most unit service gets done.
These traits are common to all effective commissioners. As you guide your commissioner leaders in making unit assignments, it is also important to consider which unit commissioner may best mesh with the needs, background, and personalities of a particular unit.
Set the Hook by Engaging Parents in Cub Scouting (From August Issue of ProSpeak, newsletter for Professional Scouters)
A pinewood derby is one of many fun activities to offer within the first 30 days that enables parents to spend time with their sons through Cub Scouting.
Retain parents by offering a family activity quickly.
More than 15 percent of boys drop out of Cub Scouting in the first 30 days, according to the results of a survey conducted in 2001. Why? One of the leading reasons is that parents and boys don't get involved in the program quickly. Cub Scouting is a family program, and family involvement within the first 30 days is vital to the program's success.
So, how do you ensure that parents who show up at the enrollment meeting with their son attend the pack meetings and other events throughout the year? The answer is to understand your pack's and district's responsibilities—as well as your role—in providing fun, exciting activities as soon as possible after the roundup event.
Den and Pack Duties
"[Den and pack leaders] must build a positive rapport with parents by offering activities to get parents and boys involved quickly," said Paul Abbott, district director with the Catalina Council. "This is important to providing them with a better understanding of how Cub Scouting will benefit their son and their family."
Be sure your packs develop a strong program that begins within a couple of weeks of the roundup. Providing instruction on where to buy a uniform and other basic information during Join Scouting events is important. However, an effective program will enable packs to emphasize the activities scheduled for the coming month and get parents as well as boys more excited about Cub Scouting.
Remember, parents who attend your roundup events already believe that Scouting is a wholesome environment. Your packs need to convey that in Cub Scouts, you don't just sit and talk or drop your kids off at a meeting and run errands. You spend time with your son, doing fun, exciting activities as a family.
"Communication is key," said Herb Schmidt, senior district executive with the Greater Niagara Frontier Council. "You must tell parents about the many activities planned and keep parents informed of what is happening in Scouting through newsletters and open invitations to committee meetings."
"Engaging parents is all about getting boys and parents involved," said Marlon King, district director with the Greater Alabama Council. "Involvement is the key to building relationships between parents and the pack and retaining boys and families."
Fulfill Promises of Fun
Perhaps the most important promise the pack can fulfill is the pledge to provide families with opportunities to spend quality time together.
"A well-run event results in fun and keeps kids and adults coming back," Abbott said. "You have to create fun for the adults, too. You must make sure parents are a part of the program."
Ensure den leaders are getting the dens going immediately. Create an exciting atmosphere the kids enjoy and one in which family members know their roles. Be sure den leaders remember to be creative and understanding in helping all types of families participate as fully as possible in the program.
Your district's packs need to invite every Cub Scout to participate in an outdoor activity, such as a hike or day at camp, within the first 30 days of joining. More important, be sure the activity is presented as something a parent and child can do outside together. If an outside activity is not possible, then offer a pinewood derby or other event that enables parents to spend time with their sons.
"A good program will create fun and excitement that parents will want to share with their friends," said Jason Wimmer, senior district executive with the Occoneechee Council. "And that is one of the most effective ways to recruit new families into Scouting."
Engage Parents Through Volunteer Opportunities
In addition to providing opportunities to attend events and meetings together, packs can engage families in Scouting by asking parents to serve in leadership roles. However, parents must know they are needed. You have to "make the ask" and individually petition the parents to take a role. Individually asking a parent to volunteer makes it harder to decline than if parents are asked in a group.
"Use 'Daddy and Mommy Do Lists' to get parents involved," King said. "You must sit down and invite them to serve as [a volunteer]."
"There are no small jobs and no one-man shows," Abbott said. "You must delegate for the program to succeed and for parents to be engaged in Scouting. Give them a voice by asking them to help develop activity ideas and assist with small tasks they can succeed in. Participation breeds excitement."
One hint at finding an ideal place for a parent in Scouting is to look at the parent's occupation listed on the youth application. Consider the level of influence the parent may have within the community and the skills they must possess in their occupation.
Schmidt suggests talking with both parents simultaneously so there is an immediate decision as well as approval and support from both spouses. Ideally, both will agree to assume a volunteer role.
"Be sure to present the volunteer roles as fun and not overwhelming responsibilities," recommends Andrew Curran, district director with the Erie Shores Council. "Every parent can be a leader. They are often simply insecure about their abilities because of a lack of information."
Understanding the District's Duties
Getting parents fully involved means moving them beyond simply attending meetings and events to providing them a sense of accomplishment and a good feeling about themselves through accepting a volunteer position. The district plays a prominent role in attracting and retaining parental involvement by providing training and offering a quality program.
"A quality training team is important to engaging parents," Wimmer said. "Training is required for the parent to be successful. It should be provided immediately after the recruiting event to give the parents the tools required for their new position."
"Delegation involves follow-up," Abbott said. "You don't simply give parents a task, but the support and follow-up needs to be there as well."
Schmidt said his district has an individual whose sole responsibility is to work with the units to budget and plan a fun and effective 12-month program. Through this training and coaching, parents are able to see that Scouting is not simply thrown together; it relies on planning and their involvement in order to succeed.
"You must continue providing parents with the resources to help them succeed and remain excited about volunteering," King said. "If people believe in the leaders, they will believe in Scouting. Encourage your leaders to limit what is promised, but fulfill what is promised."
To help provide your Cub Scout parents with the resources to succeed, the National Council recently provided your council with den leader kits that include Fast Start training via CD and three months of Cub Scout program helps. These materials are designed to be distributed to all den leaders at your roundup events.
Your district can also help in the development of a quality program by offering district events within a few weeks of your roundups. Such activities help engage parents, assist packs in planning, and provide an impressive view of Scouting's impact on the community and the number of families in the area involved in the program.
Your Role in Engaging Parents
Remember, it is not solely your responsibility to engage every parent in Scouting. It is the responsibility of every person in Scouting who comes in contact with parents and families.
"Everyone is an ambassador for Scouting," Abbott said. "The pack leader, unit commissioner, other unit leaders, anyone with whom a parent will have contact."
However, it is your responsibility to ensure that the best volunteers are in the proper positions to provide a fun, quality program and invite parents and families to remain involved in Scouting. Be sure you and your district's Key 3 continue identifying new district-level commissioners and volunteers who can fulfill the promise of a fun opportunity for families to participate in Cub Scout activities.
New BSA Web Site Educates Public, Answers Critics
A Web site has been created by the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America to help inform the public about the legal issues that confront Scouting.
Scouting has been under a relentless legal assault and publicity barrage since 2000 when the Supreme Court of the United States affirmed the organization’s First Amendment right to freedom of association. The new Web site, bsalegal.org, is part of Scouting’s communication effort. Our goal is to educate key audiences and counteract misinformation and disinformation about the organization and its policies. Those audiences include the media, the general public, and supporters of Scouting.
The BSA is one of a growing number of organizations using the World Wide Web to address litigation challenges. The site gives the BSA a way to reach key audiences from the media to Scout families. It does so by employing many of the same features used by larger organizations. On the site, you will find fact sheets and answers to frequently asked questions about various cases and legal issues; copies of legal filings in important cases; and news clips and opinion articles from respected journalists and scholars. There is even a video Webcast of February 2004 conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., where legal scholars made presentations supporting the BSA’s legal position.
What’s more, there are tools on the Web site that you can use to stay informed and to help spread the word. For example, you can enter the e-mail addresses of friends and send them a customized e-mail inviting them to visit bsalegal.org with a link to the site.
The Web site, bsalegal.org, went live on February 3, 2004, and has been a resounding success:
More than 50,000 unique visitors looked at the site in the first three months. The number of visitors is growing month by month.
More than 500 registered at the site during the same period for regular e-mail updates, and nearly all of those checked a box identifying them as supporters of Scouting.
More than 2,500 have watched the Webcast.
More than 70 Web sites have linked to bsalegal.org, up from 12 in the first month. The majority are local council Web sites, but they also include the American Legion’s Web site. Even some of our critics provide links to us, including Inclusive Scouting and nonbeliever.org.
You are invited to see for yourself. Visit bsalegal.org. Register for updates. E-mail your friends, fellow Scouters, and colleagues. Most of all, use the new Web site to keep yourself informed and aware.
At the February 2004 National Executive Board Meeting, the amended the rules and regulations to clarify that no boy may join Boy Scouting until he reaches the age of 10. This does not lower the age requirements. The new requirements state that a boy must have completed 5th grade and be at least 10 years old or be age 11, or have earned the Arrow of Light Award and be at least 10 years old.
The BSA has designed an intensive sports related program for Venturers, the Venture Quest Award. Find out more about the award!
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Good Turn for AmericaIn February 2004, as we celebrate the BSA's 94th anniversary, we will be launching a new initiative titled Good Turn for America to help us:
One Initiative, Three Components, Many Benefits Best of all, the initiative does not require our volunteers to do more; it simply asks that we think anew about our district's accomplishments. Plus, it is flexible, allowing us to meet our district's needs by focusing on any or all of the initiative's three components: the collection and serving of food (Scouting for Food), assisting organizations that provide shelter (Scouting for Shelter), and promoting healthy living (Scouting for Healthy Living).
The idea that one initiative with
three components could result in numerous benefits without a great
deal of additional work is feasible because Good Turn for America
focuses on the service our units are already performing in your community. The initiative will feature a Web site for your units to enter information about any service project in which they participate. The site will enable units to report details such as
This information is accessible to your council as well as the National Council. And it is this data as well as the simple concept of service that will enable you to reap a variety of benefits. Promotional Benefit With this data, you will have access to statistics revealing the amount of community service taking place today. We will be able to make presentations, distribute news releases, and communicate the value of Scouting to your community more effectively. Collaboration Benefit To learn citizenship, youth must have an opportunity to serve. These opportunities can often be found by simply helping another organization accomplish its mission. We are developing a working relationship at a national level with three organizations whose missions coincide with the three components of Good Turn for America: The Salvation Army (food), Habitat for Humanity (shelter), and the American Red Cross (healthy living). However, we are not limited to working with the local chapters of these three organizations. Our volunteers likely know dozens of other community organizations whose missions fall under food, shelter, and healthy living. Good Turn for America provides you with a tool to begin working with these organizations to serve your community more effectively. Volunteer Benefit As the opportunity for collaboration increases, so will your access to a greater number of potential volunteers. More important, Good Turn for America opens doors with individuals with whom we may not have had a key to begin a conversation. Perhaps an individual's passion is meeting the needs of the homeless or elderly. Or you may know someone who is too busy to serve as a unit leader or fulfill the responsibilities of a district committee member, but is deeply concerned about conservation. Good Turn for America offers opportunities to introduce such people to Scouting while they continue to be involved in their current activities and organizations. And once introduced to Scouting, they may eventually become valued members of our district leadership. Impact Benefit Finally, Good Turn for America will help you establish the fact that Scouting is alive and continues to meet the needs of youth, families, and the community. With the data from the Web site, we will be able to accurately inform our local decision makers and financial supporters how their support of Scouting has, and will continue to, benefit the community. INFO For more details, visit www.goodturnforamerica.org
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The BSA in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security have a new Emergency Preparedness Award Program...for more information link here Questions and Answers link here
