A Modest Proposal...

[OldGreyBear]

I don’t know if this is heresy or not, but here goes:

After a few years of watching this forum and a few others, I have come to the astounding (for me at least) conclusion that the BSA program is administered on a wildly varied basis One troop requires 75% attendance, another 60% and yet another none. A scoutmaster finds the Patrol method too hard to work with and eschews it while another feels appointing SPL is best for “this troop”. Other Troops require uniforms or no advancement and yet others make the Board of Review for First Class such an ordeal, that in later life survivors of this carnage will view an oral defense of their doctoral thesis as a mere walk in the park.

So, I have this idea and I need help filling it out, I have mentioned it before but this time I really want to explore it. The idea is to have a Voluntary program to “certify” Troops as following the program. As a voluntary program Troops could participate or not, it wouldn’t effect their Charter, but certified troops could say we have been certified since 2004 or something like that. Parents looking for a troop could ask if the Troop is certified or if they are in the process to be certified. Again, it’s not a requirement; it’s voluntary although the intent is clearly to have certified Troops flourish while the others don’t.

Troops that seek such certification would have to provide 2 adults who would help certify other Troops. The whole idea is not to add work to the Councils. Such things as records of PLC meetings, results of elections, minutes of the PLC annual planning conference would be reviwed. Documentation of POR job descriptions and adult support would be required. Interviews with key youth and adult leadership would take place. All in the name of assuring the troop is indeed following the program. Maybe it would take a few years to reach certification and the troop could say it was Certified Pending, that would mean they weren’t there yet, but they were working on it. I know this sounds like a lot of work, and maybe its over kill, yet time and time again we have posters who come here talk about how some scout is being denied advancement because of some silly and arcane rule that someone thinks is necessary.

I loved being a Scout, I thought it was the most fun I had as a kid. Being an adult scouter is the most fun I have as an adult. I cant tell you all how much it hurts me when I read a posting here about a renegade scout troop or I talk to an adult who left scouting because it was too much like the military, or took their kids out of scouts because of the local troops idiocy. Currently the situation is best described by Walt Kelly, creator of the classic comic strip Pogo who said, “We have met the enemy and they are us”, and if we don’t address the situation somehow, then the Firesign Theatre’s “I think we are all Bozo’s on this Bus, will be more true than anything Pogo said.

[t305spl]

You know what that is a GREAT idea. I never thaught of it. I would definatly work on my troop becoming certified and it would stop this no sense. I would be up for this.

[wagionvigil]

Quite an outstanding Idea. Ollie!

[ASM-142]

I think that this is great and I am sure my troop would go for it.

[Woodbadgegirl]

I can almost know for certain that with the currant leadership in my troop that they would say "No Way!" I think it is a great idea. I wish National would adopt something like this and hold Troops and Packs more accountable!!

[Chief J]

Outstanding idea!

But I do have one question, is this not what the Quality Unit program is supposed to do?

Chief J

[Lynda J]

Great idea. Boy do I know a couple of troops in our district that would,nt cut the mustard, and some that would surpass the standards.

[Rick Tyler]

It's a great idea. The first step is to make sure that every troop and pack is a National Quality Unit Award winner. Second is to have every district create and support a vigorous, active Commissioner program. Third, have the national Commissioner staff create a High Performing Unit program. Fourth, have District commissioners teach this to units in their districts. Fifth, have District committees evaluate local units against the national High Performing Unit standards and recognize successful units.

This sounds like a great program for the Commissioners to create and manage. I would keep the professionals at National out of it.

[optimist]

I agree with Rick. This program is right up a Commissioner's alley. The best thing to do, OldGreyBear, is to develop the program and get local troops to volunteer to test it out. Many of the best new national programs started out as simple ideas like this, just a couple of folks that got together and tried something different.

[evmori]

Excellent idea! And I, too agree with Rick. This is right up the commissioner's alley!

[West]

It's a good idea. Have fun convincing the comishiners that they need to do more work though. I'm not bashing the idea at all, I think it's exellent. It's just that these people are already overworked in a volunteer position. While in the long run I think it would actually make their job easier, getting them all to see the merit will be hard when short term it's only more work for them.

[ICanCanoeCanU]

I guess I'm having a hard time with this one? I don't understand why commissioners aren't enforcing the current program which Old Bear is outlining. Isn't the type of troop your proposing the same as what a troop is suppose to be now? Wouldn't the troops that don't run this way now just work around this to become approved and then go on about running the program the same old way they did before.
I will agree that it would be nice if all troops were more consistant with following the outline of the program, and I'll agree that quite a few are not. But I don't know if adding more administrative work to the organization is the right way of doing it. I would like to see the coucils take more control with in to ensure troops run correctly.

[riverwalk]

recognized with the "so and so" award??? Maybe there is a way to do this (encourage more voluntary adherence to Program objectives).

In my Industry, something is emerging that might give this idea some more thought. That is to have an official Accreditation that Units might consider trying to achieve. There are personal things in Scouting that one can try for. And there are District events that Units can compete for (to gain Unit recognition). Perhaps a standard to measure Unit Program performance could be developed by our members or BSA? There would have to be forms of recognition involved as well. Just brainstorming.