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From time to time I receive email from Scouters who have some basic disagreement with the way the program is being presented in their unit. These disagreements aren’t over things that endanger Scouts, the disagreements are usually around the application of the patrol system or youth leadership. This can be very frustrating. What do you do if you find yourself in a situation like this?
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Hi Clark,
My troop membership fell below five scouts this year and our committee voted to call it quits. But I still want to be involved in scouting, so I joined the troop that my youngest son was in 10 years ago. They had survived a nasty troop split up, recruited a former scoutmaster to rebuild the troop, and have rebuilt from two scouts to 18 scouts. The scoutmaster is a natural when working with scout aged boys. I asked if I could join them and help out. I realized that it takes a while to get into a group of scouting parents, and told myself that I would have to build trust and rapport.
So now that it has been about two months, I am seeing things that the troop could do to build a better program. This new troop does things like putting time limits on finishing merit badges, herding the scouts en mas into merit badge classes, heavily influencing the results of the yearly planning process, and paying scant attention to scouts once they make first class. When I told them about the Guide to Advancement, and there being no limit on the time it takes to finish a merit badge, I was told that “this is the way our troop does it”.
I am at the place you describe in the lesson. I know I would do it differently if I was in charge. But I am not. The scoutmaster and the committee are in charge. I believe that for now I can make a contribution to the troop, and I can always offer suggestions, as long as I do it with a humble attitude and spirit of service. I need to offer to do things that are helpful to the boys and to the troop, and this is what I am doing. I think this will be a path to greater trust and influence.
But I could just as well be told, “we don’t need you.” That will be tough, but that could be a scenario down the road. We will see.
Thanks for your comments, Clark. I have learned so much from you over the years, and I hope the learning (on my part) continues.