Listed below are just a few
articles showcasing the positive opportunities related to the NEW Spirit of
Adventure Council. Please take a moment
to read the articles, and share through your social media networks.
This summer the Spirit of
Adventure staff will be visiting camps all across New England to listen to the
needs of our unit leaders. It’s one thing to pull
together a successful merger – it’s another thing to deliver a thriving
Scouting environment. This summer is all about building the new council to
serve those needs. As the articles below indicate we are proud of the listening
we’ve done through the process, but NOW is when the real work (and excitement)
begins.
Helping Scouting thrive in every
community does NOT happen magically. Like our most successful units it requires
lots of hands, and everyone pitching in where they can.
The plan is what allows everyone
to most easily pitch in – when a troop has a strong plan new parents can easily
find a way to help because the requests are simple and direct. “Can you pitch in next
month by …..?” or “Can you stay late next week to help with …..?” It’s the plan
that creates the simple opportunity to help. When the requests feel too heavy or
without enough clarity folks will shift and not-commit (even if they want to
help).
Sometimes it’s the folks who are
most committed who inadvertently create an environment that prevents
volunteerism. The sentiment is often expressed in phrases like “I could NEVER
do what so and so does” meanwhile "so and so" is burnt out, begging for help and wondering why no one will step up. Also, when we have a clear plan – everyone knows
their position. In a well run troop with a strong plan, everyone knows who the
Scout Master is and who the committee chair is, and what they do.
The birth of the Spirit of
Adventure Council is actually more like the birth of a plan to revitalize
Scouting, the Council is Incidental.
So, this summer when you are at
camp PLEASE don’t hold back. Bring it all. This Summer we start the process of making the detailed plan. Full disclosure: With the plan will
come opportunities to help. But the
whole idea regarding these opportunities to help are just that, simple opportunities. If they are life time
commitments that cause people to shrink away then we haven’t heard ANYTHING
from all this listening.
