District Operations
Recently, the council has started an initiative to attend and listen at all
district committee meetings and roundtables. After the first series it
was clear how passionate and dedicated every district level volunteer is
to enhancing Scouting in our community. THANKS! It was also clear that
we can do a better job supporting and providing guidance and support for
your efforts.
As a follow up to the recent district committee and roundtable
meetings, the executive committee (board) had a fairly lengthy discussion about
the role of district operations and our ability to drive unit support. I
think we are opening a great new chapter in our growth. As we discussed
at each district committee meeting the success the council has enjoyed
over the past few years has been due in large part to the re-focusing of
the board. That re-focusing has enabled us to maximize everyone’s
effort to Scouting and provide great tangible results. The debt
elimination process, re-opening the pool and all the program growth at
Sayre, SOAR and Scouting for Food, improved marketing and PR,
fundraising success and property improvements at Storer, Sayre and a
better facility for Cub Scout summer camp at Norse.
The District Operations side of the council has not enjoyed the same
rapid improvement. The national measurement system is called Journey to
Excellence and functions as a balanced Score Card – an attempt to
measure all the aspects that make Scouting thrive. Our balanced Score
Card results are imbalanced. Our weaknesses revolve mostly around
district operations.
Specifically:
· Four Functions of Program (activities, advancement, camp promotions, training)
· Council / District Campaigns (FOS Family, Membership recruitment, Popcorn)
· Commissioner Service (unit commissioners and roundtables)
· District Key 3’s
I mention Journey to Excellence not as a end unto itself but as a
measurement tool that points out our deficiencies. It’s important as we
start to make improvements in district operations that we do NOT “teach
to the test.” Rather we develop systems that allow everyone’s skills and
talents and time to be maximized for the good of the Scouting.
Our Council President, Mike Jeans is developing a Task Force to work with me, Bruce and Sue Ellen
Over the next two months the task force will ……
· Continue to visit and participate in this conversation at
District committee meetings, roundtables, commissioners meetings.
· Review District Operations with an eye toward unit specific needs and support
· Develop unit by unit specific action / support plan
At the conclusion of the three months the task force will share the
results and the draft plans with the entire Scouting community to ensure
we heard the needs of our unit leaders correctly. Also, to ensure we
developed plans that enable practical solutions for those needs.
Sharing the results will likely look like roundtable discussions, a
Scouters Summit, a blog or two, several emails, and likely a written
document passed out at the annual meeting. (all roughly during late
April / May and early June) Revisions will be made, based on unit level feedback, during that process.
The board will likely roll these actions into the Strategic Plan, the
Task Force will dissolve, and the District Operation actions with an
improved focus on service to units will be adopted (likely our July
meeting).
In September and every month thereafter the board will review the
“District Operations and Unit Service Focus” as part of our board
meetings. Just as we have done with Finance, Development, Properties,
Marketing etc.
I am confident that the plan we will develop together will improve
communications, increase volunteer satisfaction, increase customer
service, increase retention, increase recruitment, and increase parent
involvement. And those actions will compliment all the other successes
of Boston Minuteman. (obviously, we can’t backslide on any of the other
successes we have developed)
Last Comment – please forward this blog to families, unit, district
and council volunteers, link it through Face Book and otherwise share with interested Scouters. The wider we distribute this
initiative the better the results.
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Monday, February 10, 2014
Recent Developments - Innovation
Winter Camp SOLD OUT!
This inaugural program provides the Scouts with great
outdoor healthy activities throughout February Vacation including snowboarding,
skating and some creative uses of Scout outdoor skills like “Tracking the Yeti”
and Engineering the “Perfect Snow Ball Catapult.”
Merit Badge University
at Harvard has also SOLD OUT!
Participating Scouts have the opportunity to learn from
Harvard students and professionals in their field of interest for over 35
merit badges including Robotics, Oceanography, and Space Exploration.
Marketing Committee
Check out the three recent stories about the positive impact
of Scouting.
Voice of the Scout –
Positive Feedback from our Volunteers
"Voice of the Scout" is the
national Scouting feedback survey, our 2013 responses are in and tabulated.
Each Scout Family receives an e-mail survey twice a year. The e-mail is sent
from national council, and therefore all responses can be compared so councils
can learn from one another and best practices can evolve. While we still have a
long way to go we did score 100% (Highest in the country) for Cub Scout
Parents.
Development
Thanks to Amica Insurance for kicking off our Friends
of Scouting campaign with a leadership $35,000 annual contribution!
Capital
Improvements- An INNOVATIVE APPROACH
The campaign has raised $440,000 to date! And the
improvements are already underway! Check out the face
book photo album for additional pictures and comments from our volunteers.
The Capital Projects are FAR MORE than simply improvements
to camp that has been run down over the past 75 years. It is innovative
programming……
Ropes Course
One of the only High Course programs with an emphasis on
Team Building Activities. Entire troops and/or patrols (up 16 participants)
will be able to climb, belay and break through their own boundaries as they
work together to achieve goals.
Environmental Education
A series of program elements that will entertain and educate
youth and parents alike. Participants will dig around in the dirt and climb
into the trees to learn about eco-systems, soil, photosynthesis, geology and
bird flight patterns.
Open to Everyone
Starting this summer, due to popular demand, our growing Day
Camp programs will be open siblings and girls between 1st grade and
5th grade.
Cub Scout Canoeing
Each weekend the new van brings our Scouts and their
families down to the boat launch at the Neponset River for the only officially
sanctioned Cub Scout Open Water Canoe program in the country.
ScoutReach (urban
Scouting initiative)
Due to our highly successful Rewards program our ScoutReach
program boasts some of the highest retention rates in the country. All these
great enhancements are made available to our ScoutReach participants as they EARN
THEIR WAY through their good-Scout-like-behavior.
Welcoming Programs
The outdoors can seem intimidating but often folks just need
a guide. However, sometimes people (even parents) are embarrassed to ask for
help. Camp Sayre has 40 educational signs that allow parents the opportunity to
quickly understand a skill and actively participate with their child. The
posters range from how to tie a square knot, shoot a bow and arrow, build a
fire, and navigate by the stars.
More and more …..
For the past 12 months we have developed and launched a
dozen programs, we learn from our mistakes, make improvements, formalize the
procedure and try again. This process encourages all feedback and allows us to
innovate and involve everyone.
Strategic Plan
This whole project began with our Strategic Plan. Each year
our strategic Planning oversight committee reviews and updates the plan. They
are currently in the process of meeting and evaluating the 2013 progress. The
two links below contain the summary information.
http://bsaboston.doubleknot.com/document/strategic-plan/122793
2013
summary of Goals
Thanks for being involved and helping to revitalize Scouting
for families in Greater Boston!
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Where we are going .... the goal is is not to be sustainable - The Goal is for Scouting to thrive in every Greater Boston community.
For those of us who have participated in C.O.P.E. we know that the low elements are analogies for life's problems. The Scouts develop solutions and work together through trial and error and eventually solve the problem. The magic of the course is not about completing the task - it's about making the connection to real life. It's special when the 13 year old says (often six months later) "I get it, it's like the "spider web" we have to think out a plan, before we just start jump into action, otherwise we won't get the whole patrol on the other side. This problem is just like that!" For a Scout, This problem of course could be anything, a weekend patrol menu, or a camp-o-ree competition, or even better something at home or at school.
Our local strategic plan is just like that. Like a group of Scouts approaching a problem we have to work together and map out a plan. Certain aspects of our plan need to come before other aspects. Just like certain Scouts need to "go through the spider web first." Well, in this spider web analogy - we have more than half the team on the other side! And we are working well together,
In our illustration, many aspects of the council have made it through the challenge (web) and they are now stronger and able to help other aspects of the council through the web. This means over the next few years we will see all the remaining objectives in the plan achieved!
Since it's the end of 2013, let's take a look back - and look forward. With many of our aspects of the council on the other side of the challenge - the activity starts to move a little quicker. I think we are at the tipping point.
Check out our year in review video.
Properties:
Over the past few years we have made steady improvements to our camps
of about $60,000 - $100,000 annually. Over those years the investment in
camps exceeds $250,000. If you haven't walked through Storer since 2010
- you should visit and check out all the improvements. It's undeniable. We still retain
ownership and actively use Massasoit, however we have moved our summer
operation to Camp Norse. (also in Plymouth) Massasoit still enjoys
active use each and every weekend, while our summer campers enjoy a
facility upgrade through the partnership with Annawon Council. Finally,
as of today we have raised almost $500,000 to be invested in Camp Sayre
improvements during 2014. Sayre's improvements are equally undeniable - but frankly
overshadowed by the program improvements :) For those of us who have participated in C.O.P.E. we know that the low elements are analogies for life's problems. The Scouts develop solutions and work together through trial and error and eventually solve the problem. The magic of the course is not about completing the task - it's about making the connection to real life. It's special when the 13 year old says (often six months later) "I get it, it's like the "spider web" we have to think out a plan, before we just start jump into action, otherwise we won't get the whole patrol on the other side. This problem is just like that!" For a Scout, This problem of course could be anything, a weekend patrol menu, or a camp-o-ree competition, or even better something at home or at school.
Our local strategic plan is just like that. Like a group of Scouts approaching a problem we have to work together and map out a plan. Certain aspects of our plan need to come before other aspects. Just like certain Scouts need to "go through the spider web first." Well, in this spider web analogy - we have more than half the team on the other side! And we are working well together,
In our illustration, many aspects of the council have made it through the challenge (web) and they are now stronger and able to help other aspects of the council through the web. This means over the next few years we will see all the remaining objectives in the plan achieved!
Since it's the end of 2013, let's take a look back - and look forward. With many of our aspects of the council on the other side of the challenge - the activity starts to move a little quicker. I think we are at the tipping point.
Check out our year in review video.
Membership Recovery: Each year a certain amount of boys drop out of the program - for dozens of reasons, other interests, parent's decision, move away, older boys "age out" or pursue other activities. Each year we anticipate this and strive to loose less and recruit more so the organization as a whole continues to grow. Boston Minuteman retention is 72.11% that's right in the middle of the National retention bell curve, and particularly high for a Council with a large urban population and an investment in ScoutReach. (see the 2011 and 2013 Boston Globe articles about our urban retention). When the dust settled after the membership standards debate we were down about 600 Scouts more than usual. So to maintain our growth pattern we would have to recruit all our standard amount of Tiger Cubs + 600 additional Scouts. In the past six months we recovered about 400 of the additional 600 boys we lost. We recruited 17% more boys this year than usual, but that still wasn't enough. While that's a disappointment, it places us as the top New England. We will get back to our 2011 (our most recent high water mark) levels by June 2014.
Marketing and PR: In 2013 we launched a
collaborative Scouting for Food initiative.
Thanks to all our leaders and Scouts in Eastern MA we collected just
under 500,000 items of food for the needy and attracted significant
media attention. Our results through our ScoutReach initiative continues
to receive positive media feedback. Between, SOAR, Scouting for Food,
select media advertising and great stories about great Scouts we have
enjoyed a steady stream of positive media exposure for 3 years.
Finance: For the fourth year in a row we have
significantly grown the budget and maintained an operating surplus.
Simply stated this means we brought in more money than we spent in a
given 12 month period. There are two methods that allow an average Scouter to feel an increase in support 1. Surplus = more money raised than spent in a given fiscal period, at the end of the year that can be re-invested in Scouting
2. Growth = more money raised and spent in support of Scouting
The surpluses we secured have been used to pay the interest on the debt - sadly that means we have not yet seen the benefit of the annual surpluses. All the benefits and forward motion has been created by increased size of the budget (Growth) NOT from the 12 month surpluses. This means the Council still lives "paycheck to paycheck." The budget has grown from $1.8 million to $2.5 million. All that cash pressure should end in 2014! When the debt is eliminated will start to re-invest future surpluses into the program. During the past four years the total operating surpluses equaled $200,000. ($50K, $100K, $0, $50K) While we can't count on that type of production each year it certainly speaks to wonderful opportunity and a potentially bright future. Please check out our profile on "the Giving Common" for some contextual information. The information on that site is gathered through independent audits, and provides a comparison to other non-profits. We are proud of the % returned to program and after the 2013 audit is complete you'll see the long term indebtedness shrink dramatically.
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Recent Update
Scouting for Food
In the lead up to this first time effort, Clear Channel Outdoor provided 40 billboards to promote the program and get the public to help. In addition to their support we had some television coverage including this great interview with several of our Scouts before the program launched.
Fox 25 Interview
After the program concluded and the boys felt the satisfaction of a job well done - we continued to secure positive press about Scouting and the Scouting for Food program.
Patch Article.
All in all we collected 450,000 items of food across Eastern MA for the homeless and the needy. Thanks to all our Scouts and the leaders who dedicated their efforts to make this happen!
Scouts Meet some Notable Bostonians!
Wally the Green Monsta’ stopped by Camp during Cub Scout “pumpkinfest!”
The week after the election, Marty Walsh, the new Mayor of Boston stopped by Troop 7 in West Roxbury to help out with the pancake breakfast.
Development
On November 16th Scouting was honored to bestow a small handful of tributes to some of our most accomplished community leaders during the Salute to Scouting. The annual event is our signature fundraising event of the year and with the hard work of our committee and our distinguished honorees this year reached a new high water mark! (Raised $400,000!) Ambassador Chris Egan and his wife Jean received the Ralph Lowell Good Scout Award. Also, Deloitte and their managing partner Bill Bacic received the Second Century of Leadership Award and the TL Storer Good Scout Award.
Inaugural Hospitality Event
On December 6th the hospitality industry gathered together to help raise money for Scouting and honor some of their distinguished leaders. The event honored VPNE as our corporate recipient, and Peter Christie, President of the MA Restaurant Association. The event has raised $30,000.
From Sustaining to Thriving
Scouting has worked hard to re-gain a foothold in all our Boston area communities. From our growing ScoutReach programs for urban scouts, to the growth and camping and outdoor activities to boys of all ages and our focus on Science and Technology merit badges. We’ve reopened the indoor pool at The Egan Center, built countless new program structures and developed new programs to help Scouts and families get active and stay healthy!
Now, Thanks to a small group of generous donors we are developing more programs at our camp in Milton. These changes (scheduled for early 2014) will transform Camp Sayre into a hub of Scouting activities 24/7 365 days a year. From our headquarters nestled in the Blue Hills we will provide families with the Scouting Experience! Families will learn and enjoy rock climbing, outdoor cooking, ropes courses, swimming, canoeing along the Neponset River, winter camping, downhill skiing, and robotics and of course camping! In this way Scouts from every neighborhood will work together, learn together and get re-acquainted with the outdoors in ways never before possible. Thanks to the financial support of Mike Jeans, Paul Gilbert, John Halsey, Jay Cashman, Arthur Mabbett, Rick Kiernan, the Magee Foundation and others who have collectively contributed $360,000 to start the project.
In the lead up to this first time effort, Clear Channel Outdoor provided 40 billboards to promote the program and get the public to help. In addition to their support we had some television coverage including this great interview with several of our Scouts before the program launched.
Fox 25 Interview
After the program concluded and the boys felt the satisfaction of a job well done - we continued to secure positive press about Scouting and the Scouting for Food program.
Patch Article.
All in all we collected 450,000 items of food across Eastern MA for the homeless and the needy. Thanks to all our Scouts and the leaders who dedicated their efforts to make this happen!
Scouts Meet some Notable Bostonians!
Wally the Green Monsta’ stopped by Camp during Cub Scout “pumpkinfest!”
The week after the election, Marty Walsh, the new Mayor of Boston stopped by Troop 7 in West Roxbury to help out with the pancake breakfast.
Development
On November 16th Scouting was honored to bestow a small handful of tributes to some of our most accomplished community leaders during the Salute to Scouting. The annual event is our signature fundraising event of the year and with the hard work of our committee and our distinguished honorees this year reached a new high water mark! (Raised $400,000!) Ambassador Chris Egan and his wife Jean received the Ralph Lowell Good Scout Award. Also, Deloitte and their managing partner Bill Bacic received the Second Century of Leadership Award and the TL Storer Good Scout Award.
Inaugural Hospitality Event
On December 6th the hospitality industry gathered together to help raise money for Scouting and honor some of their distinguished leaders. The event honored VPNE as our corporate recipient, and Peter Christie, President of the MA Restaurant Association. The event has raised $30,000.
From Sustaining to Thriving
Scouting has worked hard to re-gain a foothold in all our Boston area communities. From our growing ScoutReach programs for urban scouts, to the growth and camping and outdoor activities to boys of all ages and our focus on Science and Technology merit badges. We’ve reopened the indoor pool at The Egan Center, built countless new program structures and developed new programs to help Scouts and families get active and stay healthy!
Now, Thanks to a small group of generous donors we are developing more programs at our camp in Milton. These changes (scheduled for early 2014) will transform Camp Sayre into a hub of Scouting activities 24/7 365 days a year. From our headquarters nestled in the Blue Hills we will provide families with the Scouting Experience! Families will learn and enjoy rock climbing, outdoor cooking, ropes courses, swimming, canoeing along the Neponset River, winter camping, downhill skiing, and robotics and of course camping! In this way Scouts from every neighborhood will work together, learn together and get re-acquainted with the outdoors in ways never before possible. Thanks to the financial support of Mike Jeans, Paul Gilbert, John Halsey, Jay Cashman, Arthur Mabbett, Rick Kiernan, the Magee Foundation and others who have collectively contributed $360,000 to start the project.
Sunday, November 3, 2013
What if your Scout Council eliminated its debt, raised $500,000 to improve camp and asked for your opinion - would you tell them?
Discussions Around the Campfire.....
Well,
a BLOG is not much of a discussion since there is so little back and forth. In
light
of that, I try to get out as often as possible and meet with and talk
with everyone in the Scouting community. Admittedly, it's never enough.
But I think I have a pretty good read on what the actual discussions
around that campfire sound like. I try hard to listen to what everyone
says, I try to listen to how many people say the same thing, I try not
to listen to rumors, yet I do try to understand where rumors come from
and why they are started. I also try
to listen to what people don't say and anticipate the "mood of the
Scouting community." I'll try to address what I hear in this months blog and as
always, I'll
welcome your comments and responses. The first thing I hear is support and encouragement that we are "going in the right direction." That is clearly the MOST common voice. However, right behind that is a sentiment that we are not going fast enough or we just can't get a particular thing right. That second response is frustrating for all dedicated volunteers! (me too!) The speed and choice of projects is in some ways a great vote of confidence. It is sort of a double edged sword and sounds like this "you fixed this but when I called ..... this happened." or "just when it seemed we where doing things better ...... this didn't happen." I'll give you some specifics:
- "You opened the pool - but I can't go the nights and times I need"
- "You made a pretty website for new families - but we still don't have the training dates for the winter or spring"
- "You are doing all these programs at Sayre - but we want to do rifle shooting on a weekend at Storer"
- "You are providing all these programs - but they cost too much"
- "You want my help - but then .... this happens."
The answers to all those questions are contained within the strategic plan.
- Original Plan
- 2012 Update (2013 Update will be published in January - your feedback through the survey will impact the 2014 adjustments)
The
basic premise around the strategic plan is a two step process 1. Make
Scouting Sustainable and 2. Make Scouting Thrive. Sustainable is all
about the providing products and services required to help Scouting
grow. And the number one need to help troops and packs thrive is help
get parents involved in your unit. Yes, that's right :) the most
important thing the council can do is help leaders get parents to become
involved in Scouting. (That means it's not - FOS, Popcorn, District
committees, owning camps, commissioner service, alumni relations,
eliminating the debt or whatever the issue of the day seems to be,
rather it's how all those things help parents get involved in your
unit). The value of these campaigns is not measured by the success of the campaign - rather by how much it ultimately helps families engage. Each of those projects, and everything we do has shifted and needs
to continue to shift toward helping unit leaders recruit and retain more
parents and families.
Some examples -
- The
mission behind Training and NOT to get everyone trained - it is to get
parents excited about Scouting and the outdoors so they happily and willingly help the pack /
troop or crew thrive.
- The
mission behind Pumpkin Fest or SOAR is NOT to run a big event (or even marketing) - it is
to provide a great family experience in the first few weeks of your
Scouting year so parents can get excited about Scouting.
- The mission behind the products and services at Sayre is NOT to bring in more revenue - it's to provide great programs that helps get the Scout and his family more engaged in Scouting.
The following letter goes out monthly to every family who joins Scouting
Some
of this may seem counter to common thinking for a Scout council or it
may help fill in the gaps between what seems to be happening in the
council and why. I hope it's feels like both. Our strategic plan and the ultimate
destination for Camp Sayre is to become the Scouting and outdoor
headquarters. Where Scouts can do everything they love about Scouting
and parents can engage easily in the program. Older boys learn to rock
climb (or whatever outdoor pursuit interests them) and younger families
learn to camp and become comfortable in the outdoors.
A boy who likes baseball plays everyday - on a team, in the back yard with his friends, he watches the Red Sox on TV, learns the stats and plays catch with dad. The common thinking about Scouting is that we hold archery (or whatever activity he loves) out there as a "carrot" so he "comes to camp." In the fast paced world we live in this current Scouting philosophy is actively disengaging parents and Scouts.
A boy who likes baseball plays everyday - on a team, in the back yard with his friends, he watches the Red Sox on TV, learns the stats and plays catch with dad. The common thinking about Scouting is that we hold archery (or whatever activity he loves) out there as a "carrot" so he "comes to camp." In the fast paced world we live in this current Scouting philosophy is actively disengaging parents and Scouts.
Please review the three links below - you'll get a pretty good sense of how Scouting is attempting to reverse this trend.
Sayre Map
CampSayre.org
As
part of the strategic plan, during 2014 Boston Minuteman will put
$500,000 worth of property improvements into Sayre, (as well as
continuing to improve Storer). Please take the survey below to provide
your voice to program development and the property improvements - Don't
be shy! Don't hold back!
Thanks, See you around the campfire
Chuck
Monday, October 14, 2013
Scout Update October 2013
Community Service
Scouting for Food new PSA now playing of Fox 25 and the billboards are up all around town and the suburbs! Thanks to all our Media and Corporate Sponsors! The collection is November 2nd.
Click on the link to watch the PSA
Development
Salute to Scouting has exceeded the 50% mark and is a $210,000 toward our $400,000 goal! Thanks so much to our Honorees Ambassador Chris Egan and his wife Jean, as well as Bill Bacic and all the great folks at Deloitte.The inaugural Community Event has exceeded its development goal and will be held on October 17th
Sunday’s Globe South Section featured a story about youth non-profit fundraising …. Not surprisingly the Scouts from Pack 42 in Quincy “stole the show” with their winning attitude, courteous Scouts and three great photos!
Child Safety
Thanks to TD Bank for sponsoring our Child Safety Event. And Senator Scott Brown who will deliver the keynote address. And thanks also to Michael Durkin and the United Way for their help and support in promoting the event. Additional thanks to Jetta Bernier, Executive Director for Mass Citizens for Children has agreed to help facilitate the program. We have dozens of enthusiastic participations looking forward to opening a dialogue between organizations and helping protect our youth. The event will be held on November 6th at the TD Garden.Properties
Photos of the camp improvement work at our NH camp, TL Storer Scout Reservation and Camp Sayre in Milton!
The Conservation Easement funding for TL Storer continues to progress
toward goal. We were recently awarded $125,000 from Open Space
Institute. The Bear Paw Foundation continues to stay on target and we
can expect the full realization of these funds and the final debt
elimination sometime in 2014.
Thanks to everyone for all your help! Looking forward to a great year end!
Thanks to everyone for all your help! Looking forward to a great year end!
Saturday, September 14, 2013
New Scouting Year - New Energy!
When I "re-opened" my blog it was because I always strive to communicate with the Scouting public and I realized I was getting a lot of feedback through a few longer posts on Face Book. I realize Facebook is NOT a place to put up long posts - so I re-opened this blog. but since I am not a social media expert I am still learning how to express, respond and utilize Social Media to help Scouting.
If you know me you know I am OK with learning (and failing) in the public space. The learning is more important the the embarrassment or the humiliation. Scouting needs to learn - so let me know if these posts, or the new BSABoston web site work (or where they miss the mark).
Facebook Post about the Red Sox and "Fixing what is broken" and "Restoring the faith"
Facebook Post about Innovation and Tradition
Boy Scout Day Camp was also a success 61 boys attended from all over the council. The advancement reports that went home with the boys were VERY well received and we anticipate learning from this model for all our Boy Scout programs.
TL Storer Boy Scout Camp received the most positive Scout and leader evaluations in over 5 years! The new Food Service was a huge hit and the camp staff energy and moral was noted consistently as a HUGE part of the success.
The initial responses about Cub Scout recruitment and Popcorn Sales seem to have re-bounded after a difficult 2012. We will keep a finger on the pulse of both campaigns every day and make adjustments as quickly as possible to ensure that all packs have a thriving new tiger den and the funds required to run a quality program for the 2013 - 2014 Scouting year.
The new Web Site contains all the training classes a troop, Pack or Crew could ever need to enhance their outdoor programs! Life Guard BSA course, Climbing instructor courses and Into to Outdoor Skills and many many more! Those training classes are linked to discounts for the pool, rock climbing and other "high cost" programs through the apprentice program.
Not only did we get a great piece in the Boston Herald this week. But we also got a nice ringing endorsement from the letters to the editor!
NEXT Edition for "Discussions around the campfire" will focus on "Sustainability is NOT the goal - it's a transitional step toward thriving!"
See you around the campfire.
Chuck
If you know me you know I am OK with learning (and failing) in the public space. The learning is more important the the embarrassment or the humiliation. Scouting needs to learn - so let me know if these posts, or the new BSABoston web site work (or where they miss the mark).
Facebook Post about the Red Sox and "Fixing what is broken" and "Restoring the faith"
Facebook Post about Innovation and Tradition
Some Regular Scout Updates
Camp Attendance was up this summer - in large part due to STEM Camp. The Camp Norse collaboration was very well received by our Cub Scout families. And we will be working with Annawon Council for 2014 too. Camp and Council management met last week and both parties feel we can make even more improvement in 2014.Boy Scout Day Camp was also a success 61 boys attended from all over the council. The advancement reports that went home with the boys were VERY well received and we anticipate learning from this model for all our Boy Scout programs.
TL Storer Boy Scout Camp received the most positive Scout and leader evaluations in over 5 years! The new Food Service was a huge hit and the camp staff energy and moral was noted consistently as a HUGE part of the success.
The initial responses about Cub Scout recruitment and Popcorn Sales seem to have re-bounded after a difficult 2012. We will keep a finger on the pulse of both campaigns every day and make adjustments as quickly as possible to ensure that all packs have a thriving new tiger den and the funds required to run a quality program for the 2013 - 2014 Scouting year.
The new Web Site contains all the training classes a troop, Pack or Crew could ever need to enhance their outdoor programs! Life Guard BSA course, Climbing instructor courses and Into to Outdoor Skills and many many more! Those training classes are linked to discounts for the pool, rock climbing and other "high cost" programs through the apprentice program.
Not only did we get a great piece in the Boston Herald this week. But we also got a nice ringing endorsement from the letters to the editor!
NEXT Edition for "Discussions around the campfire" will focus on "Sustainability is NOT the goal - it's a transitional step toward thriving!"
See you around the campfire.
Chuck
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