So am I the only one having issues at the district level with the Committee recognising the Cub Program as important??  Our district is so Boy driven that it might as well be Boy Lead!!!  We usually have about 15 to 20 folks show up for Round Table Meetings.  Of those, less than 5 are Cub Scout representatives (and usually 3 of those are from MY Pack!).  My husband (the CM) and I stepped up last year and volunteered to do presentations for the cub side of things.  

My one presentation on "Other Awards" had 4 people besides myself in attendance.  2 already knew all of the awards and were sitting in to see if I had forgotten any (gotta love the support!!!)

For my presentation on the Lions program (the Kindergarten Pilot Program) I only had 3 people and again 2 already had programs running.

The middle of last year I also stepped up to be the Events Committee Co-chair with the understanding that I would plan ONLY cub events.  So far I've put on 2 events and have 2 more in the works.  Even though I've put on these events, it has been with little to no support from District (the one event myself & the DE were the only members from district to attend!!!)  

Most recently I've been working on event only to find out that "the committee," which did not include me, decided to move the district camporee to the date of my event!!!  This particular event has been on the calendar since May and is encorporating ALL levels of scouts as well as the community.  The host sponsor, a local Fire Department, can't move the event as their calendar was locked down 2 months ago.  So now I'm looking at having to get the "Committee" to move the camporee or cancel my event.

And for those of you thinking it (Shawn)….if this event is cancelled I am DONE at the District level!  I have told my DE as much (this comes right after the DE had convinced me to help out on the Membership Committee as well).

If you haven't guessed, my district has a bunch of the "good ol' boys" running it who are mostly concerned with Boy Scout events, property sales & the museum.  Few if any see the importance of the Cub Scout program.  Am I alone in this situation???  Any suggestions???

Shawn… what are these "Unit Commissioners" you speak of?!?!?!?  (I'm ALMOST serious!!!  I know what they are but we don't have any ACTIVE ones!!!)

krisleeb said:

Shawn… what are these “Unit Commissioners” you speak of?!?!?!?  (I'm ALMOST serious!!!  I know what they are but we don't have any ACTIVE ones!!!)

Really? Isn't there a District Commissioner or Council Commissioner? The commissioner's service has been around since well before the implementation of the DE or SE. The Commissioner's service is the one thing that can bind all things scouting together when there is a problem. My recommendation to you is to…

1.) Leave the Commissioner's Service and step away from the district level and concentrate on your unit…if your unit isn't strong, it won't matter about what events there are in the district, as you won't have any representation of your own.

2.) Call your Unit Commissioners and ask if they "are in or out"….then you have a guideline as to your next plan of action. There is no excuse for poor service, and if anyone is giving poor unit service, take off the patch and find something else to do in scouting.

3.) Have a sit down with the District Commissioner and explain what the issues that you see with the commisssioner's serivce in your district. If this is less than fruitful, then go to his "boss"…the Council Commissioner. If that doesn't work, then talk to your CR…they have a "vote" on district and council positions.

We all get frustrated with the program, and in my opinion, it's a waste of time and energy…yes, I was the one who had the battles and bad days with the district, but what are we here for? The scouts…period.

If your energy is zapped due to conflicts or battles with the district and it's leadership, then walk away from it…there is no room for the word "battle" in the scouting program…unless it's a water battle at camp, then that is OK….

I do speak from experience in this, personal experience, and although it may seem like I may be preaching, I am not….

Scouting is wonderful if followed in the spirit of what BP laid out for us, it's those who are in "positions of power" that decide to find a loophole, or put their own spin on what is clearly spelled out in the BSA literature. All of the publications that are put out by the BSA are not up for interpretation…it's there, in black and white.

Sorry about the long analogies, and especially to you Kris, but there are some serious issues in your district that need to be addresses, and until the leadership in your district sees and understands this, change will be slow in coming, frustration levels will be high, and the program will suffer.

I know, you may want to say that "everyone knows about the issues"…and that is fine, but why are you  the only one fighting the fight?

And finally, to call you out….You are an Assitant District Commisioner, use that title and "pull" to get things done…know exactly what your role is as ADC, what you can and can't do. Get your Unit Commissioners onboard, get them and everyone trained, and understanding what the Commissioner's Service is all about. To me, it sounds like your district's Commissioner's Staff sounds like it needs a kick in the pants, and you have the energy and gumption to do it…so do it…