question about scouting

[The_Tick]

MRD...

I disagree with you.

If you get the parents to buy into the DTG program with their Deacon age boys then it is a really easy program. I am in my 10th year of a YM Presidency and remember the resistance when it came in.

We don't have any of that anymore.

I have 1 Preist that is going to have the entire award within the next 3 months. (Eagle Scout)

I have 4 Teachers (out of 4) that have their Deacons award. 3 of those are on track to become Eagles.

I have 9 Deacons that are all working very hard on thiers also. And over half of those kids are on their way to Eagle.

The Bishopric just decided that we were going to place extra focus on the youner Scouts and get them as far as they can before they turn 12. Then we do both.

If the Bishopric is in on it, then it works really really well.

[bluegoose]

I tend to agree with those that think it is possible to run both scouting and DTG programs effectively. The biggest challenge to making it work is tracking and planning. I'm sure many of you have probably seen the tracking logs created by different stakes that coordinates DTG requirements with scouting advancement. If not, they aren't hard to find online. If that still doesnt work, i have some on my computer I can send to you.

If the boys are active in scouting and in their priesthood duties, they are likely fulfilling many of their DTG reqs. Occasional 1 on 1 goal setting meetings with the boys will help complete the others that do not get covered by scouting, such as FHE, teaching lessons, etc.

Its not easy. In many cases, it just means more work for the leaders, as many parents still have a hard time getting behind the program.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Originally Posted by bluegoose

I tend to agree with those that think it is possible to run both scouting and DTG programs effectively. The biggest challenge to making it work is tracking and planning. I'm sure many of you have probably seen the tracking logs created by different stakes that coordinates DTG requirements with scouting advancement. If not, they aren't hard to find online. If that still doesnt work, i have some on my computer I can send to you.

If the boys are active in scouting and in their priesthood duties, they are likely fulfilling many of their DTG reqs. Occasional 1 on 1 goal setting meetings with the boys will help complete the others that do not get covered by scouting, such as FHE, teaching lessons, etc.

Its not easy. In many cases, it just means more work for the leaders, as many parents still have a hard time getting behind the program.

I think it partly comes down to the number of boys in the group. I typically had 17-20 deacons. Just tracking progress with either program with this many boys was a huge job. We kept calling leaders who were specifically assigned to cover the Duty to God angle. Unfortunately, most of them worked hard for a few weeks and then faded away. If I had only 3-5 deacons, then I think we could have given more attention to both.

When I was a kid, the only sport around for kids was little league baseball and homework was non-existent. No internet, blah, blah, blah. Nowdays, kids have so many demands on their time that it can be a real struggle to get a parent enthused about another program to take on (D2G). In my experience, most parents will talk the talk, but have a tough time with the follow-through. And no matter how much you do at church, there is a big part that has to be done at home.

[bluegoose]

Originally Posted by homeboy

I think it partly comes down to the number of boys in the group. I typically had 17-20 deacons. Just tracking progress with either program with this many tasks was a huge job. We kept calling leaders who were specifically assigned to cover the Duty to God angle. Unfortunately, most of them worked hard for a few weeks and then faded away. If I had only 3-5 deacons, then I think we could have given more attention to both.

When I was a kid, the only sport around for kids was little league baseball and homework was non-existent. No internet, blah, blah, blah. Nowdays, kids have so many demands on their time that it can be a real struggle to get a parent enthused about another program to take on (D2G). In my experience, most parents will talk the talk, but have a tough time with the follow-through. And no matter how much you do at church, there is a big part that has to be done at home.

Good points. It was a huge deal in our ward when we were able to finally pass the sacrament without any Melchezidek PH holders. We typically have between 2-7 per quorum (active) at any given time. Tracking is a little easier with so few YM.

We have also tried what you had with a full time DTG coordinator with limited success. We tried new converts and less actives and never quite got the right person for the assignment. Or maybe it was just a sucky assignment and no one would have done well with it. It looked good on paper.

We tried everything we could to get parents excited and into the program, including meetings with the bishop and several firesides. There were very few, if any, who followed through with the program, and it always came back to how committed the individual quorum leader was to making the program work.

[SteelBlue]

Originally Posted by homeboy

I think it partly comes down to the number of boys in the group. I typically had 17-20 deacons.

Enough said! This is why we weren't seeing eye to eye. We have completely different situations. As a YM president I never had 20 active YM let alone 20 deacons. I can certainly see why any extra paperwork would make your life miserable.

My ward sounds more like Mike's. Often in the past the YM 2nd counselor has been called as the Scoutmaster. It does make for a lot of work for the poor guy because in addition to scouts and DTG, our counselors usually are the Sunday instructors as well.

[SteelBlue]

Originally Posted by bluegoose

We tried everything we could to get parents excited and into the program, including meetings with the bishop and several firesides. There were very few, if any, who followed through with the program, and it always came back to how committed the individual quorum leader was to making the program work.

This is the key. I was never successful in it. I had the Priests quorom for many years and these were all kids who had ZERO interest in scouting. They tolerated DTG because so much of it was practical (ie we'd go out to different employers and fill out applications/turn in resumes together). But I never could get the parents on board. All I was looking for from them was an attitude of "I think it would be great if you got this award." I just couldn't get it done. Thank goodness I'm not a salesman.

[tooblue]

Originally Posted by SteelBlue

Enough said! This is why we weren't seeing eye to eye. We have completely different situations. As a YM president I never had 20 active YM let alone 20 deacons. I can certainly see why any extra paperwork would make your life miserable.

My ward sounds more like Mike's. Often in the past the YM 2nd counselor has been called as the Scoutmaster. It does make for a lot of work for the poor guy because in addition to scouts and DTG, our counselors usually are the Sunday instructors as well.

This last stated scenario is most like my own ... I've got 3 active deacons and 9 scouts. I am second councilor, Scout leader and on Sunday I teach the deacons class.