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CommishJulian last won the day on July 27

CommishJulian had the most liked content!

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About CommishJulian

  • Rank
    Junior Member

Profile Information

  • Gender
  • Location
    Los Angeles CA
  • Occupation
    Disruptive Talent - Business Systems & Processes
  • Interests
    Helping the Pack go. Helping to protect new Cub parents from being taken advantage of. Protecting children from negative influences that can mark them such as bullying, vindictive parents, rigged youth programs, bad schools, etc. -I also work as a consultant when not volunteering.
  • Biography
    Degrees in Aviation, management and business administration. Maybe a hundred certificates. Can fix just about anything. Wife hasn't fired me yet. Raised two kids that know their rights and can stand up for the right thing.

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  1. That's so harsh, but there's so much truth to it. I'm sad a hell, but I have to agree with you David CO. -I'm kinda positioning myself to be in that space when the walls come tumbling down. Now that I'm thinking about it, it would be the same about of work as I'm doing now, just without the lies and slander. And the stress. And the kids would have as good of a time because they don't know or care about any district/council structure.
  2. I like to give my cubs the chance to make any sized PWD car they want. You're only 7 once my friend. *it's actually the length of the blade, so maybe an 8" depth. -but don't tell the kids that 😉
  3. Maybe this thread has gotten off topic and I feel I'm partially to blame. Retaliation is a very important topic and may need to be expanded on even more if visitors have their own questions or experiences to share. However, here's some feelings to some earlier comments Thank you for the kind words. -Those never get old when you're a volunteer. Pay-To-Rule (where wealthy Type A, or Karens, or their employers, make donations to a council and buy top leadership positions) sucks. Royally. I've always invited the District and Council to join my events and advertise camps or sell some services. They've ALWAYS declined. I've had my Woodbadge cert & Basic UC training (and other training they had control of) withheld by District and Council folks so I got dinged for not being "trained". I've had my teeth kicked in 3 times by District volunteers backed by Council employees: slander followed by official people voicing concerned that I'm involved in scouting. (My heart's been broken maybe a dozen times as well) The three slanderings ended when my attorney got involved and drafted a response. All their stories evaporated, instantly. "We never said that." The biggest problem came when I took Commissioner Bachelor of Science continuing ed in another Council, and figured out that a prominent District level volunteer had circumvented BSA membership validation safeguards. After finding evidence, and bringing it to the Council President and Council Commissioner, I lost my Packs, and the violator got promoted to District Chairman. My Council is like an iceberg, floating in the middle of the ocean. While the angry eskimo chiefs fight for supremacy, the lowly villagers fall off the shrinking ice, and drown, one by one. -All I've done here is invest in boats. BUT! I can't save any units because I'm the bad guy. The nut I'm trying to crack here is how to be relevant when the local BSA authority has deemed you to not be legitimate. I haven't broken a single BSA guideline, while those who keep screwing with me all have violated BSA guidelines, and I've got documentation. But THEY have silver beavers, and I'm just a lowly cub scout zealot without any packs. (I do help parents all the time, I just have to keep a low profile when I do it. I feel like I'm in East Germany.) OH! and what kills me is the "promise" new employees from National make when they first arrive, saying they'll clean up the place. They're so full of it crap they smell funny. Within 6 months, they're doing exact stupid stuff the doofus they've replaced did before them. Nothing changes, only membership has shrunk even more and another camp's been sold. There is a way to brake the cycle, I just haven't figured it out yet. Any help here would be appreciated.
  4. That is possibly the nicest thing a fellow scouter has ever said to me. Forgive me if I print that and hang it on my wall. The DIY district thing is holding steady. I'm in the midst of sending out emails to the last known Packs and asking them if they need some positive energy. I've got one totally new interactive/virtual/distance/Zoom activity figured out. If I can some up with three more I can host my very own carnival. And host it for FREE. I am almost done working out the bugs of a virtual, open invitation, pinewood derby event. Basically, if you've ever made a car, we can re-race it, again, for FREE. The real District folks say I am bad for scouting (mainly because of my FREE fetish), but man do parents and their kids seem to love me. Since I'm being totally honest here, I'll add that I am a recovering addict... I have a 1999 Delta 92" band saw made in the USA. With it, I can cut out a PWD car in under 60 seconds with the new blade! I have two sewing machines; one does embroidery for personalizing bags and gifts, while the other is an old school Singer that will sew a patch onto any shirt or jacket. I have 3 PWD tracks; 2, 3 and 4 lane. Laptop with PWD software installed and an old school serial port (none of that wonky USB to serial junk). My custom space derby rig adjusts to fit any two adjacent posts. A rain-gutter regatta rig. Digital projector, 40" flat panel display and a portable bridge for Arrow of Light presentations. ... Okay maybe I'm not "recovering" after all, but what a fun addiction to have right? Oh and a monster Ford 4x4 to carry it all!
  5. DAMN that's harsh! Hearing that said by another person that is. But I know it to be true.
  6. Wow! Great thread. Great conversations... about a lousy topic. About 8 years ago I concluded that BSA wanted to make money selling camps. In those 8 years, our Council merged, and 5 properties were liquidated. I've made up a list of sneaky ways Councils sell properties, one of them is closing a camp for a year, or not listing it for a season, and then complaining that it lost money that year. I've met a regional stooge before. They make politicians look humane. This one didn't give a rat's arse about the kids or us volunteers. To be in that high of a tier of the BSA you need to be a full-blown fanatic and card carrying party member. Every Council is different, with their motives and issues. Our Council is a cult, but the one a few miles away is super nice to their families, but fell on hard times. I've found that real numbers, data, excel spreadsheets is the best way to look at Scouting. Numbers typically don't lie and will tell you whats what. But in failing areas, stooges in charge don't want the numbers shown because it makes them look bad. I'll echo what someone said earlier, and encourage readers to stay focused on keeping the youth engaged. Ignore the price-hike threats and let them come to you with their sob stories about losing money and the threat of selling camps. When they do come to your unit with a huge price hike, play dumb and let them explain it to you. Then I would ask the unit (parents) how they feel about it, and if they want to continue or not.
  7. So many good points. So much good experience in this forum. Here's my two cents & worry. We know that bad scouters make for a bad experience, both adult or youth. In dysfunctional units, boys can learn to control an environment through their actions. I pulled my son out of a toxic Pack after 11 months because of the habitual hitting. The following day we joined a pack 3 miles away and had the best time there. That Pack is why I became a UC and am still a volunteer to this day. So, telling a parent it is okay to look for a better fit, without any guilt, is huge. However, my compliments to Fred's counter points for not 'unit shopping'. Units are falling everywhere, and I blame bad scouters for it. Doesn't matter if it's at the CS, BS, District and Council level. Bad scouters are a dime a dozen in this generation. Looking for a better unit now doesn't work like before because there are fewer units still alive. I want to target Liz for her post. In it she covered ways an average parent can try working the problem using her own experiences as a guide. (We have similar stories) My concern is this: The BSA and most Councils won't address problems of bad scouters because they are afraid. Most Charter Org Reps just don't know their roles or that they are needed to get involved from time to time. Unit Commissioners are supposed to help the unit, but who knows if the unit even has one assigned to it. This site does a lot of good empowering average volunteers to address their local issues (families breaking BSA guidelines) in their own backyards. Bad scouters make for bad experiences, and eventually lead to units going dark. Empowering parents is the best way I've come up with in slowing the collapse of scouting. The amazing collection of scouters in this site are able to give their opinions to new parents that will give them a better than average chance of changing the culture... if they are willing to stand up and address their unit's problems. About Liz' no "bad kids" thing. While it's a minority, there are bad youth in all youth programs, BSA, PTA, LL, AYSO, etc. We had one sociopathic youth in our district who had assaulted 8 first graders in his first year as a Tiger. His parents were awful but were large contributors to the Council. He's estimated to have harmed over 30 youth. He was working on his Eagle project in spite of it all, but that may have been put on hold since being sent to a juvenal detention facility in a neighboring county. We also had two adult psychopaths in our Council who drove away hundreds of families over the course of 20 years. One was dismissed, the other not. Both got silver beavers. I think it better that new parents get the good AND the bad when participating. At least they won't be so confused then things don't work out as promised. My hope is that they will hunker down and work towards making the unit comply with BSA guidelines rather than pulling their kids out and walking away.
  8. CChairman: I'm late to this, but just in case it's still is an issue, I have a few thoughts. qwazse is right, the Charter Org Rep is the person that needs to get involved. While this may not be to their liking, it does fall under their jurisdiction. Get a few parents to draft their list of incidents that the adult in question has done. Include dates, a brief description, and how it made them feel afterward. Having one list from you is okay, but three different perspectives hold more weight. Make a cover letter, as a leader, with the other reports, and send that to the COR. In the cover letter, tell the COR what you need them to do. (I guess it would be alright to print this thread and include it with your letter. At least the COR will have more confidence in taking action.) Find the appropriate BSA pdf covering their bad actions. For example, I printed the 2019 Guide To Advancement, put that in a 3 ring binder, and showed that to a SM who delayed SM reviews. Having a guide in writing, helps a lot, but not always. Now the bad news: The #1 litmus for a bad scouter is that they get angry. When a volunteer gets angry, they're personally invested and have lost objectivity. Getting them to change is unlikely, but not impossible. Don't let their anger affect you when you address them, remember it's personal for them. Even though it is hard, it must be done. The longer they stay there angry, the more people will leave the unit. -In my experiences, I've found bad scouters to be undeveloped children; their bodies are old, but they think like an adolescent. I never disrespect them, BUT I speak firmly to them, giving them clear instructions on what they need to change, and I make them acknowledge what is expected of them. They have to promises to change the behavior. Give them a chance. If they don't change, or if they get worse, have the COR give their position to someone else. Also, be prepared to take on two roles at once just to keep the unit running. NOTE: There is also a Unit Commissioner for your troop, but my luck with them have been hit (god like knowledge) or miss (another angry adult-child). Contact them vaguely, and see what they have to say. You can also reach out to the District Commissioner. Their email should be on the District homepage.
  9. Kindness sells

    Youth only get one shot to be touched by the magic of Cub Scouting.  It is wrong that adult-children weasel their way back into BSA activities and pervert the program to shine back on them, robbing the next generation of their opportunity.  Bullying is a serious problem in Scouts BSA and the decimated numbers of Scouts in the US shows that.  I've chosen to stand up to the bullies, and they've done everything they can think of to hold on to their empire of dirt. 

    While I won't ever get a single silver anything, the appreciation that single moms show me more than make up for it.

    Long live us stubborn idealists!

  10. ALL of us here have this problem qwazse! That's why we're STILL in Scouting. All jokes aside, reading the following posts actually caused me to tear up for a sec. Fighting for democracy in a private club has been awful, many times. I have huge respect for this site, and I thank you all for being honest, informative, knowledgeable, and passionate. It feels good to be chatting with like dedicated individuals. I have found that kindness sells in Scouting. People stick around where they feel welcomed, and helpful. On the flip side, bad scouters have perfected gentrification; driving out their opposition. -Like yelling at new parents will somehow grow scouting? Collectively, we all can piece together what's wrong with the culture of the BSA just through these threads alone. The hard choice is whether to be difficult back at the rule violators, or not. For me it's easy. The elitists have driven our District into the ground, so there's hardly nothing left. I, as a lone member, am making my own "district" to support the few packs that are left. Two board members, a chair, and a secretary not does a district make. -No matter how much money their employers donate. -I should really document my efforts.
  11. The referred Whistle blower policy is only for employees. A volunteer who does it will only have their report sent back down the chain of command and the volunteer will find themselves out of the Council by the next year. There's no protections for volunteers re retaliation. Even worse if the violator is a District level volunteer. They can do all kind of wrongs, and as long as their employer is willing to donate a few grand to the Council, the bad scouter will keep getting promoted. -From first hand knowledge. National is so deep in the red that only green counts. If your area doesn't have a super grown-up looking out for everybody, the adult-children will bully anyone they feel like. I'm especially sad thinking about all the single moms who got crapped on by little men with weak minds. The BSA should have something to address the many topics addressed here. As said earlier, even if there is something in writing, at least a parent would have something to show the offending scouters. As the policies sit now, having nothing allows the BSA to keep being a good-ole-boy club. I only hope the new influx of moms, generated by the acceptance of girls into the BSA, will eventually get a policy in place to protect the weakest of our volunteer ranks: single mothers of color. I absolutely love the new YPT training! Don't get me wrong, I love the "program." It is the organization that I wish would stop letting us down.
  12. I'm finding that there's a generational issue contributing to the decline of Scouting. I broadly refer to it as the "Me" generation. These adult-children run the program mainly for themselves, their kids, and their friends. They create a class structure of haves vs havenots. A new scout parent will probably leave after being yelled at (by a parent they hardly know) because they did something wrong (usually trivial), because they didn't know (no training given to them). On the other hand.. My boy will turn off the game console when it's time to go to Scouts. His choice. (His Troop had no social class structure) That tells me that when you give new families a great program, they will stay in it. They also tend to attract new families. Conclusion: Good environments won't save Scouting, but it will grow Units. -And I can live with that.
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