Ask Andy

Hi Bill… 

Andy McCommish asked me to assist with answering your question posed to him. 

You asked Andy:

“I have been registered as a Scouter Reserve for several years. Now I hear that National is doing away with this position, Can you let me know.”

Yes… and here’s why.

The BSA has been concerned with what they call “ghost members”.  Four local Councils got “caught” by the BSA and their local United Ways/United Appeals with basically “stacking the decks” personnel-wise in the past five years.  Since the BSA catagorizes local Councils (and United Ways/Appeals give grants to local Councils) in a great part by the number of youth and adults they have registered, some local Councils have found it worthwhile to register Scouters — whether they are active or not — in catagories like Advisory Board members, District Members-at-Large, and Scouter Reserve.

There were two catagories of “Scouter Reserve” members, Bill. 

One catagory was a “catch-all” for college students and others between 18 and 21 who wanted to stay active with the local Council in some way — not with a particular unit, but specifically with the local Council (most were OA members and outgrew the Troop but didn’t want to be Explorers — now Venturers). The BSA stopped registering College Scouter Reserve members back in the late 90s and insisted that those who want to remain active with a local Council be registered with a unit…

The other catagory was the “catch-all” for adults over 21 who wanted to remain active with Scouting but for some reason or another (military deployments, jobs which took them out of town, truck and other transportation drivers/pilots, etc.) cannot do anything “specific” or “significantly” with their local Council but still have a connection with them.  These, like you (and me at some time or another) were registered as “Scouter Reserve” members.  We were placed on the charter where ever the Council can place us and “fill the roster”.  We agreed to assist the Council when and wherever we could do so.  

THAT is where the problem I outlined above came in — some of those folks registered as “Scouter Reserve” members had NO CLUE that they were registered as such; and some received additional registrations as members of District or Council committees and again, they did not ask for this to occur.  And there were a LOT of Scouters who have passed on but still remain on the automated charters from year to year without anyone taking them off.

So the BSA is removing that catagory completely as part of a revamp of adult volunteer leadership positions in 2012.  Scouter Reserve members now must register as a member of a Council on an operating committee, as part of a summer camp staff, or as a member of the Council’s Advisory or Executive Board; but local Councils are being hard-pressed to force those SR members into UNITS as committee members or asking them to serve as Unit Commissioners.  Doing so will force a local unit to “see you” or know of you through the yearly registration/re-registration process instead of the local Council doing that process from year to year.

I would recommend to order to avoid your local Councils professionals hounding you, to find a local unit close to home, explain your personal situation, and fill out a registration form as a member of the unit’s committee.  Be honest with them and let them know of your comittment level, so that they are aware before they sign and approve the application…because it’s not fair to come in and say “I want to be a part of your committee” but when it comes time to do something, you’re nowhere to be found or be contacted.  Stay in touch with them…offer your help even if it’s every once in a while. 

This will become the ONLY way after 2012 that you can remain a member of the BSA while assisting when you can…in “reserve”. 

Sorry to tell you the bad news…the BSA will be making official announcement along with some other significant changes in a few weeks.  It’s part of the BSA trying to get a handle on the true number of volunteers and the true number of registrations at the unit and local Council levels.

Hope this helps, and thanks for asking Andy to assist you!!  I’m always happy to assist Andy with some of the questions he’s not totally familiar with or because of program changes, hasn’t reached him yet.  I’ll also post this to my blog so that other Scouter Reserve members can find and make plans!!

Settummanque!