From mfbowman@CAPACCESS.ORG Sun Dec 29 16:41:29 1996

Date: Sat, 9 Nov 1996 16:04:49 -0500

From: "Michael F. Bowman" <mfbowman@CAPACCESS.ORG>

Reply-To: SCOUTS-L - Youth Groups Discussion List

<SCOUTS-L@TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU>

To: Multiple recipients of list SCOUTS-L <SCOUTS-L@TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU>

Subject: Parental Involvement - Part 1

Increasing parent involvement is always a challenge, you're not alone.

One successful strategy is to make a gigantic poster listing all of the Pack positions, activity chairs, and other jobs that will need to be filled throughout the year with a blank next to each. Fill in the ones where you have a volunteer ahead of time. Take the poster to your Join scouting Night meeting and tell the new parents that each is expected to take on at least one of these jobs, explaining that Cub Scouting is a family organization and must have family; e.g., parent participation. Similarly put the poster in the front of the room for your Pack Meeting and give the same encouragements. This will net a few and help with a little peer fear/pressure. Nobody likes being seen as a non-contributor. Let them know that, if you don't see their names, you'll help them find something. Then the Pack's leadership can divide the missing names and follow-up with one-to-one invitations.

A great selling point, when you begin to hear excuses is to tell them that what the Cub Scout program offers is what each parent would like to give his/her child, if there was enough time and that the advantage is that we can pool resources to see that each boy gets those things. This means that you the parent have to carry your share, which is a lot less than if you were trying to do all of these things yourself. Remind them that its not fair to ask other parents to shoulder their own share and this excuse maker's as well. You may lose one or two that don't want the commitment, but would they have stayed anyway?

Another point is that there are a lot of folks that are hesitant to volunteer, especially in hispanic communities. Some will be honored to be asked and to see your trust in them and will respond positively with encouragement. One of the best Webelos leaders I ever had sat quietly and never said a word at meetings for over a year because nobody every asked. I saw enthusiasm in his eyes and asked. A week later he came to a meeting in full uniform with every patch in the right place, brimming with ideas. He took Webelos to camp each year and never missed an activity. His den grew and had to be split twice.

While there is no best solution, consider making it a point to find the positive attributes of each parent as you get to know them and then use that as a reason you think they would be good at ________________.

PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT PART 2

This is a topic that comes up from time to time, so let me share a previous posting I made on the topic (which can also be found at the U.S. Scouting Service Project Site - http://www.hiwaay.net/usscouts/). Although it was written with a Troop in mind, it is also applicable to a Pack.

PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT - COMMUNICATING COMMITMENT

HOW? How do you get parental involvement in a Scout unit? While their are many things that could be offered on the subject, one thing that stands out in my experience is "communicating the commitment."

IMPERSONAL & BLIND LUCK? Too often when everyone is busy we resort to newsletters, letters of welcome to a Troop, and requests for help in meetings hoping that everyone will catch on to what is needed and jump right in. If the unit is lucky and some of the parents are experienced in Scouting or oriented towards participation anyway all goes well and nobody figures out that the communication effort wasn't all that successful.

THE AUDIENCE: However, there are many units where this is not enough. Parents are both working, some Scouts only have a single parent, there has been a divorce, the family has just moved and is new to the area, their is a health problem, the parents are newly arrived from another country, the parents are shy and uncertain, or you find other challenges. In these cases parental involvement starts to sound like a dream and really will challenge a leader to the max.

A BETTER WAY: What seems to work best is a one-to-one face-to-face session with the new parent(s) over a cup of coffee. Face-to-face it is harder to say no and easier for you to answer specific concerns and find unique ways for each parent to help according to their time and talents.

SUGGESTIONS: From among those who are participating; e.g. the Scoutmaster and active committee members, divide up the parents you wish to target and: Make an appointment to stop by at their home or a local place that serves soft drinks and coffee. Ask for about an hour of time and make sure you keep things moving.

Spend about five minutes really selling the Troop. Show what the Troop has done. Explain how the Scouts really grow. Talk about advancement for a minute or so. Talk about the really great activities that the Patrol Leader's Council is planning.

Ask how the parent's son is doing. How do they feel about Scouting? Do they have questions? Things they'd like to know? What are their hobbies? What special skills do they have? (Do your personnel resources inventory on the spot without paper in sight, while getting to know the parent.)

Talk to them about parental committment and how important it is to make sure their son has a good Scouting experience - hit home. Yes they will have a hundred reasons why they are busy. But remind them that by pooling talents with all the other parents it is a lot easier to make sure all the boys have a lot more great opportunities than if only the parent was trying to do it all alone. You do want the best for your son? You want to see him grow and stay out of trouble?

As you begin to learn about the Scout and the parent, ask leading questions about how they could help in a particular activity - something where they can get their feet wet and enjoy a successful experience. The key here is starting them small. Start them out by just asking them to drive one way on a trip, helping set up an activity nearby, or helping counsel a merit badge once or twice with another counselor, but not in a lead position until they have confidence. You probably know of at least a dozen small things that could use a helping hand. Pick one that fits the parent, where they can't hardly go wrong.

Immediately recognize their success and help!! Present drivers with a small matchbox type car with a Scouting decal on the top or something simple to say thanks or some simple homemade recognition appropriate to the task. Give a set of red and green cloths pins to somebody who has helped dry out tents, a varnished mounted pancake to somebody that helped with the pancake breakfast, etc. You get the idea.

Now that you have the hook set, reel 'em in a little close with another more difficult assignment and again recognize what they do. All along the way communicate the committment by explaining, selling the program, and asking for personal help.

DON'T BE DISCOURAGED: Some of these people will move on before you get them very involved and you can't do much about it. But there will be some that will get the fever and jump right in.

REMEMBER TO ASK INDIVIDUALS TO VOLUNTEER: I always find that there are at least three parents out of a dozen that would love to help, if only asked. They don't volunteer for cultural reasons (for example, in Hispanic families it may be considered rude to assert qualification for leadership roles, but your invitation would be more than welcome), because of shyness, because they are not sure they can do it, etc. But once asked, these parents bloom and become the best of Scout leaders. So ask!

Speaking only for myself in the Scouting Spirit, Michael F. Bowman

Dep.Dist.Commissioner-Training, G.W.Dist., NCAC, BSA (Virginia)

U. S. Scouting Service Project FTP Site Administrator (PC Area)

ftp1 or ftp2.scouter.com/usscouts E-mail: mfbowman@capaccess.org