A Thought on the Learning for Life Scam
Bill Bekkenhuis
nothing to do with the operations of Learning for Life, then how come the only
local professional contacts I can find for Learning for Life are in the BSA
Council Service Center, work for the same Council Executive, and are generally
indistinguishable from the professionals working with Scouting and Cubbing?
Other than providing a firewall to keep gays and atheists out of their
flagship programs while not losing needed community support, what particular
significance IS there to the alleged separation between the BSA and Learning
for Life?
--
Regards,
Bill Bekkenhuis <bekke...@fast.net>
<http://www.users.fast.net/~bekkenhuis/>
"Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made
crooked?"
Ecc. 7:13 (KJV)
KYBLKEAGLE
You ask a very good question (and I'm not sucking up...it *is* a great
question):
>If Learning for Life is a wholly owned >subsidiary of the BSA, and the BSA has
>nothing to do with the operations of >Learning for Life, then how come the
>only local professional contacts I can find >for Learning for Life are in the
BSA
>Council Service Center, work for the same >Council Executive, and are
>generally indistinguishable from the >professionals working with Scouting and
>Cubbing?
Simple answer: Numbers.
The BSA decided that they would have separate management structures for
Learning for Life (LfL) and the traditional BSA structure (BSA). The
structure would be similar to a BSA structure, with divisional executives and a
senior executive for LfL in each of the BSA's existing local Council areas.
These people would share initially the same BSA local Council offices until
such time that they can either afford their own or until the structure was so
large that it kicked the BSA folk out.
Then, a strange thing happened: local Council Scout Executives, able to "count
the impact that the loss of Exploring would do to their Council operation",
pleaded with National to "hold off making us split apart until two years after
the implementation (in other words, until after we're figured out how to
survive without Exploring and to make this Venturing thing 'work')!
The BSA listened, understood what they were saying, and granted them their up
to two year "stay". That's why we have Venturers and Explorers still in the
same local Councils, still counted against the BSA's national, regional and
local Council numbers, and still in many places able to conduct similar type
Council-level activities and events.
However, Bill, starting with the new year, we will start seeing Unit Serving
Executives as they will be called in LfL, appear at the local level and those
individuals' sole responsibilities will be to LfL. They will NOT wear BSA
uniforms, nor will they be out at the BSA's camping facilities. They WILL
however, attend the same training courses until an initial training course for
USE/LfL people is developed by the BSA, and of course, the materials currently
used by LfL/Exploring will reflect the new organization and structure.
It was the BSA's intention from the start to separate the Learning for Life
program away from the traditional BSA program...but the realities are that many
Councils finally woke up and realized that a good part of their "positive
numbers" didn't come just from a large number of Cub Scout and Boy Scouting
units, but rather from Exploring units organized in schools, in-school Scouting
units organized in schools and community centers, and Explorer Posts with very
large numbers, especially in areas where Exploring was marketed heavily and
there was a large community investment (like in Chicago).
Again, great question!
Settummanque@Honduras!
settummanque, the blackeagle ((MAJ) Mike Walton)
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Rose Walton Personal Computing Coaching
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