‘Tis the season for recruiting!
By now most units have had sign up events or are in the process. We all know the challenges facing Scouting and the families we serve, but also all of the wonderful opportunities Scouting has to offer those families. We’re employing new strategies to reach as many Scouting aged youth as possible and advertising in ways we’ve never tried before.
Once we get the youth involved, the challenge is to **continued** keep them engaged and keep them in the program. That is largely determined by the quality of our leadership. I’m a firm believer in the adage that youth don’t quit Scouting, they quit their leader. They leave because they are not engaged, not learning, and not having fun. So having a plan to recruit new leaders is equally as important as recruiting youth.
What support structures do your units have in place to make them successful? Are they excited to be leading the program? Do they know where to go for training, both on-line and in person? Do they know where to find meeting plans? Do they know where to go for immediate help and to get questions answered? Are they and the unit linked to a Commissioner? Do they feel appreciated? Do you have a process to assess their performance, and intervene, if necessary? Just knowing they are not in this alone goes a long way in building their confidence and elevating their performance. Little things can make a big impact…on the adults, as well as the youth.
Thank you for all you’re doing for fall recruiting and beyond!
If you have questions, or would like the opportunity to help even more, by serving on one of our teams, just send me an email at rgoldhahn@aol.com.
Rod Goldhahn
Council President
