The latest in a series designed to help Scout families, Scouts and those new to Scouting better understand what Scouting is, how it works, and how to get the most out of the experience. For past articles, see back issues of The Guide.
Building a Culture for Success: Recruitment AND Retention Depend Upon It! (Cont.)
Culture within each unit may differ, but several elements of the culture of Scouting are essential in every unit for the success of the Scouting experience. Summer is a great time to discuss and lay intentional plans for the culture of your unit. By involving parents and youth in the conversation, you will come closer to meeting the needs of your members and engaging families in the success of the unit.
- Developing a Culture of Care is first and foremost. Do your families and especially your youth members feel a sense of belonging? It is important to let each member and their family know that they are valued, that their participation is appreciated and necessary to the success of your program. Expressing appreciation, noticing whether members are attending regularly, asking individual members and parents for input, and sharing responsibility for the work can help create the kind of unit culture that welcomes new members and reinforces the value for continuing members.
- Developing a Culture of Purpose follows closely. Do we communicate the purposes of Scouting to our youth and their families? Do we acknowledge and point out the distinctive qualities of the Scouting program, those qualities that separate us from other extra-curricular activities? Scouting is grounded in values education, building character and skills for life, teaching leadership and modeling good citizenship. Take the time to offer Cubmaster or Scoutmaster minutes, to draw out the lessons of various activities and help members to understand the purpose in each advancement challenge or adventure, outing, activity and gathering of the unit.
- Let’s not forget building a Culture of Fun! Scouting should be fun. It has always been gratifying to me when one of my Scouts approaches aging out who has not risen to the rank of Eagle can share that he or she has had a rich, meaningful and fun experience in Scouting. Of course, I would love to see every Scout make it to Eagle, but more importantly I want to see every Scout, no matter how long they remain involved and to what extent, leave Scouting with a sense of accomplishment surrounded by friends who shared and supported his or her adventure. Unit leadership must remember the Why of Scouting, that our purpose is youth development and focus, and we must pay attention to providing the best experience we can for our youth at every meeting, activity and outing.
- Finally, I think we must maintain a Culture of Accountability. We must hold ourselves as leaders and our families, and even our youth accountable for the success of our program. That means we must understand and accept the obligation to be responsible for our actions, involvement, and our part in the process of building and maintaining the success of our program. This starts with clear expectations for involvement, understanding each person’s role, and ask for participation. Are we fully trained for each position? Do we encourage new parents to take on manageable pieces of our operation? Do we encourage folks to take on increasing responsibility as they develop a deeper understanding of Scouting and do we express appreciation and recognize their efforts? Scouting is intended to embrace the entire family and was never intended to be a drop and run activity. If we allow families to simply drop their youth, they miss out on the rich and rewarding experience of seeing their children grow and develop before their eyes. And we miss out on their expertise, wisdom and help.
As we approach the fall, plan our join events and market our opportunities for membership, let’s also take time to assess and intentionally build our unit culture. We are not simply saying “come and learn about Scouting” but are asking new families to join an exciting, educational and fun movement, one grounded in timeless values and meaningful purposes, something fun for youth and enriching for the adults in their lives. Honestly, most adults today did not have a Scouting experience in their youth and really do not understand the Why of Scouting. It is incumbent upon us all to share our understanding and to reinforce it regularly and intentionally as our program unfolds, engaging each and every family and youth member fully in the success of our unit. While each unit will have goals for new member recruitment, the real challenge lies in delivering a meaningful program and building a cohort of youth at every age level so that each youth member has an opportunity to build lasting friendships and learn and grow in a fun, exciting setting.
Thank you once again for entrusting your youth to Scouting and sharing your talent and treasure, and most importantly your time. Your time spent now on building and communicating a successful culture, planning for fall recruitment and reinforcing the value of Scouting and the value of each member’s participation as membership renewal unfolds is essential to our success.
Paul Shrode
psshrode@aol.com