Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Scouting's Real Crisis Is Not Marketing. It Is Decades of Neglect.

untendedfire.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 68 posts

Re: Scouting's Real Crisis Is Not Marketing. It Is Decades of Neglect.

#21

Post by bluGill »

meetingthrower wrote: post #14
bawolff wrote: post #7

> The cost falls on both ends of Scouts BSA. That program is optimal for middle schoolers, but middle schoolers are not trusted to own it. They are managed by older youth instead. High schoolers fare no better. Instead of receiving programming built around autonomy, peer challenge, advanced outdoor adventure, and responsibility suited to their age, the vast majority are trapped in a middle-school program where their…

Former Eagle Scout here -- I agree a bit with this analysis. The absolute best parts of it for me were the high adventure camps, backpacking, etc. The absolute worst where the Monday meetings. Depending on the vibe of the troop your activities bias one way or the other.

I'm currently scoutmaster and that is my thought. Camping is fun, but we do that once a month - what should we do the other times that is fun

Re: Scouting's Real Crisis Is Not Marketing. It Is Decades of Neglect.

#22

Post by bluGill »

KnuthIsGod wrote: post #5

The elephant in the room is the pedophile in the Scoutmaster. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/boy-scouts-america-have... Why would any responsible parent put their child in such danger.

The danger is the same as anywhere. It just got in the news and now you think it is worse.

Re: Scouting's Real Crisis Is Not Marketing. It Is Decades of Neglect.

#25

Post by RobotToaster »

ndr42 wrote: post #17

BSA rebranded itself “Scouting America.” The new name initializes to “SA,” common shorthand for sexual assault. Well, as a german and history conscious person I think the acronym could also be taken in a completely different way.

Obviously they should have called it Scouting States.

Re: Scouting's Real Crisis Is Not Marketing. It Is Decades of Neglect.

#27

Post by intrasight »

naijaboiler wrote: post #20
decimalenough wrote: post #2

The article gives short shrift to the real real crisis: you need to read 12 paragraphs down to find a casual mention of the "sexual-abuse bankruptcy", which also explains the precipitous 2020 collapse in membership in the chart that is prominently shown up top. Turns out parents aren't too keen on sending their kids into camps that have reported 92,000 cases of sexual abuse (and how many cases were not?).

i disagree with you. The author is pointing at deeper cultural issue of lack of candor that unaddressed allows things like sexual abuse to flourish. It is an organization that is not willing to tackle serious or face hard things head on. Yeah and their product sucks, so improved marketing won't save it.

> Its historic advantages—brand recognition, inexpensive outdoor access, and the prestige of Eagle Scout—once masked program defects.

I don't think the product sucked at all I think the packaging of that product was terrible. My father took me to a scout meeting when I was 13. Afterwards, he asked if I was interested. I said no - they really come across as Nazi Youth combined with religious fanaticism, and neither appeals to me.

I was sad because the product is truly awesome.

Re: Scouting's Real Crisis Is Not Marketing. It Is Decades of Neglect.

#28

Post by throwup238 »

intrasight wrote: post #27
naijaboiler wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

i disagree with you. The author is pointing at deeper cultural issue of lack of candor that unaddressed allows things like sexual abuse to flourish. It is an organization that is not willing to tackle serious or face hard things head on. Yeah and their product sucks, so improved marketing won't save it.

> Its historic advantages—brand recognition, inexpensive outdoor access, and the prestige of Eagle Scout—once masked program defects. I don't think the product sucked at all I think the packaging of that product was terrible. My father took me to a scout meeting when I was 13. Afterwards, he asked if I was interested. I said no - they really come across as Nazi Youth combined with religious fanaticism, and neither ap…

Same experience except it reminded my dad too much of his time in the Soviet Young Pioneers.

Re: Scouting's Real Crisis Is Not Marketing. It Is Decades of Neglect.

#29

Post by raddan »

throwup238 wrote: post #28
intrasight wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Its historic advantages—brand recognition, inexpensive outdoor access, and the prestige of Eagle Scout—once masked program defects. I don't think the product sucked at all I think the packaging of that product was terrible. My father took me to a scout meeting when I was 13. Afterwards, he asked if I was interested. I said no - they really come across as Nazi Youth combined with religious fanaticism, and neither ap…

Same experience except it reminded my dad too much of his time in the Soviet Young Pioneers.

I was a Scout in four different places growing up. My family moved a lot. My experience (in the 1980s) is that program depended a lot on the priorities of local organizers. Anecdotally, I observed that in communities where Scouting was seen as important—measured by the percentage of children who participated-it was a positive experience.

My time as a Boy Scout in Maine was life changing. It was not just about activities and skills (although there were many), it’s clear that the leaders of that Troop saw Scouting as a kind of secular education in ethics and community. They made the various Scouting accomplishments (ranks, merit badges) feel like milestones along a path of self improvement. It felt important.

When my family left Maine, the local Troop was weird (the Hitler Youth comment by the earlier poster tracks) and activities consisted of playing checkers in a church basement. In particular, peer bullying of younger/new kids was routine. I lost interest at that point and stopped going.

It’s been difficult to follow news of Scouting’s decline for me, because I have seen how positive it CAN be. But perhaps local Troops like this are rare.

Re: Scouting's Real Crisis Is Not Marketing. It Is Decades of Neglect.

#30

Post by adamtaylor_13 »

The point about leadership stands. One thing about leadership that, you must be someone worth following.

I went to a scouting event about a year ago and honestly none of the leadership was inspiring in any way. Timid communication, lack of eye contact, pudgy physique, unkempt appearance.

Look I'm not trying to bash anyone, but am I supposed to tell my kid to look up to these folks? There's no way.

Post reply on HN