My old District split into two at the beginning of the year and for our District it has caused nothing but issues including the firing a month ago of the one and only District Executive that understood the uniqueness that was LDS Scouting. The DE referred to me at "Brother Chad....." which I took as a huge compliment. His loss is almost makes me want to cry. He was just plain awesome. I don't know how else to put it. We still have no reason as to why he was fired.
Varsity Huddle Commissioner
I started in this position as a Wood Badge ticket to the great discouragement of a Stake Young Men's President (thank goodness not mine). He felt like LDS Scouting should have their own "spiritual training" at Roundtable and there was no need to meet with the Gentile Scouters. All LDS Scouters whether leaders over Troop, Teams or Crews including those in my Stake were encouraged to attend this meeting. Mormons wonder why they are often called elitist and this is one of the reasons in the BSA (remind me to tell you about District Dinner). The LDS Church does not need another meeting at Roundtable. What it needs is BSA trained leaders plain and simple. It upsets me to no end that we have members that think they can do better than get trained through the Spirit. They don't want to get their hands dirty by training and would much rather just "be giving what they should say and do" by the Spirit. It doesn't work like that unless you already got your training.
Varsity Huddle has helped me to understand the Varsity program much better than I would have but I can only have meaningful and helpful lessons prepared with ideas I am provided by Coaches that randomly come. And I do that. I spend a bit of time on these lessons. Attendance when we were forced to drive 40 minutes was about 20 percent until it was located closer and it propelled to almost 50% for one month and then dropped even lower than before. Right now I am about at 17 percent and that is including me as someone who should attend.
Travel is less than 20 minutes for every Varsity Coach but me because I live the furthest away but they still don't come. I can't do anything more than I am already doing. I keep wondering if there is a better way to do this and I am in the works on doing something via this blog that might help train Varsity Leaders via a YouTube Varsity Huddle. It will be very one sided with no interaction but something is better than nothing especially for Coaches who are in Districts that don't even have Huddle.
So after consideration with my wife and how much time I spend on this elective calling, I will be resigning soon. This will not only free up time preparing but I won't have to go to Varsity Huddle anymore because no one will be replacing me. I wish they would though. The lone man syndrome I feel right now hurts.
District Training Committee (Varsity style........)
I took on the training for all the Varsity Coaches in 1.5 Stakes in the area. I encouraged and encouraged until I was blue in the face. I asked Stake leaders to publicize and encourage. I asked them to personally call and invite. Over the years that I have trained I have probably trained maybe 30 new Coaches. I am proud of this number especially since Coaches just don't seem to get trained.
When the District split I wasn't even included in the new committee even though I extended my hand to the new Committee Chair asking if I could give limited help to find people to train new Varsity Coaches. In fact at the District Year Overview, they listed the Varsity trainer position as empty. So I guess we are back to where we were before I started.
So I wonder where new Varsity Coaches are going to get trained. Hopefully NOT here via a very watered down LDS wanna-be version of leader specific training at a Stake Little Philmont done in 2 hours instead of what the syllabus says. I am sure though that is how our Stake will get the percentages up though of their "trained" leaders. This will just perpetuate the current issues of not needing Roundtable and actually being trained to do their calling. Funny how attendance for Little Philmont is almost 100% but numbers everywhere else are so stinking low. I wonder if we are doing this so we look good in front of our Church leaders and we look "like we are doing what we are supposed to do".
District Advancement Committee
This is one of my hugest and greatest loves right now. When the District split I wanted to be the Advancement Committee Chair but the District Commissioner told me I had too much on my plate and to skip it. He has since passed away. Either way, I still love serving on this Board approving Eagle Projects as well doing Eagle Board of Reviews even with the drama that often comes with this job. I NEVER want to leave this job ever!! It affords me to schedule things around my very busy schedule and I love hearing what these boys are doing to finish their Scouting careers as youth.
Varsity Coach
I know I am one to talk big and never be able to pull the trigger. This calling is one of them. I want to be released because the Scoutmaster, Venturing Adviser and I are utterly unsupported via a Committee. I am again hearing whispers that we are getting a new Committee Chair but parents don't change. I have never felt like we were more alone than we currently are. The Bishopric is quick to tell us they support us but there becomes a HUGE disconnect on getting us what we need or having people to call to give us what we need. I still fail to understand why parents in our Troop, Team and Crew are not more involved in their son's Scouting. I have tried for over 4 years to break this tradition and I have utterly failed. I have broken many other traditions like high adventure being something high adventure, Varsity Scouts actually being Varsity Scouts and boys learning the Varsity program.
Part of my burnout is this calling. Ministering and Scouting is a HUGE time consumer. If you are doing your calling right, this takes up all your free time.
Right now I am just trying to keep my head down and live by the motto "Scouts do what Scouts do".
I wonder what my legacy is. I am sure it is that I burnt out.
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