Just because an org is new you can’t assume that they are ignorant of the potential for such issues and aren’t proactively addressing them.
Insurers we have worked with don’t want folks ever to be alone with a vulnerable client. I always try to have at least one additional person with me whenever I am with patients, for my protection and theirs. My volunteers have screening done by their employers, large medical centers.
Children, elders, chronically ill are all especially vulnerable.
Local troops have processes for evaluating advancements (including to Eagle). I have participated in those advancement processes locally (though never for an Eagle). Part of that process is verifying that the scout actually did the work. There was some variance though in how thorough that determination. In certain instances, it was not so clear that the scout did all of the work but advancement happened. Overall I think Eagle is taken more seriously because of the recognition it brings.
I would expect that the scout one rank below Eagle will be able to complete his Eagle rank. Boy Scouts will not disappear over night.
Scouting is also one of the very few activities available to foster and low incone kids due to their willingness to waive fees for those groups. I think it was the only activity my kids where my children met children from vastly different socioeconomic groups.
Our sponsor organization was a local catholic church. All leaders had to go through mandatory training re avoiding abuse situations, proper protocols, what to do if abuse was witnessed, etc. The irony was thick.
@Nrdsb4 , our local council sent out an email today that states that it is a separate legal entity and as such they expect no changes in operations (this was referred to in the article, that Scouting is in effect made up of the local councils, but the national things such as nationally owned camps, may be affected).
@HImom , Scouting has that rule ‘no one on one contact.’ It is a part of the protections and trainings put in place after all the abuses came to light. @saillakeerie , I don’t see it as irony, I see it as trying to take moves (and they are significant moves) to solve and prevent the problems moving forward. It does not wipe away the past, but it does make the problem much less likely to occur moving forward.
Before we got married I told my husband, a former Eagle Scout that I wouldn’t allow any boys we had to join the Boy Scouts because of their discriminatory policies. As it turned out we had girls so he never had to feel bad.
Moreover over time DH decided he was very uncomfortable with the fact that he had lied about his status as an atheist when participating in Scouts and won’t even tell people now that he was an Eagle. And he’s been horrified by the abuse issues. But he was still sad when he heard the bankruptcy news
@ts0104 The catholic church has been fighting and covering up the sex abuse scandal for decades. Still ongoing.
Turn abusers and those who covered up for them into the cops. Cooperate fully with investigations. Encourage victims to come forward and support them. Its really not that difficult. But instead, they didn’t call the cops. They moved abusers to other locations and promoted those who covered up (intentionally in my view to keep the cover up going). Resisted and stonewalled on criminal investigations.
Suppressed/fought disclosures. Disparaged victims.
The irony in that institution training anyone on anything other that what not to do is thick. Offensive as well.
Exactly the reason I would not allow my kid to join.
They are filing for bankruptcy to protect their assets. Abuse victims will now be forced to file their cases in Federal Bankruptcy Court. They will be unable to file in State Courts and have a jury decide the amount of compensation.
I so loath this organization.
Whoa! Time out! I did not expect to be jumped for suggesting that more parenting was needed. I completely stand by my initial statement. Call us helicopter parents, but we shepherded our kids through every activity and coaching position out there. I watched my children closely. Yes, there is a serious lack of personal responsibility in this country.
Sad to expect financial compensation from a volunteer organization and ruin this for everyone. Will money solve this sad situation?
Buffalo Diocese has filed bankruptcy in response to the many sexual abuse lawsuits. It is rumored that Albany Diocese is not far behind. BSA’s response seems to be the only response to the lawsuits.
BSA has an excellent “two deep leadership” policy that every adult should voluntarily practice to protect him or herself as well as the child. It has been in response to the many sexual abuses cases but came too late for many.
@ksm Just wow! I know people who have been abused right under their parents’ watchful eye. Shame on you!!!
Nrdsb4 I do not think BSA will go under. Filing bankruptcy is a way to protect the organization from doing so. The Catholic church is doing the same. Troops are typically self-funding. I’m sure the organization will continue.
I had to go through BSA training as a leader 12 years ago. It was very thorough.
I am glad my son became an Eagle Scout. Since he fell ill as a college freshman and had to drop out before graduating, it is the crowning accomplishment of his life. His 2008 project, a 300-foot-long boardwalk in a local park, is still featured in photographs on our town’s website and in brochures.
You’re digging yourself a deeper hole. You do realize lawsuits - both criminal and civil - are undertaken as incentives both to educate and enforce change? Though financial compensation is part of it, that isn’t the sole reason and financial penalties do send very clear messages.
I think the ones who “ruined this for everyone” are the criminals who molested boys and the craven BSA leadership who covered it all up.
1 Like
So you never allowed your kids to go on sleepovers? No church camps? No sleep away field trips? Sleeping over at friends’ homes was one of the best things about my childhood. I would have grown up very resentful and would have missed out on so much if my parents essentially wouldn’t let me out of their sight.
Every Eagle project is by approved by the unit leader, unit committee, the project beneficiary, and the council or district that will also review, evaluate, interview, and determine whether or not to confer the award. Each successful project is permanently recorded/filed with the council which is the source for any inquiry asking for validation of Eagle Scout status. The academies do validate each claim but leave it to the congressional nominating panels to validate the work.
Each service academy candidate stands before at least one (and up to three) congressional panel(s) and is grilled about every facet of their application and willingness to serve. Our son was asked detailed questions about his project and the amount and type of work that went into it by all three of the panels he stood before. The applicants who make it to this step and who eventually receive nominations generally aren’t the type to lie or mail it in, and the congressional panels are notorious for probing integrity and ferreting out motives and weaknesses. It is conceivable that an “Eagle-lite” could get through this process, but enough diligence is there that I don’t think anyone needs to worry that many slackers or liars are passed along to take that oath to duty, honor, country. Any cadet who actually didn’t do the work or was less than truthful about any part of his application would also be confronted (and hopefully convicted) every single day of his academy life by the cadet oath etched in stone at the very center of the post: A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal or tolerate those who do.
1 Like
To be honest, even if tragic molestation crimes weren’t hanging over their heads , their business model couldn’t keep up with the changing times. Technology has changed family lives, a lot of the skills taught by them are useless or irrelevant in modern parent’s eyes.
I have mixed feelings about this. The victims deserve compensation, and male victims of sexual abuse were too often disbelieved. Scouting encourages physical activity and provides camaraderie, but unlike school sports is open to everyone. Some of my best memories at that age were in Scouts. It would be a tragedy to see Philmont or BSA camps shutdown over this.