One Hundred Scout Trainings

It all began on 6 November 2013 when I took my first Youth Protection Training for my BSA (Boy Scouts of America) registration. Little did I know...

Today I completed my one hundredth Scout training (Journey to Excellence). Some trainings have been online and some have been face-to-face. I've attended University of Scouting twice and I have a Bachelor's Degree in Commissioner Service. But you know what? There are so, So, SO many people who have waaaaaay more training than I. They may be obsessed.

This is why I think I keep training. I am imperfect. And I work with a lot of imperfect people in Scouting. They whine and cry that they "didn't know" and whatever, and then they can't recharter. The only thing I have to do with rechartering is getting the Journey to Excellence form turned it. The rest of it is OUT of my hands. I'm not even allowed to touch the packet. Who knows where that thing ended up because one of my packs STILL isn't chartered! Dropped balls.

After dutifully driving to the council office the other day to pick up no less than 2,307 Scouting for Food Door Hangers for the Cub Scouts to hand out...and counting them out according to the number of front doors in each ward (which took time and plenty of phone calls to ascertain), the older Boy Scouts did NOT pick up the donated food today! I got three phone calls about that! "Who picks up the food?!?" And all the Boy Scout leaders are like, "I never heard/knew about this." Really? You didn't go to Roundtable? You didn't get three emails about it? You haven't taken your Leader Specific Training? You didn't get a door hanger? Really? Can you sense my frustration today?

Boy would I like to clean house. But that's not my job in Scouting. It's not really my job to tell people off, tell them to find a little grit, and tell them to do the online training. THEN you will KNOW, people! You will have a CLEAR understanding of your Scouting duties! You will stop passing the buck.

So I just take all the training and print out my little certificates. That way I can look my Committee Chairs in the eye and say, "Not only have I taken all of the training for MY position as Unit Commissioner, but I have ALSO taken ALL of the training for YOUR position." Same for Cub Masters. Same for Den Leaders. Do not try to tell me you're too busy.

I just asked my husband to check the front door to see if our donated Scouting for Food had been picked up today. The food I packed up this morning with happy thoughts. The chicken, the tuna, the Spam, and other things that could keep someone full of protein and whatever else. Nope. It was never picked up. So he put it back in the pantry and said, "Good effort, Jody."

I'm a terrible leader. If I were a better leader, folks would do their training.