Scouting Volunteers in Michigan Take Steps to Solidify Strong Next Century of Scouting

Stakeholders Across the State Vote Overwhelmingly for Plan to Make Scouting Sustainable

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Nov 02, 2011, 11:00 ET

IRVING, Texas, Nov. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the executive boards of nine Boy Scout councils across Michigan announced that their board members and chartered organization representatives have voted on a plan to pave the way for Scouting's future in Michigan.

The council's executive board and associates voted resoundingly to accept the Crossroads Recommendation, a volunteer-led effort designed to combine the administration of nine Michigan councils to reinvent the delivery and structure of Scouting and make it a more viable, efficient, and sustainable organization.

"For more than 100 years, the Boy Scouts of America has made a positive difference in the lives of millions of young people, including youth right here in Michigan," said Ed Hansen, chairman of the Crossroads Recommendation Task Force. "As good stewards of Scouting, we must do what allows us to most efficiently accomplish Scouting's mission and create an opportunity for more young people in the area to benefit from Scouting's leadership and character development programs."

The Crossroads Recommendation outlines a new "unit-focused Scouting" structure that the local volunteers have determined will better support a vital, growing, and sustainable Scouting program. The top-line recommendations include:

Reinventing Scouting's program delivery at the community level to provide more access to Scouting programs for all youth
Providing a new structure that focuses more staff and volunteers on local Scouting programs, including more youth-serving executives, which will help increase the number of adult volunteers and youth
Streamlining the administration of the nine councils to ensure more resources are available for local Scouting program

In September, the executive board voted to pave the way for the Crossroads Recommendation to move to a larger vote by the organization's stakeholders, known as chartered organizations. On November 1, the council's stakeholders voted to accept the plan, which is available at www.bsaareaproject.org/recommendation.

"This is an important day for the 900,000 youth across the state who aren't currently experiencing the life-changing programs of Scouting. Our council leaders stepped up and took a critical first step to ensure we are serving more youth. We congratulate them for their foresight," said Steve King, BSA Central Region president.

This remodeling of the delivery of the Scouting program was led by a group of more than 100 dedicated Boy Scout volunteers and professionals, who concluded that the traditional Scouting business model in Michigan was no longer viable. These volunteers and Scouting leaders invested more than 9,000 hours developing a comprehensive plan to reinvent the delivery of the Scouting program.

In the coming months, an interim transition board will be appointed to guide the process throughout the next few months. In the meantime, Scouting will continue as it has with no interruption in the delivery of the program or the service of youth in Michigan. The process is expected to be completed by the summer of 2012.

About the Boy Scouts of America:

The Boy Scouts of America provides the nation's foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training, which helps young people be "Prepared. For Life.™" The Scouting organization is composed of 2.7 million youth members between the ages of 7 and 21 and more than a million volunteers in nearly 300 local councils throughout the United States and its territories. For more information on the Boy Scouts of America, please visit www.scouting.org.

SOURCE Boy Scouts of America