BSA Hispanic Recuitment Emphasis

This article in the Chicago Tribune reports on the progress of Hispanic recruitment efforts in the Windy City;

"You can feel, I would say, awkwardness on both sides," said Roberto Colón, a former Eagle Scout in Puerto Rico who coordinates Latino recruitment in Chicago. Directors hope to add 2,000 families in the region as part of the national effort to reverse a membership decline from 4.8 million boys in the 1970s to 3 million today.

"You have to build a lot of trust, and that's the hardest thing for the Anglo society to understand," Colón said. "They say, 'Go in there, talk to them for 10 minutes and let's go.' It doesn't work that way. ... It takes time."

Yet time is a rare commodity for many working-class immigrants. Their long hours in low-wage industries contribute to historically low rates of English proficiency and low participation in civic groups such as the Scouts, studies have shown.

Nearly three of every four of the state's 725,000 Mexican immigrants work such low-skilled jobs, according to a May report by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

Through Spanish-language marketing and other efforts, the Scouts try to get around such hard realities. For example, parents without child care are urged to bring the whole family to meetings and camp outs, and low-income families are offered financial aid for uniforms and camping trips.

To avoid questions about Immigration status, Colón and other recruiters emphasize that a Social Security number or other government ID isn't required when they carry out mandatory screening of volunteers that is designed to protect children from potential predators. Neither do they ask the Scouts about their Immigration papers.

When, earlier this year, our Chief Scout Executive announced that the BSA was going to 'reinvent itself' to appeal to Hispanic youth I cringed a little.

I ran a weekly after-school Cub Scout program for three years in a school with 80% Hispanic children.  I learned that most first generation Hispanic parents don't see a lot of value in Scouting. The reasons could be more complicated but I think it boils down to two or three things. In Mexico Scouting is reserved for the elite classes and our immigrants consider Scouting kind of stuck-up and elitist. Most parents work every waking hour at two or three jobs and whatever side work they can get - they simply don't have time to volunteer. Most Hispanic families are tighter than Anglo families and sending their boys away camping is a confusing concept, these folks don't go camping for recreation. Finally what you don't know you fear. A bunch of men and boys in uniforms looks kind of militaristic.

Our little town has welcomed many immigrants from Mexico over the past twenty years. They are an important, vibrant part of a community that is more welcoming than most. I have had several Hispanic boys join our Troop but never for more than a year or two.

Former BSA national president and World Scout Committee Chairman Ray Cronk claimed "We either are going to figure out how to make Scouting the most exciting, dynamic organization for Hispanic kids, or we’re going to be out of business,”

I am concerned that our national leadership is thinking very simplistically and will be tempted to alter the program radically to attract Hispanic boys. If our national experience reflects my local experience these efforts will not go very far in bolstering membership.

Comments

[CA Scouter]

Hello Clarke,

The pack for which I am committee chair is chartered through my Catholic Parish. We have a large, vibarant hispanic community and in my early years, I also tried to get more hispanic involvement in our pack and troops. My experience was similar to yours; we got a few boys and they dropped out after a year. I didn't realize I was also working against a bad stereotype from the home country.

There was an article in Scouter Magazine last year about an SM in Marin County who seems to have broken thru. However, in his case, he basically lived in the community and spoke the lingo. This seems to be the only model I've seen that works. Unfortunately, although I share their faith, I don't live in their community or speak their language.

I share your puzzlement with how to succeed at this. Running soccer programs (is that the previous paradigm?) ain't gonna cut it, in my opinion.

[ScouterDad]

Clarke,

I have had nearly your identical experience working with the hispanic community in my town. The culture is not foreign to me. My home Troop in South Texas when I was a Scout was chartered by the Catholic Church and was nearly 50% Mexican. Most, but not all of those families, were solidly middle class and were in the US for at least a couple of generations. Nonetheless, it was a struggle despite the best efforts of our very dedicated Scoutmaster of Mexican heritage. There were few parent volunteers and Scouting didn't stick long with many of those Scouts. My concern, which I think you share, is that the BSA change the program in harmful ways, which affects all youth, in an attempt to recruit to a specific minority group. It is well meaning, of course; all boys can benefit from Scouting. This should not come at the expense of the program. "Family Camping" is an unfortunate step in the wrong direction.

[Clarke Green]

I can see family camping during the Cub Scout years. Frankly people who can't get or afford child care for siblings are not really likely to pack up the family and go camping.

As I have said the whole thing seems ill-conceived. I have had some experience with Scouting and Soccer. This attracts boys but it does not feed into traditional Scouting.

In the end I think that Scouting will continue to loose numbers until membership policies are seriously addressed.

[Clarke Green]

I wish that the BSA would concentrate on a frank internal discussion of what is actually going on rather than grasp at straws.

[DaveT]

What bothers me about the initiative is something I read - that no concern is going to be given as to proof of citizenship or background check? If this is the case it is political correctness once again causing problems, this time with scouting. We have a local ASM who has been in scouting for 50+ years. It was realized he hadn't had a background check conducted. He didn't want to give his SSN and he was told if he didn't he wouldn't be allowed to serve any longer. Why would they force him to comply and not everyone?

[Clarke Green]

You are mixing apples and oranges here. The background checks for adults are aimed at youth protection, not proof of citizenship.
Proof of citizenship is not, to my knowledge, a part of the adult application (been years since I completed one). I suppose it would be a reasonable condition of becoming an adult volunteer but I don't see why it would be helpful.
As for youth members I don't see any compelling reason to make U.S. citizenship a test for membership.

[www.google.com/accounts/o8/id?id=AItOawlk7FZ018E3adVpM4r_IUmJbZSvoUO8TBk]

Two things. First, the media has gotten lazy with this story. The BSA started its first Hispanic outreach program in 1980 by hiring a director of National Hispanic Relations. By the early 1990's it got more money from another foundation to not only have a national director, but a director in each region. When the money ran out, the program was folded into Scoutreach. So, this is the 3rd outrach to the Hispanic community in 30 years. One must wonder if they learned anything in those years?

Second. Please take a moment to read BSA's Congressional charter. All members of the BSA are required to be US citizens! Those who are not, are to demonstrate that they are in the process of obtaining US Citizenship.

I am not aware of any current crackdown from the BSA on the citizenship status of youth/adult members, but it IS a requirement. Right now I am trying to see if the acceptance of the charter by the BSA had an impact on the outreach to Native Americans before 1924. Many people do not realize that not all Native Americans were US citizens until the passage of the 1924 Indian Citizenshop Act.

Who knows, if the BSA feels it is in their best interest to kick out non-citizens, they may just do it.

David

[Clarke Green]

The charter does specify that the BSA's executive officers must be U.S. citizens - I could find no verbiage that volunteers or youth members must be citizens.

As a matter of fact the current Adult application states:
"Adults who are not citizens of the United States but who reside within the country may register with the Boy Scouts of America in any capacity if they agree to abide by the Scout Oath or Promise and the Scout Law, to respect and obey the laws of the United States of America, and to subscribe to the precepts of the Declaration of Religious Principle."

The youth application has no reference to a citizenship requirement.

Could you quote the section of the charter or any BSA literature that states that U.S. Citizenship is a requirement of membership?

[www.google.com/accounts/o8/id?id=AItOawlk7FZ018E3adVpM4r_IUmJbZSvoUO8TBk]

The BSA's constitution, adopted following the 1916 congressional charter, limited Scoutmasters' commissions and certificates of membership "only . . . to citizens of the United States or persons who have legally declared their intention to become citizens of the United States, or in the case of minors, to those who take an oath of allegiance to the flag and government of the United States." You can find this in Scouting magazine, April 1, 1917, p. 108. In addition, subsequent BSA publications reprinted this section.

My copy of the BSA's Charter and Bylaws (1987 printing)has a citizenship requirement listed in Article VIII, Section 1. However, the requirement is not printed here, but refers the reader to the internally controlled "Rules and Regulations."

If the BSA modified its citizenship requirement for members (adult and youth), I do not know when that was done. It would be helpful for members to have access to the "Rules and Regulations," but I have learned that even my copy of the Charter and Bylaws is no longer readily available to members. One must request to read it at the council office.

David

[www.google.com/accounts/o8/id?id=AItOawlk7FZ018E3adVpM4r_IUmJbZSvoUO8TBk]

After a bit of searching, it looks like the BSA relaxed its citizenship requirement in 2000. See: http://books.google.com/books?id=TPwDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA4&dq=%22citizenship+requirement%22+%22boy+scouts+of+america%22+%22rules+and+regulations%22&lr=&ei=1vVDSracFoaokASt_MmDDw.

David

[bronwyn]

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