World Jamboree scuba staff needed

We have done 100,000+ of these try-dive experiences at past BSA National Jamborees since 1989 without any incidents. We conduct them in 4' deep pools. It is a very safe and LOW RISK activity. We have 143 staffers from the US and around the world signed up so far. We need an additional 80 to fill out our team and give everyone enough time off to enjoy the rest of the World Jamboree. For most people this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the world brotherhood of scouting. BTW, the staff fee is lower than the participant.

 

First, I just noticed this a World Jamboree, not just National. Now I wonder about language skills, etc.

This is a struggling nonprofit, not a corporation with shareholders and dividends. Any waived expense is paid for by someone else. $$ to run the program comes from scouts, parents, adult volunteers, and charitable donations, with a little fundraising added in. (Pancake breakfasts, popcorn sales, etc.). And corporate charitable support has taken a tremendous hit over the last couple of decades.
Waiving collection of funds does NOT eliminate the expenses that the funds cover. And there are plenty of other trained volunteer supporting the operation. I bet a significant portion of the medical staff at the event will be volunteers. Any support position that can be staffed by someone just showing up for two weeks is likely majority volunteer. None of them are more special than the others.

At local camps, a huge amount of maintenance and even upgrades are done by volunteers in the trades donating time, materials, and expertise.
Yes, on smaller scales it is possible to just provide a no charge place to put up a tent, and there may be a budget to cover some meals, but the size and extent of the Bechtel operation is far beyond that. Gone are the days when scouting benefited from the free (and even subsidized) use of Fort AP Hill every 4 years.

FYI - you touched on a sore point for me.

 

>I just noticed this a World Jamboree, not just National. Now I wonder about language skills, etc.

The official languages of the WJ are English, Spanish and French. All our signage will be tri-lingual.
Multi lingual skills is a plus but not required for staffing. We have been told that English will be the most prevalent language used during the WJ

 

There are lots of reasons that BSA is a struggling nonprofit. They allowed the Mormon church to dominate their mission and dictate their policies for years. It was only in the past couple of years that the church by and large stepped away from the BSA due to differences in paradigm regarding what values the BSA should uphold. This to me is a good thing, but the BSA was not responsive to their constituents nor potential constituents and they suffered and continue to suffer dearly.

The organization should not have carte blanche use of government land (military bases, etc) to run their events especially with policies of overt discrimination. They have fixed that to a tremendous degree and that is commendable, but they also took advantage of a free ride and continue to do so when they can. The BSA, in the past at least, has been given dispensation for use of government facilities that is not enjoyed by other organizations...that this was allowed to exist without balance for decades on end is unjust, especially given some of the large private land owners that fill the rank and file of BSA members/alumni.

There struggle as a non-profit is real, but the reasons for this are just as real.

And you have touched on a sore point for me.

-Z

 

They boy scouts are so wildly popular that I'm sure they won't have any problem getting the necessary volunteers. Even with the high cost. The guys I know who are engaged with BSA as adults would pretty much do whatever they had to in order to stay involved. They love doing it, and wouldn't give it up if they could avoid it.

 

If I am understanding this post correctly, then you and I are pretty much in agreement on baggage from the past, membership policies, etc. At the same time, I have always supported the aims of the program, and have had the benefit of experiencing that it is often delivered at the local level with a less rigid adherence to the past dogmatic culture, focusing on the positives rather than sitting in judgement of members. I applaud the recent changes, they were overdue, and came far quicker than I expected.
And none of that has any bearing on my opinion that adult volunteers, whether “special” or not, will usually need to pay their own way. They are ALL special.

Agree to disagree.

Anyway, hopefully the call for help rounds up the extra 80 needed. I know I am thinking hard about whether or not I can make it work. This appeal may just close the gap in record time.

 

We are in "vehement agreement" on the subject.

Obviously everyone who participates does so knowing they incur a financial obligation to volunteer. I have nothing against how a fellow dive professional chooses to use spend his time and money. The choice the individual makes is all good to me, whatever that choice may be....

but

....perhaps I am reading into it too much,..the fact that the BSA is calling for volunteers in a public discussion forum, to me indicates they "need" people, that not enough people are readily kicking down their door to join this volunteer experience. There just seems something incongruent with an appeal to get help for a major program and the expectation that those folks have to lay out cash to help you (proverbial "you").

Just sayin'

-Z

 

^^. very true. As and volunteer scouter for many years.. adults typically pay their own way and we all know this going In. $1800 to cover expenses for that timeframe is not that far out of line. The adults get a lot out of the Jamboree experience also.

If you don’t get this, you might not be the right person to help out in this way.

Minor sore point for me too. But for very different reason. Scouting and our Military has has sort of a “cousin” relationship from the onset of Baden Powell’s “Scouting for Boys”. Not getting into a history lesson, but the Military has benefited as well from many recruits with a background in scouting as well as active duty leadership who maintain unofficial close ties.

A child of mine recently graduated from DLI in Monterey, and was awarded the “commandants award” for top graduating student. Afterwards I was invited into his office for an informal conversation, where I noticed his Woodbadge award plaque prominently displayed in his office among many other awards and momentos. This guy was a Navy Captain (O-5?) ... certainly no small fry, who spent the next 10m talking up his scouting experience.

I will also add that all my youth scouting was while living on a military base as a dependent kid. Where the DOD was our troop’s charter org, without this sponsorship from out military, my involvement as a kid would have been greatly reduced. When living overseas, my only option for a BSA scout troop was through the troop on base.

Now I do think the BSA has made many errors in recent year. But it is a tragedy what our political in fighting has done to erode scouting as a great institution.

 

We are just trying to reach out to as many interested folks using as many communication mechanisms as we can.