Previously I’ve shared information about what is called “The Area Project”, Area Project – Designing Scouting for the 21st Century and Michigan Councils Take Next Step In Integrating, an effort by Central Region’s Area 2 volunteers to create a new structure for Scouting. Tonight all nine (9) councils who put the recommendation to join together to their governance approved the recommendation. That is, we’ve agreed to integrate together to become one, new council. This is the first new council since the 1940s as it is not a merger of existing councils into one successor council.
I’ve shared with some recently a quote from futurist Buckminster Fuller:
You never change things by fighting the existing model.
To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.
Well we’re on this course. Tonight’s a night of celebration but when we wake up tomorrow we have to begin the implementation. The bottom-line will be bringing more youth to Scouting in Michigan.
Update: Here’s a note I just sent to a friend from outside the area:
Deal is done. Vote passed state-wide. Of votes turned in it was 9 to 1 in favor. Basically we’re creating a new structure by pealing away a lot, unfortunately not all, of the calcification that has come from the bureaucracy over the past 100 years. Scouting-sclerosis I call the disease we have. We’re competing with each other rather than growing the pie – that is more kids in Scouting rather than “We’ll fill our camp by recruiting Scouts from other councils.” That any Board would suggest this is myopic thinking at best.
Implementation is the next hurdle.
