Membership Growth within Scouts Canada

ah, with the updated graph almost half the cubs or scouts lasted 1 year only. thats the growth problem. we are getting kids in the door and not keeping them.

Latest membership stats for the 2010/11 year show a, albeit small, growth for the year end.

I don't have the breakdown by section, but we shouldn't have to wait too long for that to show up.


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In regards to the discussion on who to target,

If the next section up doesn't look enticing, then that would manifest in shortened number of years involved.

From Ayates's graph, Venturers look they're doing a good job. 70% stay on for a second or more years. Groups that permanently have sections missing will suffer. I weep for the kids and groups that can only support 2-3 sections.

Beavers and Cubs, Target the Parents.
Older Cubs and up, Target the Youth.

(And don't tell me it's impossible to recruit into Rovers.)

I'd have to echo Nick with it not being impossible to recruit Rovers and Venturers and to keep them around. I know quite a few rovers that started as first year vents that have stuck around, definitely more then those that went through beavers and cubs.

I was recruited into Rovers (although I was a leader already) - so yes, it can be done. I stayed in Rovers until I aged out, and then was on their Group Committee... (That said... I only had 2 years before I aged out....)

And as the graph only shows a persons youth membership... (beavers to venturers) that is another thing to keep in mind for the stats from the youth who joined as Venturers... some might have only stayed in for 1 year, or 2 years because they aged out (ie, joined at age 16 or 17....)

But overall - the graph does show to me that there is a huge retention problem.

But overall - the graph does show to me that there is a huge retention problem.

That is perhaps something upon which we can all agree. There are some kids that will not return for unknown reasons, no matter how excellent a section's program might be.

IMO, the best cure for in-section retention is an excellent program. The best cure for section-to-section retention is an excellent program in each, and excellent linking, so that they younger ones know that something even better (than the amazingly fun section that they are in now) is in store for them. For instance, if you don't have the basics of a Kim for the Pack and a Keeo for the Colony, you lose that weekly touch of linking. Having white tail specific programing in your Colony, having linking camps and events, and having the Cubs, Scouts and Venturers host meetings for the younger sections are key to retention. Scouts and Venturers are as heroes and gods to Beavers and Cubs, and having them involved in the junior sections is our best bet in getting them to stay in Scouting.

This being said, parents require education about what we do. I lost a white tail last spring that I thought was a sure-fire 6-star/8-award cub (smart kid, and interested in Scouting). He had improved in Beavers immensely, starting as a bully, and becoming fairly helpful by the end of his time as a Beaver. Last spring, his parents decided to enroll him in a sporting activity instead of cubs, so he didn't even attend the swim up. The boy is large, and did need more physical activity, but I see cubs as something that encourages physical activity and engaging in other activities, not something that you do instead of other things. (I find that a weekly physical activity does little to encourage healthy living, but rather, it is daily activity at home and at school that leads to a more balanced lifestyle.)

The parents were deaf to my entreaties for him to be registered, citing cubs as "not being active enough". Not active enough. Hah! Try spending a weekend in the freezing rain, trying to keep 20 people warm, fed and happy, and see how quickly you become active. Best Sunday afternoon naps ever come after a camp (and the requisite bath ), due to sheer exhaustion.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-a ... 24219.html

perhaps the key is to find a section (hopefully) within your group or area that is growing and emulate their ideas with our sections. after all, someone pointed out cubs are smaller scouts and can do lots of what they do.

Cubs can do anything Scouts can do... Cubs is where "lifers" are created. I try to repeat the same message at every meeting... basically saying: "Cubs have fun... Scouts have more fun than Cubs....and Venturers have more fun than Scouts.... Scouting just gets better and better... the longer you stay in."

Say it enough times... and make a program that backs it up.. and they won't leave.

This is an interesting thread, although pretty much that has been stated has been said before, and I agree with most of it.

There are a couple things here:

1. It would be interesting to see if leader's kids were removed from the graph what the number would be. I know that most leader's kids tend to 'go the distance' of 10 or more years.
2. And, do these youth of leaders become leaders themselves and give back to the program? My observation has been less than 25%.
3. While the membership drop has been stemmed and turned into a small gain, which is good, but this is far from the 15% per year the Action Plan dictated. When reality holds the plan accountable......

It would be interesting to see if leader's kids were removed from the graph what the number would be

Good question. When I have a few minutes, I'll enhance my data analysis script to exclude leader kids (the best I can do is those whose last name matches a leader's last name) and see what happens. Ancedotelly I would agree with you, but of my seven Venturers, most of them have been with the group for years (some since Beavers), but only one is a leader kid (my daughter).

do these youth of leaders become leaders themselves

From what I can tell, none of our kids have ever become leaders with our group. However, they might have moved and become leaders with another group.

One of the area I think we can do better is with new Canadians. I'm not advocating segregated groups, but reach out to new Canadians within our areas. I'm not sure how to go about this, but I think it could really help our registration numbers. Getting the parents to understand the program would be a good place to start.

Considering that the number of youth has dropped, if we are growing, we are doing something well:
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/life/story.html?id=5604599
Tom