Session 6 explores the experience of families as they join a Scouting unit for the first time. Contrary to what many leaders believe, families aren’t evaluating the program, the activities, and the leadership development. They’re asking “Can we see ourselves here?” Families decide very quickly, often within the first ten minutes, whether this is the place for them.

Unit leaders and new families are having very different experiences. Unit leaders have led many meetings. Families, however, are entering a new world. They’re trying to figure out how things work and what others expect of them. Leaders often miss the importance of those first few minutes because their perspective is different.

Families that make an immediate connection with the unit are willing to push through confusion or discomfort. That’s why the first few minutes are so critical. The key insight: people join programs, people stay because of relationships. They stay because they feel like they belong.

To help leaders gain the perspective of a new family, we put together the New Family Journey Map. It will help you evaluate a family’s first experience of the unit. Through it, leaders can walk back through a family’s journey as they first encounter the unit; their thoughts, feelings, and uncertainties. And most importantly, where did the unit help them move from being visitors to feeling like they belong? As we’ve stressed in previous sessions, don’t try to fix everything at once. Instead, identify one opportunity to strengthen belonging and take a step to strengthen it.

The goal is not simply to make a family’s first meeting better. The goal is to help them begin a journey that leads to friendship, leadership, service, and long-term involvement in Scouting.

But joining and belonging are only the beginning. A family may have a great first experience. They may attend a few meetings, develop friendships, and begin feeling connected.

Even after recruiting succeeds and belonging begins to grow, units face another challenge.

The key here is that execution often determines whether excitement becomes long-term commitment. Execution is where programs succeed or fail.

That's where we're headed next in Session 7, Don't Lose It Once It Starts on Tuesday, September 22, 7:00 PM Central. Because recruiting creates opportunity. Belonging creates connection. But execution is where programs succeed or fail. We’re looking forward to seeing you. Join us on Zoom.

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