Vision Statement

The goal of the task force was to provide the Council boards with a picture of what a merger would look like, so that each Council could make an informed decision on whether a consolidation was the best option for serving young people in their area. The following vision statement was part of that effort.

Task Force 2007 Vision Statement

The Consolidation Task Force developed this vision statement:

"On the verge of Scouting's second century, the former Indianhead Council and Viking Council have created one of the largest and most influential Boy Scout Councils in the country through a strategic consolidation.

The combined Council serves more than 100,000 families annually in central Minnesota and western Wisconsin, with the Twin Cities metropolitan area at its center. The new Council is able to serve a growing number of families even more effectively by bringing together complementary activities of the former Indianhead and Viking Councils and reallocating administrative savings to youth programs. At the same time, Scouts and volunteers are able to stay connected to the local traditions and unique sense of community that have always been strengths of Scouting.

This strong connection to community also enables the Council to serve and draw support from a range of diverse ethnic communities who proudly implement its successful youth development programs for all children.

The new Council has achieved economies of scale and invested in quality programming only possible through fully integrating the resources of the common trade area served. The new Council provides for a higher level of:

Programs for More Youth
Efficient and Effective Operation
Relevance to Today's Young People and Innovative Community Partnerships
Value to Parents and their Children
Service to Volunteers

The new Council is a National Quality Council every year, a quality benchmark for Scouting Councils in America, and is a model for youth development in the communities it serves. "

A SUPPLEMENT TO THE 2007 VISION STATEMENT

After further input, the Task Force added these measures to the Vision Statement:

"Scouting's Bright Future .
Indianhead and Viking Councils are building a plan to create one of the Best Boy Scout Councils in America!

We will measure it by achieving the highest score on the Index of Growth of all metropolitan councils in the nation."

The Index of Growth measures:

Youth market share - traditional (all three programs).
Youth market share - total
Volunteers per district committee
Volunteers per district commissioner staff
Youth count per district executive
Gain in endowment
Operating budget with surplus versus deficit
Growth in units Percent units rechartered
Percent quality units
Percent leaders training
Percent youth in camp (all three programs)
Advancements per youth (Cubs & Scouts)
Percent youth with Boys' Life

Our target is to, within three years, exceed the "box score" achieved by Scouting in Kansas City and St. Louis - the best of all Class 200/300 Councils! (Indianhead and Viking have been number one and two among Class 400's.)

2003 Performance

Index of Growth Scores above Median

Minneapolis - 16
St. Paul - 16
Kansas City - 17
St. Louis - 13

Index of Growth Scores above National Standard:

Minneapolis - 6
St. Paul - 7
Kansas City - 10
St. Louis - 11

Last Modified 5/19/2005