07/28/2019
The 2012 consolidation of the 9 BSA councils in the lower peninsula of Michigan began with the "Area 2 Project" in 2011. The idea probably dates back to the early 1990's. This was initially an effort to consolidate all of Area 2 of the East Central Region, including the upper peninsula and Toledo, Ohio area, but those regions decided not to participate. The stated purpose of the Area 2 Project and subsequently, the 2012 consolidation, was, among other things, to increase youth participation in the Scouting program. Membership had been steadily declining in the 90's and early 2000's, and then dropped significantly upon the recession which started in 2007-08. By most measures, the economies of the US and Michigan have been steadily improving since about 2014-15. The general consensus is that the Michigan economy has increased significantly in the past 3 to 4 years. Despite this, participation in the new Michigan Crossroads Council has steadily declined in terms of Scouts, Venturers, and adult volunteers. Refer to the charts below based on the Michigan Crossroads Council annual reports. Data is lacking for certain years. Participation in Cub Scouts and Explorers has remained fairly stable, possibly due in part to recent membership increases of girls and young women. But, the data seems to show a lack of retention of older youth participation in Scouts whose membership has dropped by nearly 9,000 since 2014. What was gained by nearly doubling BSA professional staff across the lower peninsula? Can they justify their exorbitant salaries and other compensation? To what end are all of the camp sales, including Silver Trails, if Scouting is still largely declining in Michigan? Was the 2012 consolidation really about increasing membership and improving program, or was it really just a top-down power-grab?
