Voice of the Scout is the first direct, consistent survey program to gather the experiences people are having with Scouting. It has been developed to represent the “customer voice” in the Journey to Excellence (JTE) performance recognition program, and will provide benchmarks over time for continuous improvement.

Councils that are interested but not sure about participating in the 2012 Voice of the Scout program can still opt in to learn more. By opting in, councils will have until Nov. 18 to learn more about the program and confirm involvement for next year. While participation in 2012 is optional, the Voice of the Scout will be a nationwide program in 2013.

Opting in to learn more is not an obligation; rather, it is a way to ensure councils understand the responsibilities that will come by opening this channel of communication with their members.

The first step is to declare interest in VOS by emailing jte@scouting.org. After this point, councils are expected to have their Key 3 view a webinar video that is now posted at the Journey to Excellence website. Click the video link above or look at the bottom right of the JTE site for the Voice of the Scout header. Click Training Materials, then VOS Fall 2011 Opt-in Training for Key 3 (required).

Scout executives also are encouraged to invite staff leaders to view the video. In November, confirmation surveys will be sent to Scout executives to finalize their commitment to VOS 2012. VOS surveys will begin in March 2012 for those who confirm by Nov. 19.

VOS information will be viewable in real time, accessible via the JTE dashboard. The data will be captured and delivered to optimize operational clarity on what needs to be done to deliver a Scouting experience that goes beyond expectations for Scouts, parents, volunteers, and chartered organizations.