The Art of Asking

Many badges in Scouting now require web access as either an explicit requirement (visit the American Society of Landscape Architects webpage for Landscape Architecture merit badge) or implicit requirement (Personal Management requires tracking certain stats about stocks and very few publications offer these) and this week the only web access in a kid accessible building had been cut off, literally, by a fallen tree.

I’ve thought camp should have another area for kids to get to computers so on Monday I put out some feelers and Sam Lodise responded that Arcadia University was sending some PCs for recycling.  I stopped by, grabbed them, and brought them to camp.  This triggered a conversation between myself and another staff member.

Him: Wow, how did you get those?
Me: I asked, nicely.  We’re a non-profit, a lot of people will give us more stuff than you most people think.
Him: I just wish we could get paperclips.
Me: Have you asked anyone for them?
Him: No, but don’t you think we need them.
Me: Well, we can either buy them or we can ask for them.
Him: It’s ok, we can get by without them.

Ages ago I did a staff training exercise on how to compose an apology.  Maybe “how to ask for something” needs to be added to that list.