Is this thread being hijacked by Scouts New Zealand?

I’ve just scrolled through all earlier comments.
ALL, except one, of the Scouts NZ supporters are BRAND NEW, first time commenters here. I therefore suspect that Scouts NZ are attemting to highjack this thread in a bid to secure funds – shame on you!

Following is a list of the (8) commenters supporting Scouts – I have included their comment count:

• Dolphin52 (1) 9 4 [November 5th, 2009 at 11:31 am]
• Shirley Nott (1) 8 5 [November 5th, 2009 at 12:59 pm]
• kauri (3) 9 3 [November 5th, 2009 at 1:10 pm]
• kauri (3) 7 3 [November 5th, 2009 at 1:18 pm]
• kauri (3) 9 3 [November 5th, 2009 at 1:27 pm]
• pipnz (1) 6 1 [November 5th, 2009 at 10:05 pm]
• Bleaks (1) 5 1 [November 6th, 2009 at 4:50 pm]
• AngelaS (1) 5 1 [November 7th, 2009 at 11:45 am]
• whodinni (1) 3 1 [November 7th, 2009 at 8:45 pm]
• tinytott (1) 0 1 [November 8th, 2009 at 7:35 pm]

PS The only non new commenter supporting Scouts also suggested two other organisation (Scouts, CanTeen, or Surf Aid) as possible worthy candidates:
rolla_fxgt (141) [November 5th, 2009 at 2:49 pm]

I hope you see this DPF, and factor this in to your final decision.

Other regulars here may also have an opinion regarding this and feel inclined to comment accordingly.

I think you guys may have missed the point.
Please re-read David Farrar’s opening paragraph (quoted below):

As I blogged previously, in 2010, Kiwiblog is going to sponsor a charity, and I hope that the community that reads and comments here, will also get in behind a good cause. I see it as part of translating an online community into having a real world effect – like with the campaign against the Electoral Finance Act, but this time in a non political sphere.

While I have nothing against Scouts NZ, the offer David made was extended to this community, and was not extended as a free for all to non members in their bid to gain funds for their (pet) organisation.

I may be totally out of line here – as you could be regular readers who don’t comment, but the fact that three of you in a row are ALL new, and ALL support Scouts NZ, does give me cause to question your motives.

I apologise if I’m wrong.

Most of us here are guys who are concerned about the wellbeing, and future of boys/men within our increasingly feminised society. Heck, we’ve just been considering the reduction of males achieving bachelor degrees compared to women, and the fact that the primary and secondary school systems, having been feminised for the last thirty or so years, has likely been the primary contributer to this recent outcome.

Let’s face it; boys and men are increasingly marginalised within our society. And men play a very minor part, if any, in the lives of most of our modern day children, especially boys. Big Buddy attempts to address this issue at the grass roots level.

http://www.bigbuddy.org.nz/

From their homepage:

Big Buddy mentoring is based on the simple philosophy that boys need good male role models in their lives to become good men. Unfortunately, many boys do not have a father or other male role model in their lives and while mothers do courageous work in raising their boys alone, they cannot model maleness. And above all else, boys learn through modelling.

A simple solution is to match these boys with a well-screened male mentor who can foster a relationship similar to that of say an uncle; a relationship we hope is for life.

Its time to liberate the carrot, free the cabbage and save the potato!

But seriously: I vote NZ Cancer Society.

Mens Sheds – they are a great place for older blokes to hang out with other blokes doing manly things. Keeps them active and keeps them in touch with agencies that can help with the health and welfare of older kiwi blokes. http://menssheds.org.nz/

The Computer Clubhouse – an after school computer drop-in centre where teens learn how to use computers. There is one in Otara, another is starting in Hamilton, and soon there will be one in Naenae. http://www.clubhouse274.org.nz/ for the Otara Clubhouse.

http://www.discoveryforteens.co.nz/

It doesn’t get much support, but I can testify from my own kids’ experience it does an awful lot of good.

Rather than be one of many sponsors of a standard charity, let’s be the lead sponsor of a programme that allows kids (many of them quite troubled) to turn their lives around and realise their potential.

Send some kids to Discovery who can’t get there any other way – on the condition that they or their parents report in every so often on how their lives are going.

Just tell me how much I have to pay to be allowed to throw the switch.

http://www.scouts.org.nz