Jump to content

Leaderboard

Popular Content

Showing content with the highest reputation on 01/16/18 in all areas

  1. The ideal, IMHO, would be to reprint the GBB article in BL. An abstract about the article in Scouting. And a BL online comments section where PL's/SPL's could "sound off" if they've did what the article talked about and report their after action review.
    3 points
  2. Agree with Sentinel. You have an obligation to report it, but keep it low key, and at the same time tell the DE what you have done to correct it. There was no ill intent, and the rules have been reinforced with all troop leadership. Perhaps have a refresher training class at your next Committee meeting. We, too have done the blanket thing to divide the room...this was at a Council camp in cabins that were built in the 40s. It was no big deal to string a rope across the room and hang tarps.
    3 points
  3. Well... that is true for some merit badges. I don't know about "most." And perhaps more to the point it is probably not true for most of the Eagle-required badges, depending on how you count some of them. I counsel the 3 Cits and Communications. You are not just going to happen to meet the requirements for those through participation in traditional Scouting activities. You have to make a "special trip" to meet those requirements. And I don't know a single Scout who has ever had "fun" doing those particular badges. They do them because otherwise they do not make Eagle. I am not advoc
    2 points
  4. I just submitted a request to Boys Life to start that up again. I told them I knew some people that could write the columns. We'll see!
    2 points
  5. Also from the Outside magazine article, and you can make of this what you will, but to me, this is much of the problem: "Like a lot of troops, 414’s scoutmaster is one of the moms. She submits Sydney’s applications for membership and rank advancement to the BSA every time, despite knowing that each will be rejected."
    2 points
  6. In an opinion piece in the Washington Post, she also claims to have earned merit badges and been a PL. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/im-a-girl-ive-been-part-of-the-boy-scouts-for-years-its-time-i-become-a-member/2017/08/25/a6d61ea8-89c1-11e7-961d-2f373b3977ee_story.html?utm_term=.20430216a7aa "With the Cub Scouts, I went on camping trips, built my own wooden car for the pinewood derbies, learned about what firefighters do and even earned the highest award, the Arrow of Light. With the Boy Scouts, I have been able to learn and teach first aid, earn merit badges, ea
    2 points
  7. No, that's not true. She has always been in rogue units which encouraged this nonsense by "unofficially" awarding her rank. This has been documented repeatedly, but here is one citation: https://www.outsideonline.com/2196356/why-girl-wants-become-boy-scout “I really don’t feel different,” Sydney says. She’s been camping with the Boy Scouts since she was four years old, when her brother Bryan joined the Cub Scouts. Once she was old enough, she joined, too, unofficially. She even achieved the highest rank, the Arrow of Light, also unofficially. Sydney completed the requiremen
    2 points
  8. The future struggle of Patrol Method is evident just in the discussion. Can a group of youth grow from their experience of working together? Of course, I have experienced it as a youth and monitored it as an adult. But in both experiences, I know what I was looking at, and looking for. I'm not sure the BSA can do much toward encouraging Patrol Method practice to future generations that haven't experienced it, much less know what it looks like. Books! I've suggested on this forum many times to letting scouts run their patrols using only the BSA handbooks, only to be judged as an adult tell
    2 points
  9. This is why training parents and leaders is so important. A trained leader should know better, as there are always other options (car, grabbing another leader and BOTH sleeping in the main hall in a corner near the adult room, etc.). Truly a tough question. It could be an honest mistake where nothing happened. But as the events of the last month or so are showing us, what if something did happen and it comes out later? @T2Eagle, not sure you can convey enough information for any of us to really get a sense for how innocent of a mistake (or how bad it may really look) this really is.
    2 points
  10. Fifty-ish years ago we spoke of the "environmental crisis" and most seemed, at least, to admit there were significant issues that needed to be tackled from the ecological standpoint. Most were familiar with Rachel Carson's Silent Spring and Dr. Barry Commoner's Closing Circle, both dealing with the ill effects of anthropogenic, huma-caused, factors. In fact, if you go back and read the Scouting literature of the 1960s and 1970s, you see this concern for bettering the environment spelled out in no uncertain terms. Take, for example, the article below from the December 1969 issue of Scouting.
    2 points
  11. We use one cabin for a winter camp-in that has only one large room, probably holding 50 people. There are no accommodations for separate adult and youth. We do keep the adults in one corner. I can't see a YPT violation since there was no one on one contact, no tent situation. I'd be careful about reporting this and possibly ruining the adult's reputation and future for an innocent situation.
    2 points
  12. I thought it might be a good idea to post some resources on here that might help us inform our fellow Scouters how best to let the Patrol Method/System run rather than trying to run the Patrol Method/System. This one is from our Canadian friends at The Dump. Patrol System.pdf
    1 point
  13. Not a good analogy. There are a limited number of general positions available. There is no limit to the number of Eagles.
    1 point
  14. Leaving aside the question whether that is ever true, it is not true in this forum.
    1 point
  15. Much like replacing facts with emotion, replacing objective standards with relative ones never ends well. The end result is a morass from which it gets increasingly difficult, then impossible, to extract yourself from.
    1 point
  16. Same as LeCastor, when I started as SM they had a few MB meetings. I pointed out to the scouts that less than 10% of the scouts that sat through those meetings actually completed the MB. I asked if maybe doing the fun parts and making the boring parts available with a counselor might not be better. They agreed. Now that I've stepped down there has been a surge is efficiency in planning meetings (they just pick a MB). Seems great but it's been 6 months and now it's starting to be not so much fun. Why it's taken this long is another very good question.
    1 point
  17. This! I can see certain things occasoinally fulfilling requirements for MB but should be very limited. And if I were to err, I would err on the side of no requirements transferring.
    1 point
  18. I will continue to beat the drum that if you want more merit badges, do more activities and fewer (or no) classes. Get on a river or lake and show a Scout how to canoe. They will meet the requirements with a few exceptions. (And that is true for most merit badges). They will engage because they are having fun, if they want the badge it will be easy enough to earn. If they don't then they will still have fun.
    1 point
  19. At a local council-wide (might have been mine) training event last fall a Scouter (might have been me) facilitated a 50-minute discussion on what the Patrol Method is and what it isn't. As far as I can tell, it was well received and ~20 Scouters and one Scout were engaged and eager to know more about how to use this Method in their respective Troops. I think we'll just have to be the individuals, Patrol Method 'champions' in our respective spheres of influence.
    1 point
  20. I'm aware that BSA doesn't allow youth to work with tools. I was just shocked that GSA allows it. I have already finished my Eagle project.
    1 point
  21. Yes, more accurately, I don't believe there was a violation to report.
    1 point
  22. Thanks for all the replies. I wish I had done a better job of conveying the story. I do not think this was any kind of YPT violation that needed to be reported, but I did think it was an interesting example of when issues that sound black and white become more gray. As I said, he dragged his mattress out of our room and was just outside the door. I pretty much tripped over him when I got up. His presence in the far corner of a large room with six other scouts was no more nefarious than my presence would have been as I passed through to use the rest room and then made coffee in t
    1 point
  23. Thanks, Barry. All good points. And, yes, I think we do need a national figure head to give guidance to Scouters on how to ensure the Patrol Method is properly utilized in their respective Troops. Maybe he/she could write monthly articles in Boys' Life lifting up the Patol Leaders and encouraging Scouts to make the most of their Patrol fun and adventure. Wait, this sounds like a familiar concept...
    1 point
  24. As with ANY course or program, much depends on the instructor, the curriculum, student participation/attention, the class size, how confirming prerequisites are completed, and many other factors. We have all seen well-run courses and some real howlers. The important thing, as an individual, is to do your own research, read and practice. This can make up for a lousy course, instructor or otherwise. As for reality TV, do yourself a favor and don't watch it. Your IQ will drop 10 points with each one you watch. Read a good book or watch something about science or history. If not available, st
    1 point
  25. One thing to remember about ARC and BSA, there is a lot of collaboration with the 2 organizations. The BSA and ARC lifeguard programs are 95% identical. Only difference is the addition of G2SS policies, which are stricter. When I took BSA Lifeguard in 2016, for an extra $25 or $35 and taking the ARC written test, I could have been dual certified. Heck BSA Lifeguard classroom portion was watching ARC videos. Yes I would have been ticked. I was a certified YMCA Lifeguard, and still needed to work with a Lifesaving MBC to get teh MB.
    1 point
  26. I think reporting in this case could be more about protecting the leader vs really a concern that something nefarious occurred. As the leaders of this Troop created separate sleeping areas and s leader left the area to sleep with the youth he did open himself up to possible accusations. What if one of the youth accuses him of crawling in his bunk during that night six months from now? Now you have a situation where an adult has clearly been the only adult sleeping in an area with youth. That would be bit of a mess. Hell, if I did this I would send a report to my COR and DE. I’d e
    1 point
  27. Hmmm, I have a gal that got fired up about doing a recent service project that she organized a group of elderly ladies, acquired the materials and had everyone pitch in and make lap blankets for all the residents of the local nursing home for Christmas. Sound like an Eagle project? Nope, the gal part gave that away. Did she say she had fun? Nope, not that either. Did she get any credit for it? Nope, but she did put in a public notice of thanks to everyone that helped her. I asked her a couple of Sunday's ago at church coffee fellowship about her "project". She was kinda surprised bec
    1 point
  28. Good News!!! Thanks for the update. One of the many great features in TroopWebHost is that the Scouts can login to their account and see where they are in their own advancement. They can also print a Scouting History Report which gives them a summary of everything they have completed. This has taken some of the work load off of our Advancement Chair.
    1 point
  29. Besides, let's be honest, camp food often is "situationally good" After a cold night of sleeping in the backcountry, a ziplock bag egg is pretty good. In my house? Heck no. I want an omelet with veggies and meat, preferably sausage. We also have to understand that different programs have different strengths and weaknesses and that does have an impact on Scouts and what skills they retain. A pair of Eagles across the country's inability to cook on a TV show has no bearing on my experiences as a Scout or the value I place on my Eagle.
    1 point
  30. I think every scout probably has had a part of the program they struggled with or were just weren't as good at, even if they did get through the requirements. I also hope people don't look at the Eagle Scout badge as some sort of confirmation that anyone who wears it is highly proficient in each and every task associated with the rank. Especially many years after those merit badges were earned. It also looks very set up for the reality show. Did they have to cook eggs in a zip-lock bag? They're in a full kitchen. I'm guessing the producers asked them to do some camp cooking and intentio
    1 point
  31. Also keep in mind that this is a "reality show" (or at least it looks like one, I've never seen it) so it doesn't necessarily have anything to do with actual reality.
    1 point
  32. If the parents push them, they won’t learn or succeed. I have two brothers in my troop (one first class, one almost Eagle.) They have a helicopter mother and will literally do EVERYTHING for her sons. She even does all their school work. She’s doing his Eagle Scout Project, meaning he didn’t demonstrate leadership or anything. My parents haven’t pushed me, told me to do anything (besides to finish my last two merit badges haha). All I have to do is my last two merit badges. I did a meaningful project at a local Adult daycare center, and I found the place myself through my nurs
    1 point
  33. Not necessarily. A YPT violation is not a charge of abuse. It does not, in itself, constitute an actionable offense. Scouters have been retained after events like this.
    1 point
  34. Thread hijacking is not good internet decorum. IT IS SIMILAR TO NOT TYPING IN ALL CAPS ALL THE TIME. It is a consistent and common rule across nearly all forums. I know I violate it from time to time and have no problem when called out. It is simple enough to create a new topic.
    1 point
  35. Do those crew members want to work toward Eagle? If they do, I'd encourage them to do the same Sydney and see if there is a path for them to do so. For the record, I don't advocate for her being given direct credit for work/requirements done un-officially. I support her being given requirement/rank transfer credit for things done in Scouts Canada officially, same as any boy could potentially receive. I strongly disagree that she was trying to give the BSA a "public relations black eye." Just because you disagree with her viewpoint (one that clearly many in the BSA happen to agree,
    1 point
  36. Don't get me started there. There are so many things wrong with G2SS in that regard. But that is a topic for a different thread.
    1 point
  37. As a youth, I personally believe he did not do anything wrong. - He wasn’t one on one with a scout. - He was in the MAIN room, not a side room (If he napped in there during the day, would that violate it since there are scouts in the MAIN area where he is sleeping?) - Was on ground, not sharing a bunk - Last minute decision (1am, nobodies thinking then) - A cabin isn’t a tent
    1 point
  38. For over 20 years now, BSA has not asked me to teach anything for the program. I used to teach Fundamentals, both Cub and SM, I used to teach Webelos outdoors, I used to teach at University of Scouting, I am registered but never called for MB counseling, etc. I musta fell out of the Good Ol' Boys' good graces. I have been with the Red Cross for less than 2 years, I am an instructor for Mass Care/Disaster Cycle Services side of the Red Cross, Not the CPR/FA/AED or BioMedial sides, and I am on the schedule to teach Sheltering Fundamentals and Simulation (2 sessions), and Disaster Action T
    1 point
  39. Just like in the professional world, an employee shouldn't be floored by a poor performance review which seemingly comes from out of the blue. Rather, a supervisor should coach/mentor an employee such that poor reviews aren't necessary. Likewise, a Scoutmaster should coach/mentor the Eagle candidate. I would highly recommend, as I said before, suggesting the Scoutmaster meet with the candidate sooner than later to share his/her concerns. The Eagle candidate shouldn't arrive at the Eagle Board of Review and get blindsided. As a somewhat humorous look into past concerns regarding Eagl
    1 point
  40. How about eliminating he boring parts and replacing it with good training - like if BSA was competing for your time? I have witnesses awful training - and training where the learners didn't want to leave when the sessions were over.
    1 point
  41. If BSA were to ever get it's act together they could produce a number of training sessions by using videos. The boring classroom parts could all be one for free over the internet and maybe the hands-on parts could meet for half the time at less expense. Participant booklets and reference guides could be printed off over the internet for those that want them People would be more apt to take the training if they could do it for free at a time most convenient to their schedules. That ain't happening now and then there's all the wailing and gnashing of teeth that goes into why people aren
    1 point
  42. My take? If the district/council thinks the boy did not complete the requirements (e.g., paperwork missing, the signature of a counselor or project beneficiary is invalid, etc...) they need to ask the scout to rectify those things before going forward. Once everything is in place on paper, start the board, soon. If anything is lacking, suspend the board with instructions in writing for what the scout should do before the board may reconvene.
    1 point
  43. As it happens I am at Gilwell Park as I type! Massive event called winter camp, big weekend jamboree affair. We come every year it's great fun Gilwell are quite welcoming to visitors, phone in advance and they'll have you there. Be aware that's it's in a transitional phase. A lot of the old buildings are being closed knocked down and replaced. So the famous camp square looks quite run down but is due to be totally rebuilt. Brownsea is indeed run by the National Trust which is a charity that looks after a lot of historic sites. It's open to visitors all year, no need to
    1 point
  44. Week T-1 Update We now have 5 girls interested in joining our Pack. 4 are current GSUSA members and 3 have brothers in the Pack. We have not pushed recruiting at all and do not plan to so I expect our early adopter numbers to be low. So far, 2 Lions, 1 Wolf and 2 Bears. Two of the girls would bring a new family to the Pack. Their father is an Eagle Scout and former scout leader (he doesn’t have sons so he hasn’t been involved with our Pack). Next week... committee meeting, meeting with DE.
    1 point
  45. Depends on the reason he's struggling. For my son it was often just not paying attention in some subjects, talking too much and not getting instructions, not writing down homework etc. Others were he just didn't get the info that was being taught, that was math. He struggled pretty much almost every year in math from the 1st grade to now which is 9th grade.  In grammar school after forgetting to hand in homework or forgetting he had homework beacuse he didn't write the assignment down. I did drop the hammer, I told him no more scouts, no more playing basketball, no more friends ever comin
    1 point
  46. Sometimes Scouts need to be un-scout-like to defend what is theirs.
    0 points
  47. I hope his son or daughter know first aid. I think he just broke his arm patting himself on the back.
    0 points
  48. Maybe I am wrong. But I am basing my assessment on what she has said in numerous interviews. Time and time again she has referenced wanting the Eagle Scout award as her motivation Please read her and her fathers own words.. Mind you, Mr. Ireland claims to be a Scout Leader (SM I believe), to teach other SM's and staff NYLT. Given that, some of his statements are puzzling. As for showing Loyalty, I would look at those comments and ask Loyalty to whom or what?
    0 points
  49. For two years we had a national head of training at HQ whose No. 1 priority was the Patrol Method. We actually got some explanation of the Patrol Method back in the Scoutmaster Specific syllabus, after a fourteen year absence. More change in SM training was prevented by making Venturing leadership training top priority.) The language about a troop being a group of patrols reappeared in the Handbook. But he seems to have made the bureaucracy nervous, so he was promoted out of that job and the former chief put back in charge. All progress stopped, as did any direct communication with vo
    0 points
×
×
  • Create New...