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Update: of 17 Tigers 10 will be awarded the rank. 4 never showed up after recruitment and 3 didn't show up but a couple of times. AND I can call em all by name too.

This is in order of likelihood a pigtail mafia member will leave a thin mint bomb in your mailbox. 1 - start with sisters of existing members 2 - have them reach out to their friends to recruit them to join 3 - standard Join Scouts Night stuff (flyers, yard signs, emails). Have something fun to do for the kids and ensure some girls that plan to join attend 4 - reach out to existing GSUSA scouts 5 - recruit existing GSUSA Troop leaders 6 - boom... your mailbox just exploded Overall, I don’t see much of a difference from recruiting boys other than making sure

#1: This isn't somebody else's program. This is your son's program. You teach highschoolers, but I assume you're familiar with elementary education. When teachers assign projects, homework or spelling lists, you have to know that kids aren't going home and doing everything by themselves. Absolutely zero science projects have been completed by 7 year olds with their parents off doing their own thing. Parental involvement and assistance is needed then just as it is in Cub Scouts. #2: Nobody is asking you or anyone to recreate the wheel, but how do you think outings to the conservancy,

I was a reluctant Tiger leader but my 2nd week in I was at the grocery store and one of my boys pointed me out to his mom "That's him! My Scoutleader!". I was hooked. I felt like a rock star.

@Pselb You keep referring to Cub Scouts as "someone else's program". Your son is in it, so it is his program, and since he is under 10, by default, it is your program too. Like others have said, maybe you don't need to be the den leader, but you definitely have something to add to the program. By the way, my wife is also a teacher. Although she wasn't the den leader, she saw the chaos of our first couple of meetings and helped me with planning the meetings to keep the kids engaged and under control... She was my coach behind the scenes. She was not a registered volunteer, but she a

Like I said, your reasons are your own, so fair enough. Most families don't feel that scouting is as big a part of their lives as my family does, and I'm fine with that. I still find it incredulous that because you don't share an interest in something, you choose not to help make it better or at the very least feign interest. Everything you're saying here and in your subsequent posts all deal with the direct "boy-facing" volunteer opportunities. There are plenty of ways you and other parents can help besides teaching a class or giving a lecture. By your own admission your family does

There is the other side: 1) You have a boy (girl) in scouts. 2) You slowly get sucked into the myth and re-discover your inner boy. 3) Some old scouters or real boy scouts teach you some skills, you get just enough 'official' training to stay our of trouble. 4) You deliver the best program you can, make friends, and gain 100 unofficial nephews. Some inspire you, most are memorable, and a few break your heart. 6) You ignore national unless you hang around the forum or there is a press release. Look the whole world seems to be falling apart, some of us on the front

Agree. But the irony here was that Remind was suggested by the PLC because they didn't want to use email. The adults had been complaining that they never checked it. The boys made a big deal about how they check texts messages "nearly instantaneously" but only rarely email, so Remind was suggested as a way to get in touch with them faster. The reality was that teenagers don't check (or at least don't bother to respond to) texts either. I suspect if we used Snapchat they'd eventually find a way to ignore that too.

as far as parent roles in youth baseball, just as in scouts there are a ton of other roles besides coach (SM), asst coaches (ASMs). In baseball, parents help by planning and organizing the opening day parade, post-game treats, end-of-season banquets, etc... Besides the named roles in any youth activity, there are many other un-named roles which enhance the program for the youth and/or provide the ligistical support for the named roles.

I am starting to suspect you are Trolling and do not have a boy in the program. The way you phrase things is not how a parent of a child says things. If I am wrong I apologize. So WHAT program outside of scouting that is not work related are you involved in? I get it, I have a job and multiple kids...you pick your battles. But maybe I missed it what is yours? I volunteer in Scouts and Band and occasionally church. Most people on this board have similar resumes. I can say the "no" because I have a bigger burning "yes". What is yours?

I will tell you what I see. I am a CM and I go to my 3 schools during school hours and recruit. When I walk into the room in my uniform and start talking about cub scout I tend to see more attention from the girls than the boys. Sure there are boys highly interested but its the girls that sigh and say "ohh man" I tell them what we do, where we go and what over opportunities there are. I wont change my spill. When I mention Girl Scout to the girls that are really interested I hear the same story "its boring, all we do is sell cookies"

While I know there are a few "Scouter-retirees" lurking on this board most of the folks here have active skin in the game and experience in dealing with the actual issues...I do not think your comments amount to much effective feedback because obviously you have volunteered to be disengaged from scouting or, at your admission, really helping out because you have said you basically have better things to do. That is your right but it will irk folks who put in the time and grapple with the issues. Most teacher evaluators have some experience in teaching...if you say what you mean sit in the back

The first thing you need to do is have a discussion with your CO and find out if they support inclusion of girls in their unit. Any activity before that is potentially a waste of effort.

Don't try to understand 'emJust rope, throw an' brand 'emSoon we'll be livin' high an' wide

True, but it also says "The pack helps the Cub Scout grow"... and that pack is a lot more than just the kids. The point is, unlike Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts is not boy led and is not intended to be. It shouldn't be his son's program, or some one else's program...

@5thGenTexan -- great job! Thank your for working with the boys.

Ditto. Went to the school one day for something and it was lunch time. I got waves and high fives all down the hallway.

I picked up a 1929 second printing of the Handbook for Patrol Leaders off ebay from an estate sale. I guess this is what happens when people buy lots of books from estate sales. The book is in really good condition except for missing the front page and single tear on the foreword from James West. In the back was the a small signature. Through my super sleuthing (i.e. Google) I found that book most likely belonged to a Japanese boy named Jiro. He was born in 1919 and passed away in 2016. Born and raised in Southern California and sadly was interned in a Japanese camp during WWII. I feel

You make it sound as if those who DO volunteer have ample time on their hands and few outside interests and lives of their own.

BSA National Leadership = Bumbling, clueless, deceitful liars. What an embarrassment.

I use to teach but stopped when it became too much of a drag. What I like about Scouts is, if you do it right, you can do most of the fun part of teaching. Merit Badges can be a hassle but teaching one part of one with somebody or just bringing a speaker is a big help. I'd say just giving promotional materials via your son is not likely to be successful and I have seen hundreds of boys. Nothing wrong with promoting local programs. Our Troop has recurring relationships on education and service projects with the local Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful and the local Estuary program. Those folks work

Oh I have been on the other side of that conference! I've had some pretty mad Scout parents too. One of my hats as a government person is permit review. No one likes to be regulated. I have to sometimes disapprove permits, I've had personal threats, calls from lawyers, etc. While I try hard to be a helpful public servant I have a thicker skin now too.

LOL! You want a kid? I'll send you one! Catch me on a good day and I'll even cover the cost of shipping. Yes, I have a son in the program. Apology accepted. As I mentioned: My church takes a lot of my "free" time, but the wife and kids are also involved as a family. The wife teaches at the grade school level and I teach at the high school/adult level Sunday School. All our kids are old enough to be enrolled at that time. I volunteer for the local historical society and genealogy club because of my interest in history. One of my daughters volunteers at the historical soc

And Summit has been so wildly successful...let's just emulate that

I thought it was my response! Kind of hard to tell. I didn't see any disrespect in your comments, nor do I think I showed any in mine. We've both stayed on topic and the only difference between our posts is yours seems to be focused on the subjectivity of the issue and I trying to be more objective about it tries to focus on how difficult that subjective fluidity is among different personal moral standards. Personally I would be slightly concerned about what the girl did (maybe one eyebrow up), but my fulcrum tipping point is more in the middle where it isn't an issue to me either way.

I wouldn't have an issue with unique items for girls in the long-term. My issue with it is that this seems entirely counter to what we heard throughout the years of the effort to get girls into Cub Scouts, including from people like me. I believed what I was told and heard, that girls just wanted the chance to be in the BSA, as-is. We were told that the program didn't need to change, that girls could do exactly what the boys were doing, they could sign up and put on the same uniform and go out and be scouts just like the boys. We went out and pushed that message, and I believe it still. And th

Yeah, no I get what you mean.... At first we started looking at the popup as an upgraded tent.... then as time passed it became a really low-end RV. Now we have a basic class C motor home. Interesting thing related to this thread, it was on one of those cub scout trips I mentioned, when we first started toying with the idea of getting an RV. It rained all weekend. I was out doing the seemingly hour long set-up process getting soaked, while I watched all the folks in TT's and motor homes, back into their spots, set the parking brake, and crack open a cold drink....to watch me. I w

How about redesigning venturing into a young adult program? Overlap it with college ages. Overlap it with college service fraternities. Put certain boundaries on it (no drinking, etc). It's about service and adventure. I often think about this as we had multiple scouts age out and become 18-20. They hang around in a pseudo fashion. They just don't have the time and commitment to become a fully trained and committed ASM, but they are not really a youth either. It would be nice to have a program to serve them. And, I'd be okay calling it Scouting Young Adults. Gotta check the acr

Body Positivity Win: ‘Boys’ Life’ Magazine Just Picked A Plus-Sized Boy For Its Annual Sexiest Boy Alive Issue http://www.clickhole.com/article/body-positivity-win-boys-life-magazine-just-picked-7295

Take up a position on the other side of the supermarket entrance across from the Girl Scouts selling cookies with a sign: "Boy Scouts of America are now pro-choice: Girls now welcome!"

I can tell you for a fact that the 1999 figures were inflated. Does Ronnie Holmes and Greater Alabama Council ring a bell? http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45573-2005Jan28.html Sadly, he was not the only one inflating membership. One of the reasons I quit being a DE was being pressured to inflate membership. The pressure was intense, and affecting my health and life. It got so bad, it was affecting the wife, who gave me the ultimatum: her or the job. Interesting thing was that once I left, several units I allowed to drop were recharted. Thank goodness I have kept a copy of

Customer demand? The BSA will tell you what you demand!

Well, we usually seem to agree on most things, but not this time. (But I'm not going to down-vote your post like you did to mine. ) A note on the socks: I think that in my entire life (which has included being a Cub Scout and later a Den Leader and Assistant Cubmaster), I have never seen a Cub Scout wearing the official socks, before I saw this video and photo. (In most of the packs in my area, the kids don't even wear the official pants, they all wear jeans, but that's a different discussion.) I think the presence of Cub Scout socks supports the suggestion made by a couple of peop

I don't necessarily disagree, but where do you draw the line? All of my local grocery stores sell liquor and cigs. Do we prohibit scouts from fundraising in front of (or inside of) such businesses? We also fundraise at sporting events where alcohol is served (and where pot is consumed), do we avoid those locations as well? I would not likely have made the same choice as this father and daughter but I also have difficulty passing judgment on them when I consider the fact that the store is legal in that state. It doesn't seem right for me to impose my morals on then from a state thousa

Agreed, I wouldn’t want to have my child learn that selling outside a weed store makes good money. It’s not a good influence in my opinion.

Just an observation: Is the organization "falling apart" because of the change in program or was the change in program meant to shore up a failing administrative structure? I don't hear anyone addressing these issues. Yes they take sides, the admin is bad/good, but what, if anything, is being done to identify and address the issues? Whatever is not being done "at the top" leaves the heavy lifting at "the bottom" that much worse. 1) You have a boy (girl) in scouts. 2) You are expected to help out. It is "volunteer...or else!" arm-twist 3) You are required to take training. W

This thread reflect the us versus them theme from another thread where we have mods and non mods involved. It is about perception and morality. I don’t have kids but I wouldn’t want them selling cookies outside of any of these places. Why are they there in the first place but to take advantage of people with munchies. That’s just wrong. They shouldn’t be outside of liquor stores either.

Oh, by the way, as I said my wife's a trained teacher and every opportunity she gets she volunteers to do nature studies at the local conservancy and state park. Where does she get the time? She doesn't, it's part of our home-schooling for our children. What can I say, teaching is not her interest, it's her passion.

We have all been given 24 hours each day. How we divide that up is up to the individual. My interests and priorities are not the same as anyone else's. If they have an interest and wish to volunteer for Boy Scouts, that's great. If they have an interest and wish to volunteer for some other organization, that's great, too. Everyone out there needs volunteers. But then again, not everyone is interested in the same things. I would prefer all those who volunteer for something have an interest in it. Being coerced doesn't make anyone a good volunteer candidate. I once had a pastor that

Most AOL ceremonies at B&G tend to drag on and bore the audience outside of the families of the boys receiving it. Candle after candle. Then add on the bridging. Removing neckerchiefs, walking, pausing for photos, putting on new neckerchiefs...ugh. Now, AOL and bridging combined together in itself is not a bad idea IF the logistics of Packs and Troops works out. Watched a simple night outdoor AOL ceremony (5 min) with symbolic arrows and the AOL sign. Just the Webelos and their families and some Troop leaders. Then it was time for bridging. The boys walked across a land bridge (~100 y

I tend to agree. But at the same time, it is explicitly intended and stated that scouts are given wide latitude in what type of project is acceptable. We don't to put too many limits on the scout or the country will be buried under the weight of a million picnic tables. From what I've seen, the projects that do have trouble at their eagle board of review are as above. The scout heavily depends on one person or an external resource or essentially gives up control of their project. Perhaps that should be an evaluation criteria? Will the scout be in control of his own project?

@Pselb , take it easy. No one and definitely not me stated or implied that you and your wife were using the BSA for babysitting, only that some parents have and long before Family Scouting arrived. @NJCubScouter, @Sentinel947, @LeCastor

That is exactly where I am at with these latest changes. After 10+ years as Scoutmaster and service at the district level, I will exit Scouting at the end of this year - 2018 will be my last year as a registered Scouter. I will do so with sadness but not bitterness. I could swallow the prior decisions about gays and trans. Those decisions were made to avoid the distractions of lawsuits and allow BSA to focus on what really matters, but in reality they do very little to change the fabric of Scouting and how things actually operate on a practical level. The decision to admit girls is a

I highly doubt they are teaching non-trek participants about smellables and in-camp safety. They didn't when I have been at PTC. Kids were chasing deer, plugging up mini bear holes with garbage, destroying ant mounds and generally running around untethered. For my money if they are going to double down on the whole family retreat approach, I'd rather they build a seperate place across the road for families. Crews go to Philmont because it is the pinnacle of their high adventure dreams. The last thing they want is to see a bunch of families around the dining hall or cantine. Anyone wh

The change at the Cub Scout level has been in place for 23 days. The details of the change at ages 11-17 have not even been announced yet. I suppose one alternative would be to wait until we see what actually happens rather than drawing all kinds of conclusions based on what any of us thinks will happen. But I realize that in this forum, that's crazy talk.

All true, but it extends further. As the girls begin to occupy major troop leadership positions and the boys step back, Scouting will become known as primarily a girl organization. Then the boys flee altogether in favor of gender-segregated sports teams and others masculine pursuits. This is the path that Scouts Canada has followed. After going co-ed in 1998, Scouts Canada encountered dramatic membership declines, and it is now primarily a girl movement. Summer camp facilities are for sale across Canada. Welcome to the future.

I plan on ignoring it completely until someone tells me I have to do something.

Welcome to the forum, it's good to see you jumping in. Kids at this age are rather resilient, they forgive easily and are there to have fun. It would seem you are taking the job too seriously. Relax, enjoy the boys and don't worry about things, they don't. The more anxious you are, the more the boys will sense it. Just take care of your boys and make sure you have fun too. I have found that at that age, you really can do no wrong unless you are trying. I will counter the one suggestion about chairs and tables. Forget it. Sit in a circle on the floor. Always start out with a