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Showing content with the highest reputation on 03/07/18 in all areas
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My scouts here in the UK are 10-14 and I don't really see it. Sometimes they seem to drift into single sex groups. We went punting back in June. We told them to sort themselves into boat groups and they ended up single sex. A few weeks earlier we'd been sailing and they naturally sorted themselves into mixed sex boat groups. It just depends on what we are up to. Our actual patrols, where most chores are done, are mixed and there's certainly no gender based division there. They simply get stuck into it together. Maybe it's the sort of girls that come to scouts rather than girl guides4 points
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3 points
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Has anyone else found that the merit badge program is great for introducing concepts but neglects boys with any expertise? I discovered this during a BoR for Eagle. This wonderful young man was competing and placing in sailing at a state level and had even gone to national competition. But when he wanted to earn the badge, the ONE counselor in a 50 mile radius said he couldn't work with him unless he had *witnessed* him sailing. That the boy should come to camp XYZ. In the end, he could never earn this badge when plenty of boys do with far lesser skills and knowledge. I've found this2 points
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There probably is a lot to do with the types of kids that come to scouts but generally speaking I can see an upside to this approach, in the development of my son anyway. He has two sisters and gets along good with them.....but outside of that I'm not really convinced he ever really talks to girls. I recon from time to time he might get tagged to a girl as a lab partner or something at school, but I'm sure that would never be by choice and likely this is a rarely if ever thing. It would be good for him to have more friends that are girls...if for nothing else than for better under2 points
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I will not count cabin-camping nor lock-ins (such as sleeping in the Church) as camping. Many enemies I have made - no sleep I have lost. That goes for fathers and sons sleeping in cars wanting OA camping nights. No sir. No how.2 points
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Seems like such a STUPID solution that only exists to provide cover for Mr. Surbaugh after his previous statements about "no co-ed troops". Trying to have it both ways. I'd rather have intellectual consistency since we have to go out and explain this Potemkin Village to the parents. Not that I have an opinion. I may just name this "Surbaugh's Skort Solution" as something that is a hacked hybrid that is neither co-ed or single sex. Really. Your not going to listen to us Scouters anyway so just make a freaking decision--he needs to stop thinking this is a new chapter in "Profiles in C2 points
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2 points
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See attached update sent out today by Nationals to SEs. Family_Scouting_Overview_Presentation_3-5-18.pdf1 point
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The federal lawsuit filed Tuesday, March 6 in Grand Rapids against Michigan Crossroads Council claims the Lansing-based scouting organization owes a food service provider approximately $90,000. CORD Inc. says it entered into a contract with Michigan Crossroads Council and the Boy Scouts of America to provide food services to summer camps, including the Gerber Scout Reservation in Muskegon County and Rota-Kiewan Scout Reservation in Kalamazoo County. Under the contract, CORD furnished, stored and prepared food from scratch, according to the lawsuit. The company fronted operating costs1 point
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One thing I got knocked down about at my proposal was not having the full safety things listed. Make sure you put a map to hospital, a phone, a first kit.1 point
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Welcome. What is a "Magic Draft"? I would think any fees should pay for any expenses and any excess go back to the Troop. But I do not have any facts (which rarely keeps me from sharing an opinion)1 point
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Because 11-14 girls and 11-14 boys naturally separate and don't want anything to do with each other. Even at church we have coed elementary school stuff, coed high school stuff, and separate boys and girls groups for the 6th-8th grades. Also, in a coed environment tasks can easily divide along gender roles, depriving the kids of a chance to learn valuable skills more commonly associated with the other gender. The linked-troop option seems very nice in reducing the overhead involved in getting a new troop off the ground, and in providing institutional know-how. But I can see1 point
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I'm not saying that they have to...the CO has a choice, and I can respect that, but I also can be disappointed at the decision/preference. However, I would also hope that ONE of them would encourage/welcome this change, as an organization with institutional knowledge can make this much more successful than one that cannot. I would hate to see any effort towards the spreading of scouting ideals fail.1 point
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Really? Speculation is just now going on? I don't speculate. It doesn't matter what size font they print FAMILY SCOUTING on the flyer. I choose the most sensible name and stick with it. So it's BSA4G until someone proves otherwise. If they were "Scout Troops", then why does my CO need two of them? The only reason would be because there's two programs. The existing one for boys and a new program for girls who want to do the the things boy scouts do. My crew never needed two advisors. Why? Because it was one program. Our pack never needed two cubmasters for the same reason. B1 point
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Have you seen the amount of open treks listed? 62 crew openings in June 93 crew openings in July 145 crew openings in August1 point
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My word of advice for the family is to be careful of joining too early if they intend to go for Eagle someday. I have seen several scouts who file their Eagle application with a date that was too early and it stops the whole train because that may be the one time it really gets checked. If they are 18 and running out of time it adds to the stress. Even unofficial early tag-alongs can get messed up if awards are recorded by volunteers before the official date.1 point
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If the boy is in the 4th grade and just turned 10 in December, how did he meet the 6 month tenure requirement ("six months since completing the fourth grade or for at least six months since becoming 10 years old"? He hasn't completed the 4th grade yet, so December + 6 months would be June.1 point
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As a scouter with two boys in the Troop, I would occasionally skip a campout, just so the boys had the experience of camping without me. I also arranged it so that they would occasionally camp without either me or their brother. I didn't go to summer camp with the troop until my oldest was an Eagle, and my youngest was Life and the SPL. I was pretty much hands-off with the boys when I was there, until they became older scouts. Then, as they were involved in troop leadership, we interacted more.1 point
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It doesn't look that different to the group system that we have in the UK that you don't have at present. Most commonly a group consists of one each of beaver colony, cub pack, scout troop an explorer unit with one committee sitting over the top. However at larger groups such as mine we have two scout troops and two cub packs. We have two SLs (what you call SMs) two sets of ASLs (ASMs), although we do fill in with each other if we're short on adults on any given week, and two PLCs. Most of our programmes are separate. My troop meets on a Thursday, the other troop meets Wednesday at the same lo1 point
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So the first scentence ("No."), doesn't mean "No"? Not a very progressive step in welcoming young women.1 point
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Welcome to the forum James. You may use one of the three types of targets listed. You do not need all three.1 point
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Link for that poster above: https://www.scouting.org/familyscouting/ Looks like girls in the troop can start Jan. 2019.1 point
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https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/familyscouting/pdf/Family-Scouting-Infographic.pdf1 point
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Except for the fact I know it will happen, I would bet a beer that there will be at least one pair of troops in the nation who will have the same scoutmaster and ASMs, and the PLCs meet as one.1 point
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Ladies and gentlemen: The attached was just sent to me by a council scout executive who is a good friend. The source is from national. I've opted to lock the topic on posting, those who wish may create a new thread. Please remember a Scouter is friendly, courteous, and kind1 point
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This attitude really bothers me and I worked hard in our district to change it. I'm guessing, but I think National created the perception by adding Venture Patrols to the program in 1990. They suggested troops put all their older scouts I Venture patrols at age 14. Between the First Class in the First Year concept and the Venture Patrols, what are adults new to scouting supposed to think? As you pointed out, there isn't really that much adventure that younger scouts can't do if it is planned wisely. Barry1 point
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Congratulations @Hawkwin . I guess it's up to me to ask the politically incorrect question. Spin or no-spin? Or do girl Bobcats just cartwheel and save their Dads' backs?1 point
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When is the election? You said you have a little over a month. Is that to the election or to an earlier date? IMHO, a voter guide is useful when it is weeks or a month or more before the election. As such, I would not want to use the election as the due date. IMHO, it should be weeks before as as due date. If I was approving your project, I'd be looking at Will you be successful? Will you have a good experience? Will you meet the expectations to "develop, plan and lead" a project? View your proposal as an agreement. Only put in as much as you need to clearly1 point
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Regardless we are trying to build "resilient youth" (to get all buzzwordy) and we do that through the outdoor method.1 point
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CLARIFICATION: Scout with medical condition hates having to camp with dad. He knows he misses out not only when he cannot camp because dad is unable to go with him, but missing out in general because he is not with his patrols mates.... ... On second thought he is friends with my middle son and they are in the same patrol. It may be a good thing they don't tent together, otherwise they would never shut up and go to sleep.1 point
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I think you're trying to mansplain something to me, but being a dude, I missed the micro-aggression1 point
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When I was SM I would not count cabin camping nights for Camping MB or OA eligibility, and I made sure the Scouts all understood well in advance.1 point
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Well calling any weekend in a cabin "glamping" is just rude. There's no "glam" in a box full of boy-scent or man-snore -- no matter how much lipstick your try to put on that pig! But, the nation is rife with scouters wanting to push-back as the comments in @LeCastor's link and older post on Bryan's show: https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2015/06/24/ask-expert-isnt-camping-night-camping-mb/ https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2012/06/07/ask-the-expert-interpreting-camping-merit-badge-requirement-9a/1 point