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Showing content with the highest reputation on 04/16/18 in all areas
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The short answer of course is the same thing that would happen any time you don't have enough adults to conduct an activity --- you either find them or you don't conduct the activity. 1) This seems the least likely and the easiest to avoid or correct. You don't really need a female scouter, you need an adult female who has taken YPT. I don't think I've ever been at a meeting where there wasn't at least one adult female; troops will probably need to get more women to take YPT, but that's a 45 minute online class --- hardly a difficult ask. 2) This one will be harder, but we've had3 points
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If you have the clout, go for the District Commissioner. I personally believe the DC is most power person in the district and has the most leverage with council. Besides other advantages, the DC can control the training and training materials. I believe (I know) training is the fastest avenue for making broad changes through the units. The DC was my goal for taking over the world, bru ha ha ha. By the time I was asked, I was so burned out that I declined. I know, but just the possibility that the person at the other end of my ringing phone was someone wanting to talk scout business naus2 points
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I think the registration of adults for > 72 hours is good. Get the background check, get them covered by insurance, etc. Get them YPT training, that's good. It's not a huge fee. It's a cost of doing business and running a youth program in the 21st century.2 points
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The 2 year thing might present a challenge, but the reasoning for it is understandable. It's not just tents, but buddy system for bathroom breaks, etc. That's not necessarily difficult, but one to remember. Also, strong emphasis on letting the scout choose the buddy. We require adults going on any campouts to do YPT.2 points
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Yes, if I think the person is suited for the role. We have gotten several new committee members that way.2 points
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That will be the next battleground surely. A young lady wants to join a troop but there is no "linked" troop at the CO she wants to join...so what to do. There may be one nearby, but she wants to to join this organization because it meets her meeting needs, better outdoor, etc etc. Cue the news trucks to be sitting in front of a meeting, cue the hand wringing as females are not being given the same opportunities, cue the faux outrage at the intolerant leaders who do not want to start a linked troop thereby denying the young lady equal access It will literally be a 3 ring circus rig2 points
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Troop 50 Tomfoolery at Pound Ridge NY, 1969 There is no age that seems to exhibit the epitome of thorough and unmitigated tomfoolery than that of the junior high school aged boy. His age, around eleven or twelve is precisely the age where he is allowed and even encouraged to sign up in the local scout troop. If it weren't for the older scouts who kept the silly tomfoolery of the younger ones to a manageable level through the use of the evil eye, cutting remarks, condescension, pranks and beatings, Boy Scouting would simply be just another vehicle for well meaning dads to put a proverbi1 point
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I've recently taken the updated YPT. It was very well done and I was impressed. I'm concerned though about two changes. One that we've tried to do as a troop and one that was a surprise. Scouts sharing a tent should not be more then two years apart unless they are siblings. We as a troop have always tried to do this. We viewed it as another imbalance of power situation. I don't think this affects my troop, but I'm wondering how troops that do mixed age patrols will succeed with this. Often you have scouts missing from the patrol. I don't think it would be unusual in a mixed age p1 point
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Sorry to have not followed board ettiquette or scout protocol here! The other boards I read work somewhat differently. I only intended to alert posters to a likely fraud so they wouldn't waste time and energy on thoughtful replies.1 point
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After reflection.... I'm sorry I didn't catch Brian's (OP) stories back in '06. I would have sent him a note encouraging more. (For those interested, Brian has one other post, another great camping story.) Both of Brian's posts are pure gold to me, for a variety of reasons. Primarily, he makes a great point: scouting isn't always a neat, picture-perfect experience. Lots of errors. Grime. Half cooked meals. Half baked leaders. Eccentric personalities. Etc. Rarely does it match the Norman Rockwell paintings I respect so much. Many of us stayed in scouting in spite of it1 point
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Welcome to Lone Scouting. I was a 3rd generation Lone Scout. My great uncle was one of the founding members of Lone Scouts of America. If you embrace Lone Scouting, with all of its history and tradition, in the same way that others do with BSA, you can have some real fun with it. Good luck.1 point
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Admitting girls was the deal breaker for me. I will not be registering with my grand kids. But, my kids aren't happy about admitting girls to the program either, so I'm not sure that would come up. However, pragmatically, I don't think these YPT changes would have affected our program much 20 years ago. Barry1 point
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I think T2Eagle is assuming that they would register the adults for 2/3 of the year, so the registration fee would be prorated.1 point
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The old rule was (from the Guide to Safe Scouting): "Assigning youth members more than two years apart in age to sleep in the same tent should be avoided unless the youth are relatives." [emphasis added.] The new rule seems to be (new online YPT training): "When sleeping in the same tent, youth must not be more than 2 years apart in age, unless they are relatives." [emphasis added.] So "should" has changed to "must". If you have youth more than 2 years apart in age, then they can't share a tent. With mixed-age patrols, there might be some Scouts who have to have their own indiv1 point
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I have never heard of a school district taking over a PTO like this. As some others have said, it kind of defeats the purpose of the whole thing. I completely understand their frustration at not being able to manage their own finances, especially while a Scout unit that THEY own is able to have its own bank account. The PTO presumably was a "legal entity" (a corporation or something similar) at some point, and legally it may still be, but it is not being permitted to operate as one. But as others have also said, the issue of whether this PTO qualifies to be a CO is really for the council/d1 point
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Cancel it just for the girls. That will give the incentive for one of the girls' moms to step up and volunteer. Doing otherwise (cancelling for the boys too) would just make everyone mad at the girls. Cancelling for just the girls would only upset the girls, and then they can badger their moms to volunteer.1 point
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Seems like a reasonable change with a coed program. Over the years I learned of scouting behavior situations and statistics that shocked me. I know that there are boy scout babies in the world. I knew that far enough back that those babies could be adult leaders now. One of my Patrol Method role models, who I met on the forum, quit scouting because of the coed problems in their Troop/Venturing Crew program. He and I were chatting (1997) at a Camporee 1:00 am while sitting between the girls and boys tents. He felt that American youth in our culture weren't mature enough to be coed. They w1 point
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Let's be honest. That is all CYA for National. There will be some tut tutting from Council and District folks and some "did you know" at training sessions but for those Troops that want a de facto co-ed Troop their will be little blow back or correction until AFTER something bad happens. The rules make a pretty good buffer for National if local units ignore the rules and something bad happens. Then we ALL will get some required additional training. I suspect many units will just make a "mom has to come along on campouts" rule. I think the only problem will be when there really is not any1 point
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@Eagle94-A1, what @T2Eagle said, or nothing. A troop who decides that BSA policy does their kids more harm than good will temporarily violate BSA policy. National can't enforce this any better than it can enforce patrol method and youth leadership.1 point
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We'll need to make some minor adjustments, but I don't think either of these changes will have a big impact. Except when we're on a backpacking trip, most of our tents are sized as 4 man, and we usually tent two to a tent, occasionally three, but that is most often because three scouts want that. We have mixed age patrols, but when the scouts are choosing tent partners they're generally close in age. I suspect that when we do run into a challenge it will be one older scout as odd man out. Either he'll pitch his own tent or toss in with someone the same age from another patrol. The1 point
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growing up, our CO was "group of citizens". basically the troop committee.1 point
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Many years ago several PTOs in my area dropped scouting units (due to BSA’s ban of gay scouts). Several formed “Friends of Scouts - Home Town” 501c3 Organizations. They then chartered Packs, Troops and Crews our of these. The benefit was self determination as the leaders of the scout units also were responsible for the CO. In our Pack/Troops case the CO founders were concerned about continunity as they would leave when their scouts left the program. So, several units left the FOS COs and found other organizations to take them on. It wasn’t a bad short term answer and my understanding is th1 point
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My biggest concerns are the following: 1) What happens when "linked troops" are having a "joint" meeting, but there is no female Scouter present for the meeting? 2) What happens when "linked troops" are suppose to have a "joint" camp out, but no female Scouter is able to attend? 3) What happen when "linked troops" are suppose to do a week long activity, but no female Scouter is able to attend?1 point
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That may be true. But is it any less odd that you would have spotted it on so many obscure, diverse, and unrelated web sites? I can't help but wonder if the two of you are actually acting together to tag-team us in some sort of inside joke.1 point
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Perhaps we are all being trolled by some Russian who is trying to divide us Scouters by a controversial jacket post.1 point
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IMO, her question appeared to be more about basic parenting than scouting but we moderators allowed it. The same question being posted on College Confidential and a Men's Clothing website is rather odd, though there is nothing wrong with posting the same question on whatever forum will allow it. Your suspicion appears warranted, but we moderators would need proof that she/he was the same person to take action regarding your concern of dishonesty or other violations of Scout Oath and Law. FYI, members usually issue a report on questionable or unscoutlike posts. Last week, I banned a pro1 point
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I wish I was a glow worm, a glow worms' never glum, 'cos how can you be gloomy when the sun shines out your bum?1 point
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Reminds me of all the Chuck Norris jokes... Chuck Norris has a bear rug in his tent. The bear is actually alive, but it's just too scared to move..1 point