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Showing content with the highest reputation on 05/22/18 in all areas

  1. There's a lot of hate for those in the profession, including me when y'all don't even know me. I mean I get it, there are A LOT of bad, even crooked Pros out there. Whatever, it's not gonna stop me from doing my job of trying to grow scouting and give kids opportunities. Again, I believe we work together and have the same goals in mind... I'm sorry if that's not the case in your council. Thank you all for what you do for scouting.
    5 points
  2. The economist in me smiles at this statement. This truth applies to almost anything we do. That said, and I'm not trying to defend some of the boneheaded things coming out of Texas, the great U.S of A. is a VERY big place. It's sometimes hard to remember that what's "natural" or "apparent" to us locally doesn't apply or have the same meaning to someone across town, across a District, or across a Council, much less across a country as big as ours. A Scouter's experience growing up in a local Pack, bridging over to an attached Troop and eventually finding a home as a Scouter all with an involved
    4 points
  3. The LDS Church is not just dropping Scouts, they are replacing them. BSA may get a slice of the pie short term as the young men try to finish Eagle. Long term, I am afraid they will only get crumbs.
    3 points
  4. I would like to say I really don't care how colleges view my boys' Eagle awards, if they even get them. If a college looks at my kids and doesn't see them as wonderful people, then it's their loss. And, I get that top colleges are competitive, but I don't really know if my kids will be chasing top colleges. What I want in an Eagle Scout journey for my sons is the maturity and real world experience the journey gives them. My boys are youngish, 11 and 13 and they are just starting to learn. My older son was supposed to lead cooking on this last weekend's campout and I heard it
    3 points
  5. No offense gents but "need" is the language tyrants use to convince their subjects to voluntarily give up their natural rights. I don't "need" to carry a knife. I choose to carry one because I find it useful and it's within my rights so long as I'm not using it to hinder the rights of others. It is the government's obligation to justify restricting my rights and "other people do bad things with a knife" isn't sufficient. It's not BP that's rolling over in his grave, it's John Locke.
    2 points
  6. Or maybe a Scout is thrifty and we go back to everyone, except the Webelos, wearing a yellow neckerchief and hat?... Just sayin'...
    2 points
  7. @Mashmaster, I feel your pain. I had to stop going to troop meetings. Although having boys tell me that they missed me and would I come back was gratifying, I knew that it was undermining their respect for the new SM. A bit of MBC work is my only involvement now. If I thought for a minute that district would actually use me for outdoor work and woods-skills teaching, I might violate my maxim about 'Unit level Scouting'. I obviously miss it, or I wouldn't drop by this forum to stir up trouble.
    2 points
  8. @Jenn, welcome to scouter.com. Two phrases that all volunteers should know from the start: No thanks. or simply NO. Where is that written? My $0.02
    2 points
  9. Methinks you insult trees.
    2 points
  10. Obviously, some changes are trivial (shoulder loop colors) and some are not (restructuring the program for girls). Responses should be proportional. When our opinions as volunteers are ignored and disregarded, it seems we have only two ways to object: with our feet and with our dollars. How else to send a message they will pay attention to?
    2 points
  11. Because you have interacted with them, and have found the majority of Wood Badge trained people in your Council that you have met to be non-impressive in Scout skills and Spirit. I've met only a few in our Council that have been through Wood Badge that I have though highly of.
    2 points
  12. I have been passionate about Scouting for my whole life, but my motivation is driven entirely from interaction with the boys. I know there are many Scouters out there who derive great personal satisfaction from their relationships with other Scouters. BSA seems almost like a fraternal order to them. This is going to sound terrible and I mean no offense to anyone on this forum, but I really hate hanging out with other Scouters. That is why I have always dodged things like Wood Badge. If a Scouting event is not centered on the boys, I'd rather spend my time at home remodeling my kitchen - l
    2 points
  13. Just a reminder for those of us whose invitation has yet to arrive ... https://nam.scouting.org/
    1 point
  14. That's an odd statement (about WOSM being the grantor of a license for scouting). I'm sure WOSM would like things to be that way, but as Baden-Powell put it many years ago, "Scouting is a movement, not an organization." There are many scouting and guiding associations that have nothing to do with WOSM or WAGGGS.
    1 point
  15. FormerProfessional: Welcome to the forum?
    1 point
  16. I hid the locked topic.
    1 point
  17. Not bad. I don't carry it every single day, but friends have referred to my backpack as a man purse: homemade first aid kit, Tigers Milk bars, primary fire starter, para-cord and line, larger multi-tool (I carry a Micra in my pocket), whistle, LED glow stick, secondary fire starter, P-38 can opener, bandanna, emergency poncho, space blanket (which it turns out, are re-packable), tertiary fire starter, MRE drink powder, and flattened roll of toilet paper; among other things.
    1 point
  18. When you find an award and give the award, make darn sure you announce the right name for the award
    1 point
  19. Does my backpack count? Flashlight, multi-tool, pen/pencil, lint brush, first aid kit, cpr kit, notebook, instructions for accessing some stuff at work, train schedules, small lighter (in case someone randomly offers me a cigar ), calculator, umbrella, glasses cleaner, lunch.
    1 point
  20. Hate is a word is being greatly overused now days. If we try to maintain moral standards, we are accused of hate. If we support upholding our laws, we are accused of hate. So it is of little surprise to me that if some of us would wish to limit the salaries of BSA employees, we will be accused of hate. I don't need to know you in order to come to a conclusion about executive salaries. I can read the numbers.
    1 point
  21. Issue is with large packs. I have 80 Scouts and would like to direct them to their den line for various reasons. Neckerchief color is a great way to quickly and easily see a “lost” scout.
    1 point
  22. And some boys, even without dyslexia/dysgraphia, will decide that the goal is not worthwhile if too much writing is required. I've seen this in non-scout settings. If they are used to working with kids who write easily and like writing, they might not even be realizing that this would be viewed by some kids as an onerous extra requirement. You can educate them here. I've talked with school-teachers about somewhat similar issues in the past. Sometimes a special agreement was reached for just my child. At least once, because I raised the issue, the policy was changed for
    1 point
  23. a Firestone has stated the difference between a "stick" and a "stave" (or "staff). The first is a whacker, the second is a tool. What I try to instill in the Scouts I work with is the "respect" shown tool. If your stave is carved, polished, used, hiked with, used for balance, as a tentpole or joined with another pole for a flag waver/signal flag, then that Scout will not see it first as a weapon. Yeah, it can be a weapon, but that is not it's first or second or even third use. And if the Scouter uses a hiking stave, what example does he/she set? Give the Scouts opportunities.
    1 point
  24. I’m sorry but why is he asking the questions on paper if he should’ve asked them to the scout directly? Shouldn’t a scout talk about the Drug, Tobacco, etc. program that he did while sitting with the person signing it off? Doesn’t that mean once he gets the requirement signed off, he is just repeating what he told a leader a while ago? Im not sure what kind of disability your son has, but would it be possible for him to fill the worksheets in while he does the requirement? If someone says “explain”, he can explain it in person and can have help writing it down at that time, instead
    1 point
  25. And I agree that they should change the neckerchief to red to match the traditional/current color of the patch. Today is confusing for some parents ... I have had some question the yellow neckerchief color. I was never a fan of the Wolf mix of colors (yellow hat/necker but red patch). Today we have Lions Yellow Patch, No Necker Tigers Orange Patch, Orange Necker Wolves Red Patch, Yellow Necker Bears Blue Patch, Blue Necker Webelos Tan/Blue Patch, Plaid Necker w/Webelos Logo Future we will have: Lions Yellow Patch, Yellow Necker
    1 point
  26. Oh! A Yankees fan too. Yes, a lot of tripwires there. Barry
    1 point
  27. Had a conversation with a parent one time, said he was an atheist, was concerned about our "influencing" his son in Christian beliefs. First point I made was that we were in fact sponsored by a UMC, met at the UMC, held COH and other events in the sanctuary of the UMC, so by default there was going to be a slight Christian influence. Not in your face and lake baptisms, but we did do a prayer as we left on outings, Sunday Scout's own ecumenical (very short) service, and a closing prayer before we departed an outing. Usually just mention God and a request / thank you for safe travels an
    1 point
  28. Nothing more and nothing less We use the Boy Scout Handbook. Pretty much has all the requirements list in a handy chart in the back. Once they are all signed off, SM conference and BOR The troop does recommend using the MB workbooks as that helps the Boy Scouts keep organized
    1 point
  29. I can understand your concern. With our Troop we also give each youth a folder that stays at our meeting location that includes a sheet will the rank requirements that the scout is working on. Each scout is responsible for keeping a record of each requirement that he has completed. Yes this record can be recorded inside the youth scout handbook but the reality is that youth lose there handbook all the time. We do have a special needs youth in our troop an we make sure that his worksheets are updated since he also is not able to complete the worksheets. I do not see the worksheets as being
    1 point
  30. I personally believe combining the Cub Scout Trainer Wood badge course and Boy Scouter Wood Badge course was a mistake. At one time WB was the pinacle of training, now not so much. Me too. Glad I took Bill's Brownsea 22 training for Scouts before it was discontinued.
    1 point
  31. They tried that and hated it. Troop fell apart multiple times - an experience I share. Again, this guy, much like me, travelled to another country to get his granddaughter into Scouts. I would imagine he put some considerable thought into the decision.
    1 point
  32. Lot's of folks get WB as cub leaders or district committee chairs. They wont ever take IOLS unless they become an SM/ASM ... if then.
    1 point
  33. I'll admit a bit of a smile here. Welcome to the world of non-LDS Scouting. There are never enough volunteers. The church is just about never behind what we're doing. No one is instructed to be a volunteer. The volunteers are out there. It just takes a little vision and persistence. We'd love to have you join the club
    1 point
  34. I think this is a bit unfair for us to generalize. We're making statements about who DEs are and what their motivation are. We all have different experiences. I know mine well and he was a guy who was a dedicated scout and later volunteer. He decided he wanted to make a living out of it. Yes, he worries about money and membership because he has to. But he's also first to be concerned about program too.
    1 point
  35. I'm sorry but this is incredibly shortsighted and frankly insulting to a lot of good professionals out there. We work TOGETHER to provide a program FOR THE YOUTH. Do I think National execs and some SE's make too much? Yea, i kinda do. But to think cutting their salaries is the magical fix to all the problems with the BSA, that's just silly. I try to be humble about our jobs because this truly is a volunteer driven organization, but to say we do nothing to support the units pisses me off to no end. Don't for one second think i'm doing this job to give my boss a bigger paycheck, I do it bec
    1 point
  36. I have met some very good Scouters who are Wood Badge trained, and many I feel would be just as good had they not gone through that program. I have also met some people that makes me question what the heck they actually teach, as these folks are about as in-touch with the aims and methods of Scouting as a tree.
    1 point
  37. Nothing published yet. When LDS dropped Varsity and Venturing for older boys, it was replaced with a flexible church youth program that allows boys to pick from a wide variety of activities (sort of cafeteria style). Categories include spiritual, social, physical, and intellectual. What's missing are the badges and rank advancements (which some here decry as an impure motivation, anyway). If the new church youth program to replace BSA looks anything like that, I think we will be just fine. Eagle Scout will always hold a cachet separate from other youth programs.
    1 point
  38. I'm in a similar boat. I was asked recently if I'd ever want to do Wood Badge and I said "No." Apparently I was a little too quick to respond, think I kind of surprised the guy asking. He was looking at me as if it was somehow odd that I wouldn't want to do Wood Badge. This was the same guy who asked me what my goals were for my own scouting career. I had no answer, I don't think about it like that. All I've thought about since I started is the Pack program and my Den. I don't know if that will change over the years, but right now I just don't see myself taking an interest in the Scouter
    1 point
  39. Breaking point for most will be when substantial change that you are not in favor of or cannot support comes to roost in whatever part of Scouting where you personally find satisfaction and reward. For me that satisfaction and reward is working with the troop at the unit level. Changes in membership requirements a few years back, really did not effect the unit. Adding girls, we do not do any district or council camporees and also plan to be single gender (no linked either) so again does not really effect the unit. Name changes ( to loosely quote Starship - Someone always playing corpo
    1 point
  40. That's fair, freedom first imo. For me, having it on me has proven convenient in a multitude of ways, but mostly because I've only assessed what needs fixing when it's already in hand well away from my work bench were better, more dedicated tools are located. cork screw has proven it's worth more times than I can count and maybe only 1 out of 10 times to actually open a wine bottle, scissors have given me a quick nose trim in the mens room out in public many a time, the blade has cut more than it's fair share of fruit while at work, scored cardboard for kid's art projects, stripped insulatio
    1 point
  41. I'd let it go. Your work as Scoutmaster will speak volumes. I'd you get dragged into it, then it just gets worse. I'd be happy with your service, take the high road, wish him the best, and just move on.
    1 point
  42. Rephrase: groups of teens do these on their own ... without the guidance of an organization priding itself on training leaders and being prepared. Last week, I got a picture of a young relative atop his a "tree house" three stories tall -- built from found plywood. Sketchy did not begin to define it! If his former SM was willing and able to deliver on the promise of scouting, that could have been a safe, solid pioneering tower! Our nation's most ambitious kids are in harms way thanks to a litigious society.
    1 point
  43. both of these are utterly absurd. a group of teens already do just about anything on their own without the guidance of the BSA... but under the guise of an organization priding itself on training leaders and being prepared... they are barred from doing so. absurdity to the max.
    1 point
  44. LDS Scouting died in July 2015 when BSA announced its decision to admit gay adult leaders. The funeral was simply delayed due to the time required to formulate a replacement LDS youth program. After BSA's July 2015 vote, the strongly worded LDS response was shockingly candid in airing dirty laundry. "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is deeply troubled by today’s vote by the Boy Scouts of America National Executive Board. In spite of a request to delay the vote, it was scheduled at a time in July when members of the Church’s governing councils are out of their offices and do
    1 point
  45. There are a few historical trails around the Boston metro area that you can receive a patch and medal to wear on the uniform. The following link provides the information on how to order them after completing the hikes. Happy hiking. http://www.witchtrail.com/wtctrails.htm
    1 point
  46. In my council uniforms are worn to everything. I was especially impressed by how well uniformed our district was during the entirety of Camporee weekend and Scout-O-Rama this past month. I gotta say, uniforms are being worn much more often and more correctly than when I was a Scout in this area growing up. So yeah - lots of people are still wearing the uniform on their activities. I guess just not where you live.
    1 point
  47. There is roughly 60M youth in scouting age in USA. All scouting combine probably has 4M youth? I would be more interested in seeing why 56M youth are not in scouting vs worry about the 0.03M in Trails Life or few thousand in all of the other various scouting organizations.
    1 point
  48. So funny. As the kids left, we took on housing 1st year fellows from our church's college outreach (think missionaries in training and you get the idea), what with their ministry and social contacts the house is rarely empty and often quite full. Empty nest? Well, if nests have revolving doors, maybe? And then there's the occasional spur-of-the-moment Kazakh's invite to random events, like the symphony backstage or ballet dancer's birthday party. (Don't ask. I couldn't explain if I tried. I just take it as a chance to try and fit "moose and squirrel" into the conversation.) It's not
    1 point
  49. My replacement requested I take a 3 month hiatus because he felt my respect with the scouts might overshadow his effort in developing a relationship with them. I thought that odd since I trained him to be "Just like me". Barry
    1 point
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